Cool Places: Sparks in Finland

 Cool Places: Sparks in Finland

  

            Finland is a very cool place in many respects, not least because there are many Sparks’ fans there! However, the brothers’ official visits to Finland have been somewhat sporadic: there was, in fact, a lengthy gap between their first gig there in 1975 and their next appearance in 2008.  Nevertheless, the recent 2022 concert in Helsinki, as part of the European leg of an extensive Spring tour, showed that there is a loyal and enthusiastic fan base there, with members old and new.

 Early Days

            Sparks first came to Helsinki for a gig on 2 October 1975, as part of a brief European tour prior to their lengthy U.K. series of dates throughout the autumn. Ron and Russell were accompanied on that occasion by their British band members Trevor White (guitar), Ian Hampton (bass) and Dinky Diamond (drums).  The concert took place at Helsinki’s Kulttuuritalo (or House of Culture), a modern building designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The band played in the semi-circular auditorium in front of a simple bank of lights, Russell resplendent in long curls, red braces, short-sleeved white shirt and dark pants while Ron wore his customary formal white shirt and tie. The band were also dressed casually. The varied set list included songs from the 1974 albums, Kimono My House ('Talent is an Asset', 'This Town', 'Falling in Love with Myself') and Propaganda ('Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth'), and showcased new songs from the recently released Indiscreet (September 1975): 'Look, Looks, Looks', which opened the show, 'Get in the Swing' and 'Without Using Hands'.  For this last number, the band employed a dramatic device that was to bear fruit decades later as the concept behind the Two Hands One Mouth show: at the end of the song, the lights gradually dimmed to two spotlights, and then to one spot only on Ron's hands as Russell softly repeated the closing lines.  For an Encore they played 'Happy Hunting Ground' and 'How Are You Getting Home?' (Indiscreet) as well as 'Girl from Germany' from A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing (1972). This range of material is a reflection of the astonishingly prolific nature of this period in the early career of the young Maels, and this gig, despite a microphone problem for Russell at one point, already demonstrated the characteristic energy and power that fans have come to associate with Sparks' shows. 

 Interviewers beware!

             The day before the live show, Sparks took part in an interview for Finnish television that became increasingly surreal. The very young-looking band are sharing a large chocolate cake while Ron talks seriously about what he perceives as the current fashion for conservatism. Pressed on this by the interviewer, he claims that the age of idealism is over, and there seems to be nothing to be in favour of any more. When he stresses that this is not meant in the political sense, Russell interjects that Sparks are certainly not political, a strategy that, with a few notable exceptions, has remained largely true to this day. Ron’s assertion that perhaps the new fashionable movement is hedonism prompts Russell to indicate the chocolate cake as proof! When the discussion moves on to differences between America and Europe, Russell asks whether ‘Finland is part of Europe, in a Finnish person’s mind?’, a somewhat surprising (although possibly philosophically profound!) question that elicits a curt ‘Yes’ from the interviewer. The interview takes an even more surreal turn as, at the moment that they are asked about their project with the famous French star Jacques Tati, the chocolate cake slowly collapses, enabling Russell to say that that precisely sums up the state of the project. This interview was not shown on the next morning current affairs and entertainment programme Tasavallassa Tapahtua as planned, but was shown on another entertainment show, Iltatähti, on 21 October.  Sparks were clearly already showing off another of their undoubted talents: wrong-footing unwary interviewers!

 Some years later….

             Finland was not blessed with another live concert until 16 June 2008, when Sparks appeared at the Tavastia-Klubi in Helsinki. Videos on YouTube of some of the concert begin with a shot of the imposing doors of the club. Finland was one of the first countries in Europe, along with Estonia and Lithuania, to see live performances of songs from Exotic Creatures of the Deep (2008) after its première in London at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on 13 June at the culmination of the 21 x 21 Sparks Spectacular. Before the show, Ron did an interview with journalist Hannu Björkbacka, who tells us that he was the only journalist left after an extended sound set-up delay, and admiringly describes Ron as ‘a friendly and humble craftsman’. Against a background hub-bub of activity, Ron is remarkably relaxed and forthcoming about Sparks’ mission of ‘pushing the limits of what pop music can do’. He describes how, prior to Lil’ Beethoven (2002). they threw away about twenty songs because they felt that they were ‘going through the motions and not pushing themselves’, which he found painful, because each song is his ‘little baby’. They then went into the studio without any songs to explore a new sound, a writing process that they have followed ever since. Bjӧrkbacka, referring to the song ‘Strange Animal’, asks about the ‘emotional core’ of a song, and Ron agrees that their music always strives to work on two levels. When asked whether he sees Sparks’ music as entertainment or art, he reveals that he looks to Cole Porter and Gershwin for inspiration in achieving a blend of simplicity and sophistication, rather than contemporary pop. Inevitably, the discussion turns to the 21 x 21 Spectacular, which Ron says was inspiring for them on many levels, not least because some of the albums that had not been successful commercially were actually great when performed live, because they had a strong band, and ‘some songs were pretty good’. He also hints that there is hope of a compilation video of the event, because all the shows were filmed from one central camera. (We are still waiting for that one, Ron!). When pressed about future plans, he speaks about the five years they had spent on developing a screen version of the Japanese manga comic Mai the Psychic Girl in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and that there were still hopes that a full-length film might see the light of day. It is impossible not to admire Ron’s calm and kindness in this informative interview which took place at clearly a very hectic point in the day.

