Testing Brandon Flowers’ Music Knowledge

This is Traxar. I know. I'm going to play you some songs. Okay. And you're going to tell me who the artist is. Okay. Before we start the music, introduce yourself. Hello, everybody. My name is Brandon Flowers. All right. Let's go. Boy Orbison. That. He's just a beauty. Obviously, one of a kind. Yeah. But I feel like you have a voice like that. I have a similar-- we have a-- we have some things that we share in common. We sing higher than most guys. There's a little bit of a sadness and a tenderness in there. Sadness. Yeah. Crime. We're sad. Everybody knows where you're going. I mean, I know what it is. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I know, Seani Cash. I don't know. I'm not recognizing the song right away. This song is called Cry, Cry, Cry, Cry. Okay. I see the theme now. I wasn't going for a theme. And then I just realized we're in a theme. Crying, Cry, Cry, Cry, Cry. No, I'm just going to be looking for a theme. Why are we so sad? All right. Who did you grow up on? My first love was The Cars. It was like just the perfect amount of rock and roll and pop. Keyboards and guitars. The marriage of all of that stuff. It was just perfect for me at 13 years old. When I was 13 years old, I lived on 19th Street. Rico Kasich lived right down the block. That's cool. And we would see him every day. He was old. You know, he was older when they started The Cars. They were in a folk group and it didn't work out. And then New Wave came and they're like, let's try a new wave. And they were just like, we're the best at this. Two for two. I know this. We all know this. We all know it. I love it. And then I believe, you know, great, great band. 2001. Yes. 2001. Thank you back to 2001. I was 20 years old. I was living in Las Vegas. I was working at a restaurant called Spago. That was a Wolfgang Puck place. Yes. I bleached my hair. And Wolfgang Puck came to the restaurant. He never comes to the restaurant. And he comes and he sees this kid that's bus and tables with bleached, spiky hair. And they were like, you got to dye your hair back. I refused. I was like defiant. Yeah. And I had to quit. Yeah. So I left on my own terms. But in the forum shops where Spago is, there was a Virgin Megastore. And I was perusing through a Q magazine. And I read about the strokes, the Almighty Strokes. And there was a picture of them. And they just had everything going for them that you could have going for you. Yeah. So I bought the actual, it was called the Modern Age. It was like a-- The EP, like three or two years ago. Yeah. And it was an import. So I had to pay like, I had to pay like 25 bucks for it or whatever. But I thought, well, this is the best that they got. So this is it. I can deal with this. And then the record came out. I go back to Virgin Megastore. And me and Kooning are a guitar player for the band. We go in and we're going to pick it up. And it's called, is this it? And I'm not ready. I just wasn't mentally prepared. I've talked about it. It sent me into the closest thing I've ever been to a depression. How can this be right now? Like, but it actually ended up being a, I think, a positive thing for me because it really lit a fire. Yeah. But they raised the bar. I'm always eternally grateful for that record and for Julian and his melodic gift, his son of a bitch. I got to go to him for you. I love this. What is happening now? I still remember where I was when I first heard this. Louisiana. Randy Newman. So it's like you have kids. And you know, you know him from Toy Story. Or I had a teacher in high school who was obsessed with Randy Newman. So I had a little bit of information about him. But I didn't know. I didn't understand the greatness. And Louisiana opened a door for me into that world. And it's just got some of the greatest lines and the chords. And I just, I really love Louisiana. We covered it in Louisiana. We were there. OK. And it was just, I loved singing it. Man. I got an easy one for you. And I'll do another, like, less easy one, I guess. So what's up in my mind? Bruce Springsteen. Yeah. You know, it's no secret that we are big fans. We got to do that song with him. Yeah. [MUSIC PLAYING] I have a cool story about that day. Bruce Springsteen is going to come on stage with us at MSG and do two of his songs and one of our songs. I think this is his first performance since COVID. So the world's been shut down. We've been back on the road. He's getting the band together, but he hasn't played yet. Jeremy, our tour manager, gets COVID. So I text Bruce. Our tour manager has COVID. If ever there was an easy, like, oh, I don't want to-- I don't want to go from New Jersey to New York today, that was the out. There's a pending text from Bruce Springsteen on my phone. The bubbles are bubbling, right? And you're just waiting and watching it. What is he going to say? And he just put, I'm coming. And it was like, oh, it was relief and just-- it was so cool. I find there's an element of storytelling. In your music in particular, that shares a DNA with Bruce's. Yeah, he-- and I was always there. But when I really let him in and some people like him, and I sort of changed my path a little bit, it really opened up a lot of stories and a lot of things like felt. They felt like they might have been a little bit of something that I would kept a secret before. And now I feel like it's OK to tell those stories. OK. I mean, I want to say it's watching the detectives. Yeah. Everybody knows an Elvis Costello tune or two. But then I started paying attention to what was going on. I was like, oh, man, they're doing E-Street. They are doing that thing. But yeah, some really great tunes. I love "She" by Elvis Costello. Yeah, "She" may be the face I can't forget. The trace of pleasure or regret. Late in this career, come out with something like that. I love that. It gives me hope of my life. Here's a different one. Is it "Wiseball"? Yes. She lent us her vocals on a song or two songs on "Imploting the Mirage." How did you guys-- Raydo and Sean ever were producing it. And he had already worked with her. And I needed some femininity. And we called upon her. And she came. And so it's really great. On there's one song called "My God." And it's just incredible what she does. And then there's another one where we go full Anya at the end of a song called "Blowback." [MUSIC PLAYING] And she kills it. They do it that I can't. Oh, I know who it is. Squeeze. My favorite song of it is "Up the Junction." Amazing song. Yeah. I never thought it would happen with me and the girl from Clackham out on a windy common. But not I ain't forgotten. But "Pulmas is from a Shell" is so good. A coffee on TV. The so-spirits. The so-spirits. Yeah, real soulful. What are you now? I'm going to go do an album playback. We're going to play a few songs back and talk about them. And then I'm trying to find some dinner. Cool. It was so nice meeting you. You're awesome. Thank you guys. [MUSIC PLAYING]