Ronnie Vannucci of The Killers -By Nikki Neil
Musically, when you think of Vegas what comes to mind? Elvis, Celine Dion, and bad lounge acts? Well, The Killers—Brandon Flowers (v), David Keuning (g), Mark Stoermer (b), and Ronnie Vannucci (d)—are about to change your musical perspectives of Sin City.
Drawing upon the culture of 80’s acts, such as the Psychedelic Furs, Duran Duran, and The Cure, as well as modern artists like Interpol, Las Vegas hipsters The Killers write some of the catchiest songs on the planet. These boys know the value of a strong melody and an addictive chorus. And once you get a taste of Hot Fuss’ new wave shimmy, your musical opinion of Vegas will change.
So where are you at right now?
We're in Philadelphia. We are on tour with Stellastarr* and Ambulance.
What a prefect bill.
Yeah, it’s a good tour. Good tour, good music, good people.
How was SXSW?
It was really good. Unfortunately, we missed our first show because our flight was delayed. It took us three plane rides to get to Houston, and then we had to rent a mini-van to get to Austin from Houston. So, we were late getting to Austin and had to cancel our first show. But, the two private parties were the normal successes. (Laughs)
Right on.
We had fun. The whole trip was really, really good. I just wish we could have played for the public a little more.
Did you get to see any of the other bands perform?
Yeah, but unfortunately they were only bands that we were sharing bills with, like The Hives, and The Von Bondies. We also played the Spin/Diesel party. There was a new band out of New York that also played. I can’t remember their name, but they were really good as well.
Did you attend any good parties, aside from the ones you performed at?
For the most part, we were all tired and suffering from jet lag because the day before we landed in Austin we got back from doing three weeks in the U.K. So our internal time clocks were all screwed up, and it also took us about fourteen planes rides to get to Austin.
I heard you have a little following in the U.K. How did you become so popular over there?
Well the ball is rolling. I wouldn’t say we are popular yet, but the momentum is there and hopefully we’ll get popular and continue to do well over there. But, so far it’s going well for us over there. Now we’re starting to cut our teeth in the U.S.
I hear you’ll be playing at Coachella?
Yeah.
Are you looking forward to it?
Yes, it’s going to be an excellent way to close the tour.
Are you a little nervous about having to play in front of so many people?
No, not at all. We’re really excited about playing in front of so many people and seeing so many great bands.
It’s a phenomenal bill. Is there any band that you are looking forward to seeing the most?
Most of us kind of grew up on The Pixies and The Cure and bands like that, so I would say that those are two bands that we are really looking forward to seeing.
Are you anxiously awaiting the release of Hot Fuss?
Yes. It should be out in June, but we can’t wait. We want it to be out sooner. Apparently there are some radio stations that are playing some songs. We told them to hold off, but they’re playing them anyway. So we may have to move the release date up, which would be good because we can’t wait for people to hear the album.
If the radio stations are already excited about it then that’s a good sign.
Yeah, that’s not bad is it?
No, not at all. So what can we expect from Hot Fuss?
I think it is a real dynamic record. I think every song on it is very, very strong. I think people are really going to enjoy listening to music like ours again. I hope it will awaken those feelings that were awakened before when they listened to a really great record. I think its been awhile since a record like ours has come out, so we are really excited to see what it does – not to floating our own boat. But we are all proud of it, and we want people to enjoy it as much as we do.
Your music is a breath of fresh air. I get so many CD’s that sound like the last CD I just reviewed, so it’s nice when music like yours comes around. It’s a good change from what is out there right now.
Yeah. There are a lot of bands out there that are writing good music, and we are just fortunate enough to have the opportunity to put our music out there. And, it is refreshing because there is a lot of bad music out there and there is a lot of good music that gets over looked as well. So, we are very happy to have this opportunity.
What were some of the highlights of making this record?
Well, half of it was taken from the demo that you probably heard. We remixed the demos, and the other half we recorded in Simi Valley during the fires.
That was scary times.
Yeah. We were there during the fires, the floods, and the earthquakes.
Welcome to Los Angeles.
No kidding. And then there were porn stars in the midst if it all.
Now that couldn’t have been too bad?
Ah, well you know. (Coughs) We won’t comment on that. We’re not into spectator sports. (Laughs)
Spectator sports. That’s a new one. Do you have to deal with earthquakes in Las Vegas?
Not a lot. There are very little, and they don’t compare to the ones in California. There are a lot more fault lines in California. But, there’s going to be some earthquakes in Las Vegas.
When The Killers start playing again, right?
Yeah.
How did you all meet?
Well Dave and Brandon had been playing for a few months before Mark & I joined the band. One day I got an emergency phone call from my roommate who had a band, “Ronnie can you fill in tonight and play the drums?” It was the last day of school at the University and I was at the lake when she called me and I said, “Yeah, I’ll be home in a few hours.” She told me that they were playing with this band called The Killers, which I thought was funny because I it was a joke between my girlfriend and I. We used to call each other killer. So I was excited to see what was going on with this band called The Killers, and they turned out to be really, really good. They were kind of missing a bass player and a drummer because the ones they had were not doing justice to the music. So, we ended up hooking up and got together in the garage and then we got Mark. We had to coerce Mark into joining the band. We had to twist his arm because he was in a band with a lot of his good friend and didn’t want to leave it. But, then that band broke up and we got in the garage and started writing some songs, made some cheap garage demos, and here we are.
