The new Imus
One person I never thought would be the new Imus is this guy: sauve singer Bryan Ferry. I have been a Ferry (and Roxy Music) fan for almost 30 years, since picking up cassettes of both his solo album “The Bride Stripped Bare” and a Roxy Music compilation album from a discount bin at Woolworth’s. I listened to them endlessly and without further investigation — it was a couple of years before I discovered that the same man was behind both.
Ferry is in hot water for praising the “beauty” of Nazi imagery. I understand what he meant — he wasn’t praising evil, but recognizing the potential attraction of its fashion — but it does come off like admiring the sleek flowing lines in a KKK robe. Ferry sounds abjectly mortified. Here’s the story, and his apology. Thanks to Paul Crist for sending this link.
For years I have joked to friends that I’ve been trying to get my plays protested — if only angry villagers would show up and condemn me, then I could hit it big. Lately I’m not so sure.
April 19th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Oooo, this is an even better example than Imus’ foot in mouth episode (okay, his latest foot in mouth episode). Bryan Ferry must not have been observing the big picture when he made his comments, but it seems pretty clear that he was commenting on the visuals. Riefenstal’s films wouldn’t still be a matter of discussion if they hadn’t been powerful. It wasn’t simply that they were in aid of the 3rd Reich. Whenever there is any video or film history of WWII or Hitler’s rise and fall we are shown footage of mass rallies and military marches involving thousands. Generally we aren’t read passages from Mein Kampf or the writings of Speers or the other monsters. There must be a reason, and the reason is likely the same one that Ferry remarked on. These images are effective. If Hitler’s propaganda machine hadn’t been effective, he wouldn’t have been able to take power.
But a person, particularly a celebrity or politician, could sneeze, and if it sounded like “not-zee”, an apology would be demanded. Not that there aren’t a lot of celebrities and politician who are idiots, and not that there aren’t celebrities and politicians who are facists and racists, but whether Ferry is or not, I don’t think the comments that have gotten him into hot water recently reveal anything about that.
It is unreasonable to expect an artist to be a diplomat 24 hours a day. He misspoke. He apologized. End of story.
And, just to be perfectly clear where I stand, if Hitler were alive, I’d be willing to kill him myself.