#struwwel liveblogs

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Yes please Liveblog that show too when you're in the mood, it's a good one! I even forgot to be bored by the same old popular songs (what I wouldn't give for something rarer like Adios, Morgenstern, LIFAD, bestrafe mich or Spieluhr to come back...) because of all the little fun moments.

Intro/Sonne

Ok! I’ll not do the whole show, maybe? my attention span is shot, but half/half? Maybe I will. Let’s see.

The whole MIG Tour set up is so good, It’s my favorite, it fits them perfectly the entire aesthetic of that olympic/gladiator-ish walk in is just. Ugh. Torchbearer? YES PLEASE!!!

I know he loves the idea of it but Richard is the worst actor in that band, he’s just a bit silly huh. Anyway torches and fire pits make me emotional appearantly.

It’s their best costumes too after Ahoi. Till’s and Oli’s might my favourite of theirs actually. Oh and Paul, looks nice too, second only to 2019.

Flake’s glityery suit is already a classic, and the only one I’m indifferent about is Schneider. Richard had some of his best looks during this era too, but it always strikes me how skinny he looks during that time. I mean there is nothing wrong with it per se, but it looks like it’s with effort, not just because he happened to be skinny you know ... :/ He’s tiny. anyway, good boots so there is that. I actually really dig Sonne as the opener somehow. It’s such a “here we are.”

WIDBIFS

The owling thing Till does during WIDBIFS is sooo ...he’s just really. Nice. You know?

I love how much we just get to watch them in this recording. You know. Observe. Love. God I love that song.

Ooh, Till looked scared/panicky/exhausted there for a sec.

Do you think the tongue thing is a Gene Simmons reference

Keine Lust

The only comment I have to that Oli/Richard moment is “A Wild Richard Appears”, holy shit. Actually let me watch that again, he’s so into it ❤️

Damn. I don’t even know what to say I just want to watch them. They are. Look I don’t know if delightful is appropriate a bear grapping his crotch and that particular version of Richard (that’s the one Flake calls a Rockstar btw), but . They are delightful.

Oh, and Till just confirmed that the “keine Lust vom Schnee zu gehen” is a cocaine reference, like I’ve seen soooo many interpretations of this and they are all really noce and cute but kids, it’s about drugs.

I love the person who filmed this, thank you.

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Allright so I am liveblogging this Berlin 2019.

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So I feel like treating myself and since I haven’t done that yet I’m gonna liveblg Rammstein Paris. Don’t know yet if I’ll make it through the entire thing as I might be too tired but I will give my best.

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Stripped Making Of (not so) Liveblog, actually more of an aimless ramble

Ah the stripped video. One of my absolute favorites.The one I could say so much about and at the same time am so exhausted by even thinking about it ...

But basically this is why I don’t trust Philipp Stölzl. Because I honestly don’t buy that he couldn’t explain to them how controversial Leni Riefenstahl Material would be. I do buy that they were fairly unfamiliar, lots of people were and still are, and especially with their background, I think they genuinely might have not understood. But him? I mean in order to even think of that material he had to have known. And like, that means he is either way too comfortable with her proximity to the NSDAP, or he genuinely kind of just assumed that they knew what they were letting themselves in for. And that’s assuming a pretty arrogant position to be honest. I know he initially wanted to refilm all that but I genuinly don’t think that if he had explained to them more in-depth what this means that they would have still used it. Not with them always being so upset at being seen as right wing. @msgwendolenfairfax recently said something like that he’s jerking off to his own intellectualism, and ever since I do believe it’s mostly that, that he just assumed this “it’s an aesthetic choice, not a political one” position which I am very much on board with in principle, but in practice was letting the band walk into open fire imo. I mean I looked, and he has a clean reputation otherwise, so I do believe it must have been that. Which - giving him the benefit of a doubt - could have just been because he comes from a very intellectual (theatrical) background, that’s what he does nowadays, so it could have been genuine mistake, —- kind of expecting more from the audience than it could deliver, but really? A mistake that big? Why, Philip? It’s entirely possible that I read wayyyyy way too much into it, but like, I have seen people fired for a lot less in this country and I am just so suspicious.

All that being said, that video IS brilliant aesthetically, and anyone who wants to dispute Riefenstahls accomplishments because of it’s evil purposes completely misses the point to be honest. Some of these shots are filmed in a way that would be rare and astonishing even today. My grandmother was only a couple of years younger than her and one of the two first female students at the Munich School for Photography, and she was accused weekly of being too stupid for a camera. That’s the time we are talking about. She might have been a dirty opportunitist, but how much can you really blame her. Can you imagine saying no to these opportunities as a woman, with a camera, during that time? Honestly? People give Albert Speer more slack than her and it’s. Suspicious, let’s leave it at that.

Back to the actual making of, I should update on how my Depeche Mode exploration is going perhaps. I love those “works for everyone” acts, I mean how many of these are there even? What is comparable from later on? Gorillaz? Wu Tang Clan? Billie Eilish?

Richard being a smiling fan boy makes me squeal internally. I am making horcruxing a verb, because him hiding liking pop music is basically me hiding my Eminem records and my classical CDs from my punk friends and I start to be convinced he just flung a bit of his soul around he accidentally splintered off during the chaos of reunification and I had to catch it like the idiot I am.

God, them trying so hard to do it justice makes my heart so full. Schneider is so genuine, and look at Richard smiling, he’s so into that challenge I ... moving on, ok.

