This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll
Book event with author Daniel Rachel
Thursday 6 November, 7.30pm
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Pop Music, the swastica and the Third Reich
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.
Join us as Daniel discusses the themes in his latest book with Mike Morris, Co-Director and founder of Writing on the Wall. Books will be available to buy on the evening and can be signed. Daniel and Mike will be further supported by the Merseyside branch of Stand Up to Racism who will be selling merch and giving out information.
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All tickets £8.
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​Daniel Rachel
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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.
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​​​​​Please note, our museum galleries are closed during events.
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