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Promo "Mutter" (2001), Richard Z. Kruspe — Interview by Olivier Rouhet, 05-11-2001 (Rock Hard #005)

Rock Hard : First of all, can you tell us about the photo on the cover of this Rock Hard's issue : Till disguised as Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver !

RZK : Oh, we don't have to rack our brains. The American magazine Rolling Stone wanted to photograph us. Till suddenly had this idea : he had shaved his head "Mohican" style not very long ago and it made him laugh at playing Robert DeNiro. It's that simple, there is nothing conceptual behind this shot !

RH : What were you doing before embarking on the Rammstein adventure ?

RZK : I was playing in a band called Orgasm Death Gimmick (O.D.G). It was very Anglo-Saxon, quite pop music, but I wasn't sure which direction we were going. On an artistic level, there was something missing in the music. And then one day I took a trip to California with Oliver (Riedel) and Till (Lindemann) - we weren't playing in the same bands then, but we had already been friends for a very long time - and I realized than ODG was redundant, that there was nothing original about what we were doing... When I came back I had a new project in mind : an authentic and German project - why try to sound like the Americans ? I didn't have to be ashamed to be German... So Oliver and I saw each other again and started rehearsing. I was singing and it didn't do it at all ! So I called Till to join us, but he refused. I begged him to come and rehearse with us once, just to help us out, so that we could see what our music would be like with his type of voice, even if it means looking for another singer of the same style later. He finally accepted, he came, but he wasn't really a musician, it was very hard for him, he wasn't comfortable at all. So he asked us for a few minutes, went out and bought himself a bottle of whiskey. He took it down, to the point that he couldn't even speak anymore, but he still managed to sing with his particular style. We recorded a demo that we sent to a jury which organized a springboard in Berlin. If I remember correctly, the tracks “Rammstein” and “Weisses Fleisch” were on this tape, at least in their earliest versions. We won this springboard and, as a gift, a week of studio was offered to us. At the time, Paul (Landers) was part of two groups : Feeling B. and Die Firma. He was also our sound engineer when I played with O.D.G. He showed interest in Rammstein, so I encouraged him to join us. We were missing a keyboard and I absolutely wanted Flake to join our project : he didn't want, I tried to persuade him, for a very long time, until he finally accepted. At the beginning, it was therefore only a side-project, each of us remaining in our own band. But quickly, we realized that something was going on between us. We were friends at the base, but this project made our bond even stronger, we felt like we belonged to a gang. At first we weren't thinking about anything professional : the record companies were the least of our worries, we didn't care if we were successful, we just wanted to make music, to express that kind of anger that we all had in the heart...

RH : What kind of anger ?

RZK : Sentimental anger ! By I don't know what conjuncture, we all found ourselves at that time in a complicated phase with our girlfriends : we were dumped, we were fed up. It is the result of these frustrations that motivated us. Actually, I don't believe in fate, but I can't help but think that if we ended up with six pals, being dumped by our girlfriends, it had to happen. Rammstein was born from our heartache (Editor's note: "Herzeleid" in German, title of the first opus). We would never have been so motivated if we had stayed with our girlfriends, while there, when we got together, we told each other about our romantic woes and we motivated each other.

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Promo "Mutter" (2001), Richard Kruspe — Interview by Olivier Rouhet, 19-05-2001, Berlin (Rock Hard #002)

Rock Hard : When you founded Rammstein, was the idea of these bombastic concerts already in the air ?

Richard : More or less, yes. We had three things in mind : the first was to offer something different, unique, both musically and scenically. The second came from Till : he's not a born and bored frontman on stage. So we imagined things to distract him ! (laughs) The third, finally, is that we sing in German and that, except in our country, people do not understand our language : we had to add something more to the level of the dramaturgy of our sets to ensure and abroad, the public remains focused.

RH : You toured with Kiss in South America, a group that is supposed to have the biggest show in the world...

Richard : For me, those dates were like a throwback to my childhood. I grew up in East Germany where, of course, Kiss was censored at the time. And of course, when something is forbidden, it intrigues and it fascinates. So I was a fan of Kiss, I managed to recover cassettes. By opening for them with Rammstein, I really enjoyed their show. On the other hand, I was a little disappointed when I met them: they look really very old without their makeup. Ace Frehley is downright decaying ! But they were very nice to us, they let us use our pyrotechnics, and I even think they were very impressed. We didn't have much opportunity to hang out with them though. Anyway, I didn't really want to go have a drink with Gene Simmons after the shows. I didn't want to walk into a bar and people think he took his son with him ! (laughs)

#rockhard magazine special rammstein 2021 #rammstein #rammstein in press #rammstein interview #kiss band #till is love 🖤#till lindemann #richard kruspe #oliver riedel #christoph schneider #flake lorenz #paul landers #richard z kruspe

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Promo "Rosenrot" (2005), Olivier Riedel and Till Lindemann — Interview by Phil Lageat and Olivier Rouhet, 05-09-2005 (Rock Hard #048)

Rock Hard : [...] At the time of interviewing Till Lindemann (vocals) and Oliver Riedel (bass) - Paul Landers and Christoph Schneider are also present, but answer other stores - several questions are bothering us... because we are worried. We start by taking news of the band, which recently canceled dates in Asia and South America.