I think the stripped ... down to the bone might have been so hard for Till because it covers quite a big range from beginning to end of the line, and he doesn’t normally do that. Like it would be a fluid change from where his voice needs to sit in the beginning to where it sits in the end of it? Because in principle he should be able to hit it I think ...

Yeah see, they didn’t think about the consequences. But they should have and I genuinly do not understand why noone stepped in and made them.

I love how unwilling to compromise Paul is here. I mean I 100% agree with him, and to be honest I don’t think they should have decided against using it, it’s just that they seemed to have been so unaware of what they are using that makes me pause.

See I actully like how Stölzl explains this here. If you take those images on their own and recontextualize it, there is nothing wrong about it whatsover. And doing just that is an art historical constant. It’s just difficult because most people aren’t art historians and can’t sort their instincts away from objectivity. It’s a weird mix of simultaneously knowing too much and too little that makes cases like this so difficult.

See that’s the thing, yes there were (and are) alot of debates about the “who are we and how are we gonna deal with this legacy” thing, but just blindly starting that experiment slightly puts the answer before the question, or? And again, if this would have been a conscious decision of everyone involved I am all for it and I agree, but it just seriously seemed like that wasn’t the case? Or alternatively if he just stumbled over rolls of film and used it, that would’ve been fine too.

The aesthetic commonalities of Nazi Germany and the Warsaw Pact countries could send me into a whole other tangent but I’m gonna shut up about it other than “YES”, because I’m not actually knowledgeable enough about it.

God, I feel so sad for them for that fallout. :(

Yeah, Richard’s right. It is a pity that knowing that fallout going in, you wouldn’t make that video. So maybe it is a good thing in a way that it happened that way, because it is an aesthetic masterpiece, that otherwise would not exist. The ideal state would be when we could make a video like that, fully knowing what it means, and still being able to do it because the majority of people would understand how semiotics work, but I mean utopia isn’t real so.

God honestly ... that conflict of aesthetics and their emotional impact vs their history can fill dissertations (and already does), and it’s truly one of those things our society needs to learn to give people the individual freedom to draw those lines in the sand for themselves. It honestly goes both ways, people say “it’s not like the nazis” because it doesn’t wear neat uniforms but dirty shirts and red caps, and they say it causes school shootings even tho school shootings are caused by bullying and the music we listen to has probably helped more bully victim survive and stay sane than anything, and it’s all part of a huge “I think I understand something based on what it looks like and use that as a quick escape from actually making the effort to understand what it is” delusion.

Yeah see, Stölzl referencing the darkness and crossing of limits - he KNEW what he was doing. He completely derails his own argument, first he says those images are only negative if you know what they came from like it’s two completely seperate things and then he goes “yeah the darkness was needed” ... the darkness you only know if you know where it comes from ... ? What’s it gonna be Philip? I mean I can follow both arguments but like, using both simultaneously seems a bit ... hmm.

Aww Schneider and Paul being proud boys, look at them. It’s funny how Paul “I want to fling shit in everybody’s face” Landers actually gets quite flustered when people he likes love his stuff, no? He reacts the most impressed with the Lost Highway thing aswell, it’s really quite endearing.

I think I rambled on without conclusion even worse than usual but in fairness it’s a very complex issue. TL;DR: I wish they would have made that video knowing what they let themselves in for, because I do think it would have made the fallout easier to bear and I wish that hadn’t happened to them. Does that make sense? At some point very far into the future I will want to write an actual essay about this but we can jot this down as initial brainstorm before you jump on me with arguments I missed, ok! (Seriously tho, please discuss this with me I need arguments that aren’t my own to sharpen my opinion)

https://youtu.be/mImuguOghRM

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Sonne Making of Liveblog

Before I liked Rammstein I somehow always blended the Rosenrot and the Sonne Video into one thing, I don’t know why, I know it makes no sense, but I still have thise weird memory of that Rosenrot/Sonne mashup in my head, like there is another Rammstein video out there that I can’t watch anymore and it’s a little upsetting.

“Dit hat gar nich gepasst und dit fandn wer dann ganz gut”

- Paul “Abosulte Chaos” Landers at his best, I mean don’t you just love him.

The way Till negates Americas influence on the album with that heartbreaker smile before she even stops talking and Flakes “I hope not” melt my heart. Flake, you hammer and sickle swinging commie, I love you so much.

Schneider is a full on bastard in this and I don’t know how I feel about that.

You know they are all like “the Mutter drama never happened” in this and it’s very questionable, but with Flake I genuinly can’t tell if he’s just bullshitting or of he just kinda checked out and went intentionally oblivious.

Olli talking is nice and he actually stutters a bit?! Very cute.

@theelliottsmiths Till does indeed say Glück auf. If I’m not totally mistaken that’s an old traditional miners greating. I’m not from a mining area and noone here says that but I think so?

Richard is very awkward in this entire segment and I don’t know why, idk but he doesn’t seem like himself? That sing-songing speaking he does there is weird.

I really think alot about how they’re quite a bit older than the average music success story, and how it must play such a role in them making all of this work? The calm Schneider has there, like no, we can’t stress about this is such a 30+ thing, I’m serious, and being young is so overrated.

Oh interesting, they did 16 fps for this. It’s like the opposite of that things where you speed up the sound and then slow down the picture to make it look smooth, and that makes so much sense for dwarfish miner scenes? Now I must watch the video again.

Oh wow. I haven’t watched this for some time and god, it’s baby Joern, I love him!!!

