The creative Spark hits in the strangest places

RUSSELL and Ron Mael, longtime co-conspirators in the band Sparks, have just released their 20th album, “Hello Young Lovers,” and the buzz has taken even them by surprise. “I think it’s made people reassess Sparks a bit,” says Russell, who’s single (“and extremely desirable”) and lives in Beverly Hills. “Bands can get lazy after 20 albums. But that’s not us.” But while the brother act’s longevity has been remarkable, Russell admits that it’s probably time for him to go solo -- if only for the weekend.

One sure bet

Horse racing has always appealed to me, so on a Friday, I’ll go to Hollywood Park and bet on any horse that has the name War or Biscuit or General in it. If there’s none, then I just watch and eat the salad that I’ve brought from Mrs. Winston’s at the Water Garden on Colorado in Santa Monica. If you pick up a salad on a Friday to take to the track, you can try to guess the salad’s weight, and if you’re right, it’s free. It keeps with the gambling theme of the evening. But I don’t usually win with horses or salads, so afterward I’ll go to Auntie Em’s in Eagle Rock and drown my sorrows in a red velvet cupcake. Everybody is gaga over Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills, but Auntie Em’s kicks the butt of Sprinkles.

Up to specs

On Saturday morning I’ll go to Dutton’s bookshop in Beverly Hills and pick up a New Yorker and take it to Urth Caffe, the one on Beverly near Olympic. I’ll get a soy cappuccino and sip it while I try to think up a clever caption for the magazine’s cartoon caption contest.

I’ll also go to this elegant and stylish eyeglass shop on Montana, Spectech, where I’ll cruise for groovy glasses and sunglasses. My brother’s fetish for their glasses has become an addiction; he got me started on the destructive path to outrageously expensive eyeglasses.

I go to browse the videos at Laser Blazer on Pico in West L.A. I always end up going back to buy another copy of one of my favorite movies, “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” to give to people. Even if you recommend it, no one will buy it or rent it on their own, so I just give them a copy.

Because our band enjoyed touring Moscow so much this year, we’ve become hooked on all things Russian, and so I like to have dinner at Russian Nights in Sherman Oaks. We go with a kind of snobby attitude, so I’ll ask, “How’s your borscht tonight?” or “How are your blinis?” Sometimes I’ll wear my big, furry Russian hat, even though it was 20 below when we bought it in Russia and it’s usually around 85 when I go to the restaurant. Though I’m not a big drinker, we’ll round out the evening with vodka. It just seems like the right thing to do.

Health club with extras

On Sunday morning, to work off the borscht and the blinis and to help avoid having a heart attack while I’m running around onstage, I go to the Fitness Factory in West Hollywood. Also, it’s two doors down from Ridley and Tony Scott’s production facility, so when they hold auditions for specific parts, there might be 85 Santa Clauses waiting in line, or 100 people with Saint Bernards. That’s a bonus in entertainment value.

I might go home for something to eat and then back out to an OSH store, where I find songwriting inspiration in watching people buy power tools. Same thing with the Ralphs on Coldwater Canyon. You can’t beat the frozen food aisle if you need song lyrics.

In the afternoon, I’ll go to the Getty Villa, where I love the play-reading series. That’s a different kind of inspiration.

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-- Mark Sachs