No, I was actually studying music in school.
So was playing drums just a hobby.
Well, I was playing drums and doing percussion at school. I had this rock ‘n’ roll hiatus for a little bit and then I heard some of The Killers’ songs and they were really good. So, when we were talking we were all hitting on the same musical influences and it reminded be a lot of the early musical influences I had. It all meshed. It made sense. It was a total fit, so it worked out.
Sounds like it was all meant to be.
It worked out and is still working out.
(Laughs) Ah, you found out about that.
For the most part it was pretty tame, but there were some bad ones. There were some tales to be told. There was this one couple. They were both attorneys and they actually had a mock jury and they were sentenced to life with each other. They even had handcuffs. It got a little kinky and it got a little weird because it was a very family oriented chapel and they had some pretty dynamic friends.
Well I guess you’ll always have rock photography to fall back on.
Right.
Censorship seems to be a big issue right now. How does the threat of censorship affect you as an artist?
Well, we don’t think anything we do is really offensive to anyone, so I don’t think we need to really worry about censorship - other than being called The Killers.
I’m sorry, I didn’t want to say this, but that name totally reminds me of Iron Maiden.
Yeeeaaah. Run to the hills Nikki. Run to the hills.
In your own opinion, who should decide on what should be censored?
Well, media is different than actually purchasing art. I think music is art, and so I don’t think music should be censored at all. Because what may offend one person is someone else’s artistic expression and you have to respect that. You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to buy it, but just acknowledge it and know that it is there. As far as TV and stuff like that goes, it is public display and I think people should just use their brains and kind of draw a line in the sand – one you do not cross.
You hit the nail on the head. Some people seem to have a hard time using their brains.
Yeah. You don’t show tits and ass on TV on Saturday when kids might be watching. It’s simple.
MTV has a show called I Want a Famous Face.
What is that about?
It is basically about fans who want to look like their favorite celebrities and so MTV gives them to a plastic surgery make-over. Do you think this is bit obsessive?
Well, I can name dozens of times that I’ve been at The Cure concerts and have seen about 50 Robert Smiths, so I’m not sure it’s any different. It’s just a little more extreme.
But would you be a little freaked out if one of your fans wanted a make over in order to look more like you?
I would feel sorry for them. Anyone who wants to look like me has got real problems.
What is it like growing up in Las Vegas?
It was pretty normal. I mean, it felt normal at the time, but now that we are traveling we realize that Vegas is a very different place. It’s 24 hours. It’s accessible. You can have anything you want any time. There are a lot of job opportunities. You don’t have to have much of an education to do well because it is such a service-based industry. I know people who have an education…my dad has a Masters degree and he works three days a week as a bartender and my mom is a cocktail waitress. They have both done all right and have made a comfortable living. So, after visiting other cities and countries we realize how different it is. But Vegas is becoming very metropolitan. It’s very suburban in areas.
I’ve always wondered if the locals hang out at the casinos on the strip.
You know, there are a lot of neighborhood casinos. There are a lot of neighborhood casinos that seem to prey on the older people. There are some casinos a few miles away from my house on the west side of town, and whenever I go in there I see a lot of old folks just sitting there for hours in front of the slot machines. For the most part, I think the locals stay away from it. They stay busy doing other things.
Since Vegas is a popular getaway for us L.A. folk. Tell me about some of the best spots to visit, starting with the best strip club?
I don’t go to strip clubs.
What do you mean?? You are in a rock band. You have to go to strip clubs.
I don’t need to go to strip clubs to get strippers. (Laughs)
Okay…I don’t know. They’re just too phony.
A place called Champagne. It’s been there about thirty – forty years.
Mark: It’s the oldest standing bar in Vegas.
R: It’s the oldest standing bar, so it’s probably been there for fifty years. It’s great in there - nice and dark and the drinks are cheap.
Hmmmm…I don’t know. My mom works at Caesar’s Place, so I’m a little…
Yeah, see. So, I think I would choose Caesar’s Palace.
What is the best place to eat at?
Del Taco. I don’t have a favorite place really. But, why don’t we say Grape Street. It’s a good one.
Time. Time is your friend. Actually, our A&R guy told us about these pills that you take when you are drinking. You still get drunk but the next morning you are totally cool.
I don’t know. It was some pill made for the KGB, or something like that, so they could take it when drinking and they could drink a bunch and not get drunk, but it never worked. However, it prevented them from getting a hangover. If I had more information, like a name, that would probably be the best one. But you can talk to our guitarist about that.
Oh, so he’s the expert.
He was an expert last night and this morning. We played in Washington, D.C. last night, and it was a fun show.
Do you have a show tonight?
Yeah. We are playing at a place called The Kyber in Philadelphia, where it is cold and rainy and the clouds are luminous.
Now you have to deal with the cold weather instead of the Vegas heat.
I know. It’s like 80 degrees where you are.
It’s warmer in Vegas.
I know, I know.
What do you have lined up after the album’s release?
Just non-stop touring. It will be fun, but it is nice to stay in one spot for a little while.
Be sure to get a copy of The Killers’ Island Records debut Hot Fuss and visit the band at www.thekillersmusic.com
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