Ok, so I have a massive pet peeve with this video and it’s this: Snow White’s dress. So they put all that effort into the set design, make the dwarves miners which is perfect, Joern is all obsessed with Lord of the Rings level details (it was that time when that movie wrote new standards for historic and fantastic movies), and they just put her ... in that?! It looks like a cheap thing you can buy for carneval and is too Disney and. You have an entire world of beautiful traditional livery to draw upon and you put her in that? What about the snow white drawings by Arthur Rakham for exemple?! There’s just so much better things to draw from than that horrible disney version.

Speaking of Lord of the Rings, the most frequent sentence (probably) used by Tolkien scholars is “suspension of disbelief” which means that the world building is done in a way that is believable because it’s so consistent. Think the Witcher saying Fuck and you wondering if they said that in medieval times (they did, but I digress). You don’t want those moments. You want to stay in the story, and the way the Snow White costume just lacks in quality and detail compared to the dwarves is just. Very bad. Sorry, baby Joern. I still love you.

It’s astonishing to me how Paul just spends several decades laughing about jokes about his size. They still do it, like in Radio. You are a better man than me Paul, because I got tired of those 15 years ago.

They’re all intoxicated or? I can’t forget the story about how they slept there, went to the airport afterwards to fly to ... was it Australia?! and ruined the plane seats with the remaining soot make up. Nasty Punks, all of them, can I marry them please.

I have no comment on the Flake bit. Sorry.

Ok, so is the rumor that the boxer was one of the Klitschkos valid or was that just a rumor because it’s the only boxers germans know?!

Till is so adorable in this, it’s unreal.

Paul and numbers is worth an entire RANT, it makes him such an unreliable narrator.

I agree that it’s the perfect story for the song, which makes me even sadder they went for the disney version looks wise. It’s just. Blasphemy.

It’s such an interesting reading of that entire story, I need to ask my mum about other interpretations, or how that is usually interpreted (she’s a fairytale nerd).

Paul 🙄 I roll my eyes at him, because the way he is here just. It’s just what he’s like but he can honestly drive peace and wuiet loving people up the wall, can’t he.

Paul, you know why you are getting spanked and that innocent act is not going to save you my darling.

Safety concerned Till is so, so, so lovable I just want to hug him and tell him to go back to his kleptomania, it’s all gonna work out love.

Joern has watched the LOTR making of as many times as I have, I can just tell.

Another Jackson movie thing: They used to let Barrie Osborne, the LOTR producer from New Line Cinema’s side play with a camera and asked him to shoot some scenes and the making of so he wouldn’t get in the way of the new zealanders, and occupying Paul with the making of team reminds me of that, good strategy.

“Werkzeugausgabe Lindemann” - something tells me that’s the story of his life.

Ugh. I admire Joerns patience. It does not have to be logical, the mood just has to be right, damn it let the man do his job.

Him saying “Rasselbande” is the most apt and perfect description of this band ever. Rasselstein. Love it. You could losely translate that with something like “little rascal gang” - but it’s not really translatable other than with something you call a bunch of rowdy kids.

Ok so that Rich’s thing is songwriting isn’t news but I am surprised Till says he likes recording, I would have assumed it’s a high pressure situation for him, but then again, “he likes to work hard”, so.

Same about Olli. Introversion personified likes to stand infront of too many people, ok.

Or maybe it’s just the thing Flake describes, so he just got out if the studio and is sick of it, that makes a lot of sense actually.

God Richard in this segment is just. He breaks my heart, he cares so much about it.

I wonder if they were so positive at this point because they got through this album and thought they learned alot, but if I’m not totally mistaken there were still so much tension on the tour that followed that and it just. Makes me sad they didn’t see it coming, glad they’re still here ...

Look at them laughing their asses off!!

Oh no, a Paul metaphor. It’s a thing right, they’re simultaneously really bad and very genius.

God Richard. 🥺 please don’t be that way?Same, ok. Big, fat same.

20 years, damn. And they’re still here.

Ende gut, alles gut. (He’s so cute.)

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Ich Will Making Of Liveblog

Ah, the perfection. Top 3 of all Rammstein videos for me, I love this video so damn much, I can’t put it in words. Perfect story, perfect cinematography, perfect design, and don’t they all just look flawless?!! I mean they literally don’t but. Till and Richard coming out of that bus haunt me, Paul twirling elegantly and evily haunts me, Flake’s hair haunts me, Schneider’s eye?!!!! Mohawk Olli?! What the hell?!

Being part of a gang is this deep unfulfilled childhood dream of mine that I could still cry about not coming true, I am so stupidly jealous of them.

I also want to shoot a sniper rifle. I mean I am pro extreme gun control, the arms industries are actual evil, etc. etc. but I still

really want to shoot a sniper rifle, ok. You never know when you’re gonna need that shit.

You know, I start to think that the Mutter drama didn’t actually happen so much consciously during the recording, but after, when everyone was holding grudges about maybe unfilled wishes for that album? I mean it seems to come to head on the tour that followed it more than anything, because in the Sonne making of they were still so positive and here aswell.

I often wonder how especially Richard feels about that Album being the “crisis album” when he clearly is so proud of it at least here? That’s so sad, no? That something so artistically great becomes this carrier of ... idk, I’m gonna say bad vibes although that is very much not eloquent. I mean it objectively is their best album, or? I’d love to ask them all how they feel about it today.

I mean yes, a huge part of it is the make up, but god they do seem tired or is that just me. I mean, they must be jet lagged.

Oli talking is so delightful.

The whole “it’s just theory” on record from Schneider is so weird to me, like it’s actually not?

