Memory is a Weapon: Ton Steine Scherben’s Use of WWII Memory in the Political Upheavals of the 1970s
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship of 1970s German "Agit-Rock" band Ton Steine Scherben with the memory of WWII.I use this as an entry point to a more general consideration of the role of WWII memory in pre-unification West German society and of the contribution of popular music to an interrogation of the political status of such memory.Throughout their career, the "Scherben" have made continuous implicit or explicit references, in songs, interviews and other media, to the horrors of WWII and their legacy in the German postwar political and cultural landscape.On the basis of archival materials, music analysis of selected songs, and original interviews with band members, I explain why and how the Scherben used the memory of WWII to further their leftist countercultural agenda, and elaborate on the war's presence (or absence) and relevance in 1970s German society and its implications for the conflicts between war and postwar generations.Narrative analysis will provide insights into the value constructions of the time, identifying the usage of WWII memory as a popular weapon in German political confrontations, and locating the Scherben's role and impact within these conflicts.1 Timothy Brown, "Music as a Weapon?"Ton Steine Scherben" and the Politics of Rock in Cold War Berlin," in German Studies Review 32, no. 1 (2009): 3. 2 According to Rio Reiser biographer Hollow Skai, the website www.riocover.dehas registered more than 650 cover versions of songs from both the Scherben and Rio Reiser (Skai, Rio Reiser.Das alles und noch viel mehr.[Bremen: Fuego, 2016], 210).The website itself at present states there are "over 800 published and 500 unpublished cover versions of Rio Reiser and Ton Steine Scherben" (Christian Noller, riocover.de,accessed May 2, 2019, http://www.riocover.de/1.htm,my translation).A number of citations throughout this article as well as all quoted passages from interviews are translated from the original German.Unless otherwise noted, all translations are my own.3 Guitarist and singer Rio Reiser (real name Ralph Möbius) later had some mainstream success as a solo artist in Germany with songs like "König von Deutschland" (King of Germany) and "Junimond" (June Moon), and after his untimely death in 1996, became a revered figure in Germany akin to musicians like Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison.
Source: Music and Politics
Author: Sidney König
Language: English
Topic: German History and Society
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3214726519