Sparks - Brothers in Arms

Interviews w/ Ron & Russell Mael, Ian Hampton, Tammy Glover and Muff Winwood + short clip from the recording of (Baby Baby) Can I Invade Your Country -2005-

[@velmad3091]

I love these brothers. I wanna hug them both.💥💥

[@Kle7777]

They look so wonderful for their age!!

[@mikerhodes3273]

Still going strong.Not many bands have the staying power.The proof is here Sparks are amazing

[@aldiakaroofus]

I never thought I could learn so much about Sparks in 5 minutes! I never knew Russell had such an input in the creative process. Somehow I always thought he'd just sing what Ron wrote and Ron would mix it himself!

[@aldiakaroofus]

I always loved the contrast on stage between the two of them.

[@bjnowak]

I’ve never heard of them until right now. I’ve been following music all my life

[@avameowface6442]

This is worth investigating with the use of a quantum computer

[@bertenqvist7324]

I bought them on my local petrol station 1975... Bought Lou Reed and David Bowie and got Sparks for free thought they were a Glamrock band but it wasn´t. With age they have matured real fine like good wines.

[@purplezoid1]

Nice to see Ian Hampton speaking in this and the footage with him/Dinky and Adrian is brilliant. Thanks for the upload!!

[@ADenny12]

Love this. Have always loved their music & their stage presence. Now, I love how they are so close as brothers. They haven't bit the dust like other musicians from then or later -- they continue to look good, sound good, and rock on :)

[@velmad3091]

A girl in the checkout ran away screaming ”I can’t serve him” omg How I would love to serve this lovely gentleman I would say🥰

[@janmikolajczyk5587]

I just love sparks they r the greatest band in the world

[@wildcherry604]

"...the people that I attract are a little more unusual, shall we say." As a hardcore Ron fangirl, I'm choosing to take that as a compliment. :-) Hooray for unusual!!

[@velmad3091]

wildcherry604 I am unusual too 👍

[@user-qk7et9rq2m]

Me too. Who the hell wants to be normal?!

[@robdavidson1876]

Sparks are great fun and weird enough to be loveable and the music and lyrics full of irony and some wit

[@scriptorium77]

It's funny how everyone compares Ron to Hitler, when he just wanted to look like Charlie Chaplin.

[@annabackman3028]

Even more weird as they have jewish ancestry...

[@velmad3091]

I always thought it was Charlie Chaplin.

[@girlfromgermany]

The first time I saw Ron with that moustache was in the official video for "Beat The Clock" or "No. 1 song in Heaven", and with that hairstyle I immediately thought of Charlie Chaplin. That was so obvious to me. Well, maybe that's because I'm a Charlie Chaplin fan.

[@markmcnamara9502]

It was Charlie Chaplin playing Hitler..

[@fritzwalter4660]

Everybody knows that Hitler just wanted to look like Charlie Chaplin.

[@carolfarwell9843]

I have loved this band from the beginning. Saw them numerous times in Los Angeles and stick by them. Completely innovative, yet they can out 'hook' anyone. Russell's voice is still great and Ron...well, just gets better with time. One without the other? Sorry, unthinkable. Lyrically, one of the best. Still have my Propaganda T-shirt from Island Records...a prized possession. So many favorite, quotable moments in their songs.

[@jordanmaxwell6019]

Ron is by far the weirdest person i have a crush on

[@edwardsdee]

Blimey I forgot all about the Sparks Brothers, brought back great memories, thanks for uploading.

[@BaddaBigBoom]

First band I ever got into without outside influence at the age of 11 when they had their first hit with "This Town..." still an avid fan after all those years :-) I was totally transfixed by their unusualness.

[@annabackman3028]

I AM transfixed by their unusualness! In my mind there's at least one Sparks song for every moment in life, no other band I can think of has that. 🤩💖

[@fidomusic]

A mate of mine in the seventies told me that he saw Ron Mael in a left wing bookshop in London. He looked exactly the same as on the videos, including facial expression lol.

[@magnusmcgee993]

They do look alike - we just rarely get a good angle. 1:55 same nose, same jaw. The hair and stare distract!

[@eileenh28]

Oh how I love you Ron!

[@incubuskills3608]

ron saying the ppl attracted to him are more unusual. why dont you come and say that to my face

[@christophertesta5652]

Great band sparks one of a kind.

[@kevin104z]

wow,that was great...great insight...I've been a fan since the beginning!!

[@drea4195]

Why is Ron's mustache always compared to a Hitler stache, and not Charlie Chaplin's?

[@celiahouse9255]

Ron and Russell are fabulous and I love ❤ all their albums great images of them united together ❤ celia house

[@ordinarybear7037]

At the forefront the ideas that came forth led the way as we can see looking back..... kind regards all

[@velmad3091]

ohh my Russells pants in the beginning. Wow :)))))Very tight!!!

[@olliethecat9204]

I was just thinking the same thing. He could almost put someone sitting on the front rows eye out!! Did you ever see those very short tight shorts when he was on TOTP?? Wow....

