We all know that David Bowie spent some time in the 70s toying with notions of nazi worship and fascism. It was super weird, and it all came to a head 50 years ago today.
The date was April 27, 1976, per This Day in Music. Bowie was travelling in Europe when he was detained at the Russia/Poland border. Authorities stopped the Thin White Duke for questioning after he was found in possession of nazi memoribilia on a train. Ultimately, it seems he was released without the situation escalating further.
Bowie’s nazi comments came during his time as the Thin White Duke persona
That same year, Bowie gave a handful of interviews wherein he explained his position. “Yes, I believe very strongly in fascism,” he once said, per The Guardian. “The only way we can speed up the sort of liberalism that’s hanging foul in the air…is a right-wing totally dictatorial tyranny.” Later in that interview, Bowie said that “Adolf Hitler was one of the first rock stars.”
Eventually, Bowie came to his senses. He explained that he’d been suffering from mental instability that was exacerbated by his illicit drug use. “I was out of my mind, totally, completely crazed,” he told Melody Maker in 1977, per Rolling Stone.
He went on to define himself as more apolitical than leaning any one way. “The more I travel and the less sure I am about exactly which political philosophies are commendable,” Bowie was quoted as saying. “The more government systems I see, the less enticed I am to give my allegiance to any set of people. So it would be disastrous for me to adopt a definitive point of view, or to adopt a party of people and say ‘these are my people.’”
Bowie inadvertently inspired Rock Against Racism
Interestingly, Bowie’s comments, as well as Eric Clapton openly supporting politician Enoch Powell and his anti-immigration stance, led to the founding of the Rock Against Racism movement.
“The times were in flux with no strong centre,” British musician Tom Robinson told The Guardian while speaking about the RAR movement being a direct response to the National Front party. “Every chancer was looking to make their bid for some kind of position. There could even have been a coup. We had no idea what was going to happen – just like now.”
Fellow RAR activist Ruth Gregory, of White Riot, went on to add, “Most of the people involved with RAR are still around, but now they’re in senior or middle management positions or running institutions. And their children would quite likely be at BLM protests.”
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