     Ron also says in this interview that, as they have not played in Finland for a long time, they have included a number of songs from throughout their career in that evening’s show. Indeed, the generously long and wide-ranging set list included five songs from Exotic Creatures ('Good Morning', 'Strange Animal', 'I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song', 'I've Never Been High' and 'Lighten Up Morrissey') as well as a mixture of favourites and numbers less frequently played live from earlier albums: 'Up Here In Heaven' and, of course, 'Amateur Hour' and 'This Town' from Kimono My House (1974), 'Propaganda', 'At Home, At Work, At Play', 'Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth', and 'Something for the Girl With Everything' (Propaganda (1974)), 'Get In The Swing (Indiscreet (1975)), 'Goofing Off' (Introducing Sparks (1977)), 'Number One Song In Heaven' (from album of the same name (1979)), 'When Do I Get To Sing My Way' (Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins (1994)), 'Suburban Homeboy' from Lil Beethoven (2002) and 'Dick Around' from the 2006 album Hello Young Lovers. This huge and varied programme was not only to encourage Finnish fans, old and new, to explore earlier albums and ‘catch up’, but reflects Ron and Russell's perception of what works well in live performance and the constant innovation and consistently high standard of Sparks' work over four decades.

Finnish treats

             This Helsinki gig also had some further especially memorable moments: the audience were stamping and clapping in anticipation before the start of the show and for the opening number 'It's a Sparks Show Tonight', Ron took to the stage alone and mimed to the song while doing a mini-striptease, throwing his long mackintosh into the audience. He also caused a sensation by appearing for the Encore in a T-shirt embellished with a picture of an elk and the words 'Finnish Playboy'. Russell was, for once, more conservatively dressed in a long-sleeved black T-shirt, with black braces and red pants and a matching jacket that was removed at some point. Russell demonstrated his skill for delighting a crowd by speaking in Finnish, proclaiming his liking for things typically associated with the country; salmiakki (salted liquorice, which is delicious but an acquired taste), Fazeria (a make of chocolate), Iittala (Nordic homeware design), the children's book favourite Moomin and, of course, Finland (Suomi). Each item was greeted with cries of surprised delight, admiration and 'Thank you' from the audience. He had clearly been well coached! This strategy, when on tour, of addressing a few introductory words to the audience in their own language, even if only briefly, always creates an affectionate rapport and is another example of Ron and Russell's close attention to the details of successful performance.  This endearing episode, and the closing moments of the gig, as Russell introduces the band, this time in English (Jim Wilson and Marcus Blake (guitars and backing vocals, both from the band Mother Superior), Steve McDonald (bass) and Steven Nistor on drums), can be seen on YouTube. These were the same musicians, as Russell points out, who played the 21 nights of the Sparks Spectacular in London. Their reward for sticking with them throughout that marathon, was to play in Finland, Russell announces to rapturous applause. After the last encore, 'Suburban Homeboy', Russell shouts out 'moi, moi' (bye bye) as the ecstatic audience finally allows the equally delighted band to leave the stage.

A new venture

            Ron and Russell were back at the Tavastia-Klubi again in 2012, this time alone for a performance on the Two Hands One Mouth tour. There had been a short break since the show in London on 13 June 2012, which they have described as a trial run of the stripped back format, and the tour came via gigs in Latvia and Lithuania to arrive in Helsinki on 7 October. Despite their anxieties about appearing for the first time without a band and the greater exposure and focus on Ron and Russell that this entailed, the tour was going down a storm, and the Helsinki show was no exception.  Beginning with Ron's solo performance at the keyboard of the gorgeous overture, which was greeted with repeated cheering and clapping along with the beat, the show consisted of a massive list of twenty songs from throughout their career including some not so often seen in live performances (notably 'Sherlock Holmes' from Angst in My Pants (1982), 'Under the Table With Her' (Indiscreet (1975)) and excerpts from The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (2009).  The songs were apparently chosen for their viability in the reduced and concentrated musical medium. In various interviews at the time, Ron and Russell explained that they had discovered that not all of their repertoire was suitable for this treatment, and that they wanted to maintain the same power, aggression and urgency as though they were playing with a full group.  The format was particularly nerve-wracking for Ron, who had to play alone live with neither band nor computer to support the music, which had to be recast for keyboard alone. The new arrangements are, in fact, magnificent. A huge benefit in their view was that the more intense focus on the vocals foregrounded the lyrics and emphasised their wit and subtlety, as well as the amazing range of Russell's voice, as they were not competing with a 'sonic blast'. A specially written piece, ''Two Hands, One Mouth', a song with a fairly blatant double meaning (which was more evident in live performance, as the audience in Finland as elsewhere quickly grasped), brought the show to a close.

Helsinki loves Sparks

Russell, who wore a brown suit with cut-off pants (for which he seems to have a penchant) and black shirt, introduced himself and Ron, in short-sleeved dark shirt, in Finnish and later, addressing the audience as 'Suomi-ystävät' ('Finnish friends'), proceeded again to list his 'favourite' Finnish things. This time, he says, he loves not just Panda's liquorice and Gravlax (a Nordic speciality of cured raw salmon in dill, which receives an amusingly mixed response from the audience), but a range of celebrated Finnish artists and designers: Essa-Pekka Salonen, the orchestra conductor, Alvar Aalto, the architect and furniture, glassware and textile designer, and Marimekko, the celebrated design house known for its fabrics for home furnishing and fashion. Furthermore, Ron loves Aki Kaurismäki, the screenwriter and actor, who with his brother Mika Kaurismäki, founded a film production company and the Midnight Sun Film Festival. This engaging saunter through aspects of Finnish culture (relatively unfamiliar to most people in Britain) is enlightening, and it is easy to imagine that they might indeed appeal to the Maels' own tastes and interests. The delirium all this appears to unleash in the Helsinki audience only abates when Ron initiates the lush introductory bars of 'Singing in the Shower'. This tour, which was to go on to Norway, Sweden and Germany in mid-October, was, as fans will know, immortalised in the superb live album Two Hands, One Mouth, Live in Europe (2013), although the different locations of the numbers are not identified, apart from Russell's final speech before the title song, which is clearly addressed to 'all our friends in Manchester'.  (Thank you, Russell.)  In an interview with Ron from Helsinki airport published on 15 October in the Sabotage Times, as well as asserting that he was buying cans of reindeer meat on sale at the airport as souvenirs (well, he would, wouldn't he), he spoke about their movie projects, Mai the Psychic Girl and The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman, and a new project, work for which was then about a third of the way through. One can only speculate that this refers to the screenplay for the movie Annette, directed by French director Leos Carax and released in 2021, unless there is another major project being kept under wraps.

