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Rammstein guitarist. In the best traditions of German 'heavy' music

The German band Rammstein for 22 years of existence has become one of the most famous bands in the world. Even if you have never seen provocative performances Rammstein, then you probably heard their songs more than once and you know the name of the vocalist Till Lindemann.

The German rocker arrived in Moscow to present a collection of his own poems called “In a Quiet Night. Lyrics". This is Till's first book published in Russia, it contains previously unpublished works of the rocker in the original, their translation into Russian and provocative illustrations by his friend, the artist Matthias Mattis.

On the eve of the presentation of the book, Till met with a journalist from AiF.ru and spoke about his work.

Photo: Eksmo Publishing House

“In Germany, writers of the past are of little interest to anyone”

Elena Yakovleva, AiF.ru: This is your first visit to Russia as a poet. How do you think your book will meet the Russian reader?

Till Lindemann: Russia and Russian culture can probably be compared with Bulgarian culture, they have many common features. Just recently I was in Bulgaria (in the city of Sofia we filmed materials for our Lindemann project). So, there are a lot of little shops where they sell books, and people read them everywhere: in banks, in parks, on the street. I think that in Russia the situation looks similar. As far as I know, they still like to read here, which means that my book will be read as well.

Literature and books have a different status here than in Germany. Young people in Russia still know and read those writers who belong to the golden fund of national literature: Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Tolstoy. In Germany, to be honest, the writers of the past are of little interest to anyone.

— Have you yourself read Dostoevsky, Tolstoy in the original? It is known that you know a little Russian.

- No, unfortunately, I didn’t read anything in the original in Russian. In Russian, I know mostly swear words, and my friends are always happy when I say this kind of expression (laughs).

Publishing house "Eksmo"

— By the way, about swearing: the Russian publishers of your book warn that the collection contains obscene language and is intended for readers over 18 years old. Is your work impossible without obscene language? Why don't you avoid these phrases, replace them with more literary expressions?

- I do not replace, because it is hardly possible to express the same strong emotion in other words. Strong swearing exists to express strong emotions.

Plus, maybe it's such a childishness in my character. Like at school, when the teacher tells you: "You shouldn't do this." And you disobeyed and get a buzz from it.

— Your father wrote good fairy tales for children. Have you ever wanted to write a children's book?

— In fact, I have already written a book for children and even drew illustrations for it, but it is not yet clear when it will be published. Sorry, but I have to watch my reputation (laughs).

By the way, my children's book also turned out to be "evil". Its main character is my grandson Fritz. Every poem in it is dedicated to him. It all starts like this: "Dear Fritz, take my hand." Then we go to the zoo with him, ride the railroad, fly the plane... At the zoo, for example, we watch how lions devour someone, the plane crashes, trains collide on the railroad, and so on. But nothing happens to us: we get out of any situations alive and healthy.

Thus, I become a big hero for little Fritz, because I help him avoid bad consequences.

— Yes, an unusual children's book ... Have you already read it to your grandson?

Yes, and he was a bit shocked (laughs).

Publishing house "Eksmo"

— It turns out that you already have two poetry collections (the first of them, called "The Knife", was not published in Russia— ed.) and a children's book. Do you have anything else in your plans?

— Yes, perhaps in 2018 there will be a collection of short stories. But we are still discussing it with the publisher.

— Is there a difference for you between writing a poem and writing lyrics for a song?

“Writing poetry is something that is free from any kind of corset. As for writing lyrics for songs, you need to take into account a lot of different factors: you need to pay attention to the structure, to the rhythm, to the musical mood. Writing lyrics for a song is like a tailor making a suit. Each song lyrics is written for specific music. And in ordinary verses there is more freedom: put on swimming trunks and went.

You write lyrics for songs that you yourself perform. But I know that you don't like to read your poems out loud. Why?

- Singing your own lyrics is also not always easy, but there I have the support of the group behind me, we are together. And here you are standing alone, people are in front of you ... This is really like a nightmare for me.

I am looking forward to tonight with great interest, when my poems will be read by artists on the stage of the Gogol Center Theater. I'm very curious to see how they do it because I can't imagine how I would do it. I saw a video on the Internet, in which one of the actors reads my poem. He does it fantastically. You can see both passion and work with your hands… I can't do that.

“My father would be happy for me, but not without envy”

- I wonder what you think about the Nobel Prize in Literature, recently awarded to Bob Dylan for "creating new poetic expressions in the great American song tradition." To be honest, many in Russia were surprised by this decision, and not everyone considers it fair.

My feelings are also mixed. I don’t know how it is in Russian, but in German “Nobel” is even a separate word that means something that is head and shoulders above everything else: nobler, better, etc. It is clear that both the life and work of Bob Dylan are important cultural events. But on the other hand, literally this year a writer like Umberto Eco died, and this is a completely different scale. Again, for me personally. If it's a decision about who to give the Nobel Prize in Literature to, I would probably mention Eco. But we live in strange times when a real estate broker becomes an American president...

— Do you yourself count on the recognition of your literary work?

“In general, I don’t care. The best prize for me is that the entire circulation of my new book is sold out. Something more pleasant about the book is difficult to find. And as for the prizes, you get them, put them on the shelf, they gather dust there - that's it.

Publishing house "Eksmo"

- By the way, do you think your father, a recognized writer, would be pleased if he read the book “In a Quiet Night. Lyrics"?

— I often think about it. I think he would be happy for me, but not without envy (laughs).

— And, of course, the inevitable question: what is Rammstein doing now, what are the plans?

- Now we are working in the studio, recording a new record. I think that if everything goes without problems, then in the fall of 2017 we will be able to present a new album. And if there are any delays, then in the spring of 2018. This spring we will go on tour and, by the way, we will come here again, to Russia.

He is also Cholet (a nickname from the time of wrestling), he is also Sven (a middle name, like all Germans instead of a patronymic), he is also Fuchs (Fox is a nickname he personally invented). He was born on June 24, 1967 in an area called Witenburg, but Schwerin also considers his hometown. He lived in a fairly large family, which consisted of two more sisters and one brother. According to tradition, one day the parents divorced, and the mother - what? That's right, remarried. Richard's stepfather was an extremely nasty type and even went to traumatize the child's psyche by tearing up the poster of the Kiss group, which Richard literally raved about, like all of America as a whole. Most likely, out of resentment and out of a desire to take revenge, Richard began to play sports, gaining weight and authority. Weight gained in wrestling competitions, where Richard became the champion. Until now, this gentleman skimps on the former competitions. Therefore, now you can hear something like: "I can't lift it, I (listing almost all the vertebrae) are knocked out." At the same time, Richard peacefully worked as a cashier at a glass container collection point, and to this day he has a degree as a qualified chef. By the way, it is he who cooks donuts, because of which Till got his nickname. They say you can always find something to eat in Richard's car. The authority was typed in the musical plan. In 1988, Kruspe moved to Berlin with nothing to his name. He lived in a small house on Linerstrasse, making music throughout his free time. The history of the turmoil would be incomplete if we did not continue to consider the marriage and family ups and downs. The story is dark and confusing, like Santa Barbara. In the early 90s, Richard had a certain group that created and recorded several test tracks in English. Perhaps, due to his exorbitant attraction to music, his girlfriend, who played the role of his wife, left him. Richard is survived by a daughter - Kira Li Lindemann (she can be seen on LaB during the song Tier), who is now 12 years old. The confusion in the surnames is explained by the fact that the mother is Till's ex-wife, who did not want to change the surname of her former spouse, and also did not want to become Richard's legal wife. After mourning for some (long) time, Richard gathered his courage and married an American woman, Karen Bernstein, adding her surname to his own. Outraged fan minds interpret this in different ways, agreeing that it was a marriage of convenience, and also to protect the group from accusations of Nazism. The wedding was held according to Jewish custom. Rumors are backed up by the facts that Karen lives in New York, and Richard lives in Berlin, practically in the same house with the group's producer. In general, not everything is as beautiful as described in "Bravo" from '99.
After cooing in Berlin, in 1993 Richard decided that he needed to create his own group and first of all rushed to Schwerin, where everything had once begun. At the cost of joint persuasion, Till was dragged to Berlin, where all the other future classmates hung out. But so far, three have gone to America: Till, Olli and Richard. Realizing that the American industry was not for them, the musicians returned. By the way, before these winding Richard was seen in the group "Orgasm Death Gimmick". In general, Richard can be credited with the sole glory of the initiator of the creation Rammstein like groups. But a lot of water flowed under the bridge before the lead guitarist found a common language with everyone else, in particular, with the restless Paul.
From special signs and hobbies, you can scrape something interesting. First, the pierced right ear. Secondly, temporary tattoos that take place in the fighting past. In the same time period, he was the owner of a hairstyle that Till aptly described: "He was cut short in front, and at the back he had a long ponytail with white stripes - in general, he resembled a striped squirrel." During 10 years of being in Rammstein Richard managed as many as two whole times: from uncut strands to everyone's favorite mad hedgehog. Color ranged from naturally dark to silvery blue to black with red tips. The eyes are standard blue, likes to scare others with Marilyn Manson lenses. Height is 180 cm, the weight gained (along with authority) is already approaching 90 kg. Richard learned English by the Schneider method. In addition, the secretive lead guitarist, it turns out, has a certain weakness for the Russian language, but he carefully hides it, apparently fearing that he, too, will be forced to talk about "kvass and pirozhki". The song "Engel" can also be attributed to personal merit. And to the disadvantages - a terrible fear of large audiences. And this man plays in a band that travels all over the world! And most importantly, he plays well.
As a way to calm my nerves, I bought three cars at one time. "Volkswagen Bora" 2002 onwards dark blue, "Porsche" 2000 onwards bottle color. And, finally, "Rextor" 2003 black.

Now I am listening to the new album of one of the most beloved Industrial bands - Rammstein - "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" (2009) double! Very Luxurious and melodic album! Sounds great on my Macintosh and Accuton speakers! I am completely delighted with this latest work of theirs, everything is very tasty and gothic! They just make you take a "pen" and write a post!
Rammstein Fan Movie (Watch if u like Rammstein)

This is the cover of the new 2009 album!


I'll start with stories and biographies, the source is the Internet, Wikipedia. I collect information about them with great pleasure - photos, songs and videos. This is the first part of this musical post, theoretical, talking about the group and getting to know the photo!

Recent events, information about the new album!

After a break of four years, in 2009 it became known that the group was recording a new album. On September 18, the first single from the new album, Pussy, was released, which included two new songs: Pussy and Rammlied, as well as a video for the song Pussy. The new album itself, titled "Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da" (Russian: "There is love for everyone in the world!"), was released on October 16th.

The video clip for the song Pussy became, perhaps, the most scandalous in the history of Rammstein. In its final part, there are porn inserts showing real sexual acts with the participation (involuntary pun) of all members of the group. The video was banned from showing and removed from most of the network resources intended for the free uploading of videos.

About the band name Rammstein

The group's name translates as "Ram Stone", i.e. a concrete block used in Germany to separate the sidewalk from the roadway. Many critics tried to connect the name of the group with the accident at the Rammstein airbase - the song "Rammstein" is dedicated to this tragedy. But the name of the air base is written with one letter "M", and the name of the group - with two. According to the members of the sextet themselves, they thought for a long time how to name the group, until one of them said the word "Rammstein". In their opinion, this word sounds quite powerful and harsh, therefore it matches the style of their music and singing.

First successes. Herzeleid, Sehnuscht.

Rammstein was founded in 1994 in Berlin by guitarist Richard Kruspe. He started his musical career in West Germany in the group "Orgasm Death Gimmick", having escaped from the GDR in 1989. After the reunification of Germany, he returned to his homeland in the city of Schwerin. Kruspe, a fan of Kiss, was looking for opportunities to combine his favorite hard rock with the electronic sound of industrial. During this time, he met Oliver Riedel (bass guitar) and Christoph Schneider (drums), later with Till Lindemann, who played in various punk rock bands.

In this composition, they organized the Rammstein group. Lindemann, who previously played drums (First Arsch), took the place of the soloist, he also owns the lyrics performed by the group. All members of the group are from the former German Democratic Republic, in particular East Berlin and Schwerin. On February 19, 1994, Rammstein, with the songs Das alte Leid, Seemann, Weißes Fleisch and Rammstein, the four of them won the competition for young bands in Berlin, gaining the right to record in a professional studio. A year later, second guitarist Paul Landers joined the band, and then keyboardist Christian Lorenz, who played in the punk band Feeling B.

Rammstein was noticed by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, who recommended two of their songs for the soundtrack to David Lynch's Lost Highway thriller. This brought the group additional fame. In 1995, in support of the album, Rammstein toured Europe as the opening act for Clawfinger. At Rammstein concerts, they showed bright pyrotechnic shows. In 1997, Rammstein performed for the first time on the TV channel

MTV.

In the same year, a new single "Engel" was released, for which a video was shot and which was very successful. It is followed by the band's second album, "Sehnsucht", which goes almost immediately to platinum status. By the end of 1997, the off-album single "Das Modell" was released with a cover version of the Kraftwerk song of the same name.

The group enjoys great success both in Germany and abroad. Several Rammstein singles reached the top ten in Germany.

World fame. Mutter.

For several years, fans have been waiting for the band's next studio effort. Such a long break gave rise to many different rumors, mainly about the breakup of the group. However, in 2000, Rammstein entered the studio to record a new album.
In 2001, the third studio album called "Mutter" was finally released, becoming one of the best and most unusual works of the group. Soon a tour was organized in support of him, after which the number of Rammstein fans increased greatly.

Later the singles "Ich Will", "Mutter", "Feuer Frei!" and video clips for them.
In 2003, on the tenth anniversary of their existence, Rammstein released the DVD "Lichtspielhaus" with a complete collection of clips and several live recordings in good quality.

subsequent albums. Reise, Reise; rosenrot.

In early 2004, reliable information appeared about the imminent release of a new album. A few months later, the single "Mein Teil" was released.
And, finally, in early autumn, the fourth album was released, called "Reise, Reise", which was very different from the style of the group's previous albums, which, however, did not prevent it from becoming platinum.

The album was immediately accompanied by a tour, after which the new single from the album, "Ohne Dich", was released.
At the beginning of 2005, a tour followed with the Apocalyptica group, after which the single "Keine Lust" and a video for it were released. In September, a video was released and then the single "Benzin", the song of the same name from which will be included on the next, fifth album of the group. The following month, the album itself is released, called "Rosenrot", which contained 7 old tracks that were not included in the last album, and four completely new compositions.
The single "Rosenrot" followed in December.
In 2006, a live DVD of the Volkerball band was released, planned for 2004, but released later. The disc received mostly positive reviews.

Music

Rammstein's style of music, which the musicians themselves jokingly dubbed "dance metal", is predominantly industrial metal in the spirit of Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Heaviness). However, he mixes elements of both electronic industrial and alternative metal, and other genres.

Texts

Rammstein's lyrics cover a wide range of topics. Many of them are defiant and provocative. The band often deals with society (Amerika, Links), sex and perversion (Mein Teil, Mann gegen Mann, Bück dich, Pussy), violence, but also love lyrics (Ohne dich, Wo bist du, Amour).

Almost all of Rammstein's lyrics are written in German. The texts constantly contain puns based on different meanings or consonance of certain German words. For example, Links means both "left" and "left" (two-three-four), Los - "come on" or "without", Mann gegen Mann - like "man against man" or "man on man".

The band members themselves believe that their music sounds only along with German texts. However, the band has several songs in other languages ​​as well. For example, the English versions of the songs "Du hast" and "Engel". In addition, a number of cover versions are performed in English (Stripped - Depeche Mode; Pet Semetery - Ramones). Also, the unofficial album "Kein Engel" (2007), created by listeners, included the song "Calm" by the Russian group "Aria", performed by Rammstein in Russian.


Image

Fireworks and military style are constant attributes of Rammstein concerts

Already at the beginning of the existence of the group, the media of some countries, and primarily German, often accused the musicians of right-wing radical tendencies. The reason for this was the Rammstein show, designed in the style of the aesthetics of the Third Reich, lyrics, the meaning of which can be interpreted in two ways, the prevailing theme of violence and brutality. For this reason, several concerts in Poland and the Czech Republic were cancelled.
Criticism intensified after the video clip for the single "Stripped" was filmed in 1998, using fragments of Leni Riefenstahl's documentary "Olympia" (films about the XI Summer Olympic Games 1936 in Berlin). Even though some clips were removed from the clip, accusations against the group about the spread of "fascist" views and the idealization of the "National Socialist" aesthetics continued. On television, it was forbidden to show this clip before 22 pm. Later, Lindemann admitted that with this provocation they crossed the border, and this will not happen again.

The group came under "crossfire" of criticism and accusations of "solidarity with National Socialism" in 1999 after the Columbine Massacre. As it turned out during the investigation, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were fans of Rammstein.

In 2001, to ward off the incessant accusations and clearly show their political positions, the group released the song "Links 2 3 4". According to Christian Lorenz, Till Lindemann wrote the song to dispel prejudice against Rammstein.
They want my heart to be right.
But I just need to lower my eyes.
It hits on the left.
Left!

With these words, they wanted to show that the political views of people are not important to them, the main thing is that the people themselves be good. However, groups of the Neue Deutsche Härte movement have been criticized by left-wing anti-fascist organizations for thoughtlessly using various kinds of images from the time of Nazi Germany; this was especially true of the Rammstein group, "heroicizing in their performances the cult of athletic bodies, fire, muscles and drumming." At the same time, on the part of the right-wing extremist scene, in the face of the newspaper of the National Democratic Party of Germany (usually referred to in the media as “neo-Nazi”), the reaction was exactly the opposite

Cover versions

Rammstein performing "Ohne dich" with Apocalyptica, live in Milan, February 24, 2005

Rammstein has performed songs by other bands on numerous occasions:

The Kraftwerk song "Das Model" was recorded in 1997 as a separate single.
A single was released for the Depeche Mode song "Stripped" in 1998 and a video clip was shot using fragments of Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia documentaries.
Ramones - "Pet Sematary" (by the way, Stephen King's favorite band, who wrote this composition "Pet Sematary" in gratitude to the Master for mentioning it in his works), recorded together with the Swedish band Clawfinger during the Mutter tour, was included on the single "Ich will".
Aria - "Calm". The single "Schtiel" with a cover version of the song was released in 2003 by Richard Kruspe and Till Lindemann in honor of the Harley Davidson 100th Anniversary event. Since this record was not agreed with the record label Universal Records, the disc was classified as pirated and banned from mass publication.
Among other things, the last song at the concert in St. Petersburg (2001) was "The Song of Anxious Youth" (music by Alexandra Pakhmutova, lyrics by Lev Oshanin), performed by the group in Russian.