Oliver Riedel : Till injured his knee during the concert in Gothenburg (Sweden) during a collision with Flake, hence the cancellation of the Asian dates. Then Flake caught a childhood illness. He is currently confined to a hospital bed with mumps. Not exactly dramatic, but he could only hear with one ear, which was rather annoying. So we had to postpone the South American dates. Nothing serious...

RH : The fact of recording in Berlin, and not abroad, as usual, in a short period of time, has put on the shoulders of the musicians an increased and useless pressure ?

Oliver : Yes, absolutely ! It's the first time we've recorded in Berlin, at home, and I'm not sure, looking back, that it was a good idea. Our families living nearby, we might tend to look at our watches whenever we had a break : What am I doing ? Do I take the opportunity to drop by home ? As a result, we were necessarily less focused and it was almost impossible for us to be there 100%.

Till Lindemann : More pressure ? Yes and no. Usually we like to work in a relaxed and mellow atmosphere, which we did when recording Reise Reise in Spain. In Berlin, it was quite different, because we worked 12 to 14 hours a day. And we did feel time pressures. It was a pretty intense creative process, which is why this album is quite special and out of the ordinary. I wouldn't say I'm proud of this record - it might be a bit too much - but I'm very happy with it nonetheless.

RH : [...] It seems that this extreme fatigue is not just physical. Admittedly, lately, they do a lot of albums and concerts, but we remember the tensions born during the gestation of Mutter. How can we not think, for a moment, that the Rammstein machine did not exhaust the friendship that bound the members of the group, to the point that they feel the occasional need to no longer see each other ? Have they learned to manage their friction in order to get off to a better restart ?

Oliver : It's true, I admit, we are washed out, burnt out. This is the reason why we are considering this prolonged hiatus... During the Mutter era, we did face some personal problems and we had to distance ourselves from each other. Then, we got closer and managed the conflicts that opposed us. Today, the atmosphere within the band is excellent, but we want to take this break to rest physically. In theory, we're looking at a hiatus of almost a year. But, who knows, maybe we'll meet beforehand to rehearse if the urge arises. And it is already planned that we meet to shoot two or three music videos which should illustrate the next singles of the album. To summarize, these three days of promotion, a few videos, and basta ! I love surfing and I am thinking of going around the beaches with my little van, just to see the country. Is it still possible that we go on vacation together ? (smile) No, I don't think so... Two or three of us, yes, but not the others.

RH : But let's stop complaining, and let's go back, along with Till, to his texts, often encrypted and regularly tackling “taboo” subjects (homosexuality in “Mann Gegen Mann”, our primary instincts in “Zerstören”, etc.)

Till : Journalists always want to know what is the deep meaning of my texts. Personally, I find it much more interesting that my words appeal to the imagination of listeners, that they interpret them in their own way. It is for this reason that I don't wish to submit my point of view : it would then be rehashed, no room would be left to the imagination. But back to "Rosenrot" : it is a very old word. "Reise, Reise", which dealt with the life of sailors, was also intended to be a reference to Herman Melville's novel, Moby Dick. Our choruses are always composed of simple words, but very strong, like "Sehnsucht" or "Du Hast". "Rosenrot" is color as a sign. With the Brothers Grimm, it is about a girl : in the song, the latter drops a rose from a cliff and asks her lover to go and get it back so that he can prove his love to her. But the unfortunate falls... and kills himself. Outside of Rammstein, I write collections of poems. It has nothing to do with writing song lyrics. It's not going to sound very serious, but I'm saying it anyway. Writing a poem is actually quite simple : you just have to drink a few good glasses of wine and let your imagination run wild (laughs). Writing the text of a song is much more difficult : your lyrics must stick with precise stanzas, a chorus, a metric that is imposed on you. And a guitarist just has to tell me "wait, I'm going to slip three more notes over here, so you need three more words!" And everything has to be redone... It may be that these three fucking words require me three months of work. Poetry is pure pleasure, the text of a song is real work.

RH : If there is one title that emerges from Rosenrot, it is the excellent "Te Quiro Puta", sung in Spanish. Does Till have a soft spot for South American music ? The answer may surprise :

Till : Not that I like a particular song, it's those popist salsa beats that go straight into the blood, that your body can't resist, that I like. What artists like Joachim Sabena and Manu Chao are doing is fantastic. The others like it less, but recently, in backstages, I was making them listen to Sonora Palacio, classical Chilean music, with trumpets and everything. And gradually, I ended up making them totally addicted... When will a song in French ??? Very soon, I hope ! (laughs)

#rockhard magazine special rammstein 2021 #rammstein in press #rammstein interview #rammstein #rosenrot album #oliver riedel #till is love 🖤#till lindemann #flake lorenz #paul landers #christoph schneider #richard kruspe

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Promo "Reise Reise" (2004), Till Lindemann — Interview by Olivier Rouhet, 24-06-2004 (Rock Hard #036)

Rock Hard : During our recent interview with Richard Z. Kruspe and Christoph Schneider, they spoke at length about the tensions that arose within Rammstein. Did you feel them yourself?

Till : When you live in community, like married people, for more than ten years, that you come from five very different bands... When, in fact, you spend more time with your "coworkers" than with your family, what do you want ? In short, it's been ten years that we have always been together, ten years... And when we are on tour, it's not as if we were working in an office and that, in the evening, we could find our little families. A lot of things are open to discussion, things that are of a different nature than who is going to get the bread when they get home from work. So, quarrels arise in the studio, it's obvious. And let's not even talk about the promiscuity of the tour bus : there are heated debates to determine who will be entitled to the top bunk and the largest closet to store his clothes (cynical laugh). More seriously, there were indeed, in the rehearsal room, clashes as to the share of investment and commitment of each within the group. And at the end of ten years, we know very well what can annoy the other : so, when one of us wants to make his rock-hard head, he does not need to hollow his head for very long to annoy his victim. These are nice little games... In the specific case of Richard, he is a workaholic and, in general, in the past, it is true that he often tended to want to do everything. In fact, there wasn't much left for the others and we just filled in the gaps. But we have an advantage : we come from the former GDR, were educated according to the precepts of the community and, unconsciously, we are always very united to form one : we talk a lot, which acts in a therapeutic way. Besides, I have the impression that we spend more time discussing than making music...

RH : What is your part in the pure composition. We know you're 100% responsible for the lyrics, but what about the music ?

Till : The part of my job that interests me the most is, of course, the lyrics writing. But it is normal that I also intervene on the content of the music : my words must be able to adapt to it. Sometimes the other five are convinced that a riff is good, but if I don't agree, if it doesn't inspire me, I explain my point.

RH : Rammstein is a collective but, for most fans, you are considered the leader of the band...

Till : Singers are often seen that way, but since I don't know how to do anything other than singing... The public sees things a certain way, but we are like workers on a construction site : there is the mason, the surveyor, carpenter, etc., each plays his part for the collective effort. And as proof of our unity, unlike a lot of groups, we share all our financial gains equally.

RH : Could you describe the Till Lindemann that we do not know the one that appears as soon as he leaves the stage...

Till : It's something very private and very difficult, a subject I don't want to well on. It is not in my character to talk about myself. To find out more, you would have to ask this question to my ex-wives. And I doubt they have a lot of good to say about me. I'd rather you ask my friends, my pals, about this. And again, they would surely be positive on me, but this type of judgment is so subjective...

RH : Your daughter is now a teenager. How does she perceive her father ?

Till : Our relationship has evolved a lot over time and today looks more like a sincere relationship of friendship between two individuals, more than the classic and austere father / daughter. We vacation together regularly and this year we went to Costa Rica. Besides, I think she likes me because I always manage to get backstage passes for her friends.

RH : Your texts are rarely gay. Are you yourself a dark and pessimistic person ?

Till : My texts are dark, but not pessimistic. On the other hand, I am indeed a pessimistic individual...

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Promo "Reise Reise" (2004), Christoph Schneider and Richard Z. Kruspe — Interview by Phil Lageat & Olivier Rouhet, 15-06-2004, Paris (Rock Hard #035)

Rock Hard : When did the democratic process within Rammstein deteriorate ?

Richard Z. Kruspe: It was very gradual. As I have said before, my obsession with music has often kept me from taking a step back and, above all, seeing how I acted. I was a prisoner of my passion, but I didn't realize it. And in fact, the other members of Rammstein couldn't breathe as soon as I intervened. And I intervened all the time.

Christoph Schneider: This situation started to develop during the Sehnsucht period and reached its peak during the Mutter era.

RZK: I was so locked in my little world that I didn't see anything happen. I was obsessed. My relationship with others came down to : "This is the way we should do things. Point bar !" The day I realized this, I realized I had to get away.

RH : Was it a matter of a long-lasting awareness ?

RZK : Of course ! I'm a fucking control freak and had to let go of that attitude ! Do you think it can be done that quickly ? First there was the pain of realizing how boring I could be with my intransigence, and then I had to make that last one go away. In addition, I realized that this desire for control also had an impact on my private life.

Christoph : We had come to a point where it became impossible for us to mention the name "Richard" without adding an "asshole" or "motherfucker" ! What was strange was that there was nothing personal about it. But when it came to music, Richard was the last person we wanted to hear about. He needed a good lesson!

RZK (very seriously): Everyone needed a lesson, especially the band. In a "community" there are always two paths to take. The "laissez-faire" and the "act". If I have always acted, it is because Rammstein was immobile about his decisions. As no one was making a decision, it was me who stuck to it.

