A Cardboard Hitler on British Soil: His Command Performance for Sgt. Pepper

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Betcha didn't know that Adolf Hitler was almost on the cover of The Beatles' most revered album. That's right. When art director Robert Fraser and designers Jann Haworth and Sir Peter Blake began working with the band to conceptualize the cover art for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" they told each Beatle to compile a list of people they admired. The ever sardonic John Lennon suggested two historical figures bound to cause controversy: Jesus Christ and Adolf Hitler.

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Heil, Heil, Rock-n-Roll. What’s with Brit Rockers and the Third Reich? Part One

Read more about the article Heil, Heil, Rock-n-Roll. What’s with Brit Rockers and the Third Reich? Part One

Why have so many British artists had a fascination with Hitler, with Nazi fashion and, in some cases, with fascist philosophy? In this two-part article I’ll attempt to provide some insight -- hopefully, without appearing to excuse, justify or make light of truly bad behavior. We'll begin with the Nazi uniform itself - one of the Third Reich's greatest works of propaganda.

Continue ReadingHeil, Heil, Rock-n-Roll. What’s with Brit Rockers and the Third Reich? Part One

Heil, Heil, Rock-n-Roll. What’s with Brit Rockers and the Third Reich? Part Two

Read more about the article Heil, Heil, Rock-n-Roll. What’s with Brit Rockers and the Third Reich? Part Two

Should I trash my entire collection of David Bowie recordings because I abhor the fascist comments he made over 30 years ago? In part 2 of an article examining British rock stars' fascination with Nazi imagery, we'll take a look at three English superstars who've have made some mighty disturbing comments over the years.

Continue ReadingHeil, Heil, Rock-n-Roll. What’s with Brit Rockers and the Third Reich? Part Two