Hippopotamus sighted in Finland

            The subsequent Revenge of Two Hands One Mouth tour did not play in Finland although it did reach Sweden, nor, for some reason, did FFS, the inspired collaboration between Sparks and Franz Ferdinand, perhaps because their hugely successful European tour in 2015 concentrated more on appearances at music festivals.  However, Sparks' fans in Finland will have been delighted to be amongst the first to hear songs from the new album, Hippopotamus, live, at the Flow Festival on 12 August 2017.  Of course, we know that this date is Ron’s birthday and Sparks posted a picture of Ron in front of a shop window containing a Moomin toy, and the words, ‘Happy Birthday Helsinki Boy’. On the 15^th, we were treated to a picture of Russell at the Moomin pop-up exhibition at Stockmann, the famous department store in Helsinki. The Flow Festival, founded in 2004, is a celebrated annual urban music and arts festival that takes place in the grounds of the old Suvilahti Power Plant on a number of stages and features not just Finnish and international musicians, but the visual arts, films, design, talks, food and drink. The line-up of the highly praised new band consisted of Zach Dawes (bass), Tyler Parkford (keyboards), both of whom are from the Los Angeles band Mini Mansions, Evan Weiss (guitar, from Junk), Taylor Locke (guitar) and seasoned Sparks drummer Steve Nistor on drums.  Ron and Russell were there as well, of course! Their outfits were coordinated stripes, a look subsequently adopted by many fans. Ron stood out in an elegant striped jacket and tie, while Russell’s striped top worn with loose cut-off pants over bare legs and black shoes with red laces divided opinion everywhere. They played four songs from Hippopotamus ('What The Hell Is It This Time', 'Hippopotamus', 'Edith Piaf Said It Better Than Me', 'Missionary Position') and nine of their best-known numbers. As elsewhere on this tour, the band’s energy, enthusiasm and enjoyment were evident and infectious. They were greeted and applauded as warmly as ever, but shortly after their set the heavens opened for an epic rainstorm.  Fortunately, as we know, Sparks are waterproof so 'nothing of a liquid nature was gonna mess with them'! Or, as Sparks commented on their ‘Helsinki, kiitos!’ post, thanking fans for their warm welcome, ‘Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth’!   At least Sparks-loving festival goers went away happy.  Although the second Hippopotamus tour of 2018 did go to Scandinavia, playing in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, it did not this time stop over in Finland.

New tour, old haunts

Of course, all the dates for the 2020 tour in support of the widely acclaimed new album A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip had to be postponed because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as did the rearranged dates in May 2021, but Sparks made the brave decision to go ahead with the tours of the US and Europe in April/May 2022. Additional dates were added, one of which was in Helsinki on 3 May, at the Kulttuuritalo, where they first performed in 1975. Taking advantage of the extra day between gigs, two pre-show photos on the official website featured once again Russell’s liking for the Moomin stories. This time he is pictured standing before a picture of the mischievous Little My on the window of the Moomin store, and with a large model of the cold, lonely Groke, who has clearly found a friend at last (their expressions in this one are remarkably similar!)  An added bonus was a picture of both Russell and Ron on the stage of the Kultturitalo before the show.

This event surely brought back memories for both the boys and anyone who was fortunate enough to be there 47 years previously!  When Russell referred to this during the concert, Ron bent down and put his head in his hands in disbelief, while a fan at the front of the audience enthusiastically waved his original 1975 ticket, to Russell’s delight. The other members of the superb five-piece band (guitarists Evan Weiss and Eli Pearl, newcomer Max Whipple on bass, Steve Nistor on drums and Tyler Parkford on additional keyboards) were suitably impressed! As elsewhere, Finnish fans were surprised and pleased at the set list, which opened with ‘So May We Start’ (from their recent award-winning movie, Annette), and mixed songs from every decade of Sparks’ career, including ‘Wonder Girl’, ‘Tips for Teens’, ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way’, and some numbers seldom performed live (‘Under the Table With Her’, ‘I Married Myself’, ‘The Shopping Mall Of Love’, and ‘Music That You Can Dance To’). In fact, two of the latter produced moments cherished by fans throughout the tour: Russell gazing lovingly into a hand mirror in ‘I Married Myself’ and Ron’s spoken narrative in ‘Shopping Mall’, especially the intonation and fist pump of the repeated ‘Yeah’. The Encore finished with an emotional rendition of ‘All That’, which, together with the hilarious ‘Lawnmower’ and the operatic ‘Stravinsky’s Only Hit’, were the only numbers from A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip. The audience were apparently a little reserved though very appreciative at first, but were on their feet dancing towards the end of the show.

There was no co-ordinated band colour scheme this time – Russell dazzled in bright yellow pants paired with a short dark woollen jacket accessorized with a Hello Kitty pin, while Ron wore a sombre outfit of a long, collarless coat and loose, wide-legged pants (with no tie!). The rest of the band were dressed in unobtrusive dark casual wear.  At one point, Russell donned a nautical cap (ylioppilaslakki) worn by high school graduates in Finland which is popular in May Day celebrations. In fact, hats were a bit of a feature on this occasion: guitarist Eli Pearl wore his beret, and Steve Nistor on drums also, unusually, had a hat. Another pleaser for this specific crowd was Russell’s speech in Finnish, once gain listing his particular Finnish favourites. His tastes (for salmiakki, cookies, reindeer and Marimekko) have not changed much over the years, it seems. As usual, the audience were impressed and delighted.

A long and glorious career has stretched between these two Kulttuuritalo concerts, and, with the Edgar Wright documentary, The Sparks Brothers (released in summer 2021) and their own musical movie, Annette, chosen as the film to open the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Sparks are riding higher than ever in the music firmament. Their activities last year now include another link with Finland: the release of ‘Your Fandango’, their collaboration with Todd Rundgren (who produced their first album), is accompanied by a stunning video by Finnish media artist Liisa Vääriskoski, in which an elegant woman in an eighteenth-century portrait comes to life and embarks on an Alice in Wonderland-like excursion through fantastical scenarios. Visually gorgeous and characteristically humorous, the video is a surreal collage of images, including various cameos of Ron, Russell and Todd, that brilliantly complements the complexity of the music. Finnish fans will undoubtedly be delighted at this cultural collaboration, and will be looking forward to their next Sparks encounter in (as we all hope) the not too distant future.