In turn, Rammstein songs became the object of cover versions of other bands:
The Finnish rock cello quartet Apocalyptica recorded an instrumental version of Seemann's song, as well as a version of this song with vocalist Nina Hagen, for which a video clip was shot.
The song Zwitter was re-recorded by the Russian band Rossomahaar
The song Du Hast was re-recorded by Boni's parody group NEM for the album "Comic

Couplets»

The Russian group Search translated, adapted and performed the song Sonne in Russian.
The song Weisses Fleich was re-recorded by the German death metal band Debauchery.
The song Engel was re-recorded by the German band Gregorian
A few more cover versions included in the tribute album Battery.

Compound

Till Lindemann - vocals
Richard Z. "Fuchs" Kruspe - lead guitar
Christian "Flake" Lorenz - keyboards
Paul Landers - rhythm guitar
Oliver "Lars" Riedel - bass guitar
Christoph "Doom" Schneider - drums

Discography

Studio albums
Herzeleid, Motor Music, September 14, 1995
Sehnsucht, Motor Music, August 22, 1997
Mutter, Motor Music, March 4, 2001
Reise, Reise, Motor Music, September 27, 2004
Rosenrot, Motor Music, October 28, 2005
Liebe ist für alle da, Motor Music, October 16, 2009
Collections
Original Single Collection, June 19, 1998

Singles
Du riechst so gut, August 17, 1995
Seemann, January 2, 1996
Engel, April 1, 1997
Engel, Fan-Edition, May 23, 1997
Du hast, July 21, 1997
Das Modell, November 21, 1997
Du riechst so gut "98, May 25, 1998
Stripped August 11, 1998
Asche zu Asche, January 15, 2001


Sonne, February 12, 2001
Links 2 3 4, 14 May 2001
Ich will, September 10, 2001
Mutter, March 25, 2002
Ich will UK, 13 May 2002
Feuer frei!, October 14, 2002
Feuer frei! UK, November 13, 2002
Mein Teil, July 26, 2004
America, September 13, 2004
Ohne dich, November 22, 2004

Keine Lust February 28, 2005
October 7, 2005
Rosenrot, December 16, 2005
Manngegen Mann, March 3, 2006
Mann gegen Mann UK, 2006
Pussy, September 18, 2009
Video
Video clips

The group has twenty video clips on its account, most of which are staged games with a coherent plot. Among the clips there are infamous ones that show violence or nudity, there are also several ironic clips.

In chronological order:
Du riechst so gut (You smell so good)
Seemann (Sailor)
Rammstein (Rammstein)
Engel (Angel)
Du hast (You have)
Das Modell (Model) - was not officially released because the band didn't like it
Stripped (Nude)
Du riechst so gut'98 (You smell so good)


Sonne (Sun)
Links 2 3 4 (Left 2 3 4)
Ich will (I want)
Mutter (Mom)
Feuer frei! (Open fire!)
Mein Teil (Part of me)

Amerika (America)
Ohne dich (Without you)
Keine Lust (No desire)
Benzin (Petrol)
Rosenrot
Mann gegen Mann (Man against man / Man on man)
Pussy (Pussy / Vagina)


Notes:
Yulia Stepanova plays Snow White in the Sonne video. In some parts of the clip, where Snow White is standing over the band members, he is a very tall basketball player, and the girl's face and hands were superimposed using a computer.
The "Du Hast" video features a GAZ-21 model car and was filmed at a former Soviet military airfield.
The clip "Keine Lust" was filmed in two versions. In one variation, the girls fire a flamethrower. One of the girls is dressed in a fire-resistant cloak, in which Till usually sang the song "Rammstein".
The clip "Mein Teil" also has 2 options: with and without an angelic blowjob.


Official DVDs
Live aus Berlin, November 29, 1999
Lichtspielhaus, December 1, 2003
Völkerball, November 17, 2006
Soundtracks
1996 - "Lost Highway" - Rammstein (Edit) & Heirate Mich (Edit)
1997 - "Mortal Kombat Annihilation" - Engel
1997 - "Wing Commander Prophecy" (game) - Eifersucht
1999 - "The Matrix" - Du Hast
2002 - "Resident Evil" - Hallelujah

2002 - XXX - Feuer frei!

2002 - La Sirene Rouge - Sonne
2002 - Lilja 4-Ever - Mein Herz brennt
2002 - Fear Dot Com - Sonne
2002 - Achtung! Wir kommen - live recordings
2004 - "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" - Mein Teil
parties
Saalfeld (Silver Party, Berlin), December 31, 1994
Schtiel (Harley Party, Moscow), August 30, 2003

Poems

In 2003, Till released a collection of his poems called "Messer". The concept of the collection is the same as that of the texts for the group - but Till draws a clear line between individual and collective creativity. Initially, the book was published in two editions, but in small editions. However, the interest in the collection was such that later the circulation was repeated, but only in the most expensive version.

Especially for this book, a photo session was held, where the author of the book appears in the form of a mannequin. The photographs were taken by Gert Hof and Jens Rotzsch.
Interesting Facts

A fan of the group, French astronomer Jean-Claude Merlin, discovered a minor planet in the asteroid belt in 2001. Asteroid #110393 was named "Rammstein" from him, after the band

If you ask any person what he associates with Germany, then the answer of the majority will be simple: one will say that this is Oktoberfest, another will cite national German cuisine as an example, and the third will definitely name the Rammstein band, whose frontman is Till Lindemann. Indeed, after all, this metal band formed a semblance of German culture: Ramstein appeared in 1994 and still surprises fans with new albums.


