SpinMagazine October,2005

 Kyle Anderson

Brandon Flowers

What's a trapping of success that you didn't anticipate?
Ebay people. I almost came to blows with one today. We pulled up to the gig, and it’s two in the afternoon, and there’s these four guys standing outside, and they all have blue markers and brand-new CDs. And they’re obviously not fans. So I said, “Okay, I’ll sign, but I won’t take a picture. This guy got angry, so we started yelling at each other, and he told me to go buy some eyeliner and flipped me off, and I blew him a kiss and that was it. Other than that, fans are usually quite nice.

Do you have any rock star complaints?
I think rock and roll is not normal. When I was 12 and bought the Cars’ Greatest Hits, I didn’t think Ric Ocasek was my next door neighbor. So I always understood that about it, and I think that helped to get us where we are. Other artists complain about me, but I only worry about my songs, because that’s what I do: I write songs. Just like my dad worked in produce and maybe he worried a lot about fruit.

Do you have any more feuds lined up?
No, but the Bravery thing is finally over, and they started it. You know, I love seeing those great old pictures of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed and Bowie. They were just having fun and writing songs together. Our experience has been more like we’re in rival gangs. There are a bunch of good ones for every bad one, but I just wish we could get rid of the attitudes.

Name an influence of yours that people never mention.
Of course, we want people to compare us to the Beatles. But there’s probably a lot more David Bowie than people realize. Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust are my two favorite records, and when he came to see us in New York, I just froze. He had a mustache and I was overwhelmed by his Bowie-ness.

What's your idea of rock decadence?
I probably spend too much money on Dior jackets. They make me happy.

Of your contemporaries, who do you think will have longevity?
Bands get dropped if they have just one minor hit, so it’s a dangerous time. But I don’t think the Strokes will go away. I saw the White Stripes for the first time at Glastonbury, and Jack White is the real deal. The Arcade Fire made such a sophisticated album, but they have that mentality where they just don’t give a fuck. But I have high hopes for them. I don’t know if any of these bands want to be the Cars or U2. Usually people who want to be big have haircuts and muscles. I guess that’s why the Killers are unique, because we're somewhere in between.

What were you doing when Spin was launched in 1985?
I was four years old and in preschool, so probably not very much.