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The Killers’ Brandon Flowers remembers feud with Richard Dawkins

The singer and biologist clashed over religion

Sam Moore
Monday 16 August 2021 15:38 EDT
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The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers pays emotional tribute to his mother

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Brandon Flowers has recalled the time he got into a televised spat with Richard Dawkins, the controversial author and evolutionary biologist.

The unlikely duo appeared together on the Swedish TV show, Skavlan – alongside Ulrika Johnson and Bjorn from Abba – where they engaged in a heated debate about religion.

In an interview with NME, the Killers frontman reflected on the incident and said it was a “wild half hour of his life”.

He credited Dawkins with being a “seasoned debater”.

“I wasn’t planning on debating him and I wouldn’t pretend to try to convince him that there is a God or a saviour!” he said.

Flowers, a Mormon, also said that his religion was a “beautiful thing” and said that he “took offence” at Dawkins’ bestseller, The God Delusion.

In the book, Dawkins labelled Mormon Church founder, Joseph Smith a “charlatan” and The Book of Mormon “an obvious fake”.

Brandon Flowers of The Killers also has a solo career
Brandon Flowers of The Killers also has a solo career (Getty Images)

Flowers later told The Guardian: “Nothing that science will ever find will disprove that God had a hand in it, for me. So it’s a useless debate.”

The Killers’ new album, Pressure Machine, is out now and features a collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers. Read The Independent’s review here.

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