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Sparks on fire - Manchester Online

Excerpt:

Somewhere in Manchester, a bookish 15-year-old called Steven Patrick Morrissey was so hugely impressed with this art-pop duo from Los Angeles that he began to cultivate pop ambitions of his own, coming to fruition in the distinctly un-Sparks-like Smiths.

Today, Morrissey is near-neighbours with the brothers Mael - who are both single, living in LA - and is one of the few pop or rock figures with whom they have regular contact.

"He had written to us, probably in the early 1980s, saying that (Sparks' 1974 album) Kimono My House had been one of the key factors in him wanting to be a musician," says Russell.

"He loved that album so much he had even written a letter to NME in 1974 singing its praises. He wrote to us introducing himself as a fan, and we were surprised because we would not necessarily have thought that."