All You Ever Think About Is Sparks

Chris Sutton has appeared on this podcast before, and likewise Monte Mallin's YouTube channel Sparks: Entertainment and Art. This time, Chris and Christian go mano a mano in an interview about his (Chris') latest book On Track... Sparks 1969-1979 We chat about what it's like being a rock music journalist, and just how he managed to track down so many Sparks luminaries for his project. Also, if you happen to be in the neighborhood of Smethwick, just a bit west of Birmingham, stop by the Smethwick Heritage Center and say hello to the museum's Manager-cum-Editor of the museum's magazine! He just may look (or sound) a tad familiar!

Tally ho! We're going deep into the vaults today for this one, with an in-depth look at the never-officially-released soundtrack to the obscure 1984 teen gross-out film Bad Manners... Or is that Growing Pains? It seems Sparks didn't even know, so they recorded two theme songs, using both titles! After we flap our yaps about both the movie and the soundtrack, we take a little bit of time to explore the unusually high number of soundtrack-only songs Ron and Russ recorded in 1983-1984. The great Monte Mallin returns, and I'm happy to introduce Mr. Chris Sutton to the show this time out! Besides being a true Sparks ride-or-die, Chris has written several books about various music legends. And his latest one is called On Track... Sparks 1969-1979. (PSST. YOU CAN BUY IT HERE:)  Monte's Sparks: Entertainment and Art series is here: 

Howdy, Sparks fans! As promised, here's another episode all about New Haven's finest, the inimitable Hilly Michaels! Monte Mallin and I wax poetic for a bit about just what made Hilly's powerhouse work on the skins so special on 1976's Big Beat. After that, I clock out, and pass the baton over to Monte for his one-on-one interview with Hilly, recorded a few weeks before our three-way convo with the rhythm savant, which was featured on the previous episode. Don't sleep on Hilly's non-Sparks work, in particular his solo career! Aside from that early MTV staple "Calling All Girls," his first LP from 1980 simply roars from beginning to end. The sadly-out-of-print Lumia from the following year shows Hilly exploring a more technology-forward sound a la DEVO or Wall of Voodoo, and should've made more of a splash. As I mention in the episode, Hilly has dozens of unreleased songs in the vault, and you can actually hear them right here, on Hilly's YouTube channel! Monte's Sparks: Entertainment and Art series is here: https://www.youtube.com/@montemallin2024 And Paul Barrett's MetaSparks at: https://www.youtube.com/@MetaSparks Drop me a line at podcastsparks@gmail.com Coming up: We discuss that time in 1984 when Sparks showed Bad Manners!

Hilly Boy is back! Monte Mallin and I have a nice, in-depth chat with one of Sparks' most celebrated drummers, Hilly Michaels! We cover lots of ground that was left unexplored from the last time we talked, back in 2021. For thousands - if not tens of thousands - of folks of their generation, Hilly's smash hit "Calling All Girls" was the very first video they saw on the fledgling MTV! Hearing Hilly talk about his career is like reading a SparkNotes (see what I did there?) version of The Entire History of Rock n Roll from 1969 to today. Some very auspicious figures get mentioned in the Hilly Boy saga, like: Ron Wood, Michael Bolton, Rupert Holmes, Liza Minelli, and of course, the late, great Marianne Faithfull. Shake It and Dance, Goddammit! Be sure to check out Hilly's YouTube and Bandcamp pages! Monte's Sparks-themed YouTube channel at: Monte Mallin - YouTube  And Paul Barrett's MetaSparks at: https://www.youtube.com/@MetaSparks Drop me a line at podcastsparks@gmail.com

This one has been in the vault for a while now! Monte and I mix things up by occupying the same geocoordinates as each other for this episode. It's Sparks In Outer Space! Side B. Or 2, if that's your jam. This one was a ton of fun, y'all! We've got another one I'm sticking in the podcast oven to warm up, so that I can serve it up hot and fresh, reeeeeal soon now. Next stop: Pulling Rabits Out of a Hat!... Or... is it? You can still reach me, most of the time, at podcastsparks@gmail.com

Part 2 of our 3-parter on Sparks' 1983 LP In Outer Space! We get through the rest of side A! Plus, a brief history of the Linn Drum! Lucky me, lucky you! Monte's Sparks-themed YouTube channel at: Monte Mallin - YouTube  And Paul Barrett's MetaSparks at: MetaSparks - YouTube Drop me a line at podcastsparks@gmail.com

