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Till & Chris Interview – Outburn Magazine

Outburn – May 2001

Prepare yourself for the monolithic machines, razor-sharp riffs, and spine-chilling horror of Rammstein’s latest attack, Mutter.
Blasting the world with their bombastic 1995 debut album, Herzeleid, and following-up with 1997's highly acclaimed Sehnsucht, Germany's Rammstein are an international force to be reckoned with. Known for the extraordinary pyrotechnics of their live performances and hard metal guitars mixed with pop harmonies, the infamous Rammstein recently landed in America to unleash the message of Mutter. Because of the unavoidable language barrier and the always pleasant speaker phone, the translator for Rammstein managed to masterfully paraphrase the in-depth answers from drummer Christoph Schneider and vocalist Till Lindemann into a few brief words. Constantly referring to Rammstein as 'they’,- the translator was occasionally interrupted with several words of English from Christoph and Till, as well as a helpful explanation by the PR person.

How many people does it take to put on a Rammstein live show?
Translator: About twenty to thirty people work with them on tour. Three are responsible for pyrotechnics. The rest are sound and management.

What kind of new pyrotechnics will there he for the upcoming tour?
Translator: They're planning to leave pyrotechnics incorporated, of course, and to develop new effects. However, at this point they are putting this tour together with a designer. Therefore, it's too early to say what it is going to be like, but it might have something to do with the design and artwork of the album cover.

Will you approach the US tour differently, since last time two band members got arrested during a show? Translator: They got off on probation, which expired. So now they are free to travel anywhere. They are playing throughout the US again.

How do you deal with the local fire marshals? Translator: The last time they were touring, they developed good contacts and relationships with fire marshals in several cities. This time they will not have any problems.

Have there ever been any injuries at a Rammstein show?
Translator: They always have a professional crew with them on tour, comparable with the shows at Universal Studios. So nobody gets wet and nobody gets burned.

Is there a difference when approaching the US market versus the German audience?
Translator: In America, because of the opportunity of the mosh pit, there is more opportunity for the audience to get enthusiastic, while the Germans behave rather cold. Germans are simply more distanced, more cooled off.

Do you prefer playing to one audience or the other?
Translator: No, there is no preference. They like to play everywhere and anywhere.

Do you feel that the media often misinterprets the meanings of your songs or messages?
Translator: There have been misinterpretations by the media, but mostly in Germany ... not in foreign countries. However, they are not political at all, but there are a few messages that might be ambiguous or misunderstood.

Do you think that your success might he limited because the vocals are sung in German?
Translator: The success speaks for itself. No, they don't feel that way.

How would you characterize the theme of Mutter?
Translator: Musically, they have returned to the live instruments. The dance influences are not so strong anymore in the songwriting. They concentrate more on writing good songs.

How does Mutter compare to your previous albums?
Translator: They feel that they have developed and are not the same as they were three years ago. And that it has improved. You have just got to listen and hear the music, that's how you know it's different.

How do you approach the songwriting with so many members in the band?
Translator: They have a very extended pre-production, and they don't go into the studio before they have a proper demo version. And they work very intensely with producers during pre-production. Then they select a studio, preferably in the Mediterranean where it's warm and has a nice atmosphere. They go into the studio and take their time with the recording. They all work equally together on the songs. There is nobody who is the boss. It's pretty democratic.
Everybody brings his influences, ideas and input.

Is there a specific reason why 'Sonne' is the first single?
Band Member: 'Sonne' is the first single in Europe, but not in the United States.
Translator: The first single in the US will be 'Links 2 3 4.'

Why the different singles for the US and Europe?
Translator: They think for the American market, this harder and heavier song, 'Links 2 3 4,' is more suitable. So they picked another one for the German market. The lyrics and music of 'Sonne' are in contrast with each other. 'Sonne' is a song where you have to understand the lyrics. And it's a song where they are trying to represent that they don't have a political standpoint. This song is actually supposed to give an answer to the former accusation that they were a right extreme group. They are not. It has a very militant sound, but as they said, the lyrics are in contrast and are supposed to provide the relief to that.

Are there any other songs on Mutter that you feel are important to understand lyrically?
Band Member: They are all important.
Translator: It's the best album they've ever written. When they pick new song for an album, they are always thinking that every song on the album could also be a single and stand by itself.

Why was Mutter chosen for the album title?
Translator: 'Mutter' is one of the songs on the record. And they have also been doing it with the other albums - picking a song title as the album title. They found that Mutter was the best title to describe the contents of the album. Also, because this lends the opportunity to play some word games. April 3 is Mother's Day (in Germany?) and that is when this album came out. It's good for promotions.

Are you planning to do any more cover songs?
Translator: One wish of Till would be to do ”Dust in the Wind" from Kansas, but it's not being planned at this time.

I understand you released a 'scratch and sniff' EP. Did it really smell?
(general confusion, translator doesn't understand question)
PR Person: It's a sticker you scratch with your finger and then it makes a smell.
Band Member: Oh yeah, once we did a ... that's right...
Translator: Their very first single was called 'You Smell So Good’ When you scratch it with your finger, it would smell.

Did Rammstein sign with Republic because MDFMK was formerly on the same label?
Band member: Ah, MDFMK...
Translator: They didn't know that they were also on the label.

What are the benefits of paying to join the Rammstein fanclub?
Translator: Free merchandising, free tickets to concerts, and T-shirts. They also do some fanclub concerts. Members get all the information firsthand. The tour dates and all kinds of stuff are supplied directly from the first source.
PR Person: We're going to have to wrap this up ... time for one more question.

How do you spend your free time when touring in the US?
Translator: Whenever they are touring, they really don't have time. They just sleep in. It depends, I'm not sure...
Band Member: We party all the time! We party and there's girls! (laughing) America is the country of rock 'n' roll!

*Interview with Rammstein’s Translator Olaf Heine.
(note from Minx: I am assuming that the Olaf Heine in this not the same one who took the pictures of Rammstein in 2004 for the RR promo work? Or is it?)

© 2005 Sue Lindemann