The Killers: ‘Mr Brightside is like Happy Birthday now. That song plays itself’
How bored are you with Mr Brightside? TopTramp
Ronnie Vannucci, drums: That song plays itself. There is this reciprocal magic that happens between us on the stage and people watching us. And it just goes. It’s like if you sing Happy Birthday and you don’t think. It’s just Happy Birthday now.
Brandon Flowers, vocals: I really don’t get bored of it. I’m able to feed off of the excitement of somebody who’s there, hearing it for the first time. I still get a thrill. My concern is that it’s going to turn on us and there’s going to be a backlash, but it just keeps growing.
RV: It’s waiting for Weird Al [Yankovic].
BF: Oh my gosh.
RV: Then it’ll be over. What did I just do?
The cadence of your songs doesn’t usually follow an expected pattern. It’s as though you write stories set to music instead of melodies with lyrics. How do you make your songwriting so unique? somekindofmysteriousBF: Sometimes there is a blueprint for rock’n’roll and pop. If you get trapped inside it can be dangerous. Our last record, Pressure Machine, was written largely lyrics-first. We had never done that before. It gave us so much freedom in the studio because, if you weren’t loving the direction a song was going, you could put a whole different suit on it.
Pressure Machine is an incredible album of pathos and power. In the hypnotic, romantically twisted, cop-killsa-violent-husband Desperate Things, what does the line “she laughed it off like lemonade” mean? McScootikinsBF: For me, it’s self-explanatory. I’m going to just let that person interpret it however they may.
RV: There’s a [American record producer] Rick Rubin quote I’m going to paraphrase: it’s always better to leave an interpretation than an explanation.
If you hadn’t become rock stars, what careers paths might you have taken?SrnestSemingwayBF: I have no other skill set. I would’ve been happy as a valet parker on the Strip [in Las Vegas]. Uncles and cousins did that kind of stuff. I love the hustle and bustle of earning tips and feeling that wad in your pocket grow. So that was sort of my dream.
RV: I was in college with a double major in music performance and music education. So I would probably be in jail.
Have your views of Las Vegas changed over time? Will you ever do a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere? Journalomar and GrazAlarmBF: You can take the boys out of Vegas, but it will always be a part of us. When we were kids, it was a small town. For a while it was the fastest-growing city in America. I was lucky enough to see U2 at the Sphere. Absolutely we would be open to doing something like that. It would be a big undertaking, but it would be a blast. Brandon, is your pink jacket in a museum along with Geri’s dress, Noel’s guitar and Kylie’s gold hot pants?TurangaLeela2 and MrSOBaldrickBF: Somebody needs to ask for it. It’s just sitting in a closet in my house, waiting to be asked … Ronnie, being the frontman is a bit like being the boss. Was it hard for you guys early on, with Brandon being the youngest in the band by five years? I imagine there is a steep learning curve? larki18RV: Well, the dude was gifted … I’m going to talk like he’s not here.
He’s naturally an introverted person, but when you turn the mic on and give him a platform to do his thing, it feels very natural. Twenty-two years later, he’s still this shy dude, but he’s progressed into knowing his place and perfecting it. It’s cool to see him still grow. We’re all still growing. Apart from me, I’m just stagnant and lame.Brandon: I think you’re one of the last great showbiz entertainers. Do you think, back in the day, you’d have enjoyed being more of an all-round singer/film actor/ TV host?staypositiveBF: The way that Johnny Cash, Marc Bolan and Dean Martin did it was pretty impressive. I think Ronnie and I could tag team.
Do people still think you are a British band?MrSOBaldrickRV: [Does English accent] We are British, man! What you on about?
BF: We still get the odd person who isn’t aware that we are Americans. We didn’t expect to have that confusion at all. We wanted to make sure everybody knew that we were American on the second album. That’s why Sam’s Town is the way that it is.
RV: You guys haven’t lost it. There are people coming up from Britain that still wow us. I don’t know if it’s the nursery rhymes you guys teach your kids, or if it’s just the celebration of music. You have such a wonderfully small, tight-knit country. It seems like the colour is pumped up a little bit. The contrast is just a little more. There’s more zeal for life and celebration. You always have songs to go along with that.
BF: What do we look forward to when we come to the UK? Curry! The Hairy Bikers on TV. I can watch those guys cook and talk to each other for ever. I watched the Great British Baking Show [Bake Off] in the US with my family. There’s something about the light in the tent that makes me homesick for England. This season is not a great season, if anybody cares for my opinion. It’s a little bit of a letdown.If you could go back 20 years to when it all first started, what advice would you give yourselves? Kimmoss1982BF: We had high hopes. Every band does. But we had nearly given up. Imagine what it’s like to go and play for the head of Sony, the head of Island and the head of Warner Brothers in America and all of them passing. So were given this indie deal by a small label [Lizard King] in England. We all got passports and were genuinely excited that at least we were going to get this trip to England out of it because it seemed like it was over. The NME wrote a positive review of a show that we did in the Dublin Castle [in Camden, London] and it changed the trajectory of our lives. So, being here, talking to you and looking at this list of 20 songs [from the new compilation album Rebel Diamond] is amazing. We’re really, really proud of these songs.
You recently halted recording sessions for the band’s eighth album because you considered the songs to be too similar to material recorded earlier in your career. Can you provide any pointers as to what your future material might sound like? VerulamiumParkRangerBF: The album that we, for lack of a better term, scrapped, was not because it was like anything recent. We just felt we were going down a road that wasn’t as appealing to us as it was when we started. So we decided to stop. We were very honest about it. I don’t think people tend to be so honest when they make these kind of decisions.