Monte Mallin and I take the wayback machine to 1983, when Sparks were kings of the mountain - the Magic Mountain. In Outer Space was Sparks' 12th LP, and was released when the group was white-hot, at least in Los Angeles! This episode focuses mostly on the smash single "Cool Places," a duet with Go-Go Jane Wiedlin. So, sit back and let the soothing strains of the Linn Drum lull you to a state of bliss. This is "All You Ever Think About Is Sparks!" Monte's Sparks-themed YouTube channel at: Monte Mallin - YouTube  And Paul Barrett's MetaSparks at: MetaSparks - YouTube Drop me a line at podcastsparks@gmail.com

Record Store Day 2024 special! Monte Mallin is onboard with me again, and joining us is Sparks megafan - and sometimes DJ - Ad Rebirth. Ad joins us from Leeds, UK and arrives armed with thoughtful insights into the two Sparks vinyl re-releases for RSD '24: Number One in Heaven and Noël: Is There More to Life Than Dancing?, both originally released in 1979. Lots of great Sparks-related fan material to cross-promote on this momentous day! Monte's Sparks: Entertainment and Art, Paul Barrett's MetaSparks, and Larry Graves' Canadian Studmuffin channel all have RSD-themed episodes out this week (Monte and I make appearances on the Larry Graves' one, too). Drop me a line at podcastsparks@gmail.com

John Ashdown and I put a bow on the Telex album Sex. Well, sort of. Most of the world got the single disc version that was released in 1981, but the UK had a double album bestowed upon them when the record finally reached that country in 1982. We just didn't possess the ambition to tackle nearly 20 songs, but we did pay lip service two a couple of choice tracks from the expanded British version. Check out John's own sparkling grooves with his electronic dance music outfit Christ on a Bike, right here: christonabike.net You can always drop me a line at: podcastsparks@gmail.com

I wasn't sure if I was ever going to really delve into this one, but here you go! This will be another two-parter. Telex was a Belgian technopop group active from 1978 to 1988. They made the acquaintance of Ron and Russell Mael in 1979, through a mutual collaborator, the 18-year-old French pop singer Lio. Ron and Marc Moulin, in particular, struck up a lifelong friendship. But where the 1981 album Sex (hilariously neutered with the title Birds and Bees in the UK one year later) enters the Sparks canon is in that album's lyrics. Telex wanted to crack the Anglophone market with their third album, and enlisted Ron Mael to write the words. Songs like "Brainwashed," "Drama Drama," and "Haven't We Met Somewhere Before," sparkle with crystalline synth lines and disco grooves. And they really could pass for Sparks songs of the era. I'm joined by John Ashdown, zooming in from London, on this one, and I can't thank him enough for his time and for sharing his insights. John himself produces electronic dance music under the name Christ on a Bike, and I strongly encourage you to check it out here: christonabike.net You can always drop me a line at: podcastsparks@gmail.com

Thom Chiki is SO DEVO. SO DEVO, that without Thom there would be no DEVOtional convention in Columbus, Ohio. Also a big Sparks fan, personal friend of DEVO and Sparks drummer David Kendrick, and an all-around awesome person. Check out Thom's videos here: Thom CD-ROM - YouTube You can write to me (as always) at podcastsparks@gmail.com  

Wrapping up 2023 (belatedly) with two great interviews from Sparks fans. This one is from Timothy Hall in Cardiff, Wales. He runs Daytrip Records in the UK! Go check it out! Write to us at podcastsparks@gmail.com

At long last! Monte and Christian wrap up their inexhaustible discussion about Sparks' 1982 landmark LP. Plus, a doff of the cap to Los Angeles' KROQ, the radio station that helped introduce a whole new generation of punk and new wave fans to Ron and Russell's 80s incarnation. I've been cleaning house, in terms of shoring up unused material for this podcast so that it might see the light of day. That means I have a couple of episodes I'm working to get out by year's end. Ready to start 2024 afresh, and really looking forward to delving into Sparks' self-produced era, starting with 1983's Linn-drummy Sparks in Outer Space. Don't sleep on Monte's Sparks-themed YouTube channel at: Monte Mallin - YouTube  And Paul Barrett's MetaSparks at: MetaSparks - YouTube

