Punk the Swastika and desire to shock.

To make a case for racism/nazism in punk you would have to look in the lyrics of the time. Looking back then there are only 4 lyrics that can be construed as having racist overtones that I can find. They are 'Belsen Was A Gas', 'I Feel Like A Wog', and 'Love In A Void' and 'Nazi Baby'.

The first 'Belsen Was A Gas', written by Sid Vicious when he was in The Flowers Of Romance with Viv Albertine (Slits), is a horrific song . The pistols never recorded it but it is on the'Rock'n'Roll Swindle'. The thing is it is so over the top that it reminds me of 'Friggin In The Riggin' in its desire to shock. It works on that level but only a idiot with an iq of 0 could take this seriously. Unfortunately there are plenty of idiots out there.

Belsen Was A Gas.

Belsen was a gas / I read the other day / About the open graves where all the jews all lay

Life is fun,and / wish you all were here / Was what they wrote on postcards / To who they held dear.

Chorus. Belsen was divine if you survived the train / then when you got inside its auf wiedersein.

I feel like Like A Wog

I feel like a wog / I don't wanna go home / I've got a lot of life to run through.

I feel like a wog / I don't mean you no harm / Just don't ask me to shine your shoes.

Chorus. Golly Gee; Golly Gosh / Don't call me your golly wog.

Golly Gee; Golly Gosh / Don't call me your golly wog.

The second 'I Feel Like A Wog'by The Stranglers. If you look at my Stranglers page you will see that the Stranglers, though intelligent, liked to sometimes approach things without subtlety. If you read the lyrics you would have to be again an idiot with an iq of 0 to construe this song as racist. Basically the song is about alienation . The use of the word 'wog 'could be deemed offensive but the song would lose any impact if any other word was substituted.

'Nazi Baby' by the Vibrators on V2 . If you take out the word Nazi from the lyrics there is nothing to link it to anthing. Put in there because they recorded it in Berlin with Berlin Philharmonic orchestra behind them. Nothing more.

Lastly 'Love In a Void' by Siouxie and the Banshees. This song originally contained the line 'Too many jews for my liking.' This was explained by the band as there being "too many fat businessmen." Make your own mind up. Here's Steve severin in Rottens autobiography "...the swastikas...To us these weren't badges of intolerance, but symbols of provocation to an older generation that had to get out of the way to make room for youger voices. ..(they) were dropped pretty quickly..When it was a small movement you could use symbols like that (but)....On a broader scope it would communicate the wrong meaning." Hmmm again make your own mind up.

If you add it all up there was no overt racism . You had stupid accusations like the ones at the Jam. Because they used a union jack they must support Right Wing elements. The punks actually had a lot in common with blacks and were certainly more tolerant than other walks of life. Both the Clash and Johnny Rotten ( influential punk figureheads) liked reggae. Don Letts the Roxy Club dj played heavy dub reggae between sets. Chrissie Hynde "The beauty of the punk thing was that ...non discrimination was what it was all about. There was little or no sexism or racism. For a start everyone loved reggae music...There was a kind of innocence, and when I say innocence, I mean innocent ! " The difference between reggae and punk was drugs. Cannabis for the former and amphetamines for the latter.

The trouble was that certain bands began to attract the unwanted right wing/skinhead element to their gigs ie Lurkers, Sham 69, Siouxsie coinciding with a rise in the National Front ( English nazis). It was round about this time that punk bgan to polarise into different camps and to counter these claims of racism ( mainly stirred up by the media punks = swastika = NF ) a lot of punk bands joined Rock Against Racism which culminated in a massive gig in Victoria Park April 1978 at which 80,000 attended. The Clash, X Ray Spex and Tom Robinson along with reggae acts like Steel Pulse were a massive success. In one way I was glad because it helped defeat the National Front and helped promote tolerance but in another I was sad because something that knew no boundaries was now being proscribed. Punk had had to grow up and nothing anymore could be construed as 'innocent'.

I'll finish off with a quote from Hebdiger's Subculture : The meaning of Style " We must resort, then, to the most obvious of explanations - that the swastika was worn because it was guaranteed to shock...The signifier (swastika) had been willfully detached from the concept (Nazism) it conventionally signified and placed in an alternative context ( ie punk music)...it was exploited for an empty effect."

From Time Out (17-23 Dec 1977) . A punkette asked why she wore a swastika replies " Punks just like to be hated".

Ant Nazi pictures Denis O'Regan / Chris L. Urca. Chrissie Hynde quote from Rottens Autobiography.fascism quote from You'll never be 16 again - Peter Everett. Sounds May 6th 1978.Roxy photo unsure .Hebdigers book. See books on punk.