On a personal note, with respect to "In The Words of Sparks: Selected Lyrics" I wanted to do a proper book with them, that would just focus on the poetry and lyrics of Ron Mael and Russell Mael (Sparks). I felt that their lyric writing was under-appreciated, and obviously to me, Ron is up there with other iconic American greats like Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Lorenz Hart, and Ira Gershwin. I brought the project to their attention, and asked them to select at least 75 lyrics for the book. They did so, with great care and skill. A lot of the lyrics are mis-printed on the internet as well as even on the original album liner notes. Both Russell and Ron selected works that were important to them and then they did some editing. So what is interesting is how Ron and Russell look at their work - and what's important to them. It is not my selection nor yours - but Ron and Russell's.
I approached one of their biggest fans, Morrissey, into writing an introduction. At the time, I thought this was going to be an impossible match-up, especially since I only at the time, met Morrissey once. But he was so gracious and wrote a fantastic introduction describing his love for Ron and Russell's lyrics. When one is a fan of an artist, it becomes a much smaller world. To be able to publish Ron and Russell's lyrics, as well as the introduction by Morrissey - it was like I didn't want to wake-up from this perfect dream. "In The Words of Sparks" is the quintessential introduction to the world of Ron and Russell. Their music is incredible, but to be in a position to read their words by itself - well that is amazing as well. Thank you Ron, Russell, and Morrissey.
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