 

Penny Brown

May 2022

penelope.brown44@virginmedia.

When Sparks Met the Bard: Sparks and Shakespeare

 

When Sparks met the Bard - Sparks and Shakespeare

What a spectacular collaboration this would have been!

In the final heart-rending scene of Annette, Henry’s words in the song ‘Sympathy for the Abyss’ (‘imagination’s strong/ But reason’s song is faint and shrill’) echo concisely the sentiment of Othello’s lament in the last scene of Shakespeare’s tragedy, thus aligning him with the jealous wife-murderer whose guilt destroys him. So…. can Henry McHenry be seen as an Othello for our times?

Sparks have previously directly referenced Shakespeare and his plays in a handful of songs.  In ’Let’s Go Surfing’ (from Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins, 1994), Shakespeare is namechecked directly, but the reference seems to be pejorative. In this fantasy of freedom from the dismal surroundings of a room ‘only Dickens could love’ in a cold, wet ‘land-locked town’, the narrator longs to go surfing in the sun. This may have been inspired by Ron and Russell’s time living in London in the 1970s, while surfing suggests freedom, hope and dreams (‘far from everything, far from misanthropes’). The dream of walking on white sand includes an encounter with ‘people called Kelley and Joe’, who are referred to as ‘too Shakespearian, too Wagnerian’ too impossible’, and ‘who have nothing in common with anyone we know’. Is the inference that they are too high brow, on a different cultural, intellectual level to the narrator’s acquaintances, and thus a comment on European social and intellectual snobbery?   But wait: since these passing characters are encountered on the sand, are they perhaps stereotyped Hollywood folk, perceived as over-dramatic and flamboyant?   Or are they the miserable and pessimistic misanthropes? Certainly, they are opposed to the carefree joy of catching the perfect wave in an ideal world where ‘somewhere there are dreams, somewhere there is hope’.

              Of course, Sparks had also already referenced a specific Shakespeare play: in ‘Here in Heaven’ from the 1974 Kimono My House album, an unnamed young man bemoans that he kept his side of a suicide pact, while his love, Juliet, didn’t. Although life in heaven is pleasant, the young man dwells on the question of whether Juliet thinks of him and in what way: ‘Do I qualify as dear departed, or am I that sucker in the sky?’ He suspects a cynical manipulation on her part: ‘Now I know why you let me the lead’. As in a number of Sparks’ songs, the woman is seen as unpredictable and unfathomable, and possibly unkind and controlling. (She probably didn’t turn up at the Equator either.) Or, did she just have second thoughts as he plunged into the sea, a ‘fall guy’ in more ways than one? He concedes that he had belated second thoughts too, and now, in heaven, it is hell for him knowing that her health ‘will keep her out of here for many, many years’. Shakespeare’s version of the lovers’ deaths in Romeo and Juliet (in which Juliet’s faked death is tragically misunderstood by Romeo and the faithful lovers are united in death) becomes here a sad and cynical tale of soured romance, self-interest and betrayal.

Another of Shakespeare’s tragedies had featured even more overtly in a song (‘Othello’) written for Christi Haydon in 1992, but not released until 2019, in the extras section of the new edition of Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins. It originally featured on a demo tape for an E.P., which didn’t see the light of day. This song has a completely different perspective from ‘Here in Heaven’. The singer is an uncomprehending Desdemona, who wonders what is wrong with her soldier husband – why is Othello ‘cold, dark, and strange tonight’? Is it the wine, the heat? Or something Iago said? It captures the perplexity of Desdemona, unaware that she is to become the victim of Othello’s murderous sexual jealousy and Iago’s cunning, although she suspects his involvement. To Othello’s accusation of adultery,’ she responds: ‘I say you’re mad’. She too yearns for a place far away where dreams can come true and jealousy doesn’t exist. This moving song, with its close references to Shakespeare’s play, is unusual in the Sparks’ catalogue as it specifically features a female narrator.  Uneasy relationships are frequent in Sparks’ songs, but seldom are they  seen from an overtly female perspective.

‘Life with the Macbeths’ from Hippopotamus (2017), in which Sparks create a brilliant analogy between Shakespeare’s blood-soaked tragedy and a contemporary television soap opera, is perhaps the closest one could get to a kind of collaboration!  I would like to think that the idea for this song was prompted by the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016, celebrated in the media worldwide. An audience’s delight in bloodshed, toxic relationships, deadly ambition and evil appears to be universal: the more horrific the plot, the more the ratings soar. That high culture and low culture may have the same ingredients is a provocative comment on human nature, and on culture itself (although, Shakespeare, arguably, has a better script!). In this T.V. show, even the actors are not impressed, (they ‘roll their eyes’), but it is a huge success, so why should they care. Here, the capricious and controlling woman is taken to the extreme, as the ‘lady’ urges on her husband to ‘depths unseen’.  In a kind of promotional trailer (‘same station, same time, new feuds’) we are promised cliff-hangers, but only one series, suggesting that nobody is left standing at the end. As in Shakespeare’s time, the critics are said to be split in their reactions (‘some not that into murder’). But is there actually some ‘deeper meaning’ beneath the gore?  Perhaps it is that the evil wife ‘prods her husband /and then regrets what’s coming’. The soaring soprano voice of Rebecca Sjowall complements Russell’s voice exquisitely, the beauty of the sound contrasting with the commercialised horror of the narrative. In a way, the unexpected operatic element bridges the gap between the two cultural levels, while drawing attention to it. With his background in popular theatre, Shakespeare would no doubt have thoroughly approved of this song! We should not forget, also, that one of the intruders in the pool in the title song, ‘Hippopotamus’, is none other than the Roman general, Titus Andronicus, Shakespearian tragic hero and, according to Sparks an excellent swimmer, wearing a snorkel!

