I’m a casual fan of The Killers and Brandon Flowers. I basically only know the band’s early hits and I don’t think I’ve heard one song from their 2021 album Pressure Machine (which was acoustic and dark, apparently). I’ve seen Flowers interviewed before, and he comes across like an alien – sort of other-worldly, shy, reserved, yet also with a streak of religious fervor. He’s a practicing Mormon who grew up in a small town in Utah, then moved to Las Vegas and became a rock star, then moved back to Utah with his wife and three kids. He’s in his 40s now and he feels like he’s at some kind of crossroads where he doesn’t want to sing “Mr. Brightside” every night for the next forty years. Some highlights from Brandon’s Times interview:
The new pop/dance-music album isn’t happening: “Halfway through recording I realised, ‘I can’t do this.’ This isn’t the kind of record. . .” He pauses. “I think this will be the . . .” He stumbles a little. “I don’t think you’ll see us making this type of music any more. This is the crisis I’m in. The Killers are my identity and our songs fill the seats, but I’m more fulfilled making music like Pressure Machine. I found a side of myself writing it that was strong. This was the guy I’d been looking for! I’m as proud of Hot Fuss as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life.”
The incident in Georgia: This month, he invited a Russian fan on to the stage in Georgia, a country partly occupied by Russia, then asked the audience if the man was not their “brother” and was booed. We met before that furore, but he got in touch after the gig. “I had to calm an impossible situation. We want our concerts to be communal and I had no idea words I was taught my entire life to represent a unity of the human family could be taken as being pro-Russian occupation. We’re sad how this played out.”
Moving back to Utah: A few years ago [his wife] Tana was diagnosed with “complex PTSD”; her childhood, spent mostly in Las Vegas, was riddled with traumas. When she hit rock bottom, the family cashed in their chips for Utah, where Flowers grew up. “It was a huge deal. But Vegas is haunted for her. So we said, ‘This is not for you.’ Now we have access to medicine and counselling and she’s thriving, thank heavens. But it takes a lot.”
He doesn’t like cities: “I feel intimidated in cities. They are centres of the world, intellect and arts. I don’t belong… I still have a great deal of inadequacy and don’t know how to overcome it.”
The crossroads: “I’m a different person now, it’ll be difficult to go back,” he says. The Killers come with stadiums, but he wants to make quieter music that does not need large venues, let alone a band. “It is a conflict. It is just, well, at what point do I make that change? Who in the band wants to do that too? No matter what, there will always be people who look at me and just think of Somebody Told Me. And I get that. But I’m interested in evolving.”
His Mormon faith: “My faith continues to grow. If there is a religious gene, I have it. I know that can sound crazy to people, but America’s becoming more secular and that’s not as great as some think. I grew up hearing things like, ‘No amount of worldly excess can compensate for failure in the home.’ I’m so thankful! Where will people hear that? Not at school or playing sports. Religion can be a beautiful thing, but it’s easy to trash…. This makes me a bit of an enigma as a singer.”
“America’s becoming more secular and that’s not as great as some think.” First of all, no it’s not. Maybe it’s because I live in the South, but people have always been super-religious and it’s not something which waxes and wanes. It even feels like schools and the culture have become much more religious too. I wish things were more secular. “I grew up hearing things like, ‘No amount of worldly excess can compensate for failure in the home.’ I’m so thankful! Where will people hear that? Not at school or playing sports.” Oh, honey – Mr. Family Values Rock Star over here. Kids should NOT be taught the issues of excess in school or in sports… like, that’s something which should be taught by parents?
