The Beatles...The Rolling Stones...Led Zeppelin...U2...The Who...The Police...
What do all of these bands have in common (aside from being the best bands ever)? None of them are American and all of them hail from a small set of islands just off the northwest corner of Europe.
Face the facts. Aside from the rare exception, the UK has always given us better Rock 'n' Roll than we could have made by ourselves. Fifty years ago the Brits mastered a genre that white Americans had stolen from black Americans and then invaded us with it. We have been apart of their musical kingdom ever since.
But thankfully, we Americans haven't given up. The Killers are a prime example of why the American attempt at Rock should trudge on. The Las Vegas foursome are an exciting act and have offered one the best albums in a while with 2004's Grammy-nominated Hot Fuss. Their impact not only in America but worldwide garnered them an invitation to the UK's famous Glastonbury Music Festival in late June. They were going to play in support of festival headliner Kylie Minogue (the UK's equivalent of Madonna). But when Minogue was diagnosed with breast-cancer just prior to the festival, The Killers were offered the headlining spot.
They turned it down!
Drummer Ronnie Vannucci told UK magaizne, NME, “We were offered the headlining slot but we didn’t take it because we’re basically a band that’s been around for, as far as the UK’s concerned, a little over a year. So we didn’t think we were deserving of a headlining slot, we’re just happy to be playing in a good spot at Glastonbury anyway.”
How cool is that?
The Killers have the eyes to see that we didn't quite know what to do with Rock 'n' Roll until the Brits came and showed us the way. Now, even the best we have to offer can only be an extension or reflection of what the United Kingdom has given us.
By the way, any list of The Killers' influences must include Duran Duran, The Cure, and Depeche Mode.
Can any of you kids guess where those bands are from?
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1 comment:
i didn't know the killers were so industry conscious (or not so self-absorbed) but i guess that's just consistent with their style. outside of the killers and the strokes i'm not sure i listen to any american band that hasn't been producing music for 10 years or more. come to think of it the only other american bands i routinely hear are weezer, foo fighters, and toad. are you sure the darkness aren't really from america?
of course right now i'm listening to snoop, tupac, and cube on tha beat k107.
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