Yes, but it wasn’t intentional to make an American album. I was writing about what I know about. I am an American and so it sounds more American but I think it still can be loved by everyone. I hope so — I hope the British aren’t offended! Tell us about Sam’s Town and why it was such an influence. Sam’s Town is a casino hotel which I grew up near in Las Vegas. It was always a part of my life, a monument for me. I wanted to make my mark on Las Vegas in a similar way to things I see in Manchester which are associated with Smiths songs. Like Abbey Road will always be part of The Beatles. I love those types of things. They’re marking their territory and feeling proud of it and that’s how I feel about Las Vegas. I saw you play guitar for the first time in soundcheck on For Reasons Unknown but not during the gig. Why? It’s a new thing for me so I couldn’t play guitar at the gig because it was for a Radio 1 show and I couldn’t f*** it up. I’m still getting used to it. I’ve never played the guitar in front of people in the past because it was a confidence thing. It must have been something special having Alan Moulder and Flood produce Sam’s Town. Yes because they’ve produced some of our favourite albums including Nick Cave, U2, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and even Erasure. We always had them on the list. Flood did Depeche Mode’s Songs Of Faith And Devotion, which is an album I’ve loved since I was very young. When it came out it was the heaviest and darkest thing I’d ever purchased and it took me a long time to get used to it. I was only 14 then but now I think those songs are just beautiful. They’re just smart and they’ve been around. They know what works in a band and what sounds good. We became brothers and we love them. Why is Sam’s Town better than Hot Fuss? We’re a better band. We feel there is more depth. It sounds cheesy but I’ve become a man and that is what this album is — it’s a reflection of getting to that point. I’m 25 now and so many things have happened. I’m married, I want to have kids and I feel this album is a great interpretation of what’s happened up until now. Kids are planned for soon — we just don’t want to have them while I’m on the road. Does the album represent any personal troubles? Yes, the struggles I’ve had with religion — especially with being in a band. The Killers brought a whole weight on me and have had a weird pull for me. I have had a lot of pressure on me because of my religion. I don’t want to make a big deal out of being a Mormon because of my family. A lot of attention is put on me because of it. You often get criticised for being too confident or mouthy. Is that the real you? I was taught to be like that. My dad always said: “You tell it like it is.” It’s stuck with me, I guess, and now some people hate it. But from now on I’m just going to focus on things that I like rather than dislike and tell that like it is — to keep the guys happy! What was it like when you finished When You Were Young, knowing it was a mammoth single? You know it’s special — we felt like that when we recorded it. It just came out of thin air. Songs are out there and it’s just about being lucky enough to be in that moment to grab it. And the next single, Bones? Bones is good. Bones is the oldest song — it’s a couple of years old. It was written on our tour bus. I thought it was going to be a B-side and then we added trumpets. Mark grew up playing trumpet and he had this idea for this trumpet line so we hashed it out and I just fell in love with it — again. It just turned out to be so great. The movie director Tim Burton did the video for it and it was great working with him. He was a great inspiration. He’s just on this earth to make it better. And Uncle Jonny is a personal story? Yes it’s a true story about my uncle - my mum’s brother - who did cocaine. There’s more to the story than what I talk about in the song but it’s tricky with family. It’s a great track. Read My Mind is another favourite. I feel it’s the best song we’ve ever written. Live8 must have been a highlight of last year. Were you aware of the “battles” going on in the run-up to the event as to whether you played? It was weird. It felt like there was a big red dot on us. It was strange when we were there and we only had one song. I hope it was a highlight because that one song, All These Things That I’ve Done, was fitting. I’m glad we played it because it was the right song. And other highlights of your career so far? Singing with New Order at T In The Park was exciting. I was so nervous and Pete Hook was making fun of me about half an hour before I went on. Singing my favourite U2 song with U2 in Las Vegas was a treat, too. Both of our Glastonburys have been wonderful and memorable. Maybe we’ll headline Glastonbury next year. Who knows? No one’s asked us yet.
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