Sparks
Pop duoWikipedia
34
MENTIONS
6
EPISODES
6
PODCASTS
Search complete. 34 mentions across 6 episodes found for "Sparks".
Oct 26, 2026
Alec CummingHOST
Now, Sal is a legendary bassist.
Alec CummingHOST
In the 1970s, he played for Roxy Music, Sparks, Milk and Cookies, and later on he played in the band Cracker, David Lowery's epic Americana band Cracker.
Alec CummingHOST
But he's also played all sorts of sessions and uncredited on Runaways albums and things like that, and is a fascinating character, which is why I treasure those conversations I had with Sal.
Alec CummingHOST
I should also mention that Sal passed away tragically early last year, very shockingly and surprisingly and heartbreakingly for a guy who was just so well loved in the New York City and kind of the world music community.
Alec CummingHOST
But in my scene specifically of musicians or, you know, friends of friends of musicians, including some really pretty legendary ones like Steve Wynn of the band Dream Syndicate and Dennis Dykin, who I worship from the band The Smithereens.
Alec CummingHOST
Sal was often involved with all sorts of great musical projects and musical salutes, one-offs in bands and was just the nicest, sweetest, most approachable guy who actually played in some legendary bands and played brilliantly and was a brilliant bassist all throughout.
Alec CummingHOST
He always was profoundly on the money with what he needed to play and how he played, how he would adjust to the different bands he did and how he played great Roxy music bass and great Sparks bass.
Alec CummingHOST
He just knew what was needed with the coolest instrument that ever was, with his Rickenbacker 4001, which I guess is maybe the instrument that I can picture with him the most.
Robert DaytonGUEST
And so you can go on YouTube and wa- YouTube and watch that footage of this incredible band, The Dishes.
Robert DaytonGUEST
And, and The Dishes were heavily inspired by Roxy Music and Sparks.
Robert DaytonGUEST
And, uh, you know, oh my God, I just met a founding member of Sparks a month or two ago-
Vish KhannaHOST
Oh, wow
Robert DaytonGUEST
... which was exciting.
Rob HarvillaHOST
That's the car Neko's giving away in the charity video where she's playing the song with her dog.
Rob HarvillaHOST
Middle Cyclone features Neko's gargantuan cover of the Sparks song Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth.
Rob HarvillaHOST
Towns are hurled from A to B by hands that looked so smooth to me.
Rob HarvillaHOST
There is no line between natural beauty and natural disaster.
Rob HarvillaHOST
There's no line between being a figurative force of nature and being a literal force of nature.
Rob HarvillaHOST
You know Sparks, right? The fantastic 50-plus-year-old LA art rock band Sparks? All-time great American weirdos.
Rob HarvillaHOST
Edgar Wright, the Shaun of the Dead guy, he did a whole rad documentary about them.
Rob HarvillaHOST
Just in case this never comes up again, for your reference, the best Sparks song came out in 2006 and is called Dick Around.
Conor HorganGUEST
[laughs] Well, when I was younger and these things mattered more to me than they do now, which is one of the great advantages of getting a bit older, you know, if somebody said, "What was the first single you ever bought?" I would always, there were two of them, I didn't know which one exactly it was, and I would always go for the cooler of the two.
Conor HorganGUEST
And the cooler of the two was This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us by Sparks, who to, to this day, I mean, they're still going and they're an incredible band, um, are definitely a very cool and very kind of odd and interesting band.
Conor HorganGUEST
The other single was Killer Queen by Queen, which was possibly not their finest moment.
Conor HorganGUEST
You know, certainly kind of at the cheesier end of Queen.
Conor HorganGUEST
Queen are wonderful, of course, but, uh, if I, if I had to kind of try to impress some young girl when I was a young boy with, uh, my erudition and my, my good taste, I would always plump for the Sparks one.
Matt CooperHOST
Okay.
Matt CooperHOST
Well, let's actually hear both of them.
Conor HorganGUEST
Great.
Matt DevineGUEST
Yeah, and there's so many different... ways to see Earl's work.
Matt DevineGUEST
Like someone else very well could have said Sparks.
Matt DevineGUEST
Someone could have said The Runaways, The Long Riders, The Beach Boys.
Matt DevineGUEST
I mean, there's a lot of Earl Mankey work out there that people, 2020.
speaker_34UNKNOWN
You gotta beat the clock
Gary JacksonHOST
Sparks have a song called Beat the Clock.
Gary JacksonHOST
Richard Coston wasn't that the, uh, the competition in the middle of Sunday night at the London Palladium? Didn't he do well though? [clapping] Yeah, he hosted it for quite a while, didn't he? Now are you gonna be the person to set this off? [alarm buzzing] You're in with a good chance 'cause I've had a sick note from Delivery Dave.
Gary JacksonHOST
He can't make it.