Killers, Fall Out Boy Heat Up The Beef Again
mtv.com

'How could you feel like a superhero if you didn't have an arch-nemesis?' FOB bassist Pete Wentz says.

It's a good thing the dinner date Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz proposed to the Killers' Brandon Flowers never materialized, because there might've been some punches thrown — or at least some well-placed slaps. That's right: The feud has flared up again.

"I kinda like how [Flowers] called Fall Out Boy 'dangerous.' It felt like how Ice called Maverick 'dangerous' in 'Top Gun.' " -Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz

The long-running war of words started last year when Flowers complained about sharing his band's record-label executive with FOB (see "Killers Get More Beef- This Time With Fall Out Boy"), then escalated when Wentz mockingly invited Flowers out to a sushi dinner (see "Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz Asks Killers Singer On Dinner Date"). Now the beef is back, thanks to an interview with Flowers that appeared this week in the British music magazine NME.

In said interview, Flowers -who's in London putting the finishing touches on the Killers' second album (see "Killers' Next LP Will Show Strong Influence Of ... Bruce Springsteen!?") -ripped into FOB and and other groups he deems emo, saying he wants to "beat all those bands to death," and basically insisting that emo bands' sensitive music is poisoning the minds of America's youth.

"You don't realize what you could be getting yourselves into with Fall Out Boy," Flowers said, addressing British music fans, "and what kind of impact it could have in a way that you don't really want. Culturally, if it gets as big as it is in America, it could change an entire generation of people growing up here. Emo, pop-punk — whatever you want to call it — is dangerous. We don't wanna dislike anyone, and we've still never met Fall Out Boy, but there's a creature inside me that wants to beat all those bands to death. They just all go into the happy-emo funnel and everyone loves 'em without thinking."

When MTV News informed Wentz of Flowers' comments, he was more than willing to keep the feud running. Seems that even though he's in Los Angeles beginning work on Fall Out Boy's follow-up to From Under the Cork Tree, he's always got the time for a rebuttal -and to make a handful of pop-culture references.

"Honestly, I like Brandon a lot from what I've read in interviews. He's sharp. I don't think people would take as much notice [of his comments] if he wasn't. I respect that," Wentz said. "I kinda like how he called Fall Out Boy 'dangerous.' It felt like how Ice called Maverick 'dangerous' in 'Top Gun.' The whole thing kind of feels like one of those D.A.R.E. commercials. I kind of think of it this way: How could you feel like a superhero if you didn't have an arch-nemesis?"

Just about the only thing Wentz says he takes issue with is Flowers' assertion that the two bands have never met. He claims that they have, though the guys in the Killers may not have realized just who they were being introduced to when it happened.

"We met a couple of times," Wentz said. "I think they maybe tried to order drinks from us at the mtv Video Music Awards, because they thought we were waiters. The drummer [Ronnie Vannucci] was really nice though."

But even if Flowers isn't familiar with the guys in FOB, Wentz said other members of his extended family are.

"Besides, we get Brandon's family and friends into Fall Out Boy shows when we play his hometown. It must be very 'dangerous,' " he laughed. "I believe they came to the show in Salt Lake City, but I did not meet them. They were on the list, though."

— James Montgomery