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

About the Book

OVER THE LAST SEVEN DECADES, some of rock 'n' roll's most celebrated figureheads have flirted with the imagery and theater 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 attempts at subversion, rock 'n' roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted in any other art form. But how accountable should fans, the media, and the music industry be for what has often seemed a sleazy fascination with the eroticized 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 who 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 some of the twentieth century's worst atrocities. Rachel asks essential questions of actions often overlooked or underplayed, while neither casting sweeping judgment nor offering easy answers. In doing so, he asks us to reassess the history of rock 'n' roll, and he 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.nd 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 best-selling author. His previous books include Too Much Too Young, the 2 Tone Records Story; Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters; and The Lost Album of the Beatles: What If the Beatles Hadn't Split Up? He has also written sleeve notes for many artists including the Kinks, Madness, Ocean Colour Scene, Ray Davies, and Bryan Ferry. He lives in London.

Review :
Daniel Rachel's remarkable This Ain't Rock and Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika, and the Third Reich shows that . . . the fashion horrors of Hitler's Third Reich have never fully gone away. And in a time when many are drawing comparisons between mass immigration raids and the Nazis, the book seems more relevant than ever . . . This is an urgent, intense examination of how one malevolent movement in the course of world history has remained relevant and powerful. While some may wish to relegate the images and parties involved to the dustbin of history, Rachel wants to guarantee that we don't forget.-- "Sampan" Incredibly researched and fascinating, Rachel fills a gap in the history of pop music that has been silent for decades . . . This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll is a brilliant text and provocation--and a substantive exemplar of historical inquiry . . . In an age where the dark shadows of fascism are becoming all too comfortable, a citizenry that is equipped to call out hate, ask deep questions and express curiosity about the 'other' should be our collective goal.-- "Winnipeg Free Press" With the same brilliant mix of storytelling and history lesson he brought to the 2 Tone movement in his last book (Too Much Too Young), Daniel Rachel turns his attention to the use of swastikas and other vile remnants of the Hitler's government by pop musicians in This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika, and the Third Reich . . . Equal parts enlightening, troubling, and wildly compelling, with This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll Rachel tackles one of the more taboo aspects in the history of pop music with grace, nuance, and narrative flair.-- "New Noise Magazine, 4 Stars"