Well, I thought I was the ultimate music nerd. I mean, I even have a Facebook group called Music Nerds. I am from the generation of geeks who sat on the living room floor, wearing headphones the size of cinder blocks and reading every credit in the liner notes.
I could have told you which session musicians played on which albums for decades. I could name the producers.
But I don’t ever remember knowing about the band Sparks.
The new documentary The Sparks Brothers is such a blast, such a joy-filled career retrospective of the Mael brothers, Ron and Russell, that it’s almost more fun, I’d think, for someone who has no idea who they are.
The more I watched, the more I thought I kinda recognized them from their 80s videos – I mean, you can’t mistake the duo’s distinct appearance. One keeps a straight face while playing the keys, barely moving except to give epic side-eyes. The other is a Glam-ish lead singer with typical rock star looks that were always current, whether we’re watching their performances from the 70s, 80s or 90s.
But the music? No way. I’m sure I would have remembered. It’s weird, funny, and different from most things you’ve heard. That is, until you’ve heard just a few of the bands they influenced (Duran Duran, Erasure, and so many more–they even had a song called ‘Computer Girl’ that pre-dates Kraftwerk).
Director Edgar Wright, a Brit who has made some great comedies, is the perfect fan boy to have directed this. He has assembled other longtime fans who range from Flea and Todd Rundgren to Giorgio Moroder, Beck, and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s. To say that these musicians are fans of Sparks is to undersell their infectious on camera enthusiasm. They are great tour guides and raconteurs.
But the best part of the film? The brothers themselves! They sit side by side, facing into the camera, and they are funny and humble and really fun to listen to. They start by recounting their childhood in Southern California and work their way through much of their 25 album discography along the way.
Their first “hit” was in 1974 and they were big in England from very early on until this very day. In fact, most of the celebrity fans in the film thought they were English back in the day. Success in America was far more elusive, but if they ever got too down on themselves, it doesn’t show much.
Their father was a working artist who died when they were still pretty young, but you can see that their artistry is in their genes and it’s their never ending quest to make art that, one suspects, kept them from sweating the lack of star trappings.
So here they are. Still in good humor and still a confounding blend of being both total opposites and an example human fusion on a level that is rivaled by only the Coen Brothers.
Wright keeps the pace up with funny stock footage shots and quick edits and those drop ins (I didn’t mention Weird Al Yankovic, Patton Oswalt and Mike Meyers are among them).
It must be said that Wrigtht could have tightened it up a bit- the movie is close to 2 ½ hours long, which is a touch too much for a music doc, right? There’s a point in the film where it is mentioned that the brothers like repetition, musically, lyrically, even their daily walks and stops for coffee. But Wright comes close to also being repetitive. It’s not a deal-breaking quibble, though.
I recommend watching the trailer below to get a feel for the vibe.
The Sparks Brothers is now streaming. Click here for viewing details. 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
