the killers in inrock magazine may 2005. photos by yuko kato.
translation from japanese by @cherrylng
The Killers
Debut Album “Hot Fuss” Achieves 3 Million Worldwide Sales! Interview with The Killers During Their Visit to Japan
“As a rock band, we’re not afraid to write pop songs at all.”
Brandon Flowers / The Killers
INTERVIEW & PHOTOS: YUKO KATO
The Killers, whose debut album earned a Grammy nomination and became a massive hit around the world. Although they had already performed in Japan at last year’s Fuji Rock Festival, this was their first solo concert in Japan, and on the opening night in Nagoya, there was relatively little banter, and the band members seemed a bit nervous. However, they performed their massive hits like “Somebody Told Me” and “Mr. Brightside,” as well as their new song “Where Is She?,” which—despite its dark lyrics—features the kind of catchy chorus that sticks in your head the moment you hear it, showcasing The Killers’ signature style in full force, and the venue went wild. The four-piece band is scheduled to continue their tour through the end of June, but for fans eagerly awaiting new music, they are currently selling another pop-infused limited-edition rare track, “Who Let You Go,” on the iTunes Store.
—Today’s rehearsal lasted over an hour—it was a really long session. Are you nervous since this is your first solo tour in Japan?
Brandon Flowers (vocals/keys.): It’s always that long. Actually, our usual rehearsals are about twice as long. We have new songs, so we have to practice them properly. Otherwise, our second album is going to be a disaster... Most bands’ second albums are terrible, aren’t they?
—So you’re planning to perform a new song today?
Brandon: Yeah, one song.
—Is it “My Uncle Jonny Did Cocaine” that you mentioned in a previous interview? (Editor’s note: A song about his cocaine-addicted uncle. See vol. 255)
Brandon: No, it’s a song called “Where Is She?” But “My Uncle...” is scheduled to be on the next album.
—What kind of song is “Where Is She?”?
Brandon: I was watching TV in Scotland the other day, and there was a news story... about a girl who was killed by her boyfriend, who was lying in wait for her in the woods on her way to his house. So, this song is about that incident, and the part that goes “Where Is She?” is sung from the perspective of the murdered girl’s mother.
—Was that a real incident?
Brandon: Yeah, it’s real.
—Well... Your first album had a lot of songs that were really sad, or rather, quite unique. There was even a song about you killing your girlfriend...
Brandon: We decided to try to move away from that kind of subject matter on the new album, but... I ended up writing a song like that right away (laughs).
—I get the impression that all your songs are like stories.
Brandon: Yeah, that’s true. I really like those so-called singer-songwriters who play and sing, and I thought, what if we fused that with the pop music we make? That’s a pretty new idea, right? There are plenty of great lyrics out there, but not many that are story-like. In that sense, Morrissey is amazing. He’s incredibly humorous and intelligent, and on top of that, he’s full of irony. But among the people making the kind of music we do, there aren’t many who write lyrics like that, are there?
—What I find interesting is that in your case, you entertain the audience through stories—in other words, I don’t think you impose any kind of heavy-handed pressure on the listener.
Brandon: Yeah, that’s true. Well, songs like “All These Things That I’ve Done” or “Everything Will Be Alright” might have a strong message… but basically, writing story-driven songs is just more fun for us.
—Personally, I really love “Mr. Brightside.” That song was written based on an experience where you were terribly betrayed by an ex-girlfriend, right?
Brandon: That’s right.
—But from listening to it, the song doesn’t really give the impression that such a painful experience is behind it.
Brandon: If that doesn’t come across, then this song is a failure (laughs).
—No, that’s not what I meant (laughs). It’s a very emotional song, but I guess you didn’t want to go into detail about that experience?
Brandon: From my perspective, it turned out to be a song that really hits the mark. I wrote about the experience exactly as it happened. This is one of the few songs where I’ve written about something I actually experienced in a story-like way.
—But you didn’t want to just lay your painful past out there for everyone to see, right?
Brandon: Well, I certainly didn’t write about it that directly.
