Till Lindemann, lead singer of Rammstein, is on stage during a concert in Germany. © Malte Krudewig/dpa/Archive
Excitement, criticism and scandals are as much a part of Rammstein as hard guitar riffs and fire magic. However, the current discussion about how to deal with young women and wild after-show parties is reaching a new dimension.
Berlin/Munich - Even the name of the band is provocative. It goes back to Ramstein Air Base, where 1988 people died in a flaming inferno during an air show in 70. With the second "M", Rammstein says it has simply committed itself. The Berlin band around Till Lindemann has hardly left out a scandalous topic in the almost 30 years since their founding.
While many disputes in the past were first publicly ignored, then dismissed or laughed away, this is probably no longer the end of the story. Several women have made allegations against Rammstein frontman Lindemann in recent days - some anonymously. The women describe situations that they sometimes found frightening. Young women were selected during concerts and asked if they wanted to come to the after-show party. According to some women, sexual acts are also said to have occurred.
Rammstein: "Condemn any kind of assault"
In a statement, Rammstein said that the allegations had hit them very hard and that they were taken extremely seriously. "We say to our fans: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows - in front of and behind the stage." The letter continued: "We condemn all forms of abuse and ask you not to engage in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made accusations. They have a right to their point of view." But the band also has a right - namely not to be prejudged either.
From the band's environment, there are reports of depressed mood, thoughtfulness, even "shock paralysis". With the Munich concerts as the prelude to the German part of the European tour, Rammstein is in crisis. The concerts, conceived as gigantic spectacles, are to continue. It seems unclear to those involved how the band is supposed to manage this with the pressure.
No Row Zero at upcoming concerts
There are already consequences for the upcoming concerts. In the so-called Row Zero, the security area directly in front of the stage, there should be no more groups of guests. For four years, small groups of mostly very young, often conspicuously dressed women could be seen on the right and left edges of the stage.
Rammstein plays four concerts at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. There should be no so-called Row Zero there. © Sven Hoppe/dpa
The concept for the after-show parties has also changed, according to people close to the band. There should no longer be two parties - a big one for fans and band, a small one for Lindemann and women. In the future, if at all, only a celebration after the concerts. For Munich, there are still different figures. The new concept will also have an impact on the invitation for Rammstein fans, who like to take selfies with the musicians on such occasions. This is now "stupid for everyone," Lindemann is quoted as saying.
Some fans are already turning away from the internationally acclaimed band in disappointment. Corresponding postings can be found on the Internet. In addition, tickets for the concerts, which are actually sold out, are offered via resale platforms. However, it is unclear whether this is unusual in scope.
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Awareness concept for concerts
The band has commissioned an awareness concept for the concerts. Already planned for the performances in Denmark, it is now to be realized in Munich. Six employees are to be on the lookout for abnormalities in the stadium in connection with security. In addition, there will be a safe space area where those affected can retreat.
The current debate also has consequences off stage: Since the start of the tour in Vilnius, the band has been conducting its own investigations in the environment. Witness statements are already said to be available. A law firm interviews employees of the crew, the security team, the band. Women who may be affected will also be interviewed. According to the information, it is still unclear whether the first results will be published this week.
The decisions for consequences are said to have been made according to the six-to-zero principle, which stands for unanimity among Lindemann, Paul Landers and Richard Kruspe (guitar), Christian "Flake" Lorenz (keyboard), Oliver Riedel (bass) and Christoph Schneider (drums). In an interview with dpa some time ago, Lindemann described the decision-making process in the band: "I work with five people, so opinions sometimes drift apart. There's always a lot of discussion and battle about where to go, about the issues, about pretty much everything."
Controversial videos in the past
The musicians usually provide material for discussion about the band together. For example, there was massive criticism for days when, in 2019, in the video teaser for the song "Deutschland", band members were seen in a very short sequence in concentration camp-like clothing during an execution. In the complete video, the scene was embedded and comparatively reflected. Another video with material of the Nazi icon Leni Riefenstahl is still controversial today.
The six men's handling of the topic of women and sex is also repeatedly discussed. For the "Pussy" video, the musicians recreated porn scenes. In the concert version of the song, Lindemann has been spraying the audience with a huge, penis-shaped foam cannon for years. Sado-maso practices - including homoerotic ones - are often part of stage shows or videos.
Debate on poems by Lindemann
With his solo projects, Lindemann often goes even further. His volume "100 Poems" was under discussion in 2020. Because of rape fantasies, knockout drops and sex with sleeping people in the poem "When You Sleep". It is not only critics who interpret the lines from the perpetrator's perspective as relativizing criminal acts and whitewashing sexual assaults. They do not take away from Lindemann the lyrical ego he frequently uses, i.e. the narrative form of a fictional character in the first person singular.
In a video for the Lindemann song "Till The End", which has been circulating on the Internet for three years, the now 60-year-old can also be seen in numerous pornographic scenes with young women. In some sequences, a book of poems is used and a poem is quoted. The publishing house Kