General Idea
Life & Work by Sarah E.K. Smith
General Idea, Nazi Milk, 1979
Concept featured in diverse media
Nazi Milk is a cocktail concept that represents the conflicting forces of innocence and
evil. It is a prime example of how General Idea explored taboo subjects.
Nazi Milk appears in several iterations and media in General Idea’s oeuvre but is
always represented through Billy, a young blond man. In photographs, Billy is clad in a
crisp white shirt and depicted against a bright-orange background. He raises a large
glass of milk to his lips and bears a milk moustache. Looking suggestively at the viewer,
Billy exudes conflicting messages. The milk he drinks alludes to health, wholesome
values, and nature. His hair and moustache, however, are styled like Hitler’s and he is
dressed as a Nazi Youth, indicating Billy’s association with Fascism.
1
The character of Billy is connected to the
larger General Idea project, The 1984 Miss
General Idea Pavillion. Nazi Milk was depicted
as a product in an infomercial in the General
Idea video Test Tube, 1979, which promotes a
series of cocktails—each one a political
metaphor. The video presents Billy holding a
glass of Nazi Milk with a voiceover: “Billy here is
all boy. Billy is the right blend.… He relies on a
familiar drink with familial flavour. Everywhere
boys like Billy are being initiated into the
intoxicating drink: Nazi Milk.” In this deadpan
manner, Nazi Milk is presented as ubiquitous
and familiar, troubling the idea of
LEFT: Video still from General Idea, Test Tube, 1979, colour video, 28 min., 15 sec., various collections
RIGHT: General Idea, General Idea’s Nazi Milk Glass from the Colour Bar Lounge, 1980, drinking glass
with offset adhesive label in plastic box with gold hot-stamping; box: 15.3 x 10 (diam.) cm, glass:
15 x 9.2 (diam.) cm; various collections, photograph by Thomas E. Moore
wholesomeness. The commercial concludes by
promoting the Colour Bar Lounge—the bar from
The 1984 Miss General Idea Pavillion—with a slightly disturbing call: “Drinks for the
whole family at the Colour Bar Lounge.”
2
The multiple The Getting into the Spirits Cocktail Book from the 1984 Miss
General Idea Pavillion, 1980, repeats the faux-advertising copy of Nazi Milk. Describing
the ingredients, it notes: “The ingredients? … Nothing fancy … something found in every
home …” The book also elucidates the benefits of the beverage: “It does more than just
build strong minds and strong bodies.”
3
Nazi Milk was included in the mixed-media installation Colour Bar Lounge, 1979,
and was disseminated in forms including a poster, a multiple, and a 1989 digital print on
vinyl. It also served as the cover image for FILE Megazine’s “Special Transgressions
Issue,” 1979.
4
The Boutique from the 1984 Miss General Idea Pavillion 1980
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