—Your music is really high-quality pop, isn’t it? Don’t you think it feels a bit off to sing about painful or sad experiences over such upbeat music?
Brandon: But we’re actually pulling it off, aren’t we? That’s exactly why we’re proud of our music. Most pop and rock bands out there only write lyrics that play well on the radio, but in our case, we’re turning truly interesting stories—the kind that people are genuinely curious about—into songs. And on top of that, we’re getting accepted on the radio, which I think is amazing and makes me happy.
“Am I a big mouth and a cynic? Actually, I’m not... I’m really happy right now (laughs).”
—Someone once made an interesting comment, saying, “Pop music is just popular music.” But the music they make is more sensitive rock than pop... Actually, this was something Brett Anderson from Suede said... Do you know Suede?
Brandon: Of course, I love Suede.
—So, Brett basically said, “The music we make is pop music.” What about you? What does pop music mean to you?
Brandon: I agree with Brett. “Pop” comes from the word “popular.” Sure, Suede doesn’t write music like Destiny’s Child, but you can still say their music is pop. We’re a rock band too, but we write pop songs. We’re not afraid at all to write pop songs as a rock band.
—Do you think there’s a misunderstanding about pop music, like equating it with commercial music?
Brandon: Everyone feels like they have to call themselves “indie.” They think that as long as they say “indie,” they’ll be forgiven. But actually, it doesn’t matter at all. If you write a song that everyone likes, then that’s pop music right there.
—I heard you originally wanted to be a professional golfer, not a musician?
Brandon: That’s right (laughs).
—When did you realize that music was more important to you?
Brandon: Music has always been the most important thing to me. It’s just that when it comes to whether I could make a living from it or do it as a career… that’s a different story. The odds of succeeding as a musician are like one in a million. I loved golf and seriously aimed to become a pro golfer, but music was still number one. No matter where I was or what I was doing, music was always playing. Even when I was driving, I’d listen to music and sing along. Music was just always around me.
—You were originally in a synthesizer-only band, right?
Brandon: Yeah.
—But you were the only one who didn’t want to move to LA, so you got kicked out of the band, right?
Brandon: I didn’t have the money to move to LA (laughs).
—Aren’t there a lot of musicians who move to LA?
Brandon: Yeah, everyone goes to LA.
—Even if you don’t have money, the weather’s nice...
Brandon: Plus, most of the record labels are in LA. So they figure that if they’re in LA, eventually some producer or someone will discover them. But honestly, I don’t think that really matters. We have the internet now, so I think it’s the same no matter where you are. Plus, I love Las Vegas, so I definitely don’t want to leave there.
—Since you didn’t go to LA, the other band members probably thought you weren’t that committed to the band, right?
Brandon: I was still young back then… I was around 19 or 20. The other members were about 10 years older than me.
—I was wondering if you just weren’t satisfied with just synthesizers? Or was it more that they weren’t enough for you...
Brandon: No, there are plenty of great bands that use synthesizers. The Pet Shop Boys, New Order, and Depeche Mode... I really love the music of those bands I just mentioned. But it’s true that synths alone just weren’t enough for me anymore. After that, I got into bands like Oasis and U2, and I fell in love with their massive sound. So, I still use the keyboard just like before, but the difference now is that I have a guitar. Hopefully, we’ll keep getting bigger and bigger from here on out.
—Oasis’s music was really important to you, wasn’t it?
Brandon: Yeah, it was.
—Listening to their music made you want to make more guitar-oriented music yourself, right?
Brandon: Yeah, exactly. It’s kind of like we combined the synth music I’ve always loved with the big rock music I’ve recently gotten into, in our own way.
—Reading your past interviews, I got the impression you’re kind of a big talker (laughs)? But you don’t seem like that today (laughs).
Brandon: A big talker?
—Yeah (laughs). You’re also a really positive person...
Brandon: No, actually, I’m not really like that... (laughs).
—I thought you had a very cynical view of people and life... Or maybe you just haven’t shown that side of yourself yet~ (laughs).
Brandon: No, I’m happy right now (smiles).
