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herrlindemann · 2 years

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Metal Hammer - January 1999

Cynics that we are, let's find someone to blame right away. Rammstein, yes, they started it all. If it weren't for this sextet, we'd still be basking in snappy rock ballads of the Bon Jovi and Others brand. Harmless, nice, no corner, no edge. Until then Rammstein stabbed daggers into the white flesh, feeding us with a steady pounding rhythm and snippets of text that we could repeat. It all started modestly in 1995 — supporting act for Projekt Pitchfork, not exactly a rewarding job, but the burning Till and the pieces that came in stuck. Two months later Rammstein played their own club tour. These gigs were still equipped with sparse fireworks, but the attendees became ardent followers.

Already the first single, ‘Du riechst so gut’, was sold as a limited, fragrant digipack, so Motor Music also believed in its new child. With every gig HERZELEID climbed the charts, '96 were still considered a surprise. Their line was provocative, song lines could be interpreted, gave rise to speculation, said everything and nothing. Barely a year later they produced their second record SEHNSUCHT in Malta. But it remained under lock and key until August. In the nine months the debut album could not be gotten off the charts, and no record company in the world would have pushed the next album after that. Rather, the final breakthrough on a large scale was celebrated with the pre-single 'Engel'. In every gas station the people were exposed to it. The new songs were already heard on sold-out tours, but the fans had to wait a long time until the longing was so great that the album of the same name immediately entered the charts at number 1. With the courage of the successful, they dared to do even more critical and offensive lyrics on the successor.

'Bück dich' has become every second man's favourite, largely because it's a great song to shout out with your drunk brothers and grin meaningfully. More precarious were taboo subjects such as ‘Tier’ (incest) - and the decisive factor again was the language. Because despite the encryption, one understands a volume with German lyrics, and concludes that the named band takes a much clearer stand than others who carve euphonious English titles. And thus calls the feuilleton and reputable magazines onto the scene, which take on the Rammstein phenomenon. At times it seemed as if the rock band's intellectual explorations were based on the fact that fire is on stage and fire connotes 'hell'. In any case, the band was dragged through countless articles, so as early as '97 they were allowed to watch as they were called 'German national'.

'Watch' — that is perhaps the key word. Because Rammstein don't fight back. They turn their backs when they get the whip. Like recently when they were attacked in England for using Riefenstahl imagery in their 'Stripped' video. In a nutshell, the record company explained that it was purely about aesthetics, not about the political context. Nevertheless, one could only welcome a discussion, an examination of the topic of the Third Reich. But something like that can also backfire, as happened in the case of the band Weissglut, which actually started brilliantly. With their album ETWAS KOMMT IN DEINE WELT something came into them, namely the criticism of the news magazine 'Der Spiegel' that singer Josef Klumb was a Nazi who was known to observers of the right-wing scene. In fact, Klumb has spoken out about being an "intolerant anti-fascists" and has also criticized Zionism, which, however, does not go hand in hand with a general hostility towards Jews. Josef Klumb likes artists of the Third Reich and German culture per se, which, in turn, is not to be equated with a love of Hitler (”One can have a positive attitude towards Germany and precisely because of that don't like Hitler.”). The singer's very peculiar way of expressing himself - he often speaks of an “elite��, for example - also contributed/contributes to the irritation. Weissglut keyboardist Bernhard Klumb, Josef's brother, sees this article as "character assassination". Since then, Weissglut has been trying to get a counterstatement in Der Spiegel, and there may also be a court case.

Harsh words were also spoken within the band, after all the band is now being pushed into a corner where they don't see themselves. Bernhard isn't afraid that his fuses will blow because he sees white-hot being treated unfairly. “It's part of our job to deal with it now. We don't see it as a super promo either, I would have preferred a different one. It's not nice to have to justify yourself in front of distant acquaintances who suddenly contact you again. There's also another point: If we're a right-wing band now, that might attract fascists to our concerts, people we don't have anything to do with. And then maybe there will be trouble with them...” Being misunderstood can also be the basis of success. As has been the case with Onkelz for many years. The band hasn't heard any malicious things like "Turks out" for twelve years. But to this day, Weidner & Co. have the image of ghetto children, which annoys many people. They also remain (or especially) questionable when they go straight to number one in the charts with VIVA LOS TIOZ - and every young person identifies with that: "Whatever I do, it's wrong.” Critics do not allow Onkelz, which is expected of every prisoner, to learn from their mistakes and to rehabilitate themselves. The band tries to do that with their biography and in every interview in which they are asked about it. The fact that xenophobia is a sensitive topic in Germany (and of course not only here) goes without saying due to the past - explicitly: the Third Reich. This raises the question of whether our greatest export item Rammstein with almost 1.1 million sold SEHNSUCHT -albums abroad would do well to mix Riefenstahl images into their video and thus represent a German band in the world. The band that says “Provocation yes, political content no”, but still plays with that symbolism and brings the martial to market. Bernhard Klumb sees it this way at Rammstein: “There are mechanisms to sell records. You don't have to make more of it. Nobody denies that some visitors march at Rammstein concerts. Is it therefore justified, because of German history, to be confronted with the fact that you roll the R and sound like a German general to some ears?”