More from Monte and Christian about Spark's 1982 party-starter Angst In My Pants! Plus, a short history lesson on the man behind Ron's original "Ronald" synth. Monte Mallin has a brand-spankin' new YouTube series about Sparks! Check it out! Link below. Feel free to drop me a line at podcastsparks@gmail.com or Facebook Links:Ikutaro Kakehashi | NAMM.org Sparks - Entertainment and Art! Episode One - YouTube MetaSparks - YouTube Sparks Talk (sparkstalkbypenny.blogspot.com) Roland - JUPITER-8 | Software Synthesizer

Monte Mallin and I continue our dive into the effervescent waters of Angst In My Pants and the E.T.-induced wonder of 1982. Here, we wrap up side one! Email me if you want at podcastsparks@gmail.com ...and remember to check out Monte's podcast So Important, as well as his Sparks blog at: So Important: The Interview Podcast! | a podcast by Monte Mallin (podbean.com) AND: Monte's One Stop Blog!: Revisiting Kimono My House! (Spoiler: It's Still Great) (montesnewblog.blogspot.com)

Angst in my Pants is one of the greatest albums ever made! Now that that's out of the way, on this, our 35th episode, Christian spends a conspicuous amount of time comparing classic TV comedy Taxi to Sparks and vice versa, by way of Danny DeVito (briefly) sharing a stage with the Mael Bros. and company on a 1982 episode of Saturday Night Live. After that, Christian and Monte Mallin can barely contain their own angst over Sparks' 1982 release being just. that. good. It's a lot of great chatter, but alas, they only get to the first two songs on side one, after spending the lion's share of their time gushing like smitten schoolgirls, and in Monte's case, sharing some very cool personal Sparks stories. But have no fear! There's a LOT more convo to share from that session, and it'll hit your eardrums soon enough! Email me if you want at podcastsparks@gmail.com and remember to check out Monte's podcast So Important, as well as his Sparks blog at: So Important: The Interview Podcast! | a podcast by Monte Mallin (podbean.com) SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE (in addition to the usual): 'Taxi's' Last Stand - The Washington Post The Life of a Night Driver in the Dover Taxi Fleet -- New York Magazine - Nymag SNL Transcripts: Danny DeVito: 05/15/82 - SNL Transcripts Tonight (jt.org) Sparks | Concerts Wiki | Fandom 'TAXI,' DROPPED BY ABC, PICKED UP BY NBC - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

PART TWO OF TWO! FOUR - count 'em - FOUR Sparks fans join me for a track-by-track look under the hood of Sparks' latest album The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte. Monte Mallin returns, along with Paul Barrett, Penny Brown, and Jo Sieger! That's a lot of Sparks galaxy brain for a single sitting. So much, in fact, that we did what we often do: chop it in half and save the rest for later. And later is now! You won't hear the songs in their entireties here, so if you really want to "play along" at home, GO BUY THE ALBUM! OUR LINKS: So Important: The Interview Podcast! | a podcast by Monte Mallin (podbean.com) Home | One for the ages (sparks-onefortheages.com) MetaSparks - YouTube sparkstalkbypenny.blogspot.com

FOUR - count 'em - FOUR Sparks fans join me for a track-by-track look under the hood of Sparks' latest album The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte. Monte Mallin returns, along with Paul Barrett, Penny Brown, and Jo Sieger! That's a lot of Sparks galaxy brain for a single sitting. So much, in fact, that we did what we often do: chop it in half and save the rest for later. You won't hear the songs in their entireties here, so if you really want to "play along" at home, GO BUY THE ALBUM! OUR LINKS: So Important: The Interview Podcast! | a podcast by Monte Mallin (podbean.com) Home | One for the ages (sparks-onefortheages.com) MetaSparks - YouTube sparkstalkbypenny.blogspot.com

Monte and Christian sit for a lengthy (and stimulating!) chat with Sparks superfan and author of the insightful blog One For the Ages (www.sparks-onefortheages.com)  Paul Barrett. We discuss some of his fascinating meta-analyses of Sparks' lyrics, as well as geek out as all proud Sparks fans do, and (checks watch) *just in time* for the release of new LP The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte. Can't wait to have you back, Paul! Don't forget Monte's excellent podcast So Important! Drop me a line if you wanna!

Christian and Monte wax philosophical about talking hippos, gastric distress and getting kicked in the bonbons. Plus! What is this salt discharge in my latte? We wrap up Whomp That Sucker, the first of the twin quasars of Reinhold Mack-produced Sparks rock albums, recorded yet again at Giorgio's Musicland Studios in Munich. Check us out on Larry Graves' YouTube channel discussing (gasp) Sparks! Don't forget Monte's podcast So Important! Drop me a line if you wanna!