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Spike Lee on directing The Killers anti-Trump anthem 'Land of the Free'

'Over 800,000 Americans are on their fourth week of not receiving a check. People are hurting'

Clarisse Loughrey
Thursday 17 January 2019 04:55 EST
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Spike Lee explained that he directed the video for The Killers's new single as 'it's a great protest song'
Spike Lee explained that he directed the video for The Killers's new single as 'it's a great protest song' (AFP/Getty Images)

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Spike Lee has revealed the story behind his collaboration with The Killers on their music video for “Land of the Free”.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the director said that frontman Brandon Flowers was a huge fan of his latest film, last year’s BlacKkKlansman, and had personally called him to ask whether he’d collaborate with the band.

Remarking that he thought “Land of the Free” was “a great protest song”, Lee added that the video feels particularly relevant in the midst of the longest US government shutdown in history.

“Over 800,000 Americans are on their fourth week of not receiving a check. People are hurting,” he said.

The band’s single was released earlier this week, serving as a one-off track, with Lee’s video shot on location along the border between the US and Mexico late last year.


The video features footage of immigrants making the arduous journey across the border, alongside snapshots of the location of Trump's proposed border wall.


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