“We’re not all acoustic groups!” AN AUDIENCE WITH SPARKS

“Why am I listening to some guy singing about his problems? That’s not our notion of what popular music should be”
RONMAEL

LOCKDOWN is a drag for all kinds of reasons, but what’s really irking Ron Mael is the torrent of ‘live from home’ videos that only serve to underline the relative opulence of his fellow rockstars’ lifestyles. “It bothers me seeing so many people performing in mansions,” he admits. “I never knew there was another way of living!”

Sparks, as ever, have been quick to satirise the form. Russell released a video diary of a “self-isolating Spark” that suggested he is spending most of his time playing theremin and dozing off reading The New Yorker. Ron, meanwhile, is presenting his unique take on the stripped-down stay-at-home session: simply reading out Sparks lyrics in his usual, disconcerting deadpan. “We’re not all acoustic groups!” bemoans Russell. “It’s fine if that was your main thing, but when everybody is showing off their acoustic guitar skills…”

In allwith the film musical , featuring their songs performed by Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. “You can react to these situations two ways,” reasons Ron. “You can have it totally deflate you, or you can rebel against it. So we’re trying in our own way to keep doing things that fight through the overall deflation that is in the air.”