The “playing for that one person” thing is one of my if not the favorite Paul quotes. It just warms my heart and makes me feel so appreciated as a fan.

The never ending “crowds are better in southamerica” yes ok how about yiu just ban phones oh wait this was before phones blahhh

Till acknowledging that communicating with the audience is actually touching also warms my heart very much. Stay as you are friend, and do it without giving boring speaches, yes, yum!

“My ear”

God they were a bit snobby huh (in a cute way), “des wär mir n bisschen zu doof ehrlich gesagt” Yes, but fuuun

The whole Du Hast part 2 is so real, I couldn’t tell those two songs apart for years, also shit up about how good they look Anna

Richard being cute about wanting to be gangster though let me have that yes

The tragic thing about this video and the whole violence thing is that this was released a few weeks before 9/11 and then it was banned afterwards because it was considered tone deaf with the terrorist/body bomb thing. The same thing happend to Juli and that Die Perfekte Welle song after the Tsunami, and 8 get it but meh, not their fault maybe.

Also, does anyone else relate so hard to the “we don’t know what the audiebce will react negatively to, the things we think are bad are tine and small thinks drives them crazy?” Because yes, like how are people offended by one thing and not by another and why does it follow zero logical pattern it’s so stupid.

Oh Richard. “The music is enough.” Yes, yes it is honey, the rest is just the cherry.

The kid reanacting the helicopter in front of the TV is the most brilliant underrated fact about this video.

Hazardous communication mode, I love him so much.

I mean what they are essentially saying is it’s one huge provocation right? Because fame/attention through provocation is actually so interesting. I started researching this some time ago because I do wonder why people like to provoke, and the thing is, it’s poweplay. Provoking someone means controlling their emotions, and the people most likely to want to provoke are people that have had no emotional power over someone in the oast. That sounds super negative, but it’s just typically people who nobody cared for. If you’re sad, someone is supposed to react to that. If you’re angry someone is supposed to care about that. If you’re happy someone is supposed to share it with you. Provocation is the tool with which neglected children take their power back and there is something very satisfactory about that. Gaslight me? How about I offend the fuck out of you as revenge?

Which makes it interesting because I think when Rammstein say “we’re not out to provoke” what they mean is “we’re not out to do harm” because I am 99% certain they get a kick out of the right people being mad at times.

But yeah, the misunderstanding must hurt too.

Contradicting? Idk, my brain makes no sense.

Whenever the whole “disfigurement used to imply evil” thing comes up I have this Tyrion Lannister quote in my head “there’s a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things” or something like that because yea - no real context but yeah.

God that video really is so good.

“Mal sehen wer sich erschreckt” - exactly, because who gets scared probably says more about the person getting scared of it than the people making the art.

I feel like there is a lot more to unravel about this video than it seems like, and non of this was coherrent, sorry, that’s why it’s called liveblog.

https://youtu.be/ofBrBeYVCAA

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Paris Liveblog part II

Bück Dich

Everyone knows I’m a big supporter of the woo machine right?

Support more awkward people doing embarassing things

Look at him 🥺

Ok this is my favorite part, I promise the rest if this willbe more intelectual.

I feel like i’m the only person on Planet Rammstein that the puppy thing does absolutely nothing for, but this is very nice musically and I appreciate the theatrics and the effort and all that.

Something I dislike about the B-stage is the drum sound, I don’t buy they couldn’t have done that better so it’s choice? Which ok. I live the synthy effect on the guitar and I can never figure out which one of them it is.

I’m supposed to think about different things here right? Sorry. Sex is nice but have you ever talked about music with your friends for 3 hours

Mann Gegen Mann

I loooove those mirror effects it’s really nothing new or groundbreaking but they are so fitting and pretty. Right, this is the very pretty show, huh ...

I love how even through this it feels like we’re closer to them on the B-stage. And they get to interact and it’s just really neat like this. The 2019 B stage is too big, I mean that thing is bigger than any club band’s stage. There is a picture somewhere floating around of Paul and I think Schneider inside Nachtleben in 1995 or so, and Nachtleben is a living room basically and then I have to think that once upon a time Rammstein was a band that used to play in dingy, living room sized clubs, and it makes me really emotional picturing it.

I always think I am meh about this song musically until that bridge hits and the “Mich interessiert kein Gleichgewicht” after and I go “ohhhhh”

Ohne Dich

I don’t really do regrets, but if I ask for one piece of going back in time I would like to be put back and front row to the B stage on this tour and see them play this song live. That’s all.

I just ... yeah I have to pause this for a second. This might be my favorite professionally recorded rendition of this song. I mean, it’s nothing in compared to the song in the original version and when I first heard it, but Till’s more trained voice here is so resonant and it’s ... live music is a feedback loop, you know? I mean this song means incredibly much to most of those people there I would gather, and no matter how tired they cpuld be of playing it, they will respond to it and I doubt itcould ever leave them cold so they have to play it in that atmosphere of a hall full genuinly moved people and It will impact how they play it and it just ... it amplifies. You know? And I think it shows. Also I really, really, really miss live music.

I mean that they play that and afyerwatds leave the stage aswell ... I 🥺

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Du Hast Making of Liveblog.

That hut. It makes me think of the Ohne Dich single cover although I don’t think it’s the same?

Rammstein Mafia looks so cool and genuinly intimidating, like I definatly wouldn’t wnat yo get in their way.