—Is it because you got engaged recently? Or are you already married?
Brandon: I got engaged.
—So that’s why you’re happy.
Brandon: Yeah, I’m really happy.
—For you, how big of a deal is it to commit to someone like that?
Brandon: (shyly) It’s just as big a deal as it is for anyone else... Getting engaged is a big deal for everyone, right? Hehe (laughs).
—Speaking of which, I heard you were named Best Dressed and Sexiest Man by NME?
Brandon: Don’t forget that we were also named Best International Band (laughs).
—Haha, of course I know that (laughs). But how was it? Wasn’t it a little weird to be chosen for things like that?
Brandon: NME does a lot of fun features like that, but we’re just having fun with it, so I don’t take it too seriously (laughs).
“In the rock world, it’s taken for granted that rock stars do drugs, but we’re doing just fine without them.”
—How did the other band members react?
Brandon: Everyone was on board. Hahaha (laughs).
—Will new songs like “My Uncle...” also be story-driven tracks?
Brandon: Yeah. But I think this song will be even more moving and emotional.
—What kind of feeling is this song going for?
Brandon: It’s dark, but in the end… yeah, the sun rises.
—So it’s an optimistic song?
Brandon: Yeah.
—But why is it such an optimistic song? Your uncle tried to kill himself, right?
Brandon: Yeah, but he’s alive now. He failed at suicide.
—How is he doing now? Is he happy?
Brandon: Hmm... He goes back and forth between being happy and not being happy.
—What was his reaction when he heard this song?
Brandon: Actually, I haven’t told him about this song yet (laughs).
—You haven’t played it in America yet.
Brandon: We haven’t even recorded it yet. He’ll find out eventually, I guess? I don’t think he’d care that much, though.
—In an interview, you said, “We’re way better artists than those who do drugs”…
Brandon: At least our live performances are better. It’s definitely true that we put on a better show than bands that are drunk and playing haphazardly. Or rather, I don’t think not doing drugs is such a negative thing. Sure, it’s probably easier to make it in this industry if you do drugs... but saying “I do drugs!” makes you seem more like a rock star, right? It’s a world where it’s just expected that rock stars do drugs. For those guys, doing drugs is probably convenient, right? In our case, we’re doing just fine without drugs, so it’s not a problem. Mark (Stoermer, b.) is even scared of cigarettes. He’s convinced that if he smokes a cigarette, he’ll die instantly (laughs).
—What about you?
Brandon: I smoke.
—Aren’t cigarettes worse for your health than drugs?
Brandon: Hmm... Not really (laughs).
—In a previous interview, you mentioned that Elton John was really nice to you. How has it been since then? Did he actually invite you to his shows?
Brandon: He had a show in Las Vegas, so of course I went. And after that, I was lucky enough to be invited to his apartment, where we even had dinner together. That was really fun. He seems to like young musicians (laughs).
—But his music is amazing.
Brandon: Oh, I love it. “Daniel” is just the best.
—Did he ever bring up the idea of collaborating?
Brandon: No, but he did give me all kinds of advice.
—Like what?
Brandon: Things like, “Don’t wait too long,” or “Stop touring all the time and release your next album soon.” Because when he was younger, it was normal for artists to release two or three albums a year. Plus, he knows exactly how record companies and labels work. He told me, “Don’t let them tie you down.”
—Does he have a cynical view of the music industry?
Brandon: Not at all! After all, music has made his life rosy. I mean, he spends over $150,000 (about 16 million yen) a year just on flowers (laughs). I think he couldn’t be happier with his life. But seriously, he’s an amazing musician.
—You always dress stylishly. Is that one of the essential elements of your music?
Brandon: Yeah. I like to dress up properly whenever I go out. It’s the same with shows—if we’re performing, I want to wear nice clothes. Actually, I think the kind of clothes I wear really suit our music. If you’re playing grunge music, you should look the part, right? I think every band dresses in a way that fits their music. Maybe down the road, our music will change completely, and my style of dress and stuff will change along with it.
Recorded in Nagoya on March 6th
