“We’ve never thought, ‘Oh, we wish we were British’, but the music from The Beatles all the way up has always been really good. Hearing The Cure’s ‘Head On The Door’ for the first time was pretty special, and The Joshua Tree was a big record for all of us. I was inside the heart the last time U2 played Las Vegas, which was amazing.”
June 2004

“I don’t have time for golf at the moment, but at my best I played to a five-handicap. I was 16 and thought that maybe I could make it as a pro. I’m glad I didn’t because I really don’t like those sweaters they wear!”
December 2004

“Watching Smiths videos with my brother when I was 12 and hearing ‘Just What I Needed’ by The Cars on the radio are the two main reasons I got into music. As far as I’m concerned Ric Ocasek is god!”
December 2004

“She’s been with me the entire time I’ve been in The Killers. She wasn’t a Mormon when we met, but I didn’t convert her. She just saw how my family was and it was attractive to her. I didn’t push it upon her at all.”
July 2005 talking about the missus.

“The record I’d rescue from a burning house? I’ve got five! John Lennon Imagine; David Bowie Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust; Morrissey Vauxhall & I; and The Cure Head On The Door. Life without all of those would not be worth living!”
July 2005

“I think it’s possible to be spiritual without sacrificing your credibility. Look at U2 – they touched on those issues in a way that was tasteful and positive.”
October 2006

“I think we have a command over the crowd in a good way. It’s good for us and it’s good for them. I guess before I go on stage there’s a trigger I pull inside of myself. It’s an excitement that gushes over me. It wasn’t always like that. It’s come with touring so much.”
October 2006

“Rock music is pop music. If you have a hook in a rock song, it’s a pop song. The Beatles are pop. The Stones are pop. I think the words rock and pop can go together just fine.”
October 2006

“Sam’s Town is a casino in Las Vegas that I used to live across the street from. I wanted to immortalise Vegas in song the same way that The Beatles immortalised ‘Strawberry Fields’.”
October 2006

“I’m not a fan of bandwagons so I hate saying it, but yes, I’m an Obama man. His views, the way he carries himself, what it represents about the way we’re going, everything… he’s undeniable.”
November 2008

“People think Americans are stupid because they don’t travel as much. But it’s amazing to me how close-minded you’re being about that. For me, a trip to Texas is for you a trip to France.”
November 2008

“I was playing around with a Ouija board when I was a kid and I asked when I was gonna die. I carry it with me still. Every time I get on a plane I make sure that it’s not in the flight number somewhere. I even add things up or look at it backwards.”
November 2008