Daniel Rachel: How Do We Confront the Hatred in Rock Music?

In this episode, TO BE CONTINUED... steps outside its usual format for a podcast exchange with Martini Judaism, also hosted by Rabbi Jeff Salkin. He speaks with author Daniel Rachel about This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich, a history of something that has been hiding in plain sight for more than 60 years.

The conversation runs from the Beatles and John Lennon's private Nazi memorabilia collection, through David Bowie's years-long obsession with the Aryan ideal and Eric Clapton's admiration for Enoch Powell, to the punk scene's casual use of Holocaust imagery — the Sex Pistols' "Belsen Was a Gas," and Joy Division taking their name from the women forced into brothels in the camps. Rachel and Salkin also work through the paradox of Jewish musicians, from the Ramones to Blondie to Kiss, using the same symbols, and consider how gaps in Holocaust education on both sides of the Atlantic help explain it. They turn to Roger Waters, Michael Jackson, and Kanye West, and ask why it took governments rather than rock fans to finally draw a line.

Rachel's answer to the silence is unsparing and includes himself: "I think we're all complicit."

Daniel Rachel was born in Birmingham, England and raised in a progressive Jewish household. He wrote his first song when he was sixteen and was the lead-singer of Rachels Basement, which he formed in his early twenties. He released two solo albums in 2001 and 2006. Daniel is also an award-winning and bestselling author. Isle of Noise: Conversations with Great British Songwriters was his first book. His latest book, published in early 2026, This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich, has received rave reviews and standing room only appearances. Daniel co-authored several other books as well. He has served as a consultant and appeared in several cultural documentaries. Daniel lives in north London with his partner and three children.

Related article: https://religionnews.com/2026/06/10/how-do-we-confront-hatred-in-rock-music/

Transcript:

Today’s episode is a little different—and there’s a reason. TO BE CONTINUED... is participating in a podcast exchange with Martini Judaism, which is another podcast I host. Podcast exchanges are a popular way for podcasts with related subject matter to introduce their audiences to conversations they might not otherwise hear.

Most episodes of TO BE CONTINUED... explore the Holocaust through the experiences of 2G and 3G descendants and how t