I’m trying to do this by the order they have this in their youtube playlist but I kinda feel I should have done Stripped before this so I can rant about why I still find Philip Stölzl suspicious, also am I the only one?!! Anyone else, or are all of you saving the creeped out by the director energies for Zoki ...

I mean the things he says aren’t wrong but ...

The camera man is really nice though. I sympathise with the “horrible pop music” bit ...

What Richard says makes no sense. Like it’s literally always “no I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life with you, fuck that” and he talks about family and loyalty and like. Why is he like that.

Digressing: Stölzl being too obsessed with the manly man thing here is one of those cringe things I have with him, although I also read alot into it precisely because I don’t like it. But as a sidenot to that, I kind of wish the whole band of brothers thing wasn’t quite as dismissed and disminished as it tends to be today. I read alot of war reports, things like Helmet for my Pillow or War poetry from WWI because it comforts me. Weird maybe, but I think it’s this thing about how humans find hope in hopeless places. And what always strikes me is that deep, brotherhood connection of these men, because seriously ask yourself: who would you die for?! And they died for each other frequently. And it’s men’s stories, because no government ever sent a bunch of 18 old girls to land into a hale of bullets with expected 90% casualties. I just wish those stories wouldn’t be so dismissed under the guise of calling it toxic masculinity, because while the stories of how they got there might be drenched in that, the way they survived there isn’t, and I don’t know, this is very off topic but it always makes me really sad, and I like that Rammstein make me think about these things.

I love how Schneider says they started over completely, I really felt that. Normalize starting over at 30 or older.

Please make him go away.

When were these interviews filmed? Was this a very early version of they arent actually like that?

Again what he says isnt wrong but ...

At least hes very good at what he does. Mainly does opera stage design these days I think. So yeah, visuals on point

Schneider pretending like he didn’t underestimate Till in the beginning himself lol

Till is so pretty and soft spoken in these early interviews, he’s absolutely stunning and adorable.

Ah fire. A mysterious energy indeed. Did you ever think about how even the word transfers huge intense emotion? Mein Herz brennt. I fell into a burning ring of fire and it burns burns burns ...

Actually it’s weird I like Rammstein as much as I do because I was never a fan of big stage antics before, I like minimal ...

Back to fire, because some of you have been requesting more stories, I set a hotel room on fire with absinth once, and am generally too little scared of it and once almost let a new years rocket go off under a canopy of ancient trees.

Honestly though, a walking person on fire is the most chilling thing (not literally (sorry)).

I had no idea Rammstein and Volksbühne go back this long, and in this way but I love it and the actress is indeed wonderful and much more convincing than some of the models they have in their videos.

Yeah I mean that video is one of their best.

https://youtu.be/jCMOKHTh7Q8

[struwwelzeter]

Engel Making Of Liveblog

Ah, I like what they did with that colouring of the interview here, to match it to the video.

Why haven’t they done that with more?

Schneider sometimes has those moment where he just sounds soooo soft spoken and normal and like ... it would be fine, but then you know he plays drums in Rammstein and it’s like no way are you this boring boy next door and the contradiction is so big it gets uncanny. Who the hell are you.

Re: them finding an artistic direction for their videos: There is something so special I think about the Sehnsucht videos. Maybe it’s because the productions still aren’t that big that makes them a bit more original than anything that comes after imo. (With the possible exceptions of Keine Lust and Amerika). This is why I think people don’t need huge budgets. Just take what you have, think about what really interests you, and then achieve that with what you have.

From Dusk til Dawn is one of those movies that have such a special place in my heart, because it’s one of the first movies I ever watched that kind of got me interested in movie making away from the cinema cycle I knew, and I definatly get those vibes from Engel, but at the same time it’s their own thing and I love that.

I don’t like Philp Stölzl. Sorry. I’m blaming him for not protecting them from the Stripped fiasco and I’m suspicious and just - weird vibes.

Schneider: “wuunderschöne Atmosphere”, like he’s talking about some fine dining establishment

Till: “kleiner, geiler SM club.” *deadpans*

... Ok.

I remember finding those children really creepy when I was young. Now I just can’t unsee how ther singing doesn’t quite fit and looks kinda badly synced xD

Ok, so I don’t like him, but the comparison to the expressionists is actually interesting and worth a second look. I’m not quite sure if I completely agree, I think they’re more contemporary (well, because they are duh), less subjective and instead more subversive than the expressionists were, but it’s still an interesting observation and one I think I’ll look into more. I don’t actually know enough about expressionism (mainly cause I’m not a fan) to form an opinion, but something to ask my mum about. Sorry, thinking out loud and talking to myself - moving on.

Why do I get the feeling Richard’s “meh” about being asked about the Snake lady? Just because he looks away?

Paul is considerbly more excited.

What is wrong with Schneider in this is what I wanna know. I can genuinly can’t tell if he is awkward on Flakes behalf or just awkward.

Speaking of which, I am Flake. God popr guy. I would have been scared shitless.

Till really gets a kick out of it all doesn’t he.

Ok, but that bit where Schneider talks about Paul and his unfulfilled dictator dreams is actually so endearing. Like you can just tell how he talks about him like a beloved but often exhausting family member, and it’s just ... so full of love and I’m 🥺

Ok, I get what they are saying about the split of the band, and I think today one would certainly shoot it that way, but I think it adds to the slightly surreal atmosphere? Idk, it feels a bit claustrophobic that way, and I mean that in a good way. Like yeah, it feels “klemmig” but I like that?

Artists hurting their hands is my nightmare and just ... ouch. Yes, you can totally interrupt a shoot to avoid grabbing into a nail you absolute dumbass.

