A throwaway comment by 2017’s go-to bell end neo nazi Richard Spencer that Depeche Mode are the “official band of the alt-right”, has caused a wee bit of a stir.
People are asking how in the name of Arse did a white supremacist ever get the notion that Depeche Mode were in any way sympathetic to his cause? It’d be like Kate Hopkins following Billy Bragg on tour. However, I think I might know. He says that Music for the Masses is their best album. On that album is a track that is largely instrumental track called PIMPF. It starts with a simple piano melody that is repeated, a head of steam gathers as more instrumentation comes in – yes, just like the Intro and the Outro by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Apparently PIMPF was a sort of slang word for the younger boys in the Hitler Youth. Look at this cover of one of the magazines from the time.
So, yes, I can imagine a politically charged young boy getting attached to this album and applying any meaning he likes to it. Who among us didn’t think *we* were the Chosen Few when cutting a rug to » Continue Reading.