Christoph (intervening curtly) : How do you make decisions when you know that one of the interlocutors is going to silence you ? Richard was a wall that we constantly bumped into and couldn't fight against.

RZK : It wasn't an "All Rammstein vs. Richard" situation either. My human relations with Till Lindemann, for example, have always been excellent. This was not the case with the other members of the group, with whom the tension was real. But when you realize that four people are against you, you have to question yourself. Such unanimity necessarily reflected a problem for which I was responsible. So I left... And when I came back, things went really well. I felt that I was very well received, that the others were waiting for me to change their attitude so that we became the same friends again as before. My relationship with Schneider has recovered, as has the one with Flake. I'm proud of all that Rammstein has accomplished and I don't care now whether someone was more involved than anyone in the writing of this or that song. My pride is to have understood that Rammstein was a group of six people.

Christoph : I think we have potential, that we still have a lot to say and good songs to write... at six. Of course, Till is Rammstein's focus, but how, and why, to do it differently ? He writes extraordinary texts and has a fabulous voice...

RZK : There is nothing curious about what happened to us. All bands, all people, go through times of crisis and most of the time everyone comes out stronger. That's life, is not it ?

#rockhard magazine special rammstein 2021 #rammstein #rammstein in press #rammstein interview #till lindemann #christoph schneider #richard kruspe #oliver riedel #flake lorenz #paul landers #richard z kruspe

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Promo "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" (2009), Christoph "Doom" Schneider — Interview by Philip Lageat, 16-11-2009, Nantes (Rock Hard #94)

Rock Hard : With six studio albums in the bag, it must be more and more difficult to establish a setlist. How do you deal with that ?

Christoph "Doom" Schneider : Strangely enough, we take our heads less at this level than in the studio. I am therefore going to surprise you by telling you that this is done as simply and naturally as possible, since we ultimately proceed in a very democratic way : each of us draws up a list of our favorite titles. We then compare the desideratas of each... and the majority wins, provided however that the songs chosen fit well into the show. We did it this time around and it worked really well, since we shared an identical opinion on many songs. Personally, I find that we have found a good balance between old songs and new songs. We play a lot of songs from our last album, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da, which suits me well because I admit that I was fed up with some old titles. I was almost sickened by playing them. So we discarded them, otherwise I think we would have quickly become jaded of the new show. So we had to be careful what we choose, because, given the special effects that we deploy on stage, it is quite difficult for us, after the fact, to make big changes in the setlist. It is that each of us must know precisely what to do, and where it must be, during each song : a misstep, a second of inattention, and you are toasted like a peanut ! (laughs) Anyway, a setlist usually follows you during a whole tour and I'm happy with it which, as I said, seems to me to be a happy medium, a pretty harmonious balance, between old and new songs.

RH : Twenty years ago almost to the day, on November 9, 1989, we witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall. As an East German, do you remember this historic moment ?

Christoph : Yes, I was in town. In the middle of the night, I heard the radio announcing that people were destroying the Wall. It must be said that, for a few days already, the rumor had swelled that this was going to happen. But I stayed home because quite frankly, I couldn't believe it ! (laughs) It wasn't until a day or two later that I crossed the Wall for the first time to go west. At the risk of disappointing, I was therefore not one of those people we saw on TV riding the Wall and destroying it with a pickax or hammer. I remember I was of course delighted, but the shock was such that it took me a while to adjust to this new life : during the first two or three years, I had the feeling of not being able to be part of nothing and of everything at the same time, to evolve in a space of total freedom. To tell the truth, it was an extraordinary period ! In East Berlin, it was chaos. We squatted in houses where we organized huge parties... (smile) There were no rules and a sweet scent of anarchy hung in the air. Musically, we all continued to play with our respective bands and for a while it didn't go so badly. Until we realized that the situation had changed dramatically and that these bands belonged to a period from now on bygone, were from another age. We felt that the time had come to start a new adventure by creating another group. The foundations of Rammstein were laid... From the start, we defined what our sound should be. Very quickly we figured out that even if we rehearse hard, we would never be able to sound like an American band. That's why we tried to create something unique, which really looks like us.

RH : Do you remember the first concert you saw in the West ?

Christoph : It probably must have been an unknown punk band. But the first big gig I attended was a Red Hot Chili Peppers show at a tiny club. In 1990, it seems to me. They were not as popular then as they are today and did not perform in large venues yet. Before this concert, I had never heard of it. It was a Californian who was squatting at my house who told me that it was a good group and offered to go see it. When I think about it, I wonder what she and I could say to each other, since I couldn't get a word of English ! (laughs) Anyway, we went to this concert and I took a huge slap. Never before have I seen something so exciting ! This is an evening that I will never forget...

RH : Despite multiple internal friction, Rammstein has always kept the same line-up. How do you explain this stability ?

Christoph : Rammstein is only worth the sum of his individualities and their uniqueness. If one of us left, or whoever, we wouldn't be dealing with the same group. Rammstein would no longer be. So, it's true, there were tensions between us during the recording of the last album (see previous interview), but that's how Rammstein works. I believe in these guys... And then we always had a fight every time we set foot in the studio, and that, for any album. It's just that, when we were younger, we were able to find common ground faster because we were less stubborn and had less ego. Maybe we are too stressed out today when we work together, because we know it is going to be a long and painful process. And that, we find it more and more difficult to bear it. But for me that's a good thing, because these tensions are a blessing, in that they sharpen our creativity. Without them we would not achieve exciting results. We only yell at each other over simple taste issues : "I like it, why don't you like it too?". It's just that sometimes we tend to forget about it and take things too personal. At my level, I now tend not to want to impose my point of view if the majority does not think like me. Others, on the contrary, do not get along with age and refuse to give up even the smallest square inch of land (laughs). Hence endless heated discussions. Not to mention that the producer also has an opinion and that we therefore have to juggle the desires of seven people. You should know that for the most of us no longer get along with the producer (Editor's note: the Swede Jacob Hellner who has so far produced all of Rammstein's albums) in terms of choices and tastes. We have not changed, not evolved one iota. We are still able to develop this stupid energy in order to provoke, and I like that because some people expect us to mature with age, that we become more "adult". And here we are shooting a porn clip (Editor's note: allusion to the video for the single "Pussy") ! (laughs) We're still the same kids who, twenty years ago, were overflowing with youthful enthusiasm : "That's going to be a blast. So what are we waiting for ?"

RH : To conclude, do you really sell this box containing Six dildos that we could see on the Net ?

Christoph : (Visibly embarrassed) I have no answer to that question. I think this is more of a joke than a reality... And then who would buy this anyway ? (laughs)

#rockhard magazine special rammstein 2021 #rammstein in press #rammstein interview #rammstein #christoph schneider #till lindemann #flake lorenz #paul landers #richard kruspe #oliver riedel

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Promo « Sehnsucht » (1997), Richard Kruspe — Interview by Olivier Rouhet, Lyon, 19-05-1998 (Hard Rock #36)

Hard Rock : How do you write a song ?

Richard : Generally speaking, I experience music 100%. It’s the best possible expression for me. I sit in a corner, write melodies, guitar riffs, find beats, and at some point he comes out with a sketch of a song. I play the demo I recorded, usually to Till (Lindemann), the singer, and we see where this song can evolve in terms of text. More often than not, Till already has poems ready, which he then copies onto the song. Then the six of us meet in our rehearsal room where we finalize the title in question.

HR : Does it hurt to be hated by certain German bands ?

Richard : I think when you hate someone, it's often because you envy them. A lot of people have problems with this. Currently, Rammstein is the most successful band in Germany. We have chosen to be successful by following a different path because we are very stubborn, and therefore a lot of people envy us. Personally, I don't mind. Besides, we have a lot of contact with other bands and I don't feel that there are so many people who hate us. It is also something very intimate. To hate someone, you have to know them well. I believe, in fact, all successful people are unappreciated.

HR : How do you experience this great success ?

Richard : I don't have the feeling of being a star, we have all remained very realistic, perfectly "normal". In fact, I try to distinguish things : I see myself as a normal being and, on the other hand, I know that I am a member of Rammstein ; but it is an emotion, not an intellectual process. Being part of Rammstein has its advantages: we are invited to bars, to concerts, people are nicer, etc. But I always try to distinguish the two sides of things.

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Promo "Reise Reise" (2004), Richard Z. Kruspe — Interview by Olivier Rouhet, 11-08-2004 (Rock Hard #036)

Rock Hard : The last time we saw each other in Paris, we didn't talk too much about music since you wanted to confide at length on the internal problems that Rammstein had encountered...

Richard Z. Kruspe : Yes, I remember that interview very well. I found it very intense because it was the first time that I wanted to speak so openly to journalists about these internal problems. Besides, have you seen the Metallica movie (Editor's note: Some Kind Of Monster) ?

RH : Have you considered using a group therapist, like Metallica did ?

RZK : I did think about it, but we were lucky to be able to get by on our own, without asking anyone for help, except that of our manager who is above all a friend.

RH : Okay, let's get started on the new album... In this case, on the new iconography of the band... You have just taken a series of strange photos that recall, in their aesthetics, the film Free Fall with Michael Douglas...

RZK : It is indeed this film that served as our inspiration ! We thought it was a good way to make a clean sweep of our past image, as these photos had nothing to do with how the band was portrayed in its early days. I was a little reluctant on this concept and I found these photos ugly but, placed in context, and taking into account the film, I am ultimately very satisfied. On the other hand, I do not yet know if they will constitute the main axis of the artwork of Reise, Reise. Last week, in fact, we shot the music video for our next single, "Amerika": we put ourselves on stage giving a concert on the Moon. It's a nod to the invasion of Americans that we talk about in the song, and, at the same time, it fits well with the idea of travel that a title like Reise, Reise involves. The problem with the photos taken is that we are not sure that we like them : we entrusted their realization to a Spanish photographer, he took very arty shots, but, um, we wonder because they do not correspond not quite what we expected.

RH : Is it true that at the beginning the single “Mein Teil” was only intended for the German market ?

RZK : No, that's wrong, we always think internationally... (Pause) But no, I'm talking bullshit, you're absolutely right ! We only wanted to release this single in German-speaking countries, but it was our English record company that blew up and asked us to do an international version. This request surprised us, especially from England ! Especially since my conviction is that the singles market no longer exists anywhere, with the exception of Germany, perhaps. This is why, in the first place, we only wanted to distribute “Mein Teil” in Germany.

RH : The video for "Mein Teil" was censored on German channels. Is it because of his images or his words ?

RZK : In fact, it is not censored, but it cannot be broadcast before 11:00 p.m. And that's because of the pictures. In Germany, there is a big problem with regard to sexuality on TV, They do not enjoy the sequence where Till gets sucked by an angel that he devours afterwards. So we fired this passage, but that doesn't shock us because it's an incidental shot, not the essence of the video.

#rockhard magazine special rammstein 2021 #rammstein in press #rammstein interview #rammstein #mein teil #till lindemann #richard kruspe #paul landers #christoph schneider #oliver riedel #flake lorenz #richard z kruspe

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Promo "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" (2009), Olivier Riedel — Interview by Morgan Rivalin, 07-07-2009 (Rock Hard #91)

'Mehr' ("More"), whose riff is somewhat reminiscent of 'Rammlied', focuses mainly on a "concrete breaker" chorus which pounded more and more. Although he does it with a certain talent and his structure evolves noticeably towards the end, this one does not surprise much. At least, not in a way comparable to 'Frühling In Paris' ("Spring in Paris"). From an acoustic universe where arpeggios of guitars and very melodic keyboards are kings, here we are witnessing the rise of saturated guitars and even a hint of double pedaling on a tribute that Edith Piaf had certainly not seen come. Because on this wink addressed to our beautiful country, Till Lindemann literally screams, in a French after all quite understandable : “Non, rien de rien ! Non, je ne regrette rien !". Truthful ! If the presence of this song is confirmed today on the album, it seems that it came close to that it is not the case.

"Some members of the band don't like it too much, but as far as I'm concerned, I think it has its place", reveals bassist Olivier Riedel through a german translator, before adding laconically : "These differences of point of view should not be surprising. After all, we still haven't agreed on the title to be given to this album anyway, nor on which singles we should extract from it, so..."

Obviously, the practice of democracy within a Rammstein whose life has not always been a quiet river remains a delicate art. Once is not customary, getting the whole group in tune was not easy. After a necessary break in 2006 and a long phase of pre-production spread throughout 2007, the recording locations of the album, boxed both in a rented house on the San Francisco side and in a Los Angeles studio were thus new sources of conflict.

"We like to change the environment for each album, but we still have to come to an agreement" begins Oliver. "Two camps were formed. Half of the band "dreamed" of recording in California, the other half - of which I was a part, along with Flake and Till - didn't want to hear about it. Do I need to say which half of the group ended up giving in to the other's enthusiasm ?"

Fortunately, he doesn't seem hopeless."In 2006, we were in dire need of a break," says the bassist. "Our different personalities fit together very well musically, but they clash in other areas. We knew for a fact that we had to get away from each other to want to find each other and create something new together. It took a long time and this journey was marked by tensions but, personally, I have never doubted our ability to come up with a new album as successful as this one."

But then, what are the titles that find favor in his eyes ? "I like the album as a whole, but right now I have a soft spot for 'Ich Tu Dir Weh'. In terms of lyrics, I was particularly won over by Till's work on the lyrics to 'Wiener Blut' written as this sordid Austrian news item found its way into the newspapers. It was obvious that this was the perfect medium for a piece by Rammstein, and the result exceeded my expectations."

Liebe Ist Für Alle Da (album) © Eugenio Recuenco

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Promo "Mutter" (2001), Richard Kruspe and Oliver Riedel — Interview by Sébastien Baert and Olivier Rouhet (Hard Rock #67)

Hard Rock : Following the example of groups like AC / DC or Rage Against The Machine, Rammstein found, with Herzeleid, a kind of musical magic formula, almost definitive. However, you did not remain completely attached to it. Weren't you tempted to do it ?

Richard Kruspe : It's true that there is a Rammstein sound defined by Herzeleid. It is the foundation of our music. But what we want is to evolve while keeping our cachet. We have an artistic approach. Mutter has a very melancholy side... Everyone has the right to form their own opinion. Melancholy ? Why not... I don't think it was a conscious move. For me, Mutter is a very mature album. It is the culmination of six years of experience. It is a very dense record which, it is true, has a chiaroscuro side. We consider it a perfect album.