[@tycorcoran6965]

An Uni they turned up for a concert where I was tempted in to follow what has become my wife. Loved them since, they are simply their own people

[@marilurasonyi218]

I adore so much this brothers! :)

[@eastend59]

Love the HMV dog in the background.

[@Timinator62]

Back in the Day...the late 70's early 80's, LA had, Sparks, the Wall of Voodoo and a lot of The Tubes shows thrown in for good measure, it sure was fun.

[@LanceABoyle]

Yes! I've seen them all live in the 80s!

[@Pumpkingilmour]

no question they put on a great show, they put everything they have into everything they do. Sometimes I think they just tried harder than was even necessary because the music, especially on Kimono My House and Propaganda was so good that it could have stood on its own. The music alone vaulted them high above everyone else.

[@user-ll4dg5zz7s]

Great brothers

[@TellySavalas-or5hf]

nazi's in arms.

[@davidmoore657]

It was Ron that made me a fan!

[@Hertog_von_Berkshire]

One of the 20th Century's greatest acts. Talk about impact!"

[@brackbernhard9834]

Geniuses

[@karsten11553]

Only after seeing them both with long hair, did I realize how much alike their faces actually look. I always thought they looked remarkably different from each other.

[@janmikolajczyk5587]

Fantastic band my fav at school

[@bluntsafety]

I remember being in their dressing room in 1982, I believe, and while being interviewed Russell stated that they lived from album to album. What else were they to do?

[@jlsutton4819]

I love Ron x.

[@aldiakaroofus]

Now I feel bad for unerestimating Russell. After all, no Russell, no Sparks!

[@aldiakaroofus]

Best band in the world!

[@thewoodys_surf_instrumental]

❤️ Sparks!

[@brodftw]

Ron & Russell basically had the same face, just different haircuts and a 'tache

[@stephenpowell8887]

Ron mael Always had me Pmsl With laughter especially with The 1000 yd stare and his crazy Moustache.😀

[@senselessviolinss]

Favourite brother duo

[@madrobertson9521]

Ron's right. I'm unusual and he attracted me

[@jlsutton4819]

Me also.

[@gho2traxxpronouncedghosttr279]

You see Hitler, he saw Charlie Chaplin

[@TellySavalas-or5hf]

He was drugged up.

[@englishteacher.8635]

Never has a moustache been the subject of such scrutiny! Ron's features are nothing like Hitler and didn't even have the same hairstyle. He certainly looked more like Chaplin when he had the long curly fringe to one side.

[@arjanterveen9534]

Breaver than real brother'sof arms.....! Real hero,s of peace,and preform...!

[@JustLoveForMe]

I'd say Russell was more pretty than handsome. Although that could just be his early 70's long hair influencing me xD

[@vincentcarrot]

Their record covers were as brilliant as their music when I found out about them in the 1970s. Especially Propaganda.

[@donerkebep]

I have such a crush on Tammy.

[@jackthebassman1]

Kids used to hide behind the sofa when the camera went to Ron 😊

[@imakeplaylists3640]

My mum said he used to terrify her when she watched Top of the Pops as a kid.

[@tunesmith7437]

they took a cool and clever approach to a rough and chintzy business....good for them.

[@KotoCrash]

"They may look androgynous but theyre both males!" Ones in a suit and has a moustache.

[@Pumpkingilmour]

Russell had his teeth fixed, what a shame. there was nothing wrong with his appearance at all ,

[@sophielove2898]

They could teach the Proclaimers a thing or two

[@TweedSuit]

The moustache is actually more Charlie Chaplin. Too bad Adolf had to ruin it.

[@Cigarcynic]

Exactly! can't wait

[@strongbowism]

I remember seeing Sparks on TOTP's or the like way back, was it back in 73/74? I was 6 back then, loved "This Town" but Ron did freak me out watching him on the tele with that menacing stair and that Hitler tache back then. Great band, great tunes Sparks...

[@rojinaaktar4536]

For most people it's probably the first they heard Ron SPEAK

[@TheChadTI]

Ron's admission of having no friends isn't sad to me like it would be for a normal person, it's actually fitting. Keep the genius focused on music, not frivolity!

[@MendelsonShape]

She knew they didn't look androgynous; it was all just leading up to that arse-paralysingly bad pun.

[@natmanprime4295]

That's what I was thinking lol

[@allosaurusfragilis7782]

Laboured....painful.and not even punny...I mean funny..

[@universalworldmusicgalaxym3756]

Super great band sparks

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Ron..androgynous???? Really??? He's about the most masculine man ever!

[@Kylie-u5i]

I still hv Spark's poster age 14. Lol they're awesome

[@7ariane13]

...they´re really crazy!!!

[@princesstamika]

lol, Sparks Brothers. They look alike, tho.

[@dayuhanspace]

pioneers they are i say

[@Pumpkingilmour]

He looks like Leonard Nimoy with a moustache, and his brother at this peak looked like a cross between Jim Morrison and Paul McCartney at their peaks. Russell Mael could have been the most attractive man in history if he'd stayed off the caffein.