Anyway, this was an interesting piece and I buy that he’s just not into the rock star life, nor does he want to play “Mr. Brightside” one more g–damn time. I also learned that even Flowers credits the UK for The Killers’ success, not American fans.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Brandon Flowers of The Killers performs a secret set on The John peel Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2017 Worthy Farm, Pilton, England, UK on Sunday 25 June, 2017.,Image: 512585707, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- Brandon Flowers of The Killers performing at British Summer Time Hyde Park 2017 Hyde Park, London, England, UK on Saturday 8 July, 2017.,Image: 514205074, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- Brandon Flowers of The Killers performing at British Summer Time Hyde Park 2017 Hyde Park, London, England, UK on Saturday 8 July, 2017.,Image: 514230540, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- Brandon Flowers of The Killers performing at British Summer Time Hyde Park 2017 Hyde Park, London, England, UK on Saturday 8 July, 2017.,Image: 514230546, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
Wait, is he talking about THIS America? Everything I see sure makes it seem like certain political factions want to turn the nation into an autocratic fascist theocracy.
I think there’s a nuance there. I think as a whole, the US is becoming more secular, but that’s a generality. And generalities don’t tell the story.
I think the religious are getting more fervent, more loud, as backlash to our acceptance of secular things (LGBTQ rights, for one), and they are roping in as many people as possible with propaganda and rhetoric (who will protect the children?? For example), and then it trickles down through generations. So the backlash is growing. And policies follow that, because people get bullied and don’t stand up. Do a simple democratic vote, and abortion will remain legal every single time. Whip up rhetoric, get conservative judges appointed, use back channels to legislate abortion out of existence, well, now it’s illegal. It’s not what the people want, but it’s how it happens.
Lordy, hope we can keep from backsliding.
So much that is wrong with this country is caused by religious zealots trying to impose their “values” on others where they have zero capacity to follow their own beliefs. Religion just gives people a shield and a place to hide their own hate, sin and lack of morals.
It’s not becoming more secular what’s happening is that more people with a diversity of thought are not being suppressed and people that have been at the top of the heap so long have a real big issue with that. Honestly I feel like a lot of religious people are afraid that if they are responsible for their own actions instead of the threat of eternal punishment or the promise of eternal reward, they know that they can’t live up to those ideals. They don’t want the onus of their bad behavior to have to actually be on them, and they don’t want others to realize that they don’t have to jump to their tune.
I look forward to “modern” religion being thought of the same way we regard older superstitions. It clearly has zero to do with morality or ethics and just encourages irrational thought and the denial of evidence. Denial of evidence is a big fcking problem in our country right now.
This is not true. Religion can be a source of beauty and ethics, just as it can be wielded for ill. Just as anything. You are generalizing and honestly, being a bit hateful while you do it,
Just because there are loud assholes doesn’t mean many more quietly practice their religions AND are respectful of the secular. And they deserve respect. Many aren’t interested in forcing anything on others and are also annoyed by proselytizing and hypocrisy.
Not all religious people cause despicable atrocities but most atrocities are caused by religion.
Actually, Kaiser, if opinion polls and church attendance are anything to go by, the US *is* becoming more secular. It doesn’t feel that way because self-identified Christians have become politically active and unified. They’ve done so, ironically, because they can tell that their ranks are thinning.
I’m not sure if people are becoming more secular or are far more willing to admit that they are secular to other people.
Growing up in a baptist church, there were plenty of people who attended just to attend because everyone in their social circle went, but very few people were actually Believers. The other just came for softball, spaghetti dinners, the social life. If people said they were an atheists, it was automatically assumed they were immoral.
But now those people who were physically in but mentally out just…. stopped going to church. And if your life doesn’t revolve church, you can admit you are all that religious.
This is correct – fewer people are attending church and identifying as religious. I think part of what is a little confusing is how he phrased it – if by becoming “less secular” he means “less affiliated with church,” he is right. If he means our institutions are becoming less connected to religious traditions – I’m not sure he is correct. A lot of what we have seen recently with the culture wars (anti LGTBQ+ legislation, the overturning of Roe v Wade, book banning) is grounded in religion. People are becoming less religious, but our culture is becoming cloudier regarding religion.
If religious belief is the thing that makes you treat your family well, that says a lot about you…. It’s awesome that he has let his wife’s needs determine where they live and how they live. He didn’t abandon her or trash her. So that’s awesome. But to say that religion is what everyone needs to keep a family together is just so blinkered.