Oliver Riedel : Perhaps we should recall the history of this album : we started rehearsing the songs near the Baltic Sea, in a very cold environment, in the north of Germany, and then we went to record in the south of France, at Miraval studios. It was spring, it was warm, the atmosphere was very relaxed. So Mutter's chiaroscuro side, hot and cold, may be the result of these changes of location.

HR : There is a real Rammstein paradox : your brutal, violent, aggressive side, and at the same time all this derision, your humor. Can you explain this particular approach ?

Richard Kruspe : It is true that we express many facets of emotions because there are six of us and Rammstein is a democratic group. But we don't make fun of it some of our songs are very serious, poetic and lyrical. I find it normal that as artists we try to cover such a wide spectrum of emotions.

Oliver Riedel: Maybe this paradox stems from our origins. We come from the former GDR, grew up in a totalitarian system, with state structures like the Freie Deutsche Junge, which was compulsory. It is completely paradoxical to baptize an organization in which it was forbidden not to take part. To survive in such a murky environment, it was necessary to develop a little humor !

Rammstein Mutter Tour Edition Band Photos

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Promo « Sehnsucht » (1997), Till Lindemann — Interview by Olivier Rouhet (Hard Rock #28)

Hard Rock : You became the German rock band "nummer eins" with your first album. How do you handle a situation like that ?

Till : Sometimes very well... And sometimes it's very, very strange. Sad. Insulating. I think that's the way it's for all musicians who play an important role in the musical landscape. Sometimes you have this feeling of being lost, of losing your footing at the bottom of a big hole. Your lifestyle changes radically, you live extraordinary things but, despite everything, you can not help but feel lonely, to be sad despite all this success. I am always pressed for time and I no longer have the leisure to take care of my daughter as I should. And there are other things... This morning, while I was in a taxi, I got chased by a guy in an ambulance. He followed me to the rehearsal room to ask for an autograph. It was fun, but very strange.

HR : Are you able to define your audience ?

Till : No. The lyrics of our songs are not typed, they can touch very different people, but it's true that when I look at the audience, the majority is made up of headbangers. The other day we did a signing session in Berlin and the people who showed up were really diverse : guys in suits, police. It's incredible the success we have with the police! (laughs)! Goths, hard rockers, and even punks. And many, many women !

HR : Your image, especially on Herzeleid, is totally out of step with your music. There is a homosexual, soft aesthetic while the music is 100% brutal...

Till : There are always two sides to what we do. I imagine you've seen the visual for Sehnsucht. Well, it's very different from Herzeleid, for example. This is its antithesis. On Sehnsucht appear our faces on which are applied medical instruments, and when you turn the pouch over, you see a beach, with palm trees and a beautiful blue sky. Just like in our songs : there can be very brutal rhythms, an extremely hard scansion and, a few bars later, a very nice verse. We love this opposition on both sides of life : the dark and the clear.

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Promo "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" (2009), Richard Z. Kruspe — Interview by Philip Lageat, 07-09-2009 (Rock Hard #92)

Rock Hard : In the first song on the album, Till (Lindemann / vocals) talks about "collective". Is Rammstein still able to function as a collective or is it just the sum of its individualities ?

Richard Z. Kruspe : In the end, we have to be a collective for Rammstein to work and create. And this, even if - I'm only speaking here for myself - I'm not really a collective player. I have to admit that this notion does not fit well with my personality. However, in order to survive, Rammstein must function as a team. If one of us, no matter who, became the leader of the group, it wouldn't work. And God knows if, each in turn, we tried to take control ! (laughs) Rammstein being more important and bigger than us, we have to rally to the collective, even if we have to force ourselves to do so. Sometimes I realize how stupid these brawls and shouts are. But I think you have to take a sufficient step back to be able to realize this. And we don't always have this hindsight...

RH : When we interviewed Oliver (Riedel / bass) in Paris before the release of Rosenrot, he told us : "I admit, we are washed out. This is the reason why we are considering this prolonged hiatus... Is it still possible that we go on vacation together ? No, I don't think so..."

RZK : As I said, you have to know how to distance yourself and take breaks from time to time. Since our beginnings, we have toured so intensively that it had become essential that each of us breathe a little and recharge our batteries. I needed and wanted to complete my Emigrate project, I had to do something else, to realize that there was something other than Rammstein in this world. It is something quite natural in the end. We must not believe that success has changed us. It is the time we spent together that is responsible. Six guys aren't supposed to spend that many hours with each other, almost 24 hours a day, for that many years. Imagine seeing your best friends every day, invariably, and you'll understand better what I mean. This is undesirable, let alone viable. In the end, you end up not being able to see your comrades in painting !

RH : Paul H. Landers (guitar) recently said in an interview that this new album should cost 60 or 70 euros if its price was proportional to the amount of pain it had generated. Was it that difficult ?

