Brandon Flowers: Morrissey Is Like Elvis

Brandon Flowers thinks Morrissey is like a modern-day Elvis Presley.

The Killers frontman has been a fan of The Smiths for many years and admires their ''humour'' as well as musicianship.

He said: ''The Smiths had the biggest impact on me. I was living in a small town in Utah and kids my age were into Korn and Tool but I was on the other end of the spectrum.

''The Smiths did so much in such a short time. They balanced this sense of humour with seriousness. With Johnny Marr on guitar and Andy Rourke on bass you couldn't lose. And Morrissey's voice is the closest thing we had to Elvis.''

The 'Human' singer loved visiting Morrissey's hometown of Manchester, North West England, several years after he first got into The Smiths and was constantly looking for references mentioned in their songs.

He told NME magazine: ''Years later I went with Dave [Keuning, Killers guitarist] to the Salford Lads Club in Manchester and took pictures.

''We played a gig at Manchester Academy, and across the street is the same church which Morrissey sings about in 'Vicar in a Tutu'.

''Even driving by a cemetery I was thinking, 'Is that the cemetery he was talking about?' You can walk down the streets and almost hear the songs coming to life.''