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Opération : Zénith – Rock Hard

No. 5 – November 2001
Rock Hard: First of all, can you explain to us about this photograph which appears as a cover for this issue of Rock Hard: Till disguised as a Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver!
Richard Kruspe: Oh, there’s no need to wrack your brains. The American magazine Rolling Stone wanted to photograph us. Till suddenly had this idea: he had shaved his head "mohican" style for a very long time and it was just a laugh to play Robert DeNiro. It is as simple as that, there’s nothing conceptual there!

What were you doing before launching the Rammstein adventure?
RK: I played in a group that was called Orgasm Death Gimmick. It was very Anglo-Saxon music, very pop, but I don’t really know in which direction we were going. On an artistic level, it was missing something with the music. Then one day, I went on a trip to California with Oliver and Till; we were not in the same group but we had already been friends for a very long time; and I realised that ODG was redundant, that there was nothing original in what we did... When I returned, I had new project in mind: an authentic and a German project - why try to sound like Americans? I don’t have to be ashamed of being German...
So Oliver and I got together and we started to rehearse. I sang and that didn’t work at all! I called Till so that he could join us but he refused. I begged him to come to rehearse once with us, just to help us out, so that we can see how the music would work with his type of voice, even if it meant seeking another singer in his style a little later. He finally accepted, he came, but he wasn’t a true musician; it was very hard, he was not at ease at all: he asked us for a few minutes. He left and bought a bottle of whisky. He downed it, so much so that he was not even in any fit state to speak but nevertheless he succeeded in singing in his own particular style...
We recorded a demo that we forwarded to a jury that acted as a springboard in Berlin. If I remember correctly, the titles "Rammstein" and "Weisses Fleisch" were recorded on this cassette, at least in their early versions: we won this springboard and like a gift, one week at a studio was offered to us. Paul, at the time formed part of two groups, FeelingB and Die Firma. He was also our sound engineer when I played with ODG. He showed interest in Rammstein and I encouraged him to join us. We were missing a keyboard and I absolutely wanted Flake to join our project: he did not want to and for a very long time I tried to persuade him, so finally he accepted.
At the beginning it was only about a side project, each member remained in his own group. But quickly, we realized that something was happening between us. We were already friends but this project reinforced our bonds more, we had the feeling of belonging to a gang. At the start, we absolutely did not think of it being anything professional, the record companies were of minor concern to us, we didn’t care about having success, we just wanted to make music, to express this kind of anger, which we all had in the heart... "

What sort of anger?
A sentimental anger! It’s true, I do not know the circumstances, we all found ourselves at that time in a worrying phase with our girlfriends, we were dropped, we had had enough: it is the result of these frustrations that motivated us. In fact, I do not believe in destiny but I can’t prevent myself from saying that if we six pals found ourselves together, dropped by our girlfriends, then it was meant to happen. Rammstein was born from our heartache (which in German is “Herzeleid”, the title of the first CD). We never would have been so motivated if we had remained with our girlfriends: so when we found ourselves together, we told each other our sentimental misfortunes, and we justified ourselves being with each other.

So you are the instigator of the project...
Yes, I had the idea, it was me who gathered everyone together, but Rammstein is really the six of us: there is no way to quantify the participation of each, the important things is what comes out of our co-operation. It is true that sometimes I can give the appearance of somebody in charge: I know what I want to do, it is very conceptualised in my spirit, but it is out of question that I do without the opinion of the other five. Rammstein teaches me all the time not to take charge. Just because it’s me who gives the interviews does not mean I am more significant than the others: when we are in Germany for promotion, I almost never speak. When we must discuss without the support of a translator, with an English-speaker, it proves more practical for me to take over since I am a little better in this language than the others.

How do you set up your extraordinary shows and your strange image?
Till is a very reserved person, he does not like to be on Stage too much, he is bored very quickly. We thought about what was needed to cure that and the idea of fire came to us. It was necessary for Till to have something more to do during the concerts because singing was not enough for him. The idea was proposed of doing a real show, something that immediately interested us: as we are giving the concerts, we imagined gimmicks and the whole thing took on the proportions that one knows now! It was also a way of differentiating us from the other groups. Animated discussions sometimes happen within Rammstein: some prefer to favour the musical aspect, others the dimensions of the show: but this is what forms a balance with the group. For my part, I am very attached to the show: but if one day I realise that it gets in the way of the music, I will take measures!

