Song Quotes by Russell Mael

I really take pleasure and pride in singing the way people expect me to.

— Russell Mael

We're proud of the position we're in in pop music - we feel like we're in a unique class.

— Russell Mael

Bands can get lazy after 20 albums. But that's not us.

— Russell Mael

We're never lumped in as being an L.A. band in any kind of context.

— Russell Mael

Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along that jolts you and you prick up your ears.

— Russell Mael

When the idea of doing all of our albums in their entirety came up, we went for it because it just seemed…

— Russell Mael

We were so naive. You know, like thinking that playing one gig out in the middle of nowhere in Texas was going…

— Russell Mael

We're quite traditional in that we prefer the idea that people can hear a song on the radio or television and then…

— Russell Mael

A lot of people build up a backlog of songs and you can kind of go, 'Let's explore that song we did…

— Russell Mael

I'm constantly rooting for people to do something amazing, with a new angle. Something that shocks you in the way the best…

— Russell Mael

Our goal is always to do something fresh within the confines of what pop music is and to keep challenging ourselves and…

— Russell Mael

You can retire from your career after having a Beatle portray you in any sort of way, let alone in a music…

— Russell Mael

We thought of a boring name, Sparks, and put a boring photo of us on the front of the second album, 'A…

— Russell Mael

In music, there seems to be a myth that being authentic and genuine has to be confessional, and we think what Sparks…

— Russell Mael

People have always commented along the way that, 'You guys are always so visual in what you do.' The songs have always…

— Russell Mael

We've always believed in investing in ourselves, so we work incredibly hard to ensure that our 'portfolio' and worth is connected to…

— Russell Mael

As long as it elicits some kind of thought on the listener's part, that's good. If no one's paying attention to the…

— Russell Mael

That album, 'Lil' Beethoven,' was special to us because we wanted to try to figure out a new context to place our…

— Russell Mael

We always turned to the U.K. bands because they were bigger than life and celebrated not only a strong, vital, vibrant musical…

— Russell Mael

I think we've always been a bit delusional and at the start we really did feel we were a cool, British-style band,…

— Russell Mael

A lot of times people ask about Sparks songs: are they autobiographical in a way? And we don't think so much that…

— Russell Mael

We've never tried to make timeless music like, say, Bruce Springsteen. But we've come to realize that maybe we've had more of…

— Russell Mael

We love working within the Sparks three-and-a-half-minute song format, but we also like the extended format of a narrative project.

— Russell Mael

We can be a rock band if want to be. We can be an electronic group if we want to be. We…

— Russell Mael

You do know about us in the type of music and the lyrics and their sensibility. Through that you do know something…

— Russell Mael

There's still substance and depth, but we a have a different approach to what we think that lyrics to pop music can…

— Russell Mael