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. In This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, award-winning music historian Daniel Rachel navigates these turbulent waters with 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.

How could you not know? The closing line of Billy Bragg’s thought provoking introduction to Daniel Rachel’s latest book, Rough Trade Book of 2025, sits with you and, for me at least, was at the forefront of my mind whilst reading it. Whilst I was familiar with numerous things, such as John Lennon aping Adolf, Keith Moon dressing up in Nazi uniforms, punks adopting the Swastika and also the problematic connotations which dogged both Joy Division and New Order over the years, there was a lot I wasn’t aware of…

The list of those who have toyed with the imagery, or gone beyond and pushed the envelope, arguably a little too far on occasions include the likes of David Bowie, Madonna, Spear of Destiny, Bobby Gillespie and Fat White Family, to name a few.

Speaking to the author, he made the point that, whatever reason bands and artists have done this, whether for shock factor, naivety, or as a crass attempt at subversion, rock ‘n’ roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted by any other artform. He asked the question, 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?

Profiteering from this association is something that’s highlighted in the book. An example of which is a T-Shirt, which initially was sold in the early 1980s of ‘Adolf on Tour’, which details ‘victories and defeats’ during WW2. I vividly remember it being advertised in the back of magazines at the time, and just thinking it was poor taste. (Not that I’d encourage anyone to purchase, but variations are still of it are still available today) The ‘original designer’ of said T-shirt and the one who profited from it was also the manager of The Primitives and founder of their label Lazy, which would have been funded by this and other items he produced. Not that I’d ever accuse Tracey Tracey of being a Nazi sympathiser!

If people were using racism, slavery or abuse to shock and promote their music in the same way that people have flirted with fascism, would it be allowed?

Rachel’s book is a compelling read, forensically documenting the use of the Swastika, initially a symbol of divinity and spirituality before being claimed by the Nazi’s since the end of the Second World War.

Through This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich the author asks us to reassess the history of rock ‘n’ roll by shedding new light on the grim echoes of the Third Reich in popular culture and the legacy of the second half of the twentieth and first quarter of the twenty-first and how it defines us today.

It’s not an easy read, but as essential now as at any point in our history…

~

All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him via his LinkTree

Hear Daniel Rachel chatting to Iain Key about the book here

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