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Oor magazine (Dutch) November 2005 - Interview with Schneider

Until Reise, Reise, Rammstein was the personification of everything that was scarey and dangerous. The Prince of Darkness. But those who look hard now, will see a band which we can love at and with. With Rosenrot the last wisps of mist are blown away, it shows a ban that is not only absurd, but suprisingly human.

Interview by Phillipus Zandstra.


They chose Paris to introduce Rosenrot to the European press. 'Due Schonne' shines, it's a wednesday in September, and very hot. Near the Eiffel Tower, my colleagues are gathering by the touring boat. The programme is simple: first a listening session and then the interviwes. The members themselves are not on board, they playing at being 'seeman' on a party-ship elswhere. On the upperdeck every one gets a sealed and numbered discman with Rosenrot, After questioning we are not allowed to keep it. Luckily there is no search as when Reise, Reise came out, we just have to leave our bags, now to sign a contract that none of the taken interviews are to be spread around and then "Los" with the new record.
THe first impressions"Spring ( slow, Typ O Negative choir), Feuer und Wasser ( acoustic, with distant keyboards and sudden wall of guitars) and the slow bobbing of Ein Lied are ballad like songs, for where pounding guitars have been replaced for electronics and make the music breath more likeness with Reise, reise.
Then the grooving hymns, the first single Benzin, the estoric ( pan flute) Wo Bist Du and Zerstoren ( with chanting out of a Mosque). Zerstoren is fast, chaotic and at the end a soft and tender recital of singer Till Lindemann. Quite confusing. The same for Te Quiero Puta: an hilarious song in Spanish, surrounded by Mexican sounds. I quote here twice the word grooving. The machismo from earlier times is back with Mann Gegen Mann. With a very big wink though, because the text is about a desperate homosexual. A bold male choir sings , lead by Lindemann, who like a possessed person shouts "Schwule" very strong is the title number, the drumbeat is the same as in Seven Nation Army from the White Stripes and has a similar bass. But still very much Rammstein, a potential hit. Good record.

Just from Pont Alexandre III Rammstein awaits the press. A Chinese couple makes photographs on a stone stairs, while Rammstein waits about 20 mtrs away, my first thought was Heirate Mich. Just when he interview can begin, drummer Christoph Schneider walks with singer Till Lindemann. They seem to have an animated discussion in which Lindemann mainly talks with big gestures. Clearly Rammstein ( more specific Schneider) is not as scary as many ppl seems to believe. The drummer doesn't resamble the Tarantino-criminal (Du Hast), the bank robber with the white eye ( Ich Will) or the transvestite out of Mein Teil. Not even close to a fat, exaggerated Kraut (*not translators words) from Keine Lust. Schneider is relaxed, friendly, wearing a army-green T-shirt, with trendy camouflage trousers and slippers. Some times he mumbles, when he talks in English to tell his story. It seems shyness, but also thoughtfullness.

Are you playing the trumpet on Benzin?
-Smiles, no I don't play the trumpet anymore since I was a child. I can't handle these pieces anymore, thats why we hired an ensemble. I can only play for about 10 minutes, then my stamina is gone. My physical condition is really lousy. You have to play everyday, other wise your lips give you a problem.
Is 'Rosenrot' Rammstein's 'Seven Nations Army'?-Doubtful: a bit, there are similarities. It's composed in the time that White Stripes just became known. Maybe a secret hommage, haha.
Are you a fan of White Stripes:
-Certainly, specially when they play live. They don't give a shit. Makes a waving gesture, when Jack White does a solo, his time just falls away. Playing everything simultanously doesn't work, that's what so cool about them.
Is simplicity also some thing you want:
-Things a while, Hmm...yes, I can imagine to start a new project. Just to do something else. Rammsteins does have a limited, no I don't want to put it like that, Rammstein has chosen one clear direction and that direction is created by the 6 different ppl. Some times it's limited your freedom of movement and you don't go far. For the band it works fine, we feel happy with it.
I get a feeling that Rosenrot is more melancholic and less riff orientated.
-That's correct, the old way of working we've abandoned a long time ago, about the time after Mutter. We couldn't find anything new anymore in mechanical rhythms, electronics and riffs. We were a bit fed up with the riffs, the same as the song structures of the first album, it just couldn't interest us anymore.
Do you feel that RosenRot is more consistent. After all, these are the left overs.
-No, there not left overs, but good songs which didn't fit the Reise,Reise album. A lot of the numbers had the same characters, there were 3 ballads and you don't put more then 2 ballads on on CD. So 2 records seems to be the most logical thing to do.
The release of Rosenrot is indeed very quick.
-We only needed to write 5/6 more songs:Benzin, Mann gegen Mann, Spring.Te Quiero Puta and one more popsong (which didn't got presented) I dont belive that the new songs differ that much from the one form Reise, Reise. Between the 2 albums there is not much time difference. If you wait, and leave the songs for a while, you loose the touch. Maybe you don't like them anymore or they belong to a different time. Although Te Quiero Puta is very different. On every CD from us, that number will be noticed.
Who's idea was this .
-Till, although the number was an instrumental we liked very much. We have been pushing Till if he please could write a text for it. It is a very important number for us, nice, hard and fast. He never could find some thing appropriate, gave up courage. And at the last moment, there came Till with a Spanish text.
For Heavens's Sake, what is the number about.
Schneider gives a big smile: Ask Till



© 2005 Mutter