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Bryan Ferry Apologizes, Clarifies Nazi Comments

Bryan Ferry, esteemed solo artist and Roxy Music founder, apologized today for gushing about the grandeur of Nazi artwork and architecture in an interview last month with a German newspaper. “I apologize unreservedly for any offense caused by my comments on Nazi iconography, which were solely made from an art history perspective,” Ferry said in a statement, according to Reuters. “I, like every right-minded individual, find the Nazi regime, and all it stood for, evil and abhorrent.”

The 61-year-old singer found himself in the crosshairs of Jewish groups thanks to an interview with Welt Am Sonntag, a German paper. Ferry expressed admiration for Nazi artistic endeavors, including the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl, Albert Speer’s architecture, mass marches, and flags, saying they were “just fantastic” and “really beautiful.” Jewish organizations quoted in the Reuters story responded with satisfaction about Ferry’s clarification and apology, and, for the moment, it doesn’t seem as if Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain that employs Ferry for its advertising campaigns, will drop the singer.

On the Web:
bryanferry.com

Talk: More egregious: Ferry’s fondness of Nazi icons or Don Imus’ comments about women’s basketball players?