Abstract
The article examines radical cultural politics by focusing on the West German initiative of Rock gegen Rechts (‘Rock Against the Right’). This campaign involved concerts, publications and demonstrations, most notably the staging of two large-scale festivals in Frankfurt/Main in 1979 and 1980. Rock Against Racism – launched in Britain in 1976 – served as a model for the activists. Yet Rock gegen Rechts differed from its British counterpart in significant ways, both in terms of the political and musical currents that sustained the campaign and with regard to the object of protest. Through the prism of Rock gegen Rechts, the article shows how campaigners debated the nature of ‘the right’ – an important subject in a country whose fascist past figured prominently in public debate. The campaign occurred at a critical juncture of the German left, as the latter underwent seemingly contradictory processes of fragmentation and coalition-building during the late 1970s. The article explores a left-wing milieu that was associated with music and alternative lifestyles, but also with a nascent green movement. Moreover, the example of Rock gegen Rechts sheds fresh light on the interaction between music and politics on the one side, and between music, commerce and consumption on the other.
Highlights
Contemporary observers acknowledged that the initiative ‘would not have been possible’ without its British forerunner Rock Against Racism (RAR), which had been launched in 1976.4 RAR mobilized against the neo-fascists of the National Front and has been interpreted as ‘a creative response to the profound social and political crisis that gripped Britain in the 1970s’
It highlights disagreement about the role assigned to music: whereas some protagonists regarded it as an ideal tool for spreading political messages, others believed that sloganeering or the targeting of mass audiences would deprive music of its liberating power
These debates point to questions that are subject to growing scholarly interest, namely the relationship between music, politics and consumption in the late 1970s
Summary
Contemporary observers acknowledged that the initiative ‘would not have been possible’ without its British forerunner Rock Against Racism (RAR), which had been launched in 1976.4 RAR mobilized against the neo-fascists of the National Front and has been interpreted as ‘a creative response to the profound social and political crisis that gripped Britain in the 1970s’.5 The British campaign attracted considerable support, and several scholars have described it as a mass movement.[6]. Such relationships have been explored in substantial depth with regard to 1960s West Germany, notably by Detlef Siegfried and Timothy Scott Brown.[10] Rock gegen Rechts, shifts our attention to the late 1970s and early 1980s – a period when West Germany’s ‘left-wing alternative milieu’ flourished.[11] Rock gegen Rechts offers particular insights into Frankfurt’s alternative milieu, as local activists staged the largest events of the campaign It highlights disagreement about the role assigned to music: whereas some protagonists regarded it as an ideal tool for spreading political messages, others believed that sloganeering or the targeting of mass audiences would deprive music of its liberating power. These debates point to questions that are subject to growing scholarly interest, namely the relationship between music, politics and consumption in the late 1970s.12 While this article shows the difficulties of building political and cultural alliances, it reveals legacies that extended far beyond 1979–80
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