I grew up in a very religious home, and unfortunately, this belief that the only homes that teach moral values are religious homes is very common. Children can be taught values in a secular world, too! And they can be taught values in secular homes AND in secular schools AND on secular sports teams!
I think it’s pretty we’ll known that much of their early success was in the U.K., first appearing in Zane Lowe’s show on the BBC (which many unknown bands did) and they released Mr Brightside in the U.K. first, only then did American labels start to show interest.
He’s kind of right about the country becoming more secular not necessarily being good, but not in the way I think he intended.
The more people leave religion behind, the tighter those that do not, cling to it. So much so that they’re using that fear of its dying out as justification to force THEIR religious beliefs onto others in every single way possible. They’re downright fanatical about it and will do, say, and PAY any amount to see their will “be done” in the name of Jesus. It’s why conservative politicians pander to them, because they know that as long as they claim to be Christian, supporters will never let their wallets sway, and that’s what matters most.
Right!?!
There are many less religious people- but religious people are louder, less likely to follow actual Jesus teachings, and more likely to be bigots using Jesus as a shield.
I just can’t take anything someone in that cults says seriously. Mormonism is so racist and ridiculous, even for American religions. The government literally demanded the church stop being so racist and or they’re gonna lose their tax free status and the head of of the church cult literally turned around and said he had a conversation with God and God corrected himself and said that now Black people are OK can be in the church so now we can still not pay taxes. Just beyond ridiculous and can’t believe anyone is actually taking this garbage seriously. The lack of awareness is beyond and no wonder this guy sounds so out of touch. It’s not like you have to do some incredibly deep soul-searching to realize this is so dumb.
Yep, “the closer you look like *white* Jesus, the closer you are to God”. Yeah, it’s a racist & sexist cult that gave tips to others…. Anyone who follows those gold plates is sus.
Jess, you probably shouldn’t speak out so publicly and so confidently when you’re so clearly uninformed. It isn’t helpful and it doesn’t look very good.
Well, I grew up thinking the separation of church and state was a real and powerful thing. But my HS cross county coach in ga still made the whole team pray before every race. Which I thought was very very wrong and offensive. But apparently the Supreme Court doesn’t think so. We may be getting more secular but the laws, according to the current SC, are absolutely not.
Brandon, I like your music. Please go back to giving fewer interviews. You sound like an idiot.
David Archuleta tried to stay Mormon after he came out. He met with church leaders and they literally told him “maybe we just need to find you a good girl.” It’s an organization with deeply homophobic, racist, and sexist roots and policies. I’m weary of anyone actively practicing.
It’s no coincidence that Utah is the #1 state for antidepressant use.
Brandon being Mormon is baffling since he’s rather on the progressive side socially and has campaigned for democrats. I’m guessing he only practices aspects of it as he sees fit and isn’t a devout Mormon. I’m sure the church lets him do whatever he wants since he’s one of their most famous ambassadors. Also he doesn’t say he doesn’t want to sing Mr Brightside he’s always maintained he likes playing his old songs for people. The interview was about what type of music he wants to make moving forward. People expect Hot Fuss every album and he doesn’t want to do that.
I like Brandon and have wondered how he has maintained his family and faith in the celebrity-entertainment complex. I think from where he stands the world probably looks very secular. He doesn’t work in Christian music, so he must see the music industry very differently. I live in the Deep South and work as a liberal-mainline Protestant Chaplain/minister. The church I go to and occasionally preach at is being desanctified because we could no longer maintain our congregation after 140 years. The conservative, real friendly church that was renting space from us (and were kinda vague as to if they ordained women ministers- until we pinned them down) is still growing by leaps and bounds. The women elders chose not to sell them our church since they do not ordain women.
Jeannine, I know that the reason people leave church/religion can be complex. I have to ask if fear is becoming part of the equation? The Deep South and a liberal-mainline Protestant faith seems like it would create tension.
