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Das Herz schlägt links – “Kulturnews”

The Heart beats left
April 2001 - “Kulturnews”

In 1993 there was Rammstein. Simply so. With their musical diversity, expressive lyrics and fire-shows exploded like a bomb. Now comes “Mutter” (Motor) the third work. It is hard and expressive. That’s clear. But how German is it this time?

Lets recall: the proclamation of indignation that went through the country because the band used footage from Leni Riefenstahl’s “Olympia” in their video for ‘Stripped’. The East-Band Rammstein talk about this still. “We weren’t conscious that Leni Riefenstahl and fascism were as one in Germany one” squirms guitarist Paul Landers. ”Otherwise we would have done without the footage”. Perhaps. Because if Paul is honest, he still finds that the video to ‘Stripped’ beautiful.
Anyway: The bad press gets on Rammsteins nerves, Paul doesn’t hide anything: “We were worried our new record might not sell, we tried to think of ideas like, MTV refusing to transmit them. Obviously that did not succeed. The “Mutter” tracks by Rammstein-proportions are rather harmless, “Ich will”, “Links 234”. When singer Till Lindemann implores: “We want you to trust us” it’s something almost sentimental. And also, with “Nebel” Germany’s no.1 scandal band have created a romantic Ballad. So has their bad reputation been ruined by it?
Perhaps not, a Mecklenburg skinhead recently stated that the Böhsen Onkelz are no longer right wing enough but they have Rammstein. A misunderstanding, maintains Keyboarder Flake Lorenz: “Idiots are everywhere”. Paul meanwhile sees this problem differently. He says that perhaps anyone would have a bad picture of Rammstein, if they only know of the band from the media. But the texts speak for themselves: “We do not announce correct slogans.” The song, ‘Links 234’ leaves no doubts: Rammsteins heart beats left. An image correction? Hm…yes Flake nods: “Now we’ve clarified where we are politically, for all times”. For all times? Let’s wait and see.
Dagmar Leischow.

© 2005 Sue Lindemann