Brandon Fits the Brando Mold?

[Brandon Flowers and Rufus Wainwright, picture courtesy of Matt Miner.]

"He is so sexy yet so unhappy and also somewhat sane and crazy at the same time. I haven't met anyone who quite fits the Brando mould as much as he does immediately. There's this dark, moody, restless, annoyed but compassionate figure that's sucking up all the energy out of the room." - Rufus Wainwright, on why he wrote the song "Tulsa" about Brandon Flowers.

The story goes that Rufus was out after a concert and he got turned away from a gay bar for not having his ID on him. He found himself another bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma and who should arrive while he's there but the Killers. He didn't get to know Brandon, the frontman of the Killers, too well that night, but was apparently a bit taken with what he saw of Mr. Flowers. When the song was written, the encounter in Tulsa was the first and only time the two had ever met.

The lyrics of the song in question:

You taste of potato chips in the morning
Your face has the Marlon Brando club calling
And who would have thought that I'd owe it all to Tulsa?
And that fat guy with the green shirt that we both signed together
Once he hears the song, won't live it down forever

Your suit was the whitest thing since you-know-who
I fear that that savior I mentioned may be you
And who would have thought that I'd owe it all to Tulsa?
And that poor girl who waited in the rain for hours to meet me (not you, baby!)
Once she hears that song, won't live it down completely

And I owe it all to Tulsa, Oklahoma
This is just a reminder of the antique shop that I want to go back to and visit when it's open
In Tulsa, Oklahoma
Just in case you don't appreciate this song about you!

With Rufus being openly gay and Brandon the posterboy for metrosexuality, it's unsurprising that there are rumors the song was inspired by some sort of tryst. That potato chips line really makes you wonder. But, if Brandon is in the closet it's pretty doubtful that Rufus had anything going on with him. Mr. Wainwright has stated before that he doesn't think outing people against their will is a very ethical thing to do.

The whole Brando thing that Rufus mentions is pretty easy to see and it's rather obviously been alluded to before in photoshoots with Brandon:


Rufus has mentioned that he's waiting for a response from Brandon regarding the song. Since both of them were at T in the Park in Scotland yesterday, I'm wondering if they ever had a second meeting?