[@annabackman3028]

ADHD!! Haha! That is the first that comes to my mind when watching early videos. I'm not putting a diagnosis on him, it's only a reflexion.

[@MiaPaboplanesSantos]

1:47 Russell looks like Jim Morrison there

[@clemdane]

What's the song at .06? I have listened to it many times but I can't think of the title so I can't look it up here.

[@annabackman3028]

Amateur Hour. (From 'Kimono my house' -74)

[@TellySavalas-or5hf]

Why is Adolph Hilter In this Sparks clip?!

[@johnsmith-wk2tb]

never heard of them until now.

[@3DPeter]

we wil never know if their music or the weird appearance of ron made them famous, and i'm betting on the second one, because i can remember that everyone did want to see this weird dude with the hitler moustace back in the days.

[@Pumpkingilmour]

Russell is a great singer, but I think you are right, Ron is the genius behind most of the songs, he is credited as the writer of most of the music and most of the lyrics, but he didn't do his best work alone either. I think their two best records are KMH and Propaganda, and it was the people around them then who helped make those records happen.The stage tension or joke was that Russell was always trying to steal the show from the real creator of it all, Ron. I wish they'd both toned it down.

[@clemdane]

@1337Luci thanks

[@Tracer_Sweat]

Holy shit I didn't know John Waters was in a band

[@bertenqvist7324]

The Band Pet Shop Boys truly HATES

[@AyngeMackay]

How can they be twins if Ron is three years older?

[@boum62]

It was a very hard labour for Mrs mael

[@jonsmith20766]

They're actually triplets. The third one, Ruben is 3 years older than Ron and has been kept in a cellar since 1972 and is fed and watered on the condition that he writes the songs. No songs = no sustinanace.

[@hellsing418]

Did they create alternative?

[@roswell_that_ended_poorly]

Well have to wait for the documentary to come out to know

[@harenchiclub]

うおおおお～！イアンハンプトンだよおおお！マフウインウッドだよおおお！ 英語が判んねえよおおお！イギリスに生まれるんだった、、、。 誰かタミーのいたユニヴァースオブラブ（スパークスプロデュース）の音源 アップして下さい。 Thanks!

[@universalworldmusicgalaxym3756]

Good band sparks great songwriters

[@joaneskins6510]

Sprocketstyle

[@user-my1iz5wh3k]

😘

[@forever666forever]

Grateful Dead almost gets "mocked" here for their looks, yet Grateful Dead were financially on complete different tier than Sparks. Sparks should have toured with the Dead if they really wanted that kind of monetary success.

[@richjo3]

forever666forever people people like that don't do music for money

[@jackinmyhoggoff807]

Da fuck Ron? What's with Hitler? Charlie Chaplin. Everything doesn't need to be negative.

[@Pumpkingilmour]

why would that song have been their biggest hit, there were more tasteful songs on Kimono My House than that, yet the record company released This Town Aint Big Enough for the Both of Us one as their first single off the record. Hasta Manana Monsieur should have been the hit from that record. I still think Propaganda was their peak. They had a real rock sound on that record, and for some mysterious reason they dumped that great band and arguably never put out anything as good as that again.

[@woweezowee4713]

Sparks are the most fantastic and innovative band ever... They kept reinventing themselves every period and they have released tremendous albums after propaganda..... Their recent album hippopotamus is really magnificent record

[@johnwalsh128]

Hippopotamus, angst in my pants, No.1 in heaven, lil' beethoven, hello young lovers, exotic creatures of the deep, and indiscreet are all fantastic albums that came after propaganda.

[@adele-muguettedelabernaque6190]

1:19, he looks one half Prince, one half Charlie Chaplin!

[@Pigfoot]

If Ron Mael came to your door selling encyclopaedias you would hide yr children and say 'No', wouldn't you?

[@jaimebenito]

Ron's voice sounds similar to Schwarzenegger's!

[@dominicaaaaa5547]

the 'males' line at the start was awful, wasn't even ..how does a guy with a receding hairline and hitler tash look androgynous?

[@Yeah-right-2024]

Hitler?

[@TellySavalas-or5hf]

Uncle Adolfs seed.

[@Pumpkingilmour]

yes, Ron looked like the genius composer behind the whole thing....but Russell .. I was in love with him when I was about ten , not in a gay way, I just thought he looked and sounded incredible, like something exotic and intelligent and mysterious..he didn't even seem that feminine to me, but the only record or exposure I had to him was Propaganda. He didn't look effeminate at all on that record, just British. Wish he'd manned up a bit actually.

[@dennisnelson8207]

Hmmm, yes Ron looks really androgynous,I think it's that moustache.Very feminine.

[@dennis98]

Who forced Hitler to play keyboard ?

[@annabackman3028]

Yaawwwnnnn!!! How tiresome isn't that... Silent movie freak, Charlie Chaplin, Chaplinesque. Jewish ancestry. Ok??

[@mekeskimfe]

Adolf is hungry !!!