Ronald David Mael is an American musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is the keyboard player and principal songwriter in the band Sparks, which he founded with vocalist, occasional songwriter and younger brother Russell Mael in 1971. Mael is known for his quirky and idiosyncratic approach to songwriting, his intricate and rhythmic keyboard playing style and for his deadpan and low key, scowling demeanour onstage often remaining motionless over his keyboard in sharp contrast to Russell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics. Ron Mael is also noted for his conservative clothes and distinctive moustache. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records.
Russell Craig Mael is an American singer best known as the lead singer for the band Sparks, which he formed in 1971 with his elder brother Ron Mael. Mael is known for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching falsetto. He has a flamboyant and hyperactive stage presence which contrasts sharply with Ron Mael's inexpressive demeanour. The band released an album with British rock band Franz Ferdinand, as the supergroup FFS, titled FFS, released in 2015. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records.
Sparks is an American pop and rock duo formed by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals) in Los Angeles. The duo is noted for their quirky approach to songwriting; their music is often accompanied by sophisticated and acerbic lyrics—often about women, and sometimes containing literary or cinematic references—and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified by the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. Russell Mael has a distinctive wide-ranging voice, while Ron Mael plays keyboards in an intricate and rhythmic style. Their frequently changing styles and visual presentations have kept the band at the forefront of modern, artful pop music.
Edgar Howard Wright is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a signature editing style that includes transitions, whip pans and wipes. He first made independent short films before making his first feature film A Fistful of Fingers in 1995. Wright created and directed the comedy series Asylum in 1996, written with David Walliams. After directing several other television shows, Wright directed the sitcom Spaced (1999–2001), which aired for two series and starred frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
Kimono My House is the third studio album by American rock band Sparks, released on May 1, 1974, by Island Records. The album is considered to be their commercial breakthrough, and was met with widespread acclaim.
Nira Louise Park is a British television and film producer.
"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" is a song by American pop band Sparks. Written by Ron Mael, it is the opening track on their third studio album Kimono My House (1974), and was the lead single from the album. Although it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" achieved major success in Europe, peaking within the top ten of the charts in the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, the song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. The song has become the highest-charting for Sparks on the UK Singles Chart, held off from the top spot by The Rubettes' bubblegum pop song "Sugar Baby Love".
A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing is the second studio album by the American rock band Sparks. It was released in 1973 and includes the single "Girl from Germany". It was the last release by the original five-member incarnation of Sparks.
Propaganda is the fourth studio album by American rock band Sparks, released on November 11, 1974. Following up their commercial breakthrough, Kimono My House, released earlier the same year, it was a moderate success in the United States and peaked at No. 9 in the UK in 1975. The album cover features an image of a tied-up and gagged Mael brothers, titled "Welcome on Board", which was taken by photographer Monty Coles.
Big Beat is the sixth album by American rock band Sparks, released in 1976.
Introducing Sparks is the seventh album by the American rock band Sparks, released in 1977 by Columbia Records.
Nº 1 in Heaven is the eighth studio album by American rock band Sparks. Recorded with Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder, the album marked a change of musical direction for the group and became influential on later synth-pop bands.
Lil' Beethoven is the nineteenth studio album by the American rock band Sparks, released on October 14, 2002. Written and produced by members Ron and Russell Mael, and self-described as their "genre-defying opus", the album was considered a radical musical departure from their recent work, which had been predominately electronic and beat-orientated in nature.
The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman is the 22nd album by American rock group Sparks, released in August 2009. The duo's first work in the radio musical genre, the album is built around an imaginary visit to Hollywood by Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman in the mid-1950s. Its storyline focuses on the divides between European and American culture, between art and commerce. Unlike other Sparks albums, the work is conceived as a single piece, to be listened to as a whole, rather than a collection of stand-alone songs.
Tammy Glover is an American television producer, film producer, and musician. She served as the VP of Production for Comedy Central from 2007 to 2011, Senior Vice President of Production for FremantleMedia and is currently the Head of Physical Production for TNT, TBS, and TruTV, part of Warner Bros Discovery. Glover was on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences representing Production Executives. She played drums for Sparks from 1997 to 2011 and contributed to BBC Radio 6 Music's This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us: The Story Of Sparks presented by Mark Radcliffe. She also performs with Billy Zimmer as the duo Thorcraft Cobra. Modern Drummer has done a number of features on Glover. and she has contributed session work for many projects, including solo work for David Dattner, and playing live drums for the Peter G Adams soundtrack of CodeGirl.
FFS was a supergroup formed by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand and American art rock band Sparks. Their formation was announced on 9 March 2015, but the two bands had been recording since at least the mid-2000s. The group's eponymous debut studio album was recorded in late 2014 and released through the Domino Recording Company in the UK on 8 June and in the US on 9 June 2015.
Damsel is a 2018 American Western black comedy film written and directed by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner. It stars Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska.
A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip is the 24th studio album by American rock group Sparks. Recorded in gaps between Sparks' film projects, the album uses a full rock-group format to draw on the band's full range of musical styles and was universally acclaimed by critics, who praised both its lyrical and melodic content.
Joseph Wallace is a BAFTA Cymru-nominated film and animation director based in the UK. He uses stop-motion puppet and cut-out animation techniques to produce short films and music videos.
"With All My Might" is a song by American pop and rock duo Sparks, which was released in 1984 as the lead single from their thirteenth studio album Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984). The song was written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael, and produced by Ian Little. "With All My Might" failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 but reached No. 4 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.
