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Transcript of interview with Richard on Radio 1

DJ Mike Davies
We’re gonna hear from Ramsteen. They’re gonna be talking about everything that goes on in their lives straight after this, it’s their last single, it’s Mein Teil.

Richard:
Guten Abend. Ich bin Richard from Rammstein. You guys listen to Mike Davies on the Rock Show and I wish you a great night.
(Los)
We started in ’93. I guess it was ’93, in the end of ’93. I had a band before, kind of crossover music, it was a time where bands like (24/7 Spies)* were big, up in New York, Chilli Peppers, all this kind of music and I went for the first time to America and I saw these kind of bands there. I realised, you know, what we were trying to do was a big lie, so I could never bring this kind of feeling back to Germany because its different music, has to do with where you live, what kind of culture you live, you know, how warm it is, those kind of stuff it’s really important so really I made a conscious choice, go back I can start something that sounds more German. (*couldn’t make out what he said but that’s what it sounded like!)
(Amerika)
I mean, isn’t it like the best thing, if you’re actually able to use your native language to create music and especially in German which is not a real language that has a lot of groove but I think if you search long enough you find the right music for your language, and for some reason Till has a voice that totally fits so much to our music that we never really had to consider singing in English.
(Morgenstern)
The real story, the truth, is not really what you read anyway but on the other hand who’s interested in the truth, it’s all a big illusion I guess and everyone likes illusion, you know and that is what you do as well on stage, rock is an illusion, what we create on stage ours is a part that we live, but you know, there’s definitely, like other 60% is nothing to do with the person we are on stage.
(Moskau)
Playing with fire is exciting (laugh), you know it’s like, it’s not controllable, unpredictable, it gives you a kick, definitely, you know I cannot like the feeling, you know, especially with me as I like to control things but those things you can’t really control. I love it; I love and hate it at the same time. Last night, somebody put on this fan, and I had this thing, like a mask for one song, and the wind blow like flame back into my face. Those things happen I don’t want to complain, that’s kind of a contract you sign, as a fire god, I guess. You wanna use it have to pay for it, so it’s part of the deal.
Maybe it’s different in each country but I think the success for Rammstein is really made for women in a way; just for example our first record deal we got was like a female decision to sign us. There was a lot of female personnel in our lives and that helped the band and in the crowd, I always see like, I dunno, half and half, but definitely there’s a balance I really don’t see it too male oriented here.
(Reise, Reise)
I think we’re solving problem issues we had in our childhood, I guess, you know it always comes back to childhood and we don’t have time for therapy, we have to do it on stage. Hi, I’m Richard the guitar player from Rammstein and you guys are listening to Mike Davies on the Rock Show and I wish you a great romantic week.
(rest of Reise, Reise)

DJ Mike Davies:Thank you to the boys from Rammstein, just finished a massive UK tour and don’t forget unofficially we’ve been tipped off by Mike Newman; the Brixton gig was filmed for a possible forthcoming DVD. The album Reise, Reise is out now if you want more information on the band, who just happen to be the biggest selling German act of all time, go to the website Rammstein.com. It’s the world famous Radio One rock Show, I’m Mike Davies.

© 2005 Sue Lindemann