The group's vocalist Till is an interesting and multifaceted personality who combines the image of a brutal and daring man with an expressive disposition and the character of a kind family man who adores his children and grandchildren.

Childhood and youth



The frontman of the popular German band was born on January 4, 1963 in the territory of the former German Democratic Republic in the city of Leipzig. The zodiac sign under which the future metal star was born is Capricorn. Till spent his childhood in the village of Wendisch-Rambow, which is located in East Germany (Schwerin).

Lindemann's mother and father were creative people: Brigitte painted pictures and wrote books, and Father Werner was a famous children's poet, after whom a school in the city of Rostock was even named. Till also has a sister who is 5 years younger than her brother. His father collected a rich library, so from an early age Lindemann got acquainted with the works of Mikhail Sholokhov, Leo Tolstoy, Till especially liked the literary works of Chingiz Aitmatov.

Interestingly, the mother of the future singer loved the songs of Vladimir Vysotsky. There were many records in the house with musical works by the Soviet singer-songwriter. The German singer met Russian rock music only after the fall of the Iron Curtain.


The nationality of the star of the metal scene haunts his fans. Some argue that Till is German, others that the idol has Jewish roots. The singer himself did not comment on the issue of his origin.

According to the memoirs of the Ramstein vocalist, he had a conflicting relationship with his father: Werner even describes in detail a quarrel with his 19-year-old son in the book Mike Oldfield in a Rocking Chair. True, the name of the son was replaced by "Tim".

Till's father had a heavy temper, so the frontman does not like to remember this man. It is only known that he was an alcoholic and divorced his wife in 1975, and in 1993 he died due to alcohol poisoning. By the way, they say that Till did not attend the funeral and never visited Werner's grave. Brigitte later married a citizen of the United States of America.

When the boy was 11 years old, he attended a sports school in the city of Rostock, and from 1977 to 1980, the future singer studied at a boarding school.

The musician could have a sporting future, as he was an excellent swimmer and showed himself in sports school as a physically hardy guy. He was even included in the GDR team, which performed at the European Championships. Later, the frontman was supposed to go to the Olympics, but pulled his abdominal muscles, and he had to give up his sports career.

According to another version, Till did not compete because he was expelled from the sports school in 1979 because the guy ran away from the hotel in Italy: the romantic young man and his girlfriend decided to take a walk around the capital of a sunny country, because it was the first opportunity boy to go abroad. Later, the frontman recalled that he was called in for questioning, as if he had committed a real crime. Then he realized that he lives in an unfree and spy country.

According to Till, he did not like being in a sports school, as it was notable for its intensity. “But in childhood you don’t have to choose,” added the vocalist of the famous band.

When the young man was 16 years old, he refused military service and almost ended up in prison for 9 months.

Since Lindemann spent his childhood and youth with his family in the village, he mastered the profession of carpentry and especially excelled in the craft of weaving baskets. According to the recollections of the frontman, his first job was a peat company, however, the guy was fired from there after 3 days.

Music

Lindemann's musical career began during the GDR, when he was invited as a drummer in a little-known punk band First Arsch. In Schwerin, Till meets Richard Kruspe, the future guitarist of Ramstein. Then they began to communicate closely, and Richard suggested to his friend the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bcreating his own musical project. By the way, Till did not consider himself a talented musician and was surprised at Kruspe's perseverance.

Since childhood, Till, while singing, heard from his mother the words that instead of musical sounds he makes only noise. But, already a musician of a rock band, the young man trained for two years in Berlin with a star of the German opera house. For better development of the diaphragm, the opera diva forced the rocker to sing with a raised chair above his head, and also to do push-ups while singing. Over time, the singer achieved the desired sound of his voice, and strength training while singing taught the artist to hold his breath for a long time, which was useful to him later during concerts using pyrotechnics.

Soon Oliver Rieder and Christopher Schneider joined the team, so in 1994 the Rammstein group appeared in Berlin, which won the competition for young groups, which was held in the German capital, although until mid-1994 the guys played only at friendly parties. A year after its founding, the band included guitarist Paul Landers and keyboardist Christian Lawrence.

The group began to collaborate with Jakob Hellner and recorded the first Herzeleid album, which received worldwide popularity. Despite the fact that most of the popular bands sing songs in "world" English, Lindemann insisted that Ramstein would perform only in German. However, the band's repertoire also includes English songs, such as a cover-up of Stripped by Depeche Mode. When listening, it becomes obvious that the frontman does not get the English pronunciation.

The release of the second album Sehnsucht preceded the release of the single "Angel" and the video for it. Subsequent singles were also successful, which immediately affected the profits of the music label and the salaries of musicians.

Till Lindemann writes all the lyrics for Ramstein himself. It turns out that the musician fulfilled the dream of Werner's father, because his son partly became a poet: he even has poetry books "Messer" (2002) and "In stillen Nächten" (2013).

The soloist of the Ramstein group has the amazing qualities of a romantic, but at the same time open and daring person. For example, he has a love song ("Amour") and sad lyrics about the polluted Danube River ("Donaukinder").

But, as the fans of Ramstein, who are far from the German language, joke, it is better to listen to some songs without translation, because there are “terrible” and “adult” things in several works. Also, some Rammstein videos, for example, the song "Pussy", are censored by TV channels and do not show juicy moments.

At concerts, a man with a height of 184 cm and a weight of about 90 kg also behaves frankly, delighting the audience with a fiery pyrotechnic show. In 2016, at the band's concert, the musician appeared on stage wearing a martyr's belt, which frightened the visitors of the Rock in Vienna festival. Another bright image that the artist used for his shows is a blond in a pink fur coat.

In 2016, a collection of poems by Till Lindemann "In a Quiet Night" was released, which was accepted in the German literary circle - the frontman of the German group received positive reviews in his address. Also, the book was published in Russian by the Eksmo publishing house. Despite the fact that Till has long said that he will retire when he reaches the age of fifty, the vocalist admits that Rammstein has everything ahead of him.

Movies

Till Lindemann is also familiar to fans as an actor, from 1998 to 2011 the frontman of the German band appeared both in cameo roles and in full-fledged biopic films, where he plays himself: “Rammstein: Paris!” (2016), "Live aus Berlin" (1998), etc.

