The Killers

total guitar magazine

The Killers are no longer just the most dazzling band on the planet. With debut album HOT FUSS nudging treble-platinum sales worldwide, they're fast becoming the most successful. Guitarist Dave Keuning tells TG how to conquer the world in 8 simple steps.


Three years ago, not even the failed gamblers who filled the casinos of Dave Keuning's native Las Vegas would have bet on him becoming a rock 'n' roll star. Vegas wasn't the kind of town that dealt in fresh talent. On the conturary, it was the end of the line; a showbiz graveyard where bloated superstars retreated to take stock and gain weight. The city didn't welcome ambition, desperate glamour or songs that burned with escapism. Neither did Hank and Loretta who'd just arrived from Alabama to play slots.

The music industry was proving immovable, and it wasn't until an ad in the local paper brought vocalist Brandon Flowers to Keuning's door that The Killers became and irresistable force. Like the writing partnerships they'd spent their adolescence idolising, the pair had an instant connection that saw them pen Mr Brightside- a subsequent top ten single- within days of meeting. It was to prove the start of an assault on Planet Earth that has seen The Killers' debut album Hot Fuss sell three million worldwide and establish them as the hottest property on the indie scene. TG caught up with Dave in a Vegas hotel suite for his advice on conquering the world...



STEP ONE
Set Yourself Unrealistic Targets
"I'd be satisfied to make a living from this and keep going for 20 more years. We set out to be like U2 and conquer the world. We think they're the biggest band in the world and we'd like to take they're place when they retire. We didn't win anything at the BRITS, though. Those pansies the Scissor Sisters got Best International Group. We were robbed by a bunch of fairy boys."

STEP TWO
Always Choose Your Bandmates Wisely
"I put an ad in the paper that said 'Looking to start or join a band? Influences: U2, Pumpkins, Oasis.' That's when Brandon called. I was on the internet at the time, so my line was busy. It took a week to actually get hold of each other. I'm thankful he didn't give up. He was the only normal person. All the others were strange. I got one guy who was cross-eyed; one guy who had tatoos on his arms listing how many dead people he had in his family...."

STEP THREE
Dress To Impress
"We feel better in suits. I don't know if we play better, it depends if the sleeves are tight. But I feel good in a suit and I think playing in a t-shirt and jeans is jjust lazy. I don't think what we do is that extravagant. We don't spend hours in the dressing room. This stuff only takes 30 seconds to put on. I don't knnow what the big deal is. It's not like we're Interpol."

STEP FOUR
Buy A Chord Book
"I don't like playing simple Ramones powerchords. I prefer chords that have more flavour. Solos aren't necassary in a lot of songs, but I'd like to do more of them on our second album. I though we cut back a bit too much on Hot Fuss. I really like the solo in Everything Will Be Alright. It's not one that people probably listen to because it's not a single, but that's the one I'm most proud of."

STEP FIVE
Don't Trust Those Bastards In The Music Industry
"I don't know if industry people are actually shitty, but they are dumb. I've seen some of the dumbest decisions being made. I'm just like, 'Wow, this person makes $100,000 a year?' And it takes two years for the person above them to figure out how dumb they are and fire them. But they all get fired in the end. Unless they've actually done something successful with one band, [sarcastically] Poison..."

STEP SIX
Don't Use So Many Guitars
"I use a Les Paul Custom and a Fender Hot Rod Deville. It's a basic setup, but I'd like to experiment after we're done touring this album. I've got a lot of Boss pedals, which are kinda boring because they're the basic standard pedal. I've also got som Electro-Harmonic pedals that I use in the studio. I am picky about some things. I like to use the same guitar live that I did on the album, because a Fender Stratocaster is not the same as a Les Paul Custom. They're completely different sounds. Once you write a song on an ES-335 or something, it's hard to play it on anything else. If it sounded good when you came up with it on a particular guitar, then you should play it on that particular guitar. I've done that several times; I've written this cool riff on the Strat and thought 'I'll just play it on the Les Paul.' But then all the bite's gone. Maybe I wouldn't have come up with it if I was playing the Les Paul. Stick to one guitar and you won't have these problems."

STEP SEVEN
Learn To Deal With The Media
"I don't mind doing interviews. This one is alright. But I hate TV interviews. There's always some guy with some personality that tries to put you on the spot with some weird question. We did this Saturday morning show in the UK and it had a host who was, like, a 17-year-old boy. It was just weird. Brandon wasn't there for the interview and this boy was asking us about the Mormon religion. Whatever!"

STEP EIGHT
Become Enourmous And Join The A-List
"I finally got to meet Noel Gallagher at Brixton Academy [London] and he was cool. He's quite short and a little less mouthy than I expected. Do I rate him as a guitarist? I see both sides [of the debate]. He's better than basic. People should write a song like Don't Look Back In Anger or come up with a riff as good as Champagne Supernova-then come back and say something. Have I met many of my guitar heroes? Well, tow of them are dead-that's Jimmy Hendrix and George Harrison. I'd love to meet Billy Corgan and Robert Smith someday. And I'd like to meet Johnny Marr. I love his playing style so much. In some ways though, I don't really want to meet my heroes. Because the ones I really like, I don't want to spoil anything. I just think, 'What if they're an arsehole?' I might not like their music as much then. It's tough to like the music of someone you hate. But I met Adam Clayton and he was cool. So I still like U2."