Music Historian Daniel Rachel Exposes Decades of Nazi Iconography in Rock and Pop Culture

Historian Daniel Rachel explores why the music industry gives a "free pass" to icons like Bowie and Lennon for using Nazi symbols in his new 2026 book.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 16, 2026, 10:46 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel and Daniel Rachel’s This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll.

The Normalization of Fascist Aesthetics in Rock

Daniel Rachel’s comprehensive history explores how rock and pop musicians have appropriated the swastika and other fascist symbols since the genre's inception. Rachel contends that while glorifying Nazism is typically met with swift condemnation in literature or film, the music industry has largely allowed artists to reproduce Third Reich imagery without lasting career damage. This "free pass" is often attributed to a disconnect between the symbols' original antisemitic intent and their theatrical use in popular culture. According to Rachel, the industry’s historical tendency to treat these symbols as mere tools for subversion has obscured their roots in racial hatred.

Bowie and the Nuremberg Influence

The book highlights how filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl’s 1935 propaganda film, Triumph of the Will, served as a blueprint for the stage design and persona of several rock legends. Artists including David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Gene Simmons reportedly recognized a parallel between the mass choreography of Nazi rallies and the spectacle of a rock concert. Rachel notes that in the mid-1970s, Bowie explicitly requested that his set designers mirror the aesthetic of the Nuremberg rallies. This fascination with the "theatrical spectacle" of the Third Reich allowed artists to flirt with fascist design while distancing themselves from the underlying atrocities.

The Hidden History of John Lennon

One of the more surprising revelations in Rachel’s work concerns the late John Lennon, who reportedly maintained a lifelong interest in Adolf Hitler. As a student at the Liverpool College of Art, Lennon drew sketches of the Nazi leader and collected party badges. Rachel details instances where Lennon utilized Hitler-like salutes during performances and altered lyrics to include antisemitic tropes. Despite these actions, Lennon’s legacy remains largely unburdened by his flirtation with Nazi ideology. Rachel suggests this is due to a cultural "division" that separates the shock value of pop music from the reality of the Holocaust.