Jack Antonoff explains why Sparks pioneered modern pop music
In the trailer to Edgar Wright’s 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers, pop luminary Jack Antonoff appears to proclaim, “All pop music is rearranged Sparks”. In extolling the brilliance of the often overlooked duo, Antonoff is in good company, joined by the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, all of whom agree the Sparks brothers – Ron and Russell Mael – were visionaries.
Antonoff is held in a similar regard, except on a much grander scale. Having worked with Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, and Lana Del Rey, his pop production ushered in an era of emotive hits. On his writing process, he told The Guardian he aimed to draw out the “saddest, most upsetting, most real things someone might go through, and then finding a way to sew those into pop songs”.
For many, he is considered one of the most sought-after figures in music, with an Antonoff production becoming almost its own phenomenon outside of the songs. That’s what makes his comments on Sparks even more impactful, particularly his insistence the pop music he arguably pioneered was directly shaped by them, on which he says simply: “That’s the truth”. The overriding thoughts of everyone involved in the documentary seemed to be that they’d got lost in the shuffle of musical popularity somehow.
As he sees it: “Sparks is way more prolific than all of the artists we consider to be the greatest in the world”.
Indeed, although they seemed to fly under the radar, Sparks were a favourite of musicians from Paul McCartney to Steve Jones. However, despite being your favourite band’s favourite band, they never broke through to the mainstream success they deserved.
Their music was always as unique as their onstage visuals, which often involved a flamboyant Russell charging around while a moustachioed Ron sat gormlessly on keys. Replete with theatrical falsettos and a touch of glam rock and new wave, their 1974 album, Kimono My House, was their biggest taste of commercial success, met with glowing reviews and producing two top 10 UK singles.
Their lyrics were a huge part of their oddball charm, often acerbic and littered with quirky cultural references. In their early days, they relocated from America to England, sensing the audiences lapping up Pink Floyd and The Who might be more receptive to their specific brand of individuality. Even in the confines of glam rock’s weirdness, they remained outsiders.
Chatting to NPR, documentary director Wright ponders why that was. “They were sort of like provocateurs in a sense,” he said. “You know, you can kind of see the seeds of punk rock in what they were doing. There was something a bit shocking about it, and coupled with their sound, it was too much for some people to take in.”