In 2003, Till played an unintelligent villain in the children's film Penguin Amundsen, and in 2004 he made a cameo appearance as an animal advocate in the gothic film Vincent.

Personal life

Lindemann's acquaintances claim that the singer has a complaisant character, he is quiet in life, and most importantly, a kind person, ready to give a helping hand. Till restores the state of harmony in the soul in nature, he loves fishing and walking in the forest. The musician is fond of breeding fish, but at the same time, pyrotechnics is also among his hobbies. The singer had to pass an exam to get permission to carry out the explosions. Lindemann has not bypassed the fashion for tattoos in spicy places. At the time of active creative activity, the singer knocked out a tattoo on his buttocks.

The frontman of the German band first married early, then the guy was only 22 years old - the vocalist had a daughter, Nele, from his first marriage, but the couple did not last long, although Lindemann maintained contact with his ex-wife and tried to raise his girl. After a relationship with Till, Marika's ex-wife went to the band's guitarist Richard Kruspe. Later, Till's grandson Fritz Fidel was born into the family of an adult Nele. According to his grandfather, the boy shows interest in the music of the Ramstein group.

At the age of 30, when Till was popular with fans, the man marries Ani Köseling for the second time, the vocalist's daughter Marie-Louise was born from the second marriage.

The couple broke up with a loud scandal: Lindemann's ex-wife claimed that the musician constantly cheated, drank alcohol and beat her, and also did not pay alimony. After this incident, the man is reluctant to talk about his personal life, but the name of the frontman's new chosen one became known: she became the model Sofia Tomalla. In an interview, Lindemann admitted that he was ready to spend the rest of his life with a new passion. But the novel ended four years after the start - in 2015.

By the way, according to rumors, the Ramstein vocalist also has children “on the side”, from women who were present in the life of a musician.

Till Lindemann now

Now news about the musician can be found out thanks to Till's fans, who run Instagram, where they post photos of the idol's recent events. The musician also has a profile on Twitter, which is maintained on his behalf, but the page is not particularly active. Vocalist Rammstein does not welcome communication through social networks.

In 2017, the public started talking about a possible romance between Till Lindemann and Ukrainian singer Svetlana Loboda. The musicians met at the international festival "Heat", which takes place annually in Baku. Reporters immediately noticed that Svetlana and Till paid special attention to each other. Subsequently, the public's interest in this topic was fueled by the singer herself, posting photos with touching comments on Instagram.

And when in 2018 Loboda announced her pregnancy, while refusing to name the child's father, fans and reporters unanimously started talking about the artists' romance. Although the musicians do not comment on rumors about their relationship, the name Tilda, which Svetlana Loboda gave to her daughter, was another confirmation of the sympathy between the singers. In addition, Till Lindemann unofficially arrived in Kyiv in the summer. The singer did not tell reporters about the purpose of his visit.

Discography

As part of Rammstein

1995 - Herzeleid

1997 - Sehnsucht

2004 - Reise, Reise

Compound Till Lindemann
Richard Kruspe
Paul Landers
Oliver Riedel
Christoph Schneider
Christian Lorenz Other
projects Emigrate
Feeling B
The Inchtabokatables
First Arch
Die Firma
Orgasm Death Gimmick
Lindemann
http://www.rammstein.com/rammstein.de/
http://... Rammstein at Wikimedia Commons

As of 2018, the band has sold over 20 million albums.

Group name

It was invented by Christoph Schneider, Paul Landers and Christian Lorenz. According to Paul Landers:

During one of our trips with Feeling B Schneider, Flake and I came up with a new band name. Once on the wall of our bus we wrote "Rammstein Flugschau" (Rammstein Airshow). It turned out silly: we then wrote Rammstein with two "m", because we did not know that the name of the city was spelled with one. At first we called ourselves that as a joke, but the name stuck to us like an unloved nickname. We couldn't get rid of him anymore. Actually, we didn't want to be called Rammstein, the name was too specific for us. We were also looking for: Milch(Milk), or Erde(Earth), or Mutter(Mother), but the name has already stuck.

Original text (German)

Bei einer unserer Fahrten mit Feeling B hatten Schneider, Flake und ich schon den neuen Bandnamen. Wir hatten den an die Wand von unserem LO geschrieben: Rammstein Flugschau. Doof, wie wir waren, schrieben wir Rammstein gleich mit zwei M, weil wir nicht wussten, dass der Ort Ramstein nur ein M hat. Wir haben uns erstmal aus Quatsch so genannt, aber der Name blieb kleben wie ein Spitzname, den man nicht gut findet. Wirschafften es nicht mehr, den loszuwerden. Rammstein wollten wir eigentlich nicht heißen, das war uns zu festgelegt. Wir haben noch gesucht: Milch oder Erde oder Mutter, aber der Name war schon durch.

Also in the words of Paul Landers:

It's just that at first we had the idea of ​​creating a band that would be called "Rammstein-Flugschau" ("Rammstein Airshow"). From pampering, the name lit up a couple of times and stuck, although some of the group found it stupid. Now, of course, they don't want to know about it. Anyway, the name just stuck like a nickname. "Flugschau" sounded too long, of course, but we liked Rammstein, it also suited the music.

According to the guys, the name was chosen on the same principle as the Rolling Stones. But when the group became a little famous, it turned out that fate played a cruel joke with the Rammsteiners. The fact is that the Rammstein participants did not know anything about the tragedy that occurred in August 1988 at a NATO base in the small German town of Rammstein (one "m") during demonstration flights - it was in West Germany. And when they found out, it was too late to change the name.

After becoming popular, the group distanced themselves for a long time from the relationship between their name and the name of the place of the tragedy. The double "m" in the name made it possible to explain the word as a designation for a stone ram, but this option was announced much later.

Story

Background of the group. Herzeleid, Sehnsucht

The origins of Rammstein lie in the period leading up to and following the unification of Germany. The group's co-founder and lead guitarist Richard Kruspe began his musical career in 1989 in western Germany with the band Orgasm Death Gimmick, having moved there from Schwerin (then the GDR), where he returned after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Kruspe, a fan of Kiss, was looking for opportunities to combine the hard rock he loved with the electronic sound of industrial. It was around this time that he met Till Lindemann (then drummer for the punk band First Arsch), and later Oliver Riedel (bass) and Christoph Schneider (drums) of The Inchtabokatables and Die Firma, respectively. With this line-up (with Lindemann as vocalist and songwriter) they began to play under the name Rammstein.