How many big ass security wrestlers called Hermann the German are there? I have a feeling lots? Are they all the same? Inhave questions ... I just feel like I hear of one all the time?!

And yet another exemple of Rammstein being nice to some of the footfolk creators. You know, I have a feeling part of why they are so good with that is that they have an instinct for who actually has the ideas. There is alot of agency bosses selling of their interns fresh ideas as their own in this business, and I have a feeling they really pay attention and don’t let themselves be bullshitted like that anymore. Hence the recognition actually goes to the people that do the work, not a middle man, and because all we ever do is want the recognition we deserve evryone loves them for it. It could be so easy if more people were like that.

https://youtu.be/F8RzeoE6-bs

[struwwelzeter]

Seeman Making of Liveblog

I think the first introduction into anything »subculture« was that my best friend in school desperatley wanted to look like the girl in the Seemann video and it started their entire goth ... I wanted to write phase, but it wasn’t a phase, so. I think this must have been around the time Mutter came out and there was MtV masters and everything and they started to play all these old Rammstein videos on ViVA, and we always had a vhs recorder ready start and tape them at their house?! We were like, 12, they had a mad crush on Till and I guess that was one way to get his attention?! I didn’t really get it, I had a crush on Ville Valo 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway that is very funny to me, very nostalgic, moving on. I guess the record company was right, marketable enough to turn 12 year olds into people wearing black lipstick and fishnets, I dont know if that was intentional or not but it kinda worked.

Jever is a really great beer, but I digress.

I actually really like the director. I kinda feel I’m getting where he’s going with this and it does make sense to me. I know it’s because for a long time because of the way it was introduced to me this was quintessential Rammstein to me, but I remember seeing this the first time and going - what do you mean you didn’t like this??! 🥺 but ... that is how you look??!!

God the things I would do to be able to be present at that set and witness a collective Rammstein freak out. This is another one of those perfect Fanfi setting things, I wonder why there isn’t anything on it so far?

The absolute devastation in Paul when he says “he just cut off our hair” - I ... he’s actually pouting for gods sake.

I love how Till and Paul individually remember Richard standing out somehow but disagreeing on the reason. I guess that means he did just stand out that day in some way? Maybe he made a fuss? It’s for purely selfish reasons but I just want to witness a Richard control freak meltdown so bad. I completely sympathize, it’s awful, but I just want to know how gets when he’s not controlling/rationalising himself as much as he tends to do in interviews. Plus, perfect excuse to give him a hug (nevermind he’s not gonna want hugs)

Till being like “I liked the outfit” - of course you did you big child. He eems by far the smartest one in all of these, tho. Speaks calmly, remembers everything (or at least pretends he does), lots of clarity.

Schneider doing the “we were young and needed the money” thing kills me. This must be their most hilarious making of surely?!!

God Richard is so pretty.

Richard: *is still kinda pissed* I didn’t under stand it.

Till: *teacher voice* *offers textbook literary analysis on how to understand the video*

Something I love about Flake is how he just does the stuff that they need but everyone else is to embarrassed to do. Especially after reading his books it really feels like he’s so in service of the band? Of course he’s gonna do the job if necessary, why wouldn’t he?! I wonder how many times he had to do the dishes because noone else did poor guy.

The way Paul goes if I could I’d just like to take 4 people because it looks good makes me think of his signature Gibson interview where he goes I just wanted it to look good, i don’t need the knob and my brain just goes NO PAUL YOU CAN’t KICK PEOPLE OUT OF THE BAND TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD THAT IS NOT HOW LIFE WORKS even tho he never even said that. Little shithead.

See, Schneider is with me. There is alot of stuff in that video that is very Rammstein. They just don’t know what is good for them.

https://youtu.be/fH4cZ_BA27E

[struwwelzeter]

DRSG ‘98 Making Of Liveblog

I don’t like this video. It’s a cringy cliché fantasy story with bad cgi I and I know it was probably not that bad back then but actually kind of impressive but I can’t unsee it. Richard wears a red dress though, so.

Hearing Till quote ad lines (“Für das beste im Mann” is a Gillette razor ad) always amuses me. Mainly because I’m like ... you really got out of planned economy in your late 20s and just ... learned all this shit on the fly, huh. I sometimes wonder if people who grew up under the Warsaw pact still feel alienated by all that shit. I do, and I just grew up on what basically was a wannabe hippie commune.

Is it really necessary to yell that much around those dogs?

I start to feel like being Paul Landers just entails living with perpetual disappointment. “They cut off our hair. The set up in Engel was stupid. I wanted Hyenas, but we got wolves, and then they’re not even real wolves. Too many bandmembers to look good on pictures. They only gave me 11 prototypes. *pouts*”

Richard and the word quasi make him sound very incompetent but I feel this is one of the few times where he actually 100% understands what the script is about, minus Ohne Dich (see Rosenrot, Haifisch, Seemann...)

I miss his bushy eyebrows they are cute.

Flake is very pretty in all of this.

I forget this is the 90s. Like, I kind of remember colored contact lenses as something that you can’t buy at any corner, but also, like, what do you mean it’s not a regular thing, every scene girl on myspace has those lol (I feel old.)

Schneider IS the best actor in the band. He has that intensity about him and a general focus that reminds me of someone like Rupert Friend (whom I love). Does a lot with very little, and that’s why it’s so successful. Maybe that’s why he baffles me so much, he slips in and out of roles so easily that I don’t know who he is.

I wonder if maybe he took along time figuring that out himself?

