097: Sparks - Kimono My House (1974)
“The general process is, Ron writes the music, and then Ron writes the lyrics. And then I go, ‘God, that's really good.’”
—Russell Mael
Special guest Dave Weigel joins Discord & Rhyme once again to talk about Sparks, “your favorite band’s favorite band.” It’s been a good couple of decades for Ron and Russell Mael. After decades of toiling in semi-obscurity, the brothers saw a late-career renaissance in 2002 with the symphonic, beatless dance album Lil’ Beethoven, and Edgar Wright’s 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers cemented their status as elder statesmen of irreverent pop music. For today’s episode, Producer Mike is taking us back to the band’s early years with the 1974 album Kimono My House, which demonstrates that the Maels’ sense of songcraft was in full force from the very beginning. Despite what the interviewees in The Sparks Brothers (including Dave!) might tell you, Sparks aren’t for everybody, and the Maels occasionally revel in being grating in a way that even our hosts can’t abide. But if you listen to “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us” and adore it, good news: this is only the beginning of a gloriously warped musical journey.
Miscellany
At the time of this release, The Sparks Brothers is available on Netflix, and Dave briefly appears during the segment on the album Terminal Jive to comment on the song “When I’m With You.”
As Dave mentions a few times in this episode, there’s nothing wrong with buying a Sparks best-of compilation. But if you want one, please do not get The Best of Sparks: Music That You Can Dance To, which is really just one of their worst albums repackaged to look like a hits collection. (Mike recommends Past Tense, a 3-disc set curated by the Maels themselves that spans from their earliest demos to 2017’s Hippopotamus.)
Mike had so much to say about “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” that he didn’t even have time to mention that it was covered by Siouxsie and the Banshees. We’ll make up for that in a few episodes.
Other links
The official Sparks website (allsparks.com)
“This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” on Top of the Pops (YouTube)
John’s Sparks reviews (johnmcferrinmusicreviews.org)
Subscribe to The Trailer (Washington Post)
Discord & Rhyme Roll Call
Mike DeFabio (host)
John McFerrin (moderator)
Dan Watkins
Dave Weigel (special guest)
Kimono My House tracklist
This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us
Amateur Hour
Falling in Love with Myself Again
Here in Heaven
Thank God It’s Not Christmas
Hasta Mañana, Monsieur
Talent Is an Asset
Complaints
In My Family
Equator
Barbecutie (Bonus)
Lost and Found (Bonus)
Other clips used
Sparks:
The Rhythm Thief
Eaten by the Monster of Love
Wonder Girl
Roger
Fa La Fa Lee
Big Bands
Girl from Germany
Here Comes Bob
Angus Desire
Tips for Teens
I Married Myself
Alabamy Right
Here Kitty
Biology 2
Nothing Is Sacred
Achoo
Pineapple
Let’s Get Funky
Your Call’s Very Important to Us. Please Hold.
The Final Derriere
At Home At Work At Play
Edith Piaf (Said it Better Than Me)
Tryouts For the Human Race
Get in the Swing
(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country (Alternative Lyrics)
Sherlock Holmes
When Do I Get to Sing “My Way”?
Piss Off
Others:
The Rubettes - Sugar Baby Love
LadBaby - We Built This City
Blue Swede - Hooked On a Feeling
Genesis - Silver Rainbow
The Move - I Can Hear the Grass Grow
Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
LadBaby - I Love Sausage Rolls
Rosemary Clooney - Come On-a My House
ABBA - Money Money Money
Queens of the Stone Age - I Think I Lost My Headache
The Move - Hello Susie
“Weird Al” Yankovic - This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us
Band/album personnel
Russell Mael - vocals
Ron Mael - keyboards
Martin Gordon - bass
Adrian Fisher - guitar
Norman “Dinky” Diamond - drums, percussion
Credits
“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of:
Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste
The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...
Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
Herbie Hancock - Hornets
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen
Sparks - This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us (this episode only)
You can buy or stream Kimono My House and other albums by Sparks at allsparks.com, your local record store, or the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Twitter @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing is by Rich Bunnell, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for production and original music. See you next album, and keep as cool as you can.