In Post-war Pop Culture
The Iron Cross has been popular with many bikers, hot rodders, skinheads and others, using German iconic militaria to promote a tough-guy image, or as a symbol of rebellion or non-conformity. In the 1960s, the Iron Cross was adopted by American surfers, who started wearing medals plundered by their fathers. Cal Look, Volksrod and other Volkswagen enthusiasts often use the Iron Cross as a symbol that reflects the car's country of origin. Ed Roth created accessories for surfers, hot rodders and bikers derived from German World War II trophies, which included the Surfer's cross and the Stahlhelm (also popular with the VW scene). There is an American hardcore band called Iron Cross. Roy Orbison has been filmed wearing an Iron Cross necklace while performing. Metallica lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield has a custom version of the ESP Eclipse (based on the Gibson Les Paul) with the Iron Cross emblazoned on it. This version is known as the "ESP JH-6 Iron Cross". Mortuus, the singer of the Swedish black metal band Marduk, is seen in many promotional and live photos wearing an iron cross on a choker chain. The Cult incorporated Iron Cross medals and imagery extensively for their Electric and Sonic Temple albums. Motörhead lead singer and bassist Lemmy can be seen wearing an Iron Cross live, and often in interviews as he owns a very large collection of Nazi memorabilia. WWE wrestler Triple H (Paul Levesque) has made a variation of the Iron Cross his logo since the early part of the 2000s; the symbol appears six times on his wrestling attire (front and back of trunks, on both elbow pads and on the sides of his boots).
Read more about this topic: Iron Cross
Famous quotes containing the words pop culture, post-war, pop and/or culture:
“There is no comparing the brutality and cynicism of today’s pop culture with that of forty years ago: from High Noon to Robocop is a long descent.”
—Charles Krauthammer (b. 1950)
“Much of what Mr. Wallace calls his global thinking is, no matter how you slice it, still “globaloney.” Mr. Wallace’s warp of sense and his woof of nonsense is very tricky cloth out of which to cut the pattern of a post-war world.”
—Clare Boothe Luce (1903–1987)
“There is no comparing the brutality and cynicism of today’s pop culture with that of forty years ago: from High Noon to Robocop is a long descent.”
—Charles Krauthammer (b. 1950)
“Culture is the suggestion, from certain best thoughts, that a man has a range of affinities through which he can modulate the violence of any master-tones that have a droning preponderance in his scale, and succor him against himself. Culture redresses this imbalance, puts him among equals and superiors, revives the delicious sense of sympathy, and warns him of the dangers of solitude and repulsion.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)