SPARKS

[MrDemotime]

NEW BOOKWORM THEME SONG BY POP GROUP SPARKS DEBUTS TODAY!

For 21 years, fans of Michael Silverblatt, host of KCRWs popular nationally-distributed literary program, BOOKWORM, have come to expect the familiar lyrics, You are a Human Animal, as the shows opening theme.

But today they will be greeted with I Am A Bookworm, an original composition by the idiosyncratic rock-pop group, SPARKS. And when the show ends, theyll hear a second Sparks composition, Where Would We Be Without Books.

In honor of the occasion, todays Bookworm show is musical as well as literary. Michael speaks with the LA born-and-bred brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who comprise Sparks, about their music and their compositions for the show. Later we hear from Irish poet Paul Muldoon, whose most recent book is Maggot. Muldoon talks about rock lyrics and how they differ from poetry. We play the song he wrote with the late Warren Zevon (as sung by Bruce Springsteen) and hear a brand new lyric: Julius Caesar was a People Person.


BOOKWORM airs at 2:30 to 3 pm/PT every Thursday, on 89.9 KCRW-Santa Monica (www.KCRW.com) and is available as a podcast and on-demand at www.kcrw.com/bookworm.

In February 2009, prior to a Sparks concert at UCLA, Michael a fan of the group -- interviewed Ron and Russell Mael. The three stayed in touch, and when the subject of a possible Sparks-composed theme song arose, they jumped at the opportunity.

Michael Silverblatts Bookworm radio show is more of an oasis than a program to real intellectuals, and also to pseudo-intellectuals, such as members of rock bands, such as ourselves, with some degree of artistic intention in their work, said the brothers Mael.


Thus, when Michael (1) said he was a fan of our band, Sparks, (2) invited us to appear on Bookworm as guests, and (3) asked us to write a new musical theme for his show (the first theme song change in 21 years) , well, this was like winning the triple crown in some brainier sports league. The smile on Michaels face when we played him the 2 pieces we composed seemed genuine (could anything ever not be genuine about Michael) and we were delighted to learn that one of the pieces would be used as the intro of the show and the other would end of the show.

We hope in 21 years time, when Michael decides its time to have a new theme song for Bookworm, that he will again consider us. We'll be ready.

Ron and Russell Mael have been making pioneering pop music for more than four decades and continue to write and record innovative and inspirational music. They made their first big mark when they moved to England and created the album, Kimono My House, which hit the top of the charts in the 70s, but has not been forgotten. It was recently named by iconic musician Morrissey as one of his all-time favorite albums.

Their most recent masterpiece is The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman, their 22nd album and a fantasy musical about the Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman. Released as a recording in 2009, the musical is currently being developed for the screen.

KCRW 89.9 FM, licensed to Santa Monica College, is National Public Radios flagship station for Southern California. The Santa Monica-based nonprofit represents cutting-edge radio at its best, presenting an eclectic mix of independent music, news, talk and arts programming. The terrestrial signal serves Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, as well as parts of San Diego, San Bernardino, Kern and Santa Barbara counties and the greater Palm Springs area. KCRWs programming is internationally renowned and available worldwide via KCRW.com, including three streaming channels, 27 podcasts and archives of locally produced programs and live band performances. KCRW music can be heard online, all the time, on the ALL music stream Eclectic24.