And so to Annette (2021).  Comparison of many aspects with Othello is tempting, even if this was not necessarily a deliberate aim on Sparks’ part. Not unlike Othello, Henry McHenry is a hot-tempered jealous husband, whose uncontrolled emotion leads to murder. Henry and Anne’s intense relationship, like that of Othello and Desdemona, is unusual: they seem, even to themselves, a mismatched couple (’we’re scoffing at logic’). Just as Othello is a successful and admired soldier, Henry is famous, at first, as a comedian, and both are easily a prey to self-doubt on an emotional level. Henry’s jealousy of Anne is, however, more complex, notably a strong professional jealousy, as befits the modern age, and he has (allegedly) a past history of violence against women.  Like Othello, though, Henry abandons coherent language and reason as jealousy and rage consume him and lead to chaos, murder and guilt. His audience turns against his increasingly bizarre and offensive stage act. Anne, loved and admired by her public, also can not understand what troubles her husband, and ultimately becomes a victim of his toxic male self-obsession and jealous rage. She, however, is very different from Desdemona, and her death during the storm does not end her role in the plot, as she vows revenge through the voice of her daughter baby Annette.  (Interestingly, Shakespeare’s play also features a storm at sea scene, although his Desdemona survives.) Both play and movie also feature an ‘alternative’ lover: while in Othello, the young Cassio loves Desdemona but the relationship remains chaste, the Accompanist/Conductor in Annette, who adores Anne, had a brief affair with her prior to her meeting Henry. It is suggested that he may even be the father of baby Annette. Like Cassio, he too attracts the jealous wrath of Henry and becomes his next victim. At the end of the movie, Henry, having looked into the abyss of unspeakable emotions and acts, is consumed by guilt, but ends up in jail alone rather than killing himself like Othello. The final scene in which a real-life Annette chides her father and tells him that he has no-one now to love, reflects chillingly his lasting punishment. There are, of course, huge differences between Annette and Othello, notably the absence of a wicked Iago figure to play on Henry’s insecurities (although perhaps the press and public fill this role?), and, in Annette, the unexpected horror of both parents exploiting their child for their own ends, which creates uneasy ambiguities for the viewer. The role of baby Annette herself is obviously at the centre of the movie’s story and adds to the psychological depth and moving nature of the plot.

This may be striving too hard for comparison, but the echoing of Othello’s words in ‘Sympathy for the Abyss’, apparently written in response to Leos Carax’s request for a song to tie up the themes of the movie, succeeds powerfully in pointing us back to contemplate the universal complexities of human nature and relationships, and the fragile foundations on which love may rest. Just as Ron used the words of Socrates (‘An unexamined life is not worth living’) at the end of The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman, to underscore the resolving of Bergman’s temptation, the echo of Othello’s belated and fruitless self-realisation in a present day setting firmly establishes the timeless nature of these themes.

These are just my personal thoughts, prompted by that one phrase in Annette: there may well be other explicit or opaque links with Shakespeare’s plays that I have yet to uncover, so ideas would be most welcome!

 

Penny Brown

December 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sparks in Isolation: the Story of 2020-2021

 

Sparks in Isolation – the story of 2020-2021.

By Penny Brown

 Sparks had big plans for 2020: a new studio album, a European tour in the early autumn, and the premières of a documentary directed by Edgar Wright and their musical movie, Annette, directed by Leos Carax and starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, both of which have been several years in the making. This was to be a major year in their long and distinguished career. But like everything else worldwide, these plans were badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown in many countries. Although, fortunately, filming for both Annette and the documentary had been completed before the pandemic struck, their premières and release were delayed, with film festivals cancelled and the film industry as a whole at a standstill for months. The tour had to be postponed to May 2021 because theatres and other entertainment venues were forced to close and travel restrictions were in place, and even this plan has had to be revised because of the ongoing situation. The tour showcasing A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip is now scheduled for April and May 2022.

Ron has spoken movingly of the effects of the situation for him personally, saying early in the pandemic that he felt bewildered and has struggled to remain creative, particularly as their normal strict routine, working together in Russell’s home studio, has been crucially disrupted by the stay-isolated-at- home imperative. A video announcement for the new album, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip, of them standing two meters apart in a local park, wearing masks, was a sad reminder of how they, like everyone else, have had their lives turned upside down by the pandemic. In an interview for the July/August edition of Classic Pop, Ron confesses to a more existential angst, that he feels dwarfed by the whole situation: ‘trying to come up with a reason why you’re significant at all when all this is going on. The inspiration to think one has significance at all is hard, but I’m trying to find a way through it all’. Russell has been less forthcoming about his personal feelings, although he has repeatedly confirmed that he misses being able to work together and their visits to their favourite coffee shop. He has, however, become increasingly upbeat about the effect on their work, describing it in an interview in Entertainment Weekly, accompanying the recent première of the home-made video for ‘Left Out in the Cold’ (18 February) as a ‘really good challenge’, forcing them to think about doing things in a new way: ‘You have to find ways of moving forward and not be paralyzed’. The spirit of Sparks can still flourish, but in a different way.

Flourish it certainly has. Despite these disappointments and frustrations, Sparks have risen to the challenge of maintaining their public profile and keeping the connection with their fans, entertaining us in a multitude of imaginative and innovative ways. This is, of course, entirely typical of Sparks who, throughout their career, have persevered in their self-belief and work ethic despite setbacks and let downs and have always managed to rise above circumstances with an enviable and ingenious talent for adaptation and self-reinvention. Their activities over the past year have gone far beyond the common run of Instagram images or occasional videos of housebound acoustic performances, and demonstrate their dedication to their work, their creative hunger, fertile imagination and sense of fun, and the desire to foster the sense of community amongst their fans worldwide.  Russell has said that he dislikes the approach of some musicians to just pick up an acoustic guitar when it is ‘totally contrary to what you musically believe in’. Full use has been made of the possibilities offered by social media and other online platforms to keep up the momentum. In effect, Russell has asserted, they had been, paradoxically, even more visible this past year, as normally they would be travelling abroad on promotional visits of the new album. In the current circumstances, they were doing similar things and more, but in a much more visible way.

