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Motörhead's Lemmy in Nazi photoshoot scandal


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The man known to his mum as Ian Kilmister has broken the law in Germany by wearing Nazi paraphernalia in a newspaper photoshoot, the Guardian reports.

What a muppet.

Nobody expects Motörhead to be a gang of sweethearts. The heavy metal band is renowned for, well, being heavy. But frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister may have made the transition from heavy to criminal last week, after sporting a Nazi cap for a German newspaper's photoshoot.

Nazi paraphernalia is generally illegal under German law, as is anything that could be seen as promoting the movement.

The photograph was taken to promote Motörhead's performance at the July 5 Wacken Rocks Seaside concert in Aurich, Germany. Though no official statement has been issued, there are reports that German prosecutors have launched an investigation.

Lemmy spoke about his collection of Nazi paraphernalia in a December interview with New York Waste. "I don't only collect Nazi stuff, I collect objects from all the Axis countries," he said. "Also from countries who aren't even mentioned anymore as former parts of the Axis. Like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Hungary."

"From the beginning of time, the bad guys always had the best uniforms. Napoleon, the Confederates, the Nazis. They all had killer uniforms. I mean, the SS uniform is fucking brilliant! They were the rock stars of that time. What you're gonna do? They just look good."

"It's not a nationalistic kind of thing. Don't tell me I'm a Nazi 'cause I have uniforms. In 1967 I had my first black girlfriend and a lot more ever since then. I just don't understand racism, I never thought it was an option."

Well there's a considered opinion if ever I heard one.

Can wearing Nazi clothes or paraphernalia ever be considered a politics-free act? Just because the bad guys had 'the best uniforms', does it mean its right to wear them?
LindseyIndigo

2 responses // Motörhead's Lemmy in Nazi photoshoot scandal

  • While it might be defensible to wear a Nazi uniform to make a statement, raise awareness or force people to think, it is just plain stupid to assume that Nazi iconography can ever be viewed in an apolitical context. I guess he just needed the publicity ...
    JanaPokana
  • Well I have been a fan of Lemmy for a long time, and I know that it was just a misunderstanding of his getup.He souly wears it as shock value like other acts like Manson or Copper.But in all it wasn't like he was walking around the streets shoting people in the head.Hopefuly thay slap him on the wrest and leave it at that.
    HuantedWorld

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