Circa 1943, in the midst ofWorld War II, Guthrie wrote the war song "TalkingHitler's Head OffBlues." This was printed in theDaily Worker, a newspaper published by theCommunist Party USA. Then, according to biographer Anne E. Neimark, "In a fit of patriotism and faith in the impact of the song, he painted on his guitar THIS MACHINE KILLSFASCISTS."[3]
In Guthrie'sopposition to fascism, he conceptualized the ideology "as a form of economic exploitation similar toslavery," straightforwardly denouncing the fascists—particularly their leaders (dictators)—as a group of gangsters who set out to "rob the world."[4] This recalled a protest strategy he had used "during theGreat Depression, when social, political, andeconomic inequality had been engendered by a small rich elite."[4] During that era, Guthrie had "romanticized the deeds of outlaws such asJesse James,Pretty Boy Floyd,Calamity Jane or theDalton Gang both as legitimate acts of social responsibility and as 'the ultimate expression of protest,' thus transforming the outlaw into an archetypal partisan in a fight against those who were held responsible for the worsening social and economic conditions."[4]
In this, Guthrie cast those opposing fascism not as mere outlaws in a fascist state, but as heroes rising "in times of economic turmoil and social disintegration" to fight "a highly illegitimate criminal endeavor intended to exploit the common people."[4] Guthrie portrayed these characters as something larger than merely "dumb gangsters," while his lyricism also "externalized the inhuman element of fascism by describing its representatives as animals that were usually held in very low esteem and were associated with a range of bad character traits."[4] For example, he talked about the "Nazi Snake" that has to be countered in his song "Talking Hitler's Head Off Blues".[4] Guthrie would declare "[a]nything human is anti Hitler" and in his song "You Better Get Ready" he has the figure ofSatan declare that "OldHell just ain't the same/Compared to Hitler, hell, I'm tame!"[4] Guthrie saw the battle against fascism as the ultimate battle of good versus evil. In a letter to "Railroad Pete" he stated "fascism and freedom are the only two sides battling ... [this was the war] the world has been waiting on for twenty five million years ... [which would] settle the score once and for all."[4]
(Top)Colin Huggins's grand piano and (bottom)Hank Green's guitar have messages inspired by Guthrie.
The message has inspired subsequent artists.
Folk singerPete Seeger, a friend and mentee of Guthrie, was inspired to emblazon his banjos with the similar slogan "This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces It to Surrender".[5]
Hank Green, co-host ofVlogbrothers and brother of the aforementioned John, released an album titledThis MachinePwnsN00bs in 2009, with the Guthrie's original slogan translated intoleetspeak.[9] Hank also has an acoustic guitar with this version of the slogan painted on it in the style of Guthrie.[10]
Donovan put the message "This machine kills" on his guitar, leaving off the word "fascists"; he explained in his autobiography, "I dropped the last word, thinking fascism was already dead."[15]
MusicianJulien Baker had a sticker reading "This Machine Kills Sadness" on her acoustic guitar in reference to Guthrie, although she later removed it. She further references him in a tattoo and in the song "Guthrie" from the EPB-Sides.[18]
Guthrie and his 'This machine kills fascists' guitar are depicted as stickers on another guitar on the sleeve ofShow of Hands'Wake the Union (2012).[19]
The 2016 French comic albumCette machine tue les fascistes centers around anIS-2 Soviet tank painted with the slogan in Russian. The story makes explicit that the slogan is taken from Guthrie's guitar.[20]
MusicianRob Baker of the groupThe Tragically Hip has "This Machine Kills Fascists" on his acoustic guitar in the official video for Bobcaygeon.[21]
Classical musicianJohn Mark Rozendaal was arrested in 2024 at aclimate protest in New York City while playing a cello inscribed "This machine loves, serves, and protects life".[24][25]
Spanish surf rock band The Gagarins composed an instrumental song titled 'This Machine Kills Fascists' included on their 2018 album 'Por un puñado de rublos'.[citation needed]
The world-renowned cybersecurity expert and computer scientistBruce Schneier has a sticker "This machine kills fascists" on his laptop, as can be seen on his home page[28]
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