Has anyone ever commented on how Till says “man” instead of “Ich” alot? That’s like saying “one does x” instead of “i/we do x” and like ... why the disconnect? It’s like it’s that only way he can open up, by removing it from himself, which - I do too but it’s sad.

The whole kissing thing embarasses me and is cringy and I won’t comment on it beyond the fact that I absolutely hate, hate, hate theater make up because it makes me break out like crazy and smells bad (Musical class in school, don’t ask), and the thought of kissing anyone with that kinda make up on his like, 90% of why this makes me cringe so bad.

That sped up old style dancing bit is the only redeeming quality of this video (and the dress of course.)

I can kind of see how concept wise this video is Richard’s thing. I wonder how he feels about it today. I mean I’d like it if it was done well but meh ... I just wish it was more lost boys and less twilight does that make sense.

You know I’ll be the first to say that baby Richard was alot of trouble but he was also 31 one in this and clearly questioning himself and like ... maybe I’m a judgmental ass.

We all agree the red dress is very, very, very pretty, correct?! Can we please repeat that somehow?

I never noticed the “6 people walk out of the frame” thing, is that actually true? Do I have to rewatch everything to check or is Paul just bullshitting me.

Yeah no, still don’t like the video.

[struwwelzeter]

Links 234 Making of Liveblog

I don’t quite understand why so many seem to dislike this video. Is it Zoran? Do you dislike bugs that much? Are you worried about the bugs? Is it the CGI from 20 years ago? What is it? Please let me know, I’m genuinely curious.

I adore this video. I think it makes perfect sense conceptually. Ants are such a nasty working class species, they do seem militant, and I think it just hits the nail on the head. The way they eat the big bugs, like they dothe whole organise and stage a rebllion thing, and yeah it’s slightly cliche but also so cool?! It’s the stripped aesthetic without the problems and without the beauty, that’s all. Do you think it’s weird I see it that way? It’s so ... yes, please let the grimy assembly line worker be powerful, thank you!! I love that.

I dislike Zoran as a person, but you can’t argue that he has vision sometimes?! I mean I think sometimes he doesn’t nail it, but he did nail it with Links, and with Mein Teil and with Steh Auf.

Ok, if they actually did that video in a month that is logistically fucking insane and I physically feel the pain of anyone who works to deadlines like that. All hail the nightshift pixel movers, forever connected by a bloodstream full of red bull and broken relationships, sorry but yes, the world WILL end if we don’t finnish in time. I suddenly love every soul working on this.

Yeah so artistically speaking every word Zoran says makes perfect sense to me, I just wish he wasn’t so self indulgent about it.

“The next Rammstein video has to be something funny and postive.” - next video is Mein Teil.

Ah, yeah but that existential angst in that room, what if this doesn’t work out, what if they don’t like it, etc. I feel a bind you guys. I dislike the way he says “what if they don’t pay us” - because I’m biased two ways, both because Rammstein has a pretty stellar reputation when it comes to paying the people working for them (but it’s possible that wasn’t as known back then) but also because it’s again one of those things that kind of wound my pride in the work we provide, like really? It seems ... unprofessional. Not so much because distrusting clients isn’t normal, but more because - don’t put yourself in a position where you have to be scared like that, make them pay a part up front, get your contracts checked, etc. This is such a problem for the entire industry that too many of us work this way, don’t pull the level down like that it’s ruining it for all of us. Creative work is still work and valuable as fuck, treat it as such, please.

I would love to be a fly on the wall on the “how long is a bar” discussion (the subtitles are bad, that’s what they discussed appearantly, not the beat). If Schneider really thought that was a bar ... I feel bad because honey you’re wrong and Paul is right. But there must be something lost on the way because I can not imagine him being that wrong, I’m sure they were discussing parts rather than actual bars?

Client: I need to see.

Creative: It’s not finnished.

Client: But I need to see because I don’t give a shit about your expertise and am worried I won’t get anything good for how much I underpay you.

Creative: Fine, but bear in mind it will look still look miles away from what we have agreed. You will have to use your imagination.

Client: it doesn’t look like you told me it would look. Please change everything.

Creative: ok, but that will cost extra.

Client: Fuck you, I’m not paying you extra.

Creative: then I’ll just finnish what we planned.

Client, later: Now it looks perfect! Why didn’t it look that way right in the beginning.

...

.... afsrrjskaldhdksldkdbskskdkf!!1!!!!

Honestly considering that this is a (relatively) low budget production from almost 20 years ago, the animation is pretty solid, alot nicer than Benzin actually because they covered up the technical shortcomings with the styling.

Mongolian sword fighters and Rammstein as noone has ever seen them - Mein Teil and Steh Auf have been coming for a long while.

So yeah, I mean, Zoran is whiny and selfimportant as usual and I dislike that but the video does turn out lovely and I feel a huge kinship to the people working on it. I’m really curious to hear more thoughts on this, because there seems to be little around other than “don’t like it” - ok, but why?

https://youtu.be/raiegv5AVEM

https://youtu.be/Ph-CA_tu5KA

[struwwelzeter]

Rammstein (the Song), Making of Liveblog

You know how in especially early videos they’re always sidetracking/not answering or even denying how Rammstein is inspired by the flight show disaster? And here goes Christoph, band Mum, and just goes «yeah so we imagined how this song was written» and like - ok so you just destroyed 20 years of carefully crafted mystery because you’re trying to be ... a good boy?! It makes me laugh so hard. It’s too late for decency Schneider, sorry.