The new studio album, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip was released digitally on 15 May 2020, as originally planned, but the release of the physical album was delayed until 3 July as a consequence of the pandemic and the nearly three-month lockdown in the UK. The decision to go ahead with the digital release was a deliberate strategy to avoid disappointing fans. In the Classic Pop interview Russell explains that delay would only have been a marketing decision, and they didn’t think that fans should pay the price of such considerations. Short promotional videos in May and July featured both Ron and Russell and the ‘Sparks’ Spokesperson’ (a model female head wearing a broadbrimmed hat, the voice impersonated by Russell). Previews of individual songs (‘Existential Threat’, ‘Lawnmower’, ‘One for the Ages’, ‘I’m Toast’, and ‘Self-effacing’) were posted in June and July to whet fans’ appetite. The album received widespread acclaim, reaching no 7 in the UK album charts (as did Hippopotamus before it), and extremely positive reviews and articles on Sparks were featured in many newspapers and music magazines. Classic Pop featured Sparks on its cover as well as an eight-page spread inside which included an interview with Edgar Wright about his forthcoming documentary. Ron and Russell also did a number of interviews about the album, virtually of course, with each responding to questions separately from their own homes, for American, English and French outlets.

Several of the songs on A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip are in fact relevant to the modern age, such as ‘ I-phone’ and ‘Please don’t fuck up my world’, but none more so than  ‘Existential threat’ (premièred 3 July). This seems uncomfortably prescient in its evocation of a man in the grip of a constant dread, and could well stand as an anthem for the Covid-stricken world. The official video by the graphic designer and animation artist Cyriac admirably captures in a highly coloured and gruesome way the frenetic panic of the obsessed character in the song, who feels besieged by dangers everywhere, in his food, in his toilet, in the street and in his car. This is not one for those of a nervous disposition! Cyriac also provided a ‘guide to making a music video’ (21 August), to celebrate the two million viewings of ‘Existential Threat’, which makes it look ridiculously easy! There have been other official videos too: the entertaining story for ‘One for the ages’ (27 March), hand-drawn and animated by Chintis Lundgren, depicts a cartoon cat-like figure who secretly writes his soon-to-be-great opus while doing a humdrum office job.  A large cast of animal-like creatures, all wearing a tie (presumably a symbol of their corporate oppression!) talk about him over the water cooler, and, in his fantasy, acclaim his success. It should not escape a fan’s notice that the dreamer has floppy dark hair while the boss wears round glasses and a moustache! The ‘office’ is also invaded by sinister ball-like creatures, wearing shades and carrying guns, perhaps the characters from his great project or an externalisation of the would-be star’s feelings about his day job. In complete contrast, the home-made video for ‘Lawnmower’ (14 May) reflects typical Sparks’ humour as scenes of a rather sinister-looking Ron in a bowler hat pushes on an unseen lawnmower behind a singing Russell, intercut with scenes of a young woman packing cases into the back of her car, and various images of lawnmowers going about their work. The video, (29 December) for ‘i-phone’, has Russell (and sometimes multiple Russells) singing against the background of a computer-generated suburban residential road, while Ron (and sometimes multiple Rons) passes back and forth obsessively studying his phone and taking selfies.  The most recent video (18 February 2021), for ‘Left Out in the Cold’ takes a similar approach. Multiple versions of Ron and Russell, muffled in overcoats, scarves and gloves, shiver rhythmically against a haunting background of a frozen waste, with, at the end, a humorous touch as an elegant woman in overcoat and sunglasses crosses the scene with only a passing glance at them. At least she has the sense to wear a hat. Perhaps she is the Uniqlo supervisor, sent to check them out!  Russell explains, in an accompanying interview in Entertainment that they made their contributions separately and, ‘by the magic of film making’ put them together. He describes the nearly year-long restrictions of the pandemic as a continuing challenge that forces them to think in different ways and come up with things that they might not have normally done. This positive approach is their way of not succumbing to ‘the horrible situation that’s out there in the world’, and moving forward.

In the absence of live shows, we have also been treated to’ live in isolation’ performances, in which Ron, Russell and other band members play ‘socially distanced’ in their own homes, the different parts put together seamlessly, a considerable feat of synchronisation and technical wizardry. To date, these have featured ‘All That’ (11 June) and ‘Lawnmower’ (25 December). The band members featured are familiar to us from the Hippo tour: Steve Nistor (drums), Evan Weiss (guitar), Eli Pearl (guitar) and Alex Casnoff (guitar). In the ‘Lawnmower’ video, the latter two are humorously shown ‘otherwise engaged’, Eli busy with a book and a nail file, and Alex with a laptop, although they join in the singing, since the main focus of the music is Ron’s keyboard, Evan’s guitar and Steve’s drums. In October, November and December, we were further treated to a series of videos on Fridays of the lyrics from ASDDD, with the words shown dripping in the now familiar ASDDD primary colours.

In March 2020, when no-one foresaw the extent of the devastation wrought by the pandemic, we were given a humorous video satirising panic buying, in which a white budgie tries to fill a miniature shopping trolley with toilet rolls, to the tune of ‘Something For the Girl With Everything’. Both Ron and Russell have separately treated fans to short videos, which by their contrasting content and presentation reflect the different personalities they cultivate in Sparks. The first, posted on 23 March 2020, was a short piece by Ron on his ‘International Hand Sanitiser Collection’, a topical subject early on in the international health emergency. In his characteristic laconic manner, Ron presents and comments on the qualities of a number of bottles of sanitiser collected on his travels abroad. Many fans commented that it was strange how a boring subject could somehow be so hypnotic and compelling. A week later (30 March), and again on topic, we were treated to ‘A day in the life of Russell, a self-isolating Spark’, a speeded-up gallop through a typical day to a superb instrumental version of ‘The Amazing Mr Repeat’. Russell is seen waking up at eight, having a healthy breakfast, reading the New Yorker, collecting his post, exercising, twice taking a nap on his couch, sorting through his records and hats, watering his garden, playing around with a theremin, practising singing, repeatedly washing his hands and going to bed at 11.30. Despite its pace, it captures the boredom and search for time-occupying activities experienced by everyone in this unprecedented situation, as well as demonstrating the good practice of exercise and frequent hand washing, in an hilarious manner. Described on the NME website as ‘a wholesome video’, it also offers, of course, a tantalising glimpse for fans of various parts of Russell’s house and garden in complete contrast to their usual secrecy about their private lives.

