Russell Mael

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Russell Craig Mael (born October 5, 1948)<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist for the pop and rock duo 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 impassive demeanour. The duo released an album with Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand, as the supergroup FFS, titled FFS, released in 2015. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records.

Early life

Russell Craig Mael was born on October 5, 1948, in Los Angeles, California. The Mael brothers grew up in Pacific Palisades – a relatively affluent beach neighborhood of Los Angeles – with their father Meyer, who was a graphic designer and caricaturist for the Hollywood Citizen-News, and their mother, Miriam (née Moskowitz), a librarian.<ref name=":0" /> Both Meyer and Miriam were the children of Jewish immigrants, Meyer of Austrian and Russian descent and Miriam Polish;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> despite this, a source affiliated with the brothers' 2021 documentary stated that they "weren't raised, nor do they identify as, Jewish", and the documentary does not mention their Jewish heritage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Even though he played soccer and lacrosse all throughout high school, much of his inspiration came from his father taking him to the cinema as a child, where he developed an interest in film, visual arts and narrative. Meyer died when Russell was 8.<ref>The Sparks Brothers, Edgar Wright, 2021 – Netflix Documentary</ref>

After graduating from Palisades High School, both brothers enrolled at UCLA;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ron began a course in cinema and graphic arts in 1963 while Russell studied theatre arts and filmmaking during 1966–1968.

Sparks

Template:Main Mael is known for his wide vocal range, and his most notable vocal trait is a far-reaching falsetto. An NME review described Russell's vocal range as a "stratospheric blend of Marc Bolan and Tiny Tim".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

He has recorded 26 studio albums with his duo, Sparks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The duo has a cult following around the world and are best known for the song "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", which reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The pair appeared as themselves in the disaster-suspense film Rollercoaster (1977), performing live. They also appeared in episode 22 of season 6 of Gilmore Girls.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mael appeared in a cameo as a gallows singer in the Western black comedy film Damsel (2018), and both he and Ron appear as themselves in Annette (2021), a musical romantic drama film directed by French director Leos Carax that they wrote and composed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:SparksRAH290523 (43 of 90) (cropped).jpg

Mael during a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, 2023

In June 2018, English filmmaker Edgar Wright announced he would be making a documentary on Sparks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He had covered the band's concert in London in May at O₂ Forum Kentish Town. This concert would also be a part of the documentary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film, The Sparks Brothers, had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Since the late 1980s Sparks have almost exclusively recorded in Russell's home studio, to escape the limitations of expensive studio time and maintain creative independence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He mixes and engineers their work, and the brothers co-produce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

In 2017, a reviewer noted that while the brothers' biographies recount a Los Angeles childhood in which they surfed and were both models for mail order catalogues, their private lives are otherwise almost entirely unknown. "Well, we're in good company with Bob Dylan", was their reported response. "We feel the less you do know, it keeps the mythology and the image in a better position." Even to the question of whether they have partners or spouses, they refused to give an indication, insisting that "the vagueness is more interesting than the reality."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

It was, however, mentioned in Edgar Wright's documentary film The Sparks Brothers (2021) that Russell dated Miss Christine of the GTOs, and had a brief fling with the Go-Go's member Jane Wiedlin, who was an additional vocalist on the Sparks track "Cool Places".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Discography

With Sparks Template:Main

Year	Album
1971	Halfnelson
1973	A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing
1974	Kimono My House
1974	Propaganda
1975	Indiscreet
1976	Big Beat
1977	Introducing Sparks
1979	Nº 1 in Heaven
1980	Terminal Jive
1981	Whomp That Sucker
1982	Angst in My Pants
1983	In Outer Space
1984	Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat
1986	Music That You Can Dance To
1988	Interior Design
1994	Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins
1997	Plagiarism
2000	Balls
2002	Lil' Beethoven
2006	Hello Young Lovers
2008	Exotic Creatures of the Deep
2009	The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
2017	Hippopotamus
2020	A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip
2021	Annette
2023	The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
2025	Mad!

With FFS

Year	Album
2015	FFS

External links

• Official Sparks website
• Template:AllMusic
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• Mini biographical site
• Sparks – The Kimono My House album files
• Interview: Russell Mael "Two Hands, One Mouth, All Genius" Rockerzine.com