[Mael-list] Derek's Sparks Loan post

[Jay Bond]

I think this is a fantastic project Sparks are sharing with us. I  
hope to go to London for a week and catch a few shows but if I can't,  
well, that's life.  It would be fantastic if they offered fan club  
members live streaming of the shows, but if not, hmmm, let's see. . .  
on May 27th, if I'm not in London, I'll just listen to Terminal Jive  
and pretend I'm there. And for the whole month I'll live on bitter,  
savaloys, chips, and kebabs, like I did when I lived there in 1983.
When I was a teenager I used to go to all the big rock shows in  
Vancouver- Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, et al.
Later I would post a sign on my bedroom door inviting my little  
brothers to come for the show. I would recreate the whole gig,  
including opening act, for my little brothers (not always easy- Flo  
and Eddie opened for Alice Cooper, the best I could do was a Turtles  
single of Happy Together).
My point is that even if I'm not there, I sort of will be there.
Another cool thing they could do that us non-Londoners could  
appreciate is replicate the 21 gigs on a slower paced North American  
Tour-  like, Halfnelson in it's entirety, intermission, new album  
mixed with old favourites in Atlanta; Woofer in DC, Kimono in Philly,  
and so on. Hopefully by the time they got to Toronto they would be on  
Introducing. And I'd be happy to arrange a Toronto Sparks-o-rama.
Whatever happened to that 'street team' initiative? I said I'd do  
whatever was asked of me in Toronto, and I thought it was leading up  
to a North American tour of Hello Young Lovers. Does anybody remember  
that?
Anyway, hope to see you in London.
Jay in Toronto

On 24-Dec-07, at 11:36 PM, David Younker wrote:

> Merry Christmas, everyone.
>
> It's very surprising and sad to think this flood of live  
> performances could create any possible negative or even ambivalent  
> feelings among Sparks' core of fans.  With due respect for everyone  
> on the list, how the scheduling of 21 shows could give any of us  
> anything but great pleasure is really hard to understand.  The  
> glass isn't half empty, it's not even half full, it's brimming over  
> -- drink up!  As a group we've expressed exasperation on these  
> posts for many years about various difficulties getting Sparks  
> content, about the irregular and infrequent live performances,  
> about what we perceived as insufficient marketing, and about  
> various other issues essentially stemming from our heroes not being  
> in the commercial limelight and making our access difficult.  That  
> they're playing 21 concerts in about a single month seems to me  
> only cause for extreme joy, and I live 6,000 miles away and have  
> precious little chance to attend a single show.  I hope they play  
> 21 more soon after even if I can't attend any of them.  I'd like to  
> experience all 21 as much as anyone, but the fact that I can't  
> doesn't drive any doubts or questions about motives for me.  It's  
> 100% wonderful to have 21 chances to see them rather than the few  
> we have had in any given recent year.  Our love for Sparks  
> notwithstanding, we're not talking about taking out loans and  
> putting our lives in jeopardy to purchase oxygen.  They're rock n  
> roll concerts: luxuries, not life staples.  No offense intended at  
> all, friends.  I'm just thrilled and flattered that the Maels have  
> offered such a commitment to us, and even though it will be  
> difficult for me personally to come to the UK for it, that they are  
> doing it is to me cause for celebration.  If you can take in one  
> concert, savor it.
>
> Last album, last shows, let's hope not.
>
> David
>
> Barry Tsai <netuser247 at aol.com> wrote:
> There seems to me to be at least one obvious possible reason why it  
> was
> decided that these retrospective shows should take place, and that  
> would be
> that the brothers have decided that the new album will be the last.
>
> I can't think of a more fitting end to the sparks chapter of their  
> careers
> then to play every recorded song live one last time. The cynic in  
> me also
> suspects that the shows are designed to remind those 'in the  
> business' what
> a contribution the brothers have made to the music industry over  
> the last 35
> years (Think Q lifetime achievement award...)
>
> As to responsibility to fans - Well, we are all consumers and have  
> a choice;
> the same choices we make everyday on what to spend our money on,  
> where to
> holiday etc. The crude fact is, as dedicated and loyal, as we  
> sparks fans
> are, no one is asking or forcing you go to any or every show.
>
> Have a good Christmas all
>
> Barry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mael-list-bounces at lists.kuci.org
> [mailto:mael-list-bounces at lists.kuci.org] On Behalf Of Derek Paice
> Sent: 23 December 2007 23:01
> To: mael-list at kuci.org
> Subject: RE: [Mael-list] Derek's Sparks Loan post
>
> Sure, AD/UV5, I can't disagree with what you say here. However,  
> more than
> making a particular point I was trying and unravel why I have so  
> many mixed
> feelings about this project. Maybe I should refrain from the  
> indulgence of
> doing so publicly. However, that you've responded means something  
> provoked
> you. I think I was trying to explore some of the tensions between  
> artist,
> fan and business. Sometimes the balance is very delicate.
>
> Regards,
>
> derek
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mael-list-bounces at lists.kuci.org
> [mailto:mael-list-bounces at lists.kuci.org]On Behalf Of AD
> Sent: 22 December 2007 22:57
> To: mael-list at lists.kuci.org
> Subject: [Mael-list] Derek's Sparks Loan post
>
>
> Derek, I really don't have a clue what point you are trying to get  
> across.
> Of course, it's a pain in the ass--and a disappointment--when you  
> cannot do
> something you want to do....i.e. attend these shows or "put your  
> life on
> hold" as you say. BUT, Sparks do not owe us a damn thing and don't  
> think for
> a minute that they care about any such hardships. Why should they?  
> This,
> like any other business decision, is going to be a means to an
> end....typically, of course with the goal of a positive financial
> outcome-for them. As it should be. The assumption is that this is a  
> massive
> undertaking that really cannot be "worth it" to put on 21  
> shows.....the
> amount of practice, coordination. Doubtful that much or all of it will
> actually be "live" (vs. computer triggered). I mean how much actual  
> net
> profit can exist from each show to make it a worthwhile endeavor. SO,
> selling the shows via download/cd...possible dvd sales, etc....I  
> sincerely
> hope no one from the Sparks camp issues some b.s. insulting/ 
> patronising
> statement about this being some "gift" to the fans and that they  
> expect us
> to swallow it. I mean, I've been a huge fan for close to 30 years,  
> but let's
> be honest.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 11:53:56 -0000
> From: "Derek Paice"
> Subject: RE: [Mael-list] Sparks Loan
> To:
> Message-ID:
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> At the risk of stereotyping the whingeing pom the more I hear about  
> this the
> more I am uneasy. Yes, I've bought some tickets, that I don't  
> presently
> have the means to pay for and now Lyle has to be economical with  
> the truth
> in order to secure a loan. Prince may have a large enough fan base  
> to have
> done his 21 nights in London earlier this year, but Sparks cannot  
> be said to
> be in the same league financially. It's obvious that some of us are  
> facing
> a degree of hardship to attend the coming series and that most die- 
> hard fans
> cannot afford to attend more than a handful of shows, if that. I'm
> wondering who's lost the plot here. Maybe it's me or maybe it's true,
> Everybody's Stupid.
>
> I can see the attraction of the massive challenge of undertaking a
> retrospective as a means of publicising the coming album. I'm looking
> forward to the new album with the same eager anticipation that I  
> have with
> every release since I first saw that pink brick wall in 1972 and heard
> Wonder Girl and (No More) Mr Nice Guys. I'm looking forward to  
> seeing the
> band perform live again (and I've long ago lost count of the number  
> of times
> I've seen them). The challenges of organising a series like this are
> clearly enormous, but is there also (in the middle of 2008) going  
> to be a
> small bump in the statistics of victims of debts being called in  
> and of
> relationships crashing as fans (ie the "fanatical") feel tested and  
> torn?
> Should a band, particularly one with a known, devoted following  
> have any
> responsibility beyond producing consumable music?
>
> I wonder what the discussions about this project have covered. Was  
> there
> any consideration of audience beyond that of numbers through the  
> doors to
> cover the costs? In an ideal world we are all responsible people  
> living
> within our means and causing no harm. However, there is a certain  
> addiction
> to Sparks that I have experienced many times over the years that this
> project seems to be both feeding, but even more, feeding on. Like I  
> say, I
> don't know whether I'm just whingeing or whether there is an  
> emperor in a
> sheer suit of clothing passing by.
>
> I don't wish the project ill. I'm as jealous as anyone that I can  
> neither
> put the rest of my life on hold for a month nor afford a golden  
> ticket. I
> sincerely hope it achieves the aims they've set themselves, because it
> really is a gamble, and not just a financial one. The more I think  
> about
> this the more I feel that interest in downloadable recordings of  
> the shows
> is not merely desirable, but is actually morally essential. At  
> least then
> the band can say they have tried to alleviate the trouble that  
> trying to
> attend too many shows might cause. Still, morally essential ...  
> what do I
> know? This is show BUSINESS innit?
>
> derek
>
>
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