How did it happen that shortly after the Paris concert last June, you cancelled your London show?
This concert was long awaited in London, by our fans on the one hand, and people of the business of the other. The headlines in magazines had been unambiguous: "Rammstein, the hottest group in the world" or "An absolutely extraordinary show". We were in London; our technicians had spent the day setting it all up. One hour before the doors opened, the Organiser came and told us that we must play without the pyrotechnic effects. We found that obviously disrespectful towards us and our fans: to prevent anyone from giving a concert, only one hours notice, that we should give our concert without any effects, when the majority of people had come to see that, that did not make sense. So we cancelled the concert. (It was rescheduled on December 2 at the Brixton Academy)

Yet, during the American Tour, which followed, you played without any effects in Seattle...
Yes but we were informed in advance! It bothered us to play without effects but still it’s necessary for everyone to know, the public as well as the group. When this date in Seattle was considered, our Tour Manager came to see us and said that we could not use pyrotechnics in this city. We thought about it and finally we agreed to give the concert. But it was well in advance, not an hour before the show!

You are currently on Tour in the USA and you open for Slipknot and System Of A Down. How are things going with them?
Very well. The beginning of the Pledge of Allegiance Tour was at the very least odd since it was to start around September 11. But with what happened... The day of the attack, I was in New York. It was frankly strange. I walked into the street when the second plane crashed. I could see the World Trade Center but I did not understand what was happening, what I saw was more like a film than reality... The irony in all that is that New York is a rather an individualistic city and this horror found a kind of unity: the momentum of the solidarity was terrible. To return to the Tour, it was not certain that the other members of the group could reach the USA from Germany. And then in this environment, we were not sure if we really wanted to play. Then after a discussion we realised that we did not have to drop out: the Americans wanted this Tour.

You did not encounter problems with your pyrotechnics: as it is known that all that can evoke memories of the attacks of September 11 and from now on is more or less prohibited...
No, there was no concern in that direction with the authorities. At the beginning, amongst ourselves we decided that the pyrotechnics, the flamethrowers, the explosions, all that could be out of place. But then, progressively with the shows, we were surprised to see that the audience were mainly young and they were not shocked by our imagery. And anyway, Slipknot uses much more pyrotechnics than us! I think that people who travel on this tour do not take things too seriously: when they are in the auditorium they are there to have fun, to forget what happened. We are there to distract them. And on that point: if I compare it with the Family Values Tour of 1998, the reception of the fans is much better in comparison.

Can it be said that there are two “Rammsteins”? The Herzeleid/Sehnsucht one and the Mutter one?
Not, not really. I think that you’re referring to the fact that at the time of our last European Tour, we played relatively few titles from our first two albums. But it is necessary to put it all in context: all those years that we gave concerts we played the same pieces and in the end one has enough. We play our new album completely because playing the new titles is a distraction, that prevents us from falling into monotony: moreover, the Mutter tracks do not go well with those of the first two albums which were more dance, while Mutter is more organic. But for some time, here in the USA, we will do half and half, we have again started to play the old titles.

What is the atmosphere like on this Tour?
Very good, like always. We don’t get on too badly with the members of System of a Down and every evening we have a celebration. On the other hand, the members of Slipknot are very introverted; they stay in their corner and really do not seem to want to communicate. But still, we are only at the beginning of the Tour and things will change, perhaps.

You are only have third billing on the poster but sometimes it already seems like you have stolen top billing from Slipknot and System of A Down?
It is amusing that you have asked me that because the other day I read a review of this Tour in the Times. The journalist wrote: "If you want to assemble an itinerant festival, there is an error you must not make: never place Rammstein at the bottom of the poster or it’s all over!" Rather cool, no?

How are you perceived in Germany?
We have many fans over there and it is our country. At the same time, I know that the media and other German groups put us down. At the beginning of our career, their angle of attack was very simple: Rammstein is a group of Nazis. But today in 2001, that does not do anything to us anymore and everyone knows that it’s false. I remember that when we began, when I heard these remarks about Rammstein, I was really put out. Today, I realise that I was completely stupid: I realise all the same that I am genuine and I do not have to waste energy on the comments which some make. Now some attack us from a different angle, saying that we are a not an interesting group, with idiotic lyrics, that we do not know what a melody is. It is a little ridiculous, but we earned our success, it came to us. But what I say to myself today is that perhaps we are naïve, unconsciously, we put so much into Rammstein, that success was bound to come.

It is easy to cope?
I can speak only for myself and I would answer, "Yes". Moreover it is very odd, I cannot explain why, but success makes me a better person. I think I am appreciated much more today than before (laughs).

© 2005 Sue Lindemann