Edgar Wright has completed his first documentary focused on the perfect subject for this deep cut impresario,”The Sparks Brothers.” But will his time parsing the Sparks’ music inspire another stab at the form?
“I would definitely do another [documentary] if I found another subject matter that I can happily talk about for hundreds of hours,” Wright revealed on Variety’s “Doc Dreams” series.
In preparation for the film, Wright revisited all of Sparks’ 25 albums packed with 345 songs.
“I went back in for another deep dive,” the director said with a smile. “That’s a pleasurable couple of days in the office!”
The Focus Features film, which was shot in Los Angeles, Mexico City, Tokyo, New York and London, took two and a half years to make and features 80 interviews with stars including Beck, Patton Oswalt, Jack Antonoff, Flea and more.
Speaking on his motivation to make a film about Sparks, Wright said, “I was so in awe of their career,” which he described as having periods of “little commercial peaks” and “indifference from the mainstream.”
Despite never reaching major mainstream exposure, Wright noted that Sparks were hugely influential, especially among musicians.
“Beck makes the point that there are probably bands now that are influenced by Sparks without realizing that the lineage goes back to them,” Wright said.
When asked what he wants the audience to take away from “The Sparks Brothers,” Wright said, “It’s all about success and failure on your own terms… Success cannot just be measured in sales and likes on social media, and success cannot be necessarily measured immediately… What that really means deep down is that you’ve got to trust your guts artistically.”
