One thing about Morrissey is that he’s steadfast. Years into his Crotchety Racist era, the former Smiths frontman remains committed to wearing far-right political symbols on national television and giving interviews where he says things like “everyone ultimately prefers their own race.” This unfortunate fact makes it pretty remarkable that Brandon Flowers would forget that Moz supports a political party that doesn’t much care for Muslims, especially after a fresh round of public rebuke from the likes of Nick Cave and Billy Bragg.
Here is what Flowers told NME on the Killers‘ tour bus before they took the stage on Saturday at Glastonbury Festival in England:
I have about fifteen kings. Liam [Gallagher] is one of them.”
Listing other stars he admires, Brandon went on to namecheck “Don Henley, Peter Gabriel, Morrissey would be a king, Bono would be a king, Springsteen would be a king.”
Asking about Morrissey‘s problematic politics, Flowers replied: “He’s still a king. He’s unparalleled in what he’s achieved and his prowess and his lyrics and his sense of melody, it’s just incredible. I forgot he was in hot water though, so I shouldn’t have brought him up.”
Judge this defense, deployment of the term “hot water,” and unrelated Bono praise as you will.
The Killers went on to cover the Smiths’ hit “This Charming Man” (a favorite of theirs) with Johnny Marr, who stayed on the Glastonbury stage to support the band’s closing performance of “Mr. Brightside.” You can read Flowers’ full NME conversation here.