RZK : Each album has been difficult, but the man tends to forget the bad times to keep only the best. Nevertheless, I agree with Paul, this record, from the start, cost us a lot of effort and caused a lot of suffering. I said it in the preamble, the only thing I really waited for was to finish it, to see the end of it. I ended up mocking at the way the album sounded. I even did some things for the sole purpose of having peace.

RH : What is its title ?

RZK : Liebe Ist Für Alle Da ! Until now, we've always named our records after the title of one of their tracks, but that almost didn't happen this time around because no song seemed to sum up the album. For a moment we thought of "Zeit Bereit", which was the working title of "Wiener Blut", but we gave up. So we racked our brains, until I listened to "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" again. At first, I found it a bit predictable, and then, thinking about it, I thought to myself that it could be very spiritual. In my head, I saw a man sexually abusing an animal and this mention above them : "Love for all !". And I said to myself that we had a theme there that was worth remembering : if love is for everyone, then does that mean that we must also love those who do bad things ? Are we really ready to forgive them for their actions ? I found it interesting, especially since, given the heavy side of the record, there was this gap between music and lyrics that I found nice. To me that made sense.

RH : How has the meaning of the word "love" changed for you since Rammstein became successful ?

RZK : In life, either you live a passion, or you seek happiness. The two, in my opinion, are not compatible. Someone who has some artistic success, whether in music or art itself, is never fully happy because he has to create. I sincerely believe that if you want to live and suffer happily, you must not make music. This is only my opinion...

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« Bonus 3 — Rammstein facho ?» (Hard Rock #30)

Rammstein has a lot of fans, but not enough. On the other hand, he has far too many detractors and the first reproach which is addressed to the musicians is completely ridiculous : they are fascists. One-on-one explanation with guitarist Richard Kruspe.

Hard Rock : How do you explain that you were affiliated with the far right ? There is absolutely nothing in your texts that has any nationalist connotation.

Richard : The first reason is that Rammstein is not really classifiable and the journalists are lost. It's not necessarily metal, we are not from the right, we are not from the left, we have no political demands. Journalists therefore found themselves faced with a special case, a group that is not like the others in its attitude, in its music, in its appearance, in its show. In Germany, when we talk about a metal band, it has to correspond to certain clichés : long hair, lyrics in English. We have short hair, we sing in German with a particular pronunciation, our square rigidity on scene : all this made us assimilate to neo-Nazis. It was not a question of words, but of appearance. In Germany, 90% of journalists are male and bad. These people, as well as part of the public, don't want to get into the Rammstein trip and prefer to analyze it through and through. And the only thing this sterile reflection leads to is slander.

HR : You are accused of being Nazis, which is totally unjustified but, on the other hand, your texts deal with pedophilia, incest or necrophilia, in a tendentious way... Why are you not criticized for that ?

Richard : Because Germans have a problem of identity and management of the past. This is why they are obsessed with an imaginary Nazism in Rammstein. When in need of questions, German journalists sometimes ask : « Why are you talking about incest or all these sexual deviations ?» But they don't care and don't go into it. They prefer to give themselves a clear conscience by condemning a so-called Nazi ideology that we do not care about. They don't give a damn about pedophilia, but are very proud to pretend that they are leading a ridiculous political fight. After thirty years, Germans, in order to protect themselves and forget the fifteen years of National Socialism, have set limits not to be exceeded. Unfortunately, these limits stifle creativity. And when some, like us, stand out, we beat them. But, for us, the most honest way to express ourselves is to have developed this concept.

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Promo « Mutter » (2001), Richard Kruspe - Interview by Sébastien Baert, Postdam, 13-01-2001 (Hard Rock #66.6)

Hard Rock : Rammstein's history has been peppered with issues surrounding fascism. When everything was back to normal, you released a music video for the single "Stripped", a cover of Depeche Mode, containing footage of Leni Riefenstahl, a filmmaker known to have worked for the Third Reich. And on Mutter, the track "Links 2-3-4" begins with some rather dubious booting sounds...

Richard : As for the music video for “Stripped”, we used images by Leni Riefenstalh for their aesthetic. These are images of the Olympic Games (Editor's note: those of Berlin in 1936. These images were filmed for the documentary Les Dieux du Stade, a German Nazi propaganda documentary in two parts released in 1938). It is only for aesthetic reasons that we have chosen these images, not for their political side. Regarding “Links 2-3-4”, we wanted to show with this title that we are on the left, “links” meaning left in German. In the song, the text says “my heart is on the left”. It is also a military gimmick: "Left, 2, 3,4, left, 2, 3, 4, etc." With this title, we really wanted to show that we are not on the far right, as some people want to believe, but on the left. Playing heavy music doesn't necessarily mean having right-wing, fascist political views. We also wanted to show that the world is not black or white, that it is more nuanced : having short hair is not necessarily synonymous with skinhead or facho.

Screenshot of Stripped official video

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