              This was followed up by a series of suggested ‘activities’ from Russell: first, an invitation to the stir-crazy to join in ‘One for the Ages: Russell’s Self-Isolation bop’ (8 April), in which, to an exciting new instrumental version of ‘One for the Ages’, he dances, if that is the right word, with a miniature guitar and a fan, and wearing a black mask.  Over the next few weeks, we were offered two ‘Exercise Classes’, with Russell demonstrating various physical exercises from his living room (20 April and 26 May), which the viewer is invited to join in to ‘beat the self-isolation clock’. In the first video Russell wears a tee-shirt with Shibuya printed on it, a souvenir perhaps from their performance in Japan in 2018 at the Shibuya Club Quattro, while in the second he wears a ‘Moog’ tee-shirt (in honour of Moog synthesizers). Although the advice about pacing oneself and keeping hydrated (although Russell’s frequent slurps from a can of cola is perhaps not the most recommended way to do so) are presented in a serious manner, the ‘demonstration’, to the tunes of ‘Beat the clock’ and ‘Sports’ (‘ready, get set, work out’), is speeded up, so the result is manic, hilarious, not to mention impossible to emulate. Similarly, we were offered two singing lessons, one, headlined ‘A free singing lesson with a top professional’ (11 May) starting off simply, but moving on to feature the impossible ‘Equator’ and a speeded up operatic aria and the other (7 August) a rendition of the entire Kimono My House album in 90 seconds. Well, a line from each of the songs, at least! The energy, humour and element of surprise of these videos present a striking contrast to the gentle and more soothing atmosphere of Ron’s videos.

In the summer, we saw more of the boys’ collections: on 16 June, Russell treated us to a tour of his international fridge magnets collected on his travels, which he says helps to keeps his spirits up by ‘thinking of all the wonderful Sparks fans from around the world’. To appease fans who fail to see their country represented on the display, Russell cannily informs us that he has many more tucked away on a drawer. In interviews, Russell has also talked of his collection of Russian dolls and shown one of his favourites, of Abba, bought in Stockholm.  In complete contrast, on 26 August, Ron, wearing the new Sparks beret, showcased ‘The Ronald D. Mael Collection of Souvenir Stones and Shells’ acquired on their many trips abroad, an addition to the ‘burgeoning cultural scene of Los Angeles’. In this slightly mystifying yet strangely compelling film, he presents a small number of plastic boxes containing stones or shells from Mexico, Italy and Japan, which, he hastens to tells us, have been legally acquired. On 8 July, a video billed as Sparks’ first U.K. television appearance of the year featured the Sparks’ ‘spokesperson’, who greeted us with an Irish ‘Top of the Morning’, and promoted the new album for the UK chart week. A deliberate(?) gaffe occurred when ‘she’ referred to the record company as BMW, instead of BMG, and the promised link with the Mael brothers in Los Angeles results in mere static crackling. Who knows whether this an intended joke or not? I suspect it was, because the announcer seems unfazed by the situation.

A major contribution has been the ‘Lyrically speaking with Ron Mael’ videos, a lengthy series in which Ron reads the lyrics of Sparks’ songs, beginning on 5 April 2020 with perhaps appropriately, ‘Self-Effacing’ and continuing every Sunday for a full year. Ron sits in front of a bookcase which displays a different book each week for fans to identify and ponder its possible relevance to the chosen song (although often ‘Probably Nothing’). Above the bookcase we see cases of his often spoken-of collection of Air Jordan sneakers. His different outfits are a further source of interest and speculation: not just the typical white shirt and tie, but occasionally a dark hoodie, a beret for ‘I am Ingmar Bergman’ and ‘When you’re a French Director’, and a snazzy red shirt with Christmas motifs and matching mask and white beret for ‘Christmas Without a Prayer’. His choice of songs has included all the tracks from A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip, plus songs from throughout their lengthy catalogue, some very well-known, others less so: ‘ Let’s go surfing’, ‘Probably Nothing’, ‘High C’, ‘I Married Myself’.  The reading of ‘Johnny Delusional’, from the hugely successful FFS collaboration with Franz Ferdinand, was prefaced by a dedication to ‘Alex, Bob, Nick and Paul – it was a great time’.  Fans have been delighted to hear more of Ron’s voice, which in these presentations is soft and soothing, and his relaxed, even stoic, delivery. His genius as a songwriter is all the more apparent when he is seen to deliver his own words, and the focus on the lyrics has the effect of suggesting different meanings and arousing different emotions, as fans’ reactions testify. One memorable week (30 August), we were introduced to a ‘guest speaker’: Russell, who presented ‘Hasta mañaña monsieur’, for which he penned the lyrics, in a comically serious and straight-faced manner. There is a degree of irony in this, as Russell is known to be a good linguist, who contributes fluently in French in interviews, and often says a few words in the language of the host country at live shows. It is fascinating to see both doing their own very different thing:  Russell’s sporadic and varied videos are generally manic, full of humour and energy while Ron’s regular appearances are calming and restrained and, for many fans, have offered a focal point to the week.