On February 19, 1994, Rammstein with the songs "Das alte Leid", "Seemann", "Weißes Fleisch", "Rammstein", "Du Riechst So Gut" and "Schwarzes Glas" four of them won the competition of young groups in Berlin, having received the right to record on a professional studios. A year later, second guitarist Paul Landers joined the band, and later keyboardist Christian Lorenz, who played in the punk band Feeling B. In this composition and with producer Jacob Hellner, the debut album was recorded. Herzeleid. All lyrics in this album, as in most subsequent albums, are written by Lindemann. After several unsuccessful attempts to write lyrics in English, as required by the label, Till insisted on writing songs in German. Released on the Motor Music label , Rammstein 's first CD gained wide popularity .

World fame. Mutter

For several years, fans have been waiting for the band's next studio effort. Such a long break gave rise to many different rumors, mainly about the breakup of the group. However, in 2000, Rammstein entered the studio to record a new album. In 2001, the third studio album was released under the title Mutter, ranked No. 4 in the magazine's Top Industrial Metal Albums metal hammer. Soon a tour was held in support of him, after which the number of Rammstein fans increased significantly. Later, the singles "Ich will", "Mutter", "Feuer frei! and video clips for them. In 2003, on the tenth anniversary of their existence, Rammstein released a DVD Lichtspielhaus with a complete collection of clips and several live recordings in good quality.

Subsequent career. Reise, Reise, rosenrot

In early 2004, reliable information appeared about the imminent release of a new album. A few months after that, the singles "Mein Teil" and "Amerika" were released. And finally, at the beginning of autumn, the fourth album was released, called Reise, Reise, which is very different from the style of the band's past albums, which, however, did not prevent it from becoming platinum. The album was immediately followed by a tour, during which the single from the album, "Ohne dich", was released. On tour in support of the album, the show lost many special effects (a plastic phallus, a burning cloak), but acquired new ones instead.

In early 2005, a tour followed with the band Apocalyptica, followed by the release of the single "Keine Lust" and its video. In September, a video is released, and then the single "Benzin", the song of the same name from which will be included on the group's next, fifth album. The album itself will be released next month, titled rosenrot, which contained 7 old tracks that were not included in the last album, and 4 new compositions. The single "Rosenrot" followed in December. Live DVD released in 2006 Volkerball, planned back in 2004, but released later. The disc received mostly positive reviews.

Liebe ist fur alle da

In 2008, after a three-year break, it became known that the group was recording a new album. On September 18, 2009, the first single from the new album, “Pussy”, was released, and in mid-December, the video “Ich tu dir weh” was released. The album itself Liebe ist fur alle da(rus. "Love exists for everyone") was released on 16 October. On April 23, 2010, the premiere of the clip "Haifisch" took place. The album was released on two discs - the first disc contained the album itself, the second disc contained an additional five songs recorded while working on the album. The video clip for the song Pussy became very scandalous: throughout almost the entire clip there are porn inserts showing sexual acts with the participation of all the musicians of the group. As the members of the group later said, these were understudies. The video was banned from being shown on television.

On December 21, 2009, a video for the song "Ich tu dir weh" was released. The director was Jonas Akerlund. Rammstein were criticized by the state media control committee for content dangerous to young people (German. Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien). This committee declared the song "Ich tu dir weh" to be in praise of violence and sadomasochism. In addition, one of the photographs inside the booklet depicts Richard ready to hit a naked woman, which is also considered by the committee as unacceptable for distribution to young people. On November 16, the band released a new version of the disc without the controversial song and photo. On April 23, 2010, the video "Haifisch" premiered.

On February 26, February 28 and March 1, 2010, Russian concerts of the group took place in support of this album, and on March 7, for the first time, a concert was held in Minsk. The Veterans' Council and then the morality council, made up of church leaders and members of the writers' union, called on the country's government to cancel the concert, accusing the team of "overt propaganda of homosexuality, sadomasochism and other perversions, cruelty, violence and obscene language" and stating that Rammstein was threatened "Belarusian statehood". Nevertheless, the concert took place with a full house, gathering a record number of visitors: more than 11,000 people. On March 9, 2010 the group visited Kyiv for the first time. The first concert in Ukraine brought together about 10,000 people near the stage.

From 3 to 6 June 2010, the band performed at the Rock Am Ring festival. Rammstein have agreed to broadcast 7 songs - Rammlied, B********, Ich Tu Dir Weh, Pussy, Sonne, Haifisch and Ich Will. But two songs were cut from the air, these are the songs "B********" and "Pussy", their performance can be viewed on YouTube. On July 18, the band performed in Quebec City at a summer festival. After the summer festivals at the end of 2010, the group performed in Latin America and gave one concert in the USA, and at the beginning of 2011 in Australia, New Zealand (as part of the Big Day Out festival) and for the first time in South Africa. Rammstein toured North America from May 5 to May 31, playing 6 shows in the US, 3 in Canada and 4 in Mexico.

In 2016, Rammstein filed a lawsuit against the German authorities for a temporary ban on the album.

Made in Germany 1995–2011

On June 11, 2011, a demo version of the song " Mein land" appeared on the network, and a few days later the group announced that they planned to go on a tour on November 6, during which the band's best songs would be performed since its founding. It was also said that a new single and video would be released in the autumn, and then a collection of the best songs.

The single "Mein Land" and the video for this song were released on November 11, 2011 (in Germany, Austria and Switzerland). The world premiere took place on November 14. The single also contains a new song "Vergiss uns Nicht". Collection Made in Germany 1995–2011 was released on December 2.

Videos 1995-2012

Rammstein in America, Rammstein: Paris, side projects and seventh studio album, 2014–present

In September 2014, Richard Kruspe announced that the band was planning to release some live videos and that they were taking a break from studio activities. The guys will meet again in 2015 to decide on the release of a new album. In May 2015, Till Lindemann confirmed in an interview with MusikUniverse that Rammstein would begin work on material in September, lasting until 2017.