Does somebody else find it slightly funny that Paul «I’m not gonna respect anyone and wreck havoc all the time» Landers seems to be the most genuinly in awe of being in a Lynch Movie out of them?

The fact that they just straight up went «ask David Lynch» is one of my favorite things about the history of the band. The irreverence! It’s so brilliant and so important, because honestly, why wouldn’t you ask David Lynch?! Guy is just human like the rest of us. None of it is insulting to him and if he doesn’t want to he can say no? The idea that someone is too important/grande to even be subjected to something new and unknown is frankly disgusting. Asking isn’t demanding. And I love that they just did that, even if it was as Richard says it’s just navity that initially made them do that. (Which - cute. Little east boys discovering the wide wide world?!)

Richard starting sentences only to realise that for that to make sense he has to elaborate something else and then getting lost in bilingual chaos while figuring out how to tell things in the right order is the absolute sweetes thing in the world and probably my favorite thing about him.

Honestly, cross editing an entire movie and full gig into 4.25 mins is fucking tough and that editor did so well!

I don’t understand why the Director says that Techno «obviously» doesn’t suit Rammstein? Uhm, my guy wasn’t that the entire point of the whole Ministry era, that people moved between Metal and Techno all the time? The Crowds were crossing over back then. I don’t understand, because without that Rammstein might not even exist? Weird Statement. That they were supposedly baffled too, kinda feel like there’s more to the story?!

The way Rammstein is to this day controversial in germany and less so outside of it is ... ah I don’t wanna open that can of compex worms right now, but I always get the impression that they are genuinly dissappointed about it and it makes me really sad for them.

Oh right it was for revenge reasons, that makes sense. My bad.

Richard being all «Yeah I didn’t understand the movie but it was cool» is such a mood, of course it works like that huh. Emotional little hipster boy, all’s well as long as the aesthetic is :)

Ok so maybe Paul was a little awed.

https://youtu.be/eTeC-CwF0nQ

[struwwelzeter]

Du Riechst So Gut ‘95 Making Of liveblog

First of all, longhaired, gentlelooking, soft spoken and cute Schneider is so confusing to me. I always go “come on, you’re a bit of a bastard” in my head. He’s so ... deceptive?! Uncanny valley material. He IS super pretty though.

So is Richard. God he speaks so adorably 🥺

On a side note, the week I was born, Nothing Compares to You topped the charts in germany, so all of those “what the things that happened in the week you were born say about you” style things have hijacked my brain, and now I think because they copied that video that way it’s “mine”. Dumb, I know.

The way they admit they had to learn stuff is so ... hnnnghhh I love them? It’s so encouraging. I mean they feel like an unlikely success story, so it’s always a bit ... well ok that’s Rammstein, but actually? It didn’t happen overnight, did. The Stadium Tour was decades in the making. It’s good to remember that. There is still time.

I can imagine them being hilarious on set. This entire thing is such a good fanfic setting. Can you imagine them? A bunch of dumb little nerds playing at being oiled up supermen? Till being nervous, and if you look closely Richard is always a second away from absolutely losing it. It’s really adorable, actually. I can’t believe anyone ever got offended by that video, it’s absolutely hilarious.

Schneider cringing at their younger, idiot selves is so adorable, he actually sells the cutie there.

This is a bit of a tangent, but in my Hometown stands a Hammering Man, a 21 m kinetoc memorial to the workers. And that moment when Till (I think) kind of hits his palm with his elbow always makes me think of him. We used to drive under there once a week when I was little and I was always super impressed/scared of that thing. It suits this so well with the whole socialism sports aesthetics too, weird how this meta stuff works.

In all honesty, I kinda wish they would have executed that entire idea of that video better, because I happen to love that socialist/brutalist aesthetic that they were I think somewhat going for. Kinda like the Riefenstahl thing only not - you know, made by a Nazi. It’s not the Aesthetic’s fault for heaven’s sake. It should still look gay, but can it look good too?

Argh, I love them. I love them for openly saying yeah the harassment fucking sucked, because let’s face it, alot of provocative bands do the “we like pissing people off” and I’m like, ok but why? I mean yeah, I do get it of course, provocation is taking back emotional power, but you’re really gonna tell me it doesn’t also fucking hurt?! Come on ...

I guess part of it is that they say they never wanted to provoke/were naive and just not censoring themselves, but they also say the opposite (“this is what it took in the west”) and anyway I’m rambling.

I always wanted to go all out inufferable know it on Till for being wrong about those glasses because my Dad owned a pair of those and used them for welding and I would have sworn that’s what they were there for, but I pausd and actually researched and ok they were actually used to drive motobikes in the rain, sorry I won’t question you again my dear.

Till seems the most at ease in this interview setting out of all the one’s he’s ever given and I love that, he should do that more often.

I love how they all can’t remember and I’m wondering if I am as confused about things that happend 15+ years back and the answer is probably yes.

English pronouncation sneaking into it when Richard says “große” I feel you, reall bilingual pain ...

“Ein videomäßigeres Video” - classic Paul

I genuinly will never understand what everyone saw in that song to make 2 videos for it?! I mean there is Asche zu Asche on the same record??!!!!

One of the things that stood out for me in the Feeling B book is how all those people go like “yeah Paul brought me this tape of his new band Rammstein and I thought that was such bullshit” and what Schneider says about everyone disliking the video kinda feels like that? I mean it’s probably a bad video for much of the same reason early Rammstein anything was bad-ish? They really did all that ...

https://youtu.be/ustPUH8239A