This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich

About the Book

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY BILLY BRAGG

Over the last seven decades, some of rock 'n' roll's most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theatre of the Third Reich. From Keith Moon and Vivian Stanshall kitting themselves out in Nazi uniforms to Siouxsie Sioux and Sid Vicious brandishing swastikas in the pomp of punk, generations of performers have associated themselves in troubling ways with the aesthetics, mass hysteria and even ideology of Nazism. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock 'n' roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted by any other artform. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticised perversions of a fascist regime?

In This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with extraordinary delicacy and care, asking us to look anew at the artists that have defined us, inspired us and given us joy - and consider why so many have been drawn to the imagery of a movement responsible for the twentieth century's worst atrocities. Alongside a sensitive history of the Holocaust and an examination of the place it holds in our cultural consciousness, Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, whilst neither casting sweeping judgement nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock 'n' roll and sheds new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture and the legacy of twentieth (and twenty-first) century history as it defines us today.

About the Author :
Daniel Rachel is a former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author. His previous books include Too Much Too Young: Rude Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a Generation (aTimes, Uncut, Rough Trade US and Resident Musicbook of the year) and Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters (a Guardian and NME book of the year). He lives in London.

Review :
Daniel Rachel has dug deep into rock and pop's enduring obsession with Nazism. Why is this still going on? A timely book exposing the complicated history of the use of Nazi symbols in popular music culture since the last world war. As the powers-that-be lurch towards a far-right future, there is no longer any hiding place for those pretending to be ignorant about the true meaning of Nazism, or using its emblems for their supposed subversive 'cool' factor. They have a choice, own their perverse fascination when exposed or apologise While it's slightly incredible nobody has before published a book on rock's periodic spasms of flirtation with Nazism, one could picture it as a dry, academic thesis rather than the absolute banger Daniel Rachel has written. It's hard to imagine there will be a more original book of non-fiction this year In this important exploration of the relationship between pop music and the Third Reich, Daniel Rachel challenges the motivations of those artists who sought glamour and notoriety in exploiting Nazi imagery A deeply thought-provoking work, and long overdue A timely, wide ranging and eye-opening overview of music's fascination with the Third Reich, from moronic edgelord stupidity to studied, cold hearted hate. Thorough, calm and at times heart-breaking, This Aint Rock 'n' Roll is surely the most necessary music book of the year Highlights both the stupidity and subversion of musicians' flirting with Nazism ... the book astutely traces the global rise of fascism and its reverberations in pop culture A shocking and highly necessary book The cognitive dissonance between rock's rebellious use of Nazi imagery and the actual horror of the Nazi regime. There are surprising details everywhere in this book A catalogue of Rock's flirtation with fascist symbolism that builds into a relentless polemic. Important and timely From Bowie and punk to contemporary provocation. Daniel Rachel examines the uneasy intersection between pop culture and fascist imagery. Deeply research and provocative, it asks why artists flirt with dangerous symbols and what that says about society's memory. This is history, ethics, and pop theory colliding in one compelling study. A must-read for anyone who believes music can challenge as well as charm Rachel's book is compelling - not an easy read, but as essential now as at any point in our history A brilliant book An important book about an uncomfortable history . . . Rachel is a gifted writer of evocative prose and a diligent historian, and here he assembles a responsible, questioning and thought-provoking examination of wider social and cultural consciousnesses. It's a fascinating chronicle of both human atrocities and the often dubious psyche of rock's legacy that ought to be taught in colleges Brilliant . . . Daniel writes with such energy and thoughtfulness