The Spark Parade
What’s the one album or film that changed everything for you?
On The Spark Parade, host Adam Unze sits down with actors, musicians and other cultural icons to explore the music and movies that ignited their creative journeys. Each episode is a deep dive into a single transformative work of art — from cult classics to chart-topping albums — and how it continues to shape their lives and careers.
You’ll hear from artists like Margaret Cho, Maya Hawke, Chris Gethard, Beth Ditto, Bob The Drag Queen, Ella Purnell, Phoenix's Thomas Mars and many more.
If you’re a fan of music, movies, and the people they inspire, this podcast is your backstage pass to the artistic spark that started it all.
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- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 34 minutes
- Episodes
- 177
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Everything Everything's Spark Is Bear V Shark
The moment he read it, Everything Everything frontman Jonathan Higgs fell in love with the satirical absurdity of Chris Bacheldor's Bear V Shark and its skewering of our modern reliance on technology…
David Hemingson's Spark Is Withnail And I
Take a guess how many times The Holdovers writer David Hemingson has seen the British cult classic film Withnail and I. Maybe 10? Perhaps 20? Try upwards of 40. On this episode of The Spark Parade He…
Real Estate's Spark Is The Adventures Of Pete And Pete
Real Estate frontman Martin Courtney had loved Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete and Pete as a child, but he was understandably skeptical of how it might hold up when it came time to show it to hi…
Mitch Rowland's Spark Is Charles Mingus' The Clown
Of all places, Mitch Rowland discovered Charles Mingus' seminal jazz album The Clown at a pizza restaurant. The singer, songwriter, and Harry Styles collaborator was scrolling through his coworkers i…
The Beaches' Spark Is True Romance
This week on The Spark Parade, The Beaches front-woman Jordan Miller recalls the time her tour manager introduced her to True Romance, the cult classic written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by To…
Atmosphere's Ant's Spark Is Herbie Hancock's "Rockit"
On this episode of The Spark Parade, Atmosphere’s DJ and producer Ant discusses seeing a live performance of Herbie Hancock's instrumental hip-hop classic "Rockit" at age 13, a performance that ultim…
Justin Tranter's Spark Is Ani DiFranco's Swan Dive
On this episode of The Spark Parade, Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter, producer, and activist Justin Tranter talks about feeling completely entranced the first time they heard Ani DiFranc…
Aryan Simhadri's Spark Is The Devil Wears Prada
Percy Jackson and The Olympians star Aryan Simhadri was a bit skeptical when he first saw The Devil Wears Prada, but he quickly became enthralled with the incredible acting and sharp storytelling. On…
Max Burkholder's Spark Is Airplane!
Ted star Max Burkholder might have been born in the '90s, but the 1980 cult classic Airplane! still resonated with him like few other comedies before or since. On this episode of The Spark Parade, Bu…
Sleater-Kinney's Spark Is Patti Smith's Horses
When Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker discovered Patti Smith's legendary debut album Horses, an artistic earthquake occurred in both of their lives. They were blown away by Smith's…
Peppermint's Spark Is Janet Jackson's janet.
As a lifelong Janet Jackson stan, actress, singer, and drag superstar Peppermint loves Janet's entire back catalog. But her self-titled fifth album has a special place in Peppermint's heart. It repre…
Sam Song Li's Spark Is Whiplash
Actor and content creator Sam Song Li (The Brothers Son, Never Have I ever, and Better Call Saul) was bowled over when he first saw Damien Chazelle's frenetic music school nightmare Whiplash. Li was …
Holiday Encore: Bob The Drag Queen loves The Color Purple
Happy Holidays! The Spark Parade is off this week, but, in honor of the release of the movie musical version of The Color Purple, we are doing an encore presentation of this amazing interview with th…
Jesse Boykins III's Spark Is The Fifth Element
Singer, songwriter and producer Jesse Boykins III was introduced to The Fifth Element by his college roommate (who happened to be Jonah Hill!). He was hooked on the film's style and storytelling from…
Trinity the Tuck's Spark Is Death Becomes Her
Drag Race superstar Trinity the Tuck loves the bonkers campiness of the queer classic movie Death Becomes Her for lots of reasons; the deliciously over-the-top performances by Meryl Streep and Goldie…
Dessa's Spark Is A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius
Rapper, singer, and writer Dessa first came across Dave Eggers' memoir A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genious as a college student and was immediately drawn to its wild, vibrant prose. Eggers' fr…
Amanda Seales' Spark Is The Cosby Show
Comedian and actor Amanda Seales loved The Cosby Show as a child and it had a profound effect on the development of her own comedy. It taught her to bring a personal slant to her stand-up. It's also …
The Polyphonic Spree's Spark Is Ennio Morricone's Il Forte (The Strong)
As a young man, The Polyphonic Spree's Tim DeLaughter found a strong connection with a small piece of Ennio Morricone's score to The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. Il Forte (The Strong) is an instrument…
Cold War Kids' Spark Is U2: From The Sky Down
Cold War Kids' Nathan Willett and Matt Maust are obsessed with all things U2, so it's no surprise that they love Davis Guggenheim's documentary about the making of one of the band's biggest albums, A…
Phoebe Robinson's Spark Is Sex And The City
Comedian, actress, and author Phoebe Robinson first saw Sex In The City as a college freshman and has binge-watched the whole series annually ever since. She loves the camaraderie between the four le…