In early August 2015, Rammstein released a trailer for an upcoming project called In Amerika. In September, the band released their next live album Rammstein in America, which consists of three parts - a concert in New York in 2010 in support of the album Liebe ist für alle da, the making of of this album and a documentary film about the history of the group in the USA. During 2016, Rammstein played many shows in Europe and North America, and in November announced plans to release another live album, but with European shows. January 18, 2017 Rammstein announced Rammstein: Paris, recorded live in Paris on 6 and 7 March 2012 as part of the Made in Germany tour. The premiere took place on March 23 in select theaters , and a full release is scheduled for May 19 .

In March 2017, Richard Kruspe stated in an interview that Rammstein had almost written 35 new songs. However, when asked about the release date of the album, he replied - "It's still a big question!" . On September 16, Kruspe suggested that the seventh album could be the last of their career. However, on September 18, reports of his retirement were officially denied on the Rammstein website.

Unlike the other report that went through the press today, Rammstein has no "secret plans" for a "farewell album" or "last tour".

After a successful festival tour, the band is currently working on new songs.

Original text (German)

Entgegen einer anders lautenden Meldung, die heute durch die Presse ging, haben Rammstein keine “geheimen Pläne" zu einem “Abschiedsalbum” oder einer “letzten Tournee”.

Die Band arbeitet nach einer erfolgreichen Festival Tour im Moment an neuen Songs.

On November 2, 2018, Rammstein announced their 2019 European Summer Tour. On July 29 and August 2, concerts will be held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, respectively. On January 16, 2019, it was announced that all tickets for these concerts were sold out.

In January 2019, Richard Kruspe stated that the recording ended in November 2018 and that the album will most likely be released in April 2019, along with 5 new videos that the band plans to film for it.

Style

Music

Rammstein style of music, which the musicians themselves jokingly dubbed "dance metal"(German Tanzmetall), predominantly industrial metal in the spirit of the new German heaviness. However, he mixes elements of both electronic industrial, alternative metal, and other genres. Many compositions are sustained in the same rhythm (for which Rammstein called their style "dance metal"), there are also more complex compositions. The musicians deny the direct influence of the Kraftwerk group: "We never liked them." The band's work has also been categorized under rock music styles such as hard rock, gothic metal, nu metal, symphonic metal, progressive metal, and alternative metal.

Texts

The author of all lyrics, with the exception of cover versions of works by other artists, is Till Lindemann.

Texts can be divided into landscape and non-album. Since each album has its own theme and concept, the lyrics of the songs included in it should correspond to them. For example, the band's second album Sehnsucht dedicated to strange and perverted desires. Each song of this album describes one of them: "Tier" ("Beast") - incest and pedophilia, "Bestrafe mich" ("Punish me") - sadomasochism, "Bück dich" ("Bend over") - violence, adultery. The album “Liebe ist für alle da” (“Love for everyone”), dedicated to love, is also indicative in this regard. As a bonus, 5 tracks came out for him, which did not make it to the album because their lyrics are not related to its theme.

Till rarely uses obscene language. The main provocative effect is due to the theme, the semantic load of the text, which balance on the verge of morality and / or aesthetics, although sometimes they step over them without any problems. The theme of the texts is the dark sides of life. The literary hero of the texts is, as a rule, a person who is somewhat flawed from a traditional point of view - a maniac, a pervert, or simply a character obsessed with something with a non-standard view of things. Many of the texts are characterized by anatomy and varying degrees of sadomasochism.

Criticism

Already at the beginning of the existence of the group, the media of some countries, and primarily German, often accused the musicians of right-wing radical tendencies. The reason for this was the Rammstein show, designed in the style of the Third Reich, the lyrics, the meaning of which can be interpreted in two ways, the prevailing theme of violence and brutality. Criticism intensified after a video clip for the single "Stripped" was filmed in 1998, using clips from Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia documentaries (a film about the 1936 XI Summer Olympics in Berlin). Despite the fact that some fragments from the clip were removed, accusations against the group about the spread of "fascist" views and the idealization of the "National Socialist" aesthetics continued. On television, it was forbidden to show this clip before 22 pm. Lindemann later admitted that this was a provocation, they crossed the border, and this will not happen again.

The group came under fire from criticism and accusations of "solidarity with National Socialism" in 1999 after the shooting at Columbine School. As it turned out during the investigation, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were fans of Rammstein. .

In 2001, to ward off the ongoing accusations and make their political positions clear, the band released the song "Links 2-3-4". According to Christian Lorenz, Till Lindemann wrote the song to dispel the prejudice against Rammstein: .

However, groups of the Neue Deutsche Härte movement have been criticized by left-wing anti-fascist organizations for thoughtlessly using various kinds of images from the time of Nazi Germany; this was especially true of the Rammstein group, "heroicizing in their performances the cult of athletic bodies, fire, muscles and drumming." At the same time, from the side of the right-wing extremist scene in the face of the newspaper of the National Democratic Party of Germany Deutsche Stimme The reaction was just the opposite ] .

Later, the group was also accused of supporting terrorism, since, according to some media reports, the terrorists who took hostages at school No. 1 in the city of Beslan on September 1, 2004 listened to the Rammstein group in order to keep themselves in an excited and aggressive state. Members of the group commented on this incident in the following way:

“It was not our music that made these terrorists what they are. Music is just part of society. It is not subject to the cause-and-effect relationship. The man who invented the machine is not responsible for all the wars in the world. All these dark sides of life are part of us by nature. People need to learn to live with it."

“There was a lot of talk about this, but if a person has some kind of radical feeling, anything can provoke his outburst - a drawing, a film, and the like. By pure coincidence, it turned out to be our music. It is important to think about what made them take such a step, how they stooped to such a level - and not about their tastes in music. Every time something like this happens, everyone starts blaming the artist. This is complete nonsense."

The information that the terrorists in Beslan listened to any kind of music is not confirmed by the testimonies of the hostages. There is also no mention of this topic in the reports of the Federal and North Ossetian parliamentary commissions investigating the circumstances of the Beslan terrorist attack.

Cover versions