The situation is completely different with Joachim Witt, not only because he is enthusiastic about his audience on the recent tour, since it was a “more intellectual selection, thoughtful people who are a little more informed than the cut. In addition, there were of course people from the Dark Wave area. I found it pleasant that the chav and bawl faction was not predominant. However, the right-wing fringe group was by no means dominant at the Rammstein gigs that I attended. Rammstein have a wide audience. When you reach a certain dimension with your sales, you have to be prepared for anything,” Witt clarifies.

Reports that a right-wing attitude prevails “do the band wrong,” according to Witt. “Everything you accuse Rammstein of contradicts the band if you know them. Till has certain ideas that he realizes, that's all. I myself am more political than Rammstein. Maybe they should be more specific, but it's up to you whether you want to do that or not. I speak out clearly against accusations that have been made against me personally. I see myself as a radical humanist and therefore don't really fit into a grid. I am a typical non-party, but feel more attached to the left-wing trend. I think that the change of government is a step forward, but I wish those responsible had more courage and a certain willingness to take risks in order to bring things into balance in the interests of humanity and justice.” Musicians could also be people who make a difference. “A political position is certainly not for everyone. But it is a way of influencing. You can also screw up some groups of buyers, which is why many don't do it. Personally, I'm not on stage to do politics either, but I have my position.”

And Witt also applies this energetically when it comes to the attacks against the 'Stripped' video of his colleagues: "The English always have something to say. There are certainly more fascists in England than in Germany, but that's no excuse. The English should better shut up. The way they deal with German music, the arrogant insular behavior... Until the European musical idea has been liberalized, I find any comment superfluous. As far as the Riefenstahl video itself is concerned, it is about aesthetic recordings, but they are detached from the image and placed in a political environment, which of course imposes itself. There might also be a degree of flirtatiousness in playing with these things, but it's definitely a clear taste positioning - I like things like that too. Riefenstahl certainly took place in this environment (the Third Reich), but I think that art has to be seen in a different context than the political one. People who have what it takes to do something special, be it artistic or in other areas, have to come to terms with it. Otherwise the only way is to turn your back on the country.”

Rammstein did so last year, if only for career reasons. SEHNSUCHT went gold in the US in 1998 after touring with KMFDM, Korn and others. An album with German lyrics. "Americans like things that are mentally German," Witt explains. Perhaps more logical than the fact that the USA was waiting for a right-wing export article from Germany. He himself will soon be playing two showcases there as well.

“Here in Germany you are almost forced to deny your mentality. If you don't offer Anglo-American music, there's something wrong with you. Something is really wrong here. I am shaped by certain things in my environment. And that's German because I grew up here. I have no reason to work against my mentality because it suits some people better in their 'pc' thinking, but I find that the German mentality is too easily confused with what happened in the Third Reich, and one has to be very careful there. Some journalists jump into arbitration or play inquisition, and I find that presumptuous. At the moment they are working with the same means of exclusion that they denounce in the right-wing extremists, they have to be clear about that. They should do their research before spouting any garbage. There are various articles accusing me of such tendencies, but no one spoke to me. On the other hand, I recently had a very long and interesting conversation with the Taz. I give the paper credit for that, because this newspaper in particular would be an organ that could help to fill the gap in ‘Der Witt ist ein Rechtser’. But they didn't allow themselves to be influenced by other writers. And you have to give everyone you write about a chance, not spread prejudices.”

What is certain is that since Rammstein, national bands have been relatively more successful than in the past. “Is there a stronger national consciousness?” is a question that can be asked. "Possibly," says the man in his mid-forties, who was able to sell 670,000 singles with the 'flood'. “In the sense that is meant by that, I myself have no national consciousness; I am only committed to my roots. That doesn't mean I can't live in other countries. But the denser the information network is worldwide, the more people turn to regional things, there is a need for proximity and one's own culture. But that's the way it is worldwide and not specific to Germany. I would like that too, because it has been pathological and distorted so far.”

And in contrast to the "Neue Deutsche Welle", which Witt experienced with hits like "Goldener Reiter" in the 80s, he doesn't believe that German music is only temporarily popular this time. “One shouldn't underestimate the fact that German-language pop music played an important role in the former GDR. I think this has benefited the German music scene immensely.” However, he can only make fun of the term “Teutonic”: “What does that mean? I only know the Teutoburg Forest”, he pushes back the question. In the end he concludes: "It's all about freely admitting one's own mentality without putting it above another's.”

So everyone, whether in front of or on stage, will have to decide for themselves in the future where to draw the line between music and politics. Think for yourself whether he feels comfortable at an Onkelz concert, for example. And anyone who goes to a Frankfurt concert as an 18-year-old because they are, as the reasoning is often heard, “simply a great band” should not be labeled as right-wing in Germany 1998, just as little as a flat rate for the 888,000 SEHNSUCHT buyers applies. And above all, when intellectualizing a topic that still belongs in the entertainment category, care should be taken not to mix too many different German bands into one stew. Because they are mostly brown in color.

#Rammstein #Weissglut #Josef Klumb #Till Lindemann #Paul Landers #Flake #Richard Kruspe #Christoph Schneider #Oliver Riedel #translation #interview #*scans #*#1999

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