Liberal mainline Protestants sort of consider ourselves the loyal opposition to fundamentalism in the south. However, I have to meet people where they are as a chaplain, and you’d be amazed at how many people are more nuanced in their faith even in the more conservative denominations. In the whole discussion of spirituality vs. religion, many people were wounded inside of what is called the Christian religion that represents nothing that Christ taught. Often they find their spirituality again and the liberal denominations can often help people heal — a lot of GLBT/BIPOC work happens in almost every major liberal Protestant denomination now.
I think I’m offended more by crediting the U.K. than the U.S. for The Killers success. Huh? I LOVE The Killers. I love all their music from Hot Fuss and on, but no I haven’t listened to Pressure Machine yet. Their music is so quirky with an upbeat tempo. But I don’t think outside of Brandon, the band features the original line-up anymore. His words on religion and the rest is…interesting…still processing his viewpoints, considering he is a practicing Mormon. I also never read or heard him speak in interviews before, so I’m a little taken aback by his words. Other than, I would like to say thank you to The Killers for doing a cover of Electric Blue (Icehouse), one of my favorite songs.
Why the offence? It is well documented that their success began in the UK and they were signed to a British label first and as a result of the buzz created by their live appearances created interest in the USA. All of their studio albums have been no.1 in the UK and Mr Brightside is pretty much the alternative national anthem. It is a standing joke that Brit babies are born knowing the lyrics to the song! Last weekend they played at the Reading festival. Go to YouTube to check a typical Brit reaction to them and, especially, that song. Brandon might drop the song from some live sets but never in the UK.
I agree if he means that America is less *spiritual* than in previous generations – but to me that means Americans aren’t genuinely interested in a genuine relationship with their faith and what it means.
Now – the country less religious? No. The religious ideologues are taking over.
Yes. Great observation.
+1 There is a HUGE difference between spirituality & religion. Appreciate the insight.
He put his wife’s health first over his career. That is good. I won’t comment on the rest of the interview.
He seems invested when he says his wife works with a therapist and healing takes time. Most controlling & misogynist-type men don’t allow therapists into their territory this way. And this is a trauma therapist. They ask a lot of questions and focus on anyone triggering you. Even a faith-based therapist will eventually ‘go there’ on hubby’s tail and start schooling him.
Luv his voice and music
He is reminding me more and more of a televangelist…
Do you really mean the only reason you try to be good is to gain God’s approval and reward? That’s not morality, that’s just sucking up. – Richard Dawkins
If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it. – Marcus Aurelius
“The art of behaving morally is behaving as if everything we do matters.” — Gloria Steinem
America needs to become more secular…it has a religion problem.
The words “In God We Trust” are literally on our money. Until they are removed this guy, and every other “religious” person who is determined to be a victim, needs to shut up.
I’ve never heard of this guy. He seems like a decent sort. Faith is ingrained in his being, and it seems to be helping him help his wife. That’s all good. It’s their life and they should do whatever works for them.
I think I was very lucky to have grown up in an organized religion that wasn’t oppressive or judgey. We were Episcopalian. I sang in the choir and went to Sunday school and youth group. There was ceremony and ritual but no “fire and brimstone,” My particular church was reasonable and so were my parents. Faith was important to them, but they didn’t let it interfere with their belief in science or therapy. They didn’t judge other religions at all.
My father was always a Democrat but he didn’t hate the other side. He would have absolutely detested what the Republicans have become. Trump I am sure has him rolling over in his grave.
Religion can be a force for good, and for bad and a lot of things in between. Some people use it to manipulate and exploit others, to enrich themselves, and that’s……really not “Christ Like.” They are Christians in name only.
Fellow cradle Episcopalian here. I grew up super involved, with super involved parents also. My parents are also very progressive. Somewhere I heard Episcopalianism described as “the middle way” of the various protestant denominations, and I think that is a fairly accurate description. Of course,so is Catholic lite, but that’s another story.
