There has been a well-documented explosion of National Socialist/fascist idealism expressed in music in recent years, most notably in the so-called National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM) and folk-noire/neo-folk movements. Even entrenched mainstream artists like Marilyn Manson and Rammstein have played around with Nazi iconography (much as David Bowie, Siouxsie and Banshees, The New Order and The Joy Division did in the late 70's and early 80's).
Much of this is predicated, of course, on the fact that National Socialist imagery and idealism still retains the capacity to shock and offend polite society, even in these postmodern times. Satan is so hokey these days that no one is afraid of him, but the swastika still stands as an eternal rebuke upon the failure of liberalism and democracy, and so still sends shudders down the spine of the herd.
Still, the continuing allure of National Socialism for musicians is that it, alone of the great ideological systems of the modern era, recognized the enduring power and value of art. Indeed, National Socialism was in large measure an attempt to make art of politics. This is the enduring philosophical achievement of National Socialism, the recasting of political ideology in terms of myth, culture and aesthetics rather than in purely economic and material terms. In this sense, it remains a potent influence today, particularly on the post-Marxist Left (though you'd never get any of them to admit their indebtedness to the Nazis).
What is unquestionable is the continuing power of National Socialist expression to elicit visceral reactions from those who come in contact with it. The moralizing and hand-wringing that inevitably result from any public discussion of National Socialist music serves to demonstrate why such music remains necessary.
Much of this is predicated, of course, on the fact that National Socialist imagery and idealism still retains the capacity to shock and offend polite society, even in these postmodern times. Satan is so hokey these days that no one is afraid of him, but the swastika still stands as an eternal rebuke upon the failure of liberalism and democracy, and so still sends shudders down the spine of the herd.
Still, the continuing allure of National Socialism for musicians is that it, alone of the great ideological systems of the modern era, recognized the enduring power and value of art. Indeed, National Socialism was in large measure an attempt to make art of politics. This is the enduring philosophical achievement of National Socialism, the recasting of political ideology in terms of myth, culture and aesthetics rather than in purely economic and material terms. In this sense, it remains a potent influence today, particularly on the post-Marxist Left (though you'd never get any of them to admit their indebtedness to the Nazis).
What is unquestionable is the continuing power of National Socialist expression to elicit visceral reactions from those who come in contact with it. The moralizing and hand-wringing that inevitably result from any public discussion of National Socialist music serves to demonstrate why such music remains necessary.