RV: It was in Boston, right before a gig, we discussed it and Brandon was just like: “I dunno.” I was like: “I’m so glad you said that.”
BF: What’s funny is there’s nothing wrong with the songs. The songs are great. I guess it’s a style, a bit of a substance issue, the complexion of the songs.
RV: We didn’t get the explosion of confetti we were hoping for. You’re one of the very few bands of the 2000s indie era that’s still going, making new music, and still seem to like one another. Why have you survived where others have fallen by the wayside or imploded? laurasnapesRV: It’s a lot of luck. We are surprised by it. We did the NME tour [in 2005] with Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand. We just feel incredibly grateful and lucky. Where we come from, we’re – I want to say blue collar, but we didn’t wear collars. We’re just working dudes from Vegas, so I think we’ve been gifted this opportunity. We all feel like this is a gift. This is not something that’s handed out, so we should respect that. • The Killers release Rebel Diamonds on 8 December, and tickets for the Rebel Diamonds tour in 2024 go on sale the same day
this spot-on podcast. They also nail the guilt of wasting time despite knowing it’s finite, while noting that that’s what humans have always done. HV
RadicalWidely available, episodes weeklyWhen Mosi Secret read a letter that claimed Jamil Al-Amin, who was convicted of shooting two sheriff deputies outside an Atlanta mosque, was innocent, he vowed to find out more. In this thoughtful series, Secret looks at the life of the civil rights activist formerly known as H Rap Brown and the many complex strands that cross it. HV
British Scandal: The Aitken AffairWondery, episodes weekly“This guy’s not the worst there ever was, he’s certainly not the best – but he’s a really fantastic template for the scumbag MP.” Rob Delaney steps in as co-host with Alice Levine for the latest scandal in this hit series: Tory MP Jonathan Aitken, who was tipped to be prime minister but was jailed for 18 months for perjury and perverting the course of justice. Hollie Richardson
There’s a podcast for that
This week, Rachel Aroesti chooses five of the best podcasts on beauty, from two millennial men pontificating on moisturiser to a podcast on the culture of beauty and whether the industry is truly diverse.Make Me OverIn 2020, Karina Longworth’s atmospheric and revelatory podcast about the forgotten history of Hollywood released this miniseries focusing on the (considerable) crossover between the beauty industry and the early days of the entertainment business. Each episode sees a guest host tell a strange and gripping story that is both indicative of the culture of mid-20th century America and strikingly relevant to our own; from the fat-shaming that dogged Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas, to the skin-whitening undertaken by Indianborn film star Merle Oberon and the dramatic fall from grace of the hardfaced Swedish masseuse favoured by Gloria Swanson.
Fat MascaraJournalists Jessica Matlin and Jennifer G Sullivan’s longrunning beauty pod - which features interviews with influential industry bods, as well as news, recommendations and musings on cosmetics and skincare trends - easily qualifies as the frontrunner in its field. The pair not only have impeccable expert credentials - Matlin used to be beauty director at Teen Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, Sullivan is the former beauty and health director of Marie Claire - but they also have the casual intimacy and propensity for gentle ribbing that is crucial for any successful podcast double act. Come for the great guests (Cindy Crawford, Laura Mercier), stay for an approach that is thoughtful, interrogative and far from skin-deep.
Dewy DudesWho says beauty podcasts are just for girls? Childhood pals Evan Shinn and Emilio Quezada Ibañez describe their show as “a skincare psy-op”; really it’s an amenable - and often very amusing - discussion pod in which the pair outline their latest cleansing routines, evaluate new products and occasionally engage in some frank conversation about their mental health. There is a fair dose of self-conscious irony involved - as you might expect from two straight male millennials pontificating on moisturiser - but it’s also fuelled by genuine enthusiasm: there’s little doubt these two are serious about skincare.
Allure: The Science of Beauty Many beauty podcasts focus on recommending particular brands and products, insisting that this conditioner or that concealer really does work without actually explaining why. Not so on this enjoyably educational series from US beauty magazine Allure. Presented by the glossy’s senior staff (including former editor-in-chief Michelle Lee), it sees our hosts quiz experts and scientists on topics such as hair frizz and face masks, as well as specific ingredients (peptides, biotin, squalane), drilling down hard into the chemistry of cosmetics before helpfully translating all the technicalities into layman’s terms.
On ReflectionAs a beauty journalist, Funmi Fetto (above) has a bustling CV: she is currently a beauty editor at British Vogue, beauty director at both the Observer Magazine andDua Lipa’s lifestyle newsletter Service95, and author of Palette: The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour. In 2020, she created this fascinating podcast on the “culture of beauty”, examining the ways in which the industry intersects with representation and diversity, the arts and societal issues. There’s news, debate and interviews with the likes of Sharon Chuter, the Nigeria-born founder of inclusive brand Uoma Beauty, and filmmaker Nina Davuluri, whose documentary COMPLEXion looks at the scourge of colourism.
Why not try …
Discover Me, in which Lady T and Tobi Rachel interview someone they’ve admired from afar for years: Adjoa Andoh. Over three chapters they dig into her identity as a Black woman, her success and her faith.
Pop powerhouse Dua Lipa’s candid, uplifting and insightful conversations with the people who inspire her most in Dua Lipa: At Your Service.
America: A History, where every week the hosts explore the people, places and events that makes the US the country it is today.
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