I don’t think America is becoming for secular. I think the faction that is , is seeing their numbers dwindling and they are small, loud and desperate to hold on to power. If you check the statistics, more people are bailing out of organized religion/ churches. There are lots of churches in crisis because they don’t have the congregational numbers to maintain their buildings. As a person raised SDA, I know that the church schools that used to be filled to the brim have had to consolidate because there numbers are low. They a) have an elderly congregation b) the younger people they have don’t have kids or c) if they have kids,they are opting out of sending them to those schools. We keep letting the evangelicals be loud and strong when we can out vote them. People need to get off their behinds and VOTE.
“ If you check the statistics, more people are bailing out of organized religion/ churches.”
I’m a rideshare driver and I meet an extremely wide variety of people every day. One of these things I hear all the time is “I’m not a church person but I believe in God/Higher Power”. Like, every day someone says this to me.
People aren’t leaving their faith, they are leaving a manipulative organization who causes more harm than good. They are leaving churches who are all about preaching whatever will bring in money vs explaining Jesus’s teachings.
Also, and interestingly, I’m slowly hearing from people whose ministers are starting to carefully preach against the evangelical garbage and Trump and the human rights abuses of the Republican party. They are subtle but they are working to get their message across: God is love so love your neighbors period, no exceptions.
Huge fan of the Killers. I’ve lost count of how many concerts I’ve attended. Prior to COVID, the Killers came to town (Greater Detroit) at least once a year, usually a large (20,000+) venue OR they’d play across the river in Windsor ON Canada at Caesar’s Palace (3,000+). The concerts at Caesar’s were billed as “family friendly” and many tickets were complimentary. The last Caesar’s Windsor concert by the Killers we attended, PunkyDaddy and I were stunned at the amount of young children (K and middle school) who were in attendance. When the band took the stage and started their set, it was obvious they had changed up some lyrics for the audience. At times it felt more like a revival than rock concert.
I’m blathering but my point is Brandon Flowers has always seemed to struggle with the rock star side vs his Mormon faith. It seems to me at least, Flowers has been slowly shaping his music/performances away from the rock and towards the religion for a while.
(Your experience may differ. Also, I read the entire interview and it’s very telling that he chose to keep his stage makeup on during the interview.)
It’s interesting to see Kaiser’s perspective from the South. What I see here in Boston is a kind of cognitive dissonance that’s associated with politics. On the one hand people think that those of faith must be crazy and/or right wing political nuts. On the other, it’s ok to be of faith if it’s tied to ethnicity or an underserved community. There are so many weird assumptions that, at the end of the day, it’s just best to never talk about faith.
Secularism doesn’t mean lacking in ethics or morals. Humanity doesn’t need a God to tell us to be good to one another, have compassion, etc.
It’s not the institutions. It’s the people. The greatest delight to a human is to control another human being. It is the most elusive goal that unconsciously occupies a human’s daily thoughts and actions. We are simply not evolved enough yet to stop. We don’t stop. Thousands of years have gone by and we are still not even a Type 1 civilization. We even broke the weather. I think a lot about a time soon when mental health screenings might be a regular part of annual check-ups for children and adults, when every human has both a physician AND a psychologist. It’s the people.
Hmm, it really depends on what he means by “religious.” I don’t think it’s a problem that people are walking away from religious *institutions* like the Catholic church or evangelism, which have a proven track record of harm, but I do sort of understand what he means about the sense of community and filial duty that religion serves to impart to the population. That’s the mechanism by which the social thread here was woven in terms of the sense of community. That I do think is a problem for Americans, this lost sense of identity and unity toward something greater, and why there’s such a sense of disconnect. The mistake is assuming any specific religious institution is needed for that rather than a unified vision.
I find that people raised in a religion – usually the more restrictive or… you know… effed up- tend to kind of go back to that the older they get. Somewhere in the middle it’s cool to do whatever, make money, be a Rock Star- but… eventually… they revert. And that’s gross to me.