discovering sparks, the mysterious band who count morrissey and sonic youth as fans - i-D
Meet the filmmaker who set out on a pilgrimage to meet this band's most dedicated and eccentric fans for his film, 'Never Turn Your Back on Sparks.'
Excerpt:
In 2000, Israeli filmmaker and dedicated Sparks fan Pini Schatz set out to make a film about his favorite band. Without the direct cooperation of the Mael brothers, Pini, over the course of almost five years, focused his camera on the band's fans to help tell the story. The result: Never Turn Your Back on Sparks. Following its screening at the AICE (The Australian Israel Cultural Exchange) Israeli Film Festival in Sydney, i-D Australia caught up with Schatz to find out more.
Is there anyone you would have liked to interview that you didn't?
Yes, Morrissey. It almost happened. He's a well-known Sparks fan so I reached him and after a few months, he contacted my producer and said he would do it. We set a date for the interview in Brighton but then I got an email saying he couldn't make it…and then he changed his email.
What a shame.
Morrissey asked them to play the Meltdown Festival in 2004, which he was curating. He asked them to perform their old hits but they refused because they wanted to play new music. In the end they compromised because it was Morrissey, I guess
Meet the filmmaker who set out on a pilgrimage to meet this band's most dedicated and eccentric fans for his film, 'Never Turn Your Back on Sparks.'
Excerpt:
In 2000, Israeli filmmaker and dedicated Sparks fan Pini Schatz set out to make a film about his favorite band. Without the direct cooperation of the Mael brothers, Pini, over the course of almost five years, focused his camera on the band's fans to help tell the story. The result: Never Turn Your Back on Sparks. Following its screening at the AICE (The Australian Israel Cultural Exchange) Israeli Film Festival in Sydney, i-D Australia caught up with Schatz to find out more.
Is there anyone you would have liked to interview that you didn't?
Yes, Morrissey. It almost happened. He's a well-known Sparks fan so I reached him and after a few months, he contacted my producer and said he would do it. We set a date for the interview in Brighton but then I got an email saying he couldn't make it…and then he changed his email.
What a shame.
Morrissey asked them to play the Meltdown Festival in 2004, which he was curating. He asked them to perform their old hits but they refused because they wanted to play new music. In the end they compromised because it was Morrissey, I guess
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