“[A] deeply thought-provoking work, and long overdue.”
—MOJO

“In this important exploration of the relationship between pop music and the Third Reich, Daniel Rachel challenges the motivations of those artists who sought glamour and notoriety in exploiting Nazi imagery. In doing so, he raises once more the question that was put to Leni Riefenstahl after 1945, when she claimed that, while fascinated by Nazism, she was politically naive and ignorant of the fate of six million Jews: How could you not know?”
—Billy Bragg, from the introduction

“Daniel Rachel has dug deep into rock and pop’s enduring obsession with Nazism. Why is this still going on? . . . Ultimately, flirtation with Nazi imagery cannot be divorced from the realities of Nazi ideology and what it led to . . . Let’s hope rock’n’roll, which after all built itself on the power of rebellion and the ability to speak truth to power, steps up to the challenge.”
—The Times (UK)

“A timely book exposing the complicated history of the use of Nazi symbols in popular music culture since the last World War. As the powers-that-be lurch toward a far-right future, there is no longer any hiding place for those pretending to be ignorant about the true meaning of Nazism, or using its emblems for their supposed subversive ‘cool’ factor. They have a choice, own their perverse fascination when exposed or apologize.”
—Pauline Black, the Selecter

“While it is slightly incredible that before now no one has published a book on rock’s periodic spasms of flirtation with Nazism, one could picture it as a dry, academic thesis rather than the absolute banger Daniel Rachel has written. It’s hard to imagine there will be a more original book of nonfiction this year.”
—Emma Forrest, author of Father Figure

“Compelling . . . From wearing Nazi uniforms to flaunting swastikas, the book astutely traces the global rise of fascism and its reverberations in pop culture.”
—Irish Times

“The cognitive dissonance between rock’s rebellious use of Nazi imagery and the actual horror of the Nazi regime forms the emotional core of Daniel Rachel’s new book . . . There are surprising details everywhere in the book.”
—Jewish Telegraph

“From Bowie and punk to contemporary provocation. Daniel Rachel examines the uneasy intersection between pop culture and fascist imagery. Deeply researched and provocative, it asks why artists flirt with dangerous symbols and what that says about society’s memory. This is history, ethics, and pop theory colliding in one compelling study. A must-read for anyone who believes music can challenge as well as charm.”
—Rough Trade, a Book of the Year

“Rachel’s book is compelling . . . not an easy read, but as essential now as at any point in our history.”
—Louder than War

“One of punk’s less savory shock tactics was the repurposing of Nazi imagery . . . Rachel explore[s] the musical obsession with atrocity and how it relates to rock history in general. A sadly rather timely book.”
—Wallpaper