Earlier this month, Misfits and Danzig frontman Glenn Danzig kicked off his transient United States tour (with help from Down, Abbath and Cro-Mags). The tour runs till the tip of March, and whereas it needs to be a completely enjoyable expertise for attendees, some followers are calling out Danzig over Nazi iconography on his merch.
What Occurred
A number of Reddit threads (throughout a number of subreddits) have popped up during the last 24 hours with pictures of a chunk of Danzig merchandise that options the “Black Solar” image (in any other case often called the “sunwheel” or “sonnenrad” image). In accordance with the Anti-Defamation League, the image “is one among plenty of historic European symbols appropriated by the Nazis of their try and invent an idealized ‘Aryan/Norse’ heritage.”
The ADL provides:
The sonnenrad seems within the conventional symbology of many international locations and cultures, together with Previous Norse and Celtic cultures. It has numerous variations; the swastika and comparable rounded variants are literally sonnenrad varieties, as are sure variations of the Celtic Cross. In Nazi Germany, the Nazi Social gathering, the SA and the SS all used sonnenrad symbology at instances, which has led neo-Nazis and different trendy white supremacists to undertake such pictures. One sonnenrad model particularly is well-liked amongst white supremacists: two concentric circles with crooked rays emanating from the interior circle to the outer circle. Typically white supremacists will put one other hate image corresponding to a swastika within the heart of the interior circle.
As a result of sonnenrad imagery is utilized by many cultures all over the world, one mustn’t assume that almost all sonnenrad-like pictures essentially denote racism or white supremacy; slightly, they need to be analyzed rigorously within the context during which they seem.
To date, all the Reddit threads have shared the identical picture (on posters and shirts) for Danzig’s present final evening (March 29) on the Kia Discussion board in Inglewood, Calif. Within the picture, a cartoonish depiction of Danzig is seen sporting an the other way up cross and scowling as he stands in entrance of the “Black Solar” image with clenched fists on fireplace. Moreover, some pictures present that each the poster and shirt glow at the hours of darkness.
For instance, a thread on the r/Danzig subreddit (entitled “Nazi merch on the Danzig present final evening”) started earlier this morning (March 30) and has acquired dozens of feedback confirming – after which condemning and/or arguing about – the affiliation. The truth is, one consumer wrote: “His stage identify is Danzig, he is all the time intentionally courted controversy,” whereas one other individual expressed: “You can not show nazi shit in a time when there are precise nazis in energy and name it ‘occult.’ Cease stumping for this fascist shit.”
One other thread on the identical subreddit – titled “FFS, Actually Glenn? That is over the road” – provoked an identical quantity of impassioned and polarized responses. As an example, one consumer defined: “It is like folks aren’t conscious of Glenn Danzig or his close to 50 12 months profession. He is actually all the time exploited controversial imagery and symbolism. He is the man who wrote Bullet, keep in mind? He makes use of iron crosses and pentagrams and he enjoys inflicting a stir. Is he a Nazi? Extremely uncertain. Transfer on.”
As already talked about, there are comparable threads posted to r/punk and r/AntifascistsofReddit, too, and elsewhere, Danzig has been embraced for utilizing the picture.
As of this writing, Danzig has not launched a press release concerning the state of affairs, and you may view the picture (alongside two opposing reactions to it) beneath.
Danzig’s Controversial Previous Feedback
That is definitely not the primary time Danzig has mentioned or carried out one thing controversial in recent times. Again in 2021, as an example, Loudwire reported on his remarks relating to whether or not punk bands (corresponding to Misfits) would have the ability to launch edgy materials inside the trendy tradition of “woke bullshit.”
Referring to “Final Caress” (which is about murdering infants and sexually assaulting moms), particularly, Danzig advised Rolling Stone:
It’s only a crazy-ass music. We’d do issues simply to piss folks off. . . . Folks don’t perceive, as a result of every part’s so cancel-culture, woke bullshit these days, however you may by no means have the punk explosion these days, due to cancel tradition and woke bullshit. You possibly can by no means have it. It might by no means have occurred. We’re fortunate it occurred when it did, as a result of it’ll by no means occur once more. You received’t have any of these sorts of bands ever once more. Everybody’s so uptight and P.C., it’s similar to, “OK, no matter.”
In a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, Danzig commented on a second in his “1990 long-form” video about his ebook assortment during which he acknowledged that “each college baby” ought to have a replica of The Occult Roots of Nazism:
“It was sarcastic. Effectively, you’ll be able to study from it. Clearly, if a ebook is printed, it’s acquired information in it. When you let your bias get in the best way, you don’t learn about it. If I used to be a Nazi hunter, I’d wish to learn this ebook. If somebody says it’s politically incorrect to have that ebook, I mainly say, “Fuck you.” When you’re going to inform me what ebook to learn or not learn, who’s the fascist?
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Gallery Credit score: Taylor Markarian
