‘Vulgar T-Shirt’ Probably Inspired by the Sex Pistols

This letter is in reply to the article written by Bill Ryan (Editorial Pages, Dec. 9), “In the Land of Vulgar T-Shirts, a New Low Doesn’t Raise an Eyebrow.”

I am sure that Ryan is unfamiliar with the song, “Belsen Was a Gas,” which was written by the Sex Pistols in 1977. (The song, itself, has never been released due to the nature of the song contents.) It does appear, however, on the sound track of the Sex Pistols documentary film, “The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle.” The released form of the song is live and was performed on Jan. 14, 1978, at San Francisco’s famous Winterland auditorium in front of more 5,000 attending persons. The true studio version has never been released, though it was supposed to be the Sex Pistols’ third single. Virgin Records, their record company at the time, would not release the single due to the nature of the song’s content and, thus, it remains the Sex Pistols’ only unreleased song.

What I am actually getting at, Mr. Ryan, is that you have misinterpreted the title “Belsen Was a Gas” on the jogger’s T-shirt. The song was written as a protest to the Nazi’s perverted destruction of human beings. It is written, however, in a supposed Nazi’s point of view and in no way was the song intended to be derogatory toward the Jews. It is just a statement about how (low) the human being has lowered his morals toward others--and toward himself.

I can understand Ryan’s puzzlement over the wording of the T-shirt and his repulsiveness over seeing such a “well-groomed” person wearing this grotesque statement, but he should understand that life in general is full of insane intolerable acts that we must, unfortunately, learn to deal with. In my belief the song, “Belsen Was a Gas,” has caused the persons who’ve heard it (myself included) to do more research and studies on the evils of the Nazi era and racism in general.

CARLOS NUNEZ

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