Sparks have also followed a new lockdown trend of participating in live streamed programmes, broadcast from both the US and the UK.  A Tim Twitter’s Listening Party took place on 20 May, to celebrate A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip, in which participants were invited to play all the tracks from the album and follow a live commentary with Tim and Sparks. A two-hour radio programme followed on 7 June in which Sparks joined Tom Robinson’s ‘Now Playing @ 6Music, Bring Your Own…Sparks’ on BBC6 Music, to talk about some of their favourite music as well as their own work. The eclectic track list included Billie Holiday’s iconic ‘Strange Fruit’, covers of Sparks’ songs by Gemma Ray and Martin Gore, collaborations with Franz Ferdinand (FFS), Les Rita Mitsouko and SebastiAn, and music by artists and composers from The Who, Kraftwerk, Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand, and the Pet Shop Boys to Nervous Norvus and Teleman.  On 13 November, the U.S. Cucalorus Festival featured a 90-minute retrospective of Sparks’ music videos, ‘Visual/Sound/Walls’, hosted by Aaron Hillis, with a live chat where the listeners could send in questions and comments.  

Another new venture was the introduction of the online Reinforcements Official Community Fan Group, administered from Sparks HQ at Republic Media. An official statement tells us that it was created, not to be in competition with other groups, but as an official platform where Sparks HQ can initiate fan-only contests and activities, and was inspired by the success of the ‘Sparks For The Ages’ playlist competition on Spotify. It aims to reach out to super fans (Sparks’ reinforcements) more directly, and although under the official eye, fans are encouraged to celebrate their fandom in any way they want, as long as they abide by the group rules of course. Their fans are ‘some of the kindest and most inclusive people’, we are told, and are a source of pride for Team Sparks. At the time of writing there are 1.2 k members.

The official Facebook site (allsparks.com) remains the main focus for posting news and photos, including Throwback Thursday pictures of past events and photos, fan art and links to online interviews. There have also been photos celebrating the boys‘ birthdays and occasions like voting in the November US election, Christmas and New Year, promotion of the new album, and a number of ‘checking in’ pictures to reassure fans of their wellbeing.  Many of these are repeated on the official Sparks Instagram account. While obviously, these social media sites can no longer offer glimpses of the many places Ron and Russell visit on their travels, fans can still keep track of how their heroes are faring under the conditions that are affecting us all. Early in the pandemic (20 March), they posted a ‘socially distancing’ advice picture, showing Russell in a mask turning his back on Ron, two meters behind him, not wearing a mask. In later rare pictures of them together in the open air, both are, of course, wearing masks. As well as the merchandise related to the new album, the Sparks’ store also offered a superb jigsaw featuring all Spark’s albums up to and including ASDDD and, ‘getting in the swing’, a couple of new items of new merchandise for the times: a hand sanitiser pouch and a mask, although sadly, for technical reasons, the latter did not materialise (no pun intended).

Despite the pandemic, 2021 is still to be a great year for Sparks.  The première of Edgar Wright’s long-awaited documentary, The Sparks Brothers, took place at the Sundance festival (streamed online this year) on 30 January and 1 Feb 2021, and was available only to viewers in the US, much to the chagrin of fans elsewhere.  A tantalising official clip was, however, posted on 30 January, featuring some of the many celebrities who talk of their love of Sparks, and finishing with Ron and Russell expressing less than warm enthusiasm for the title of the film. It is typical of the shared sense of humour that Edgar Wright should leave this in! The film has received hugely enthusiastic and positive reviews in the music and movie press, and ecstatic comments from those lucky fans who were able to view it. It was also selected to feature in this year’s virtual SXSW film festival (première 18 March), with an accompanying Q and A session.  Team Sparks and Team Edgar Wright must be absolutely delighted and Ron and Russell in particular must be elated at the reception of this major project, not least because it is such a wide-ranging, detailed and affectionate tribute. The large number of live interviews via Zoom with Ron, Russell and Edgar discussing the documentary have delighted fans and whetted their appetite for the wider distribution of the film and even better, in DVD form! In fact, news has just appeared that the worldwide rights to the film have been acquired by Focus Features, who will distribute it domestically, with international distribution by Universal Pictures. It will be in US cinemas on 18 June, with a UK release scheduled for 30 July. Bring it on! (Update: The Sparks Brothers is now widely available on DVD for all to enjoy.)

The most recent activity is the digital release of ‘Your Fandango’ in April, their collaboration with Todd Rundgren (who produced their first album), that came about as a result of their meeting during the filming of The Sparks Brothers. This lively earworm of a song is presented in grandiose terms as polyphonic pop that layers Spanish music, Neopolitan cantatas, baroque fugues and glam rock in one epic composition, and more than lives up to this description. The release was accompanied by a stunning video by Finnish media artist Liisa Vääriskoski, premièred on Sparks’ YouTube channel on 23 April, in which an elegant woman in an eighteenth-century portrait comes to life and embarks on an Alice in Wonderland-like excursion through fantastical scenarios. Visually gorgeous and characteristically humorous, the video is a complex collage of images, including various cameos of Ron, Russell and Todd, that brilliantly complements the complexity of the music. It is a superb addition to the many eye-catching videos released to accompany Sparks’ new songs these past months. The song is to be released on vinyl at a later date.

The next step in the Sparks’ saga is, of course, the première of Annette, which will fulfil a lifelong dream of Sparks. A tantalising and highly dramatic trailer for the film has just been released and it has been announced that Annette has been chosen to open the Cannes Film Festival this year on 6 July – an honour that must surely exceed all Ron and Russell’s hopes and expectations. (Update: Ron and Russell were able to attend the Cannes festival and Annette received a standing ovation. Leos Carax won the Best Director award, and Sparks also won an award for the screenplay music.) The movie will then go on general release in France and on international release at a date to be announced. Fans are clearly both enormously excited by this news and hugely proud of their favourite duo at the success of this project which started life as an intended Sparks’ album.

In conclusion, fans are immensely grateful to Ron and Russell and all their associates for giving so much time and effort to create joy in a time where this is otherwise in very short supply. Moreover …… a picture has recently appeared showing Ron and Russell in their studio (masked, of course) with a placard saying ‘Shhhh! Sparks recording!’.   A new album? Despite the horrors of this past year, it is still a great time to be a Sparks’ fan.  

 

               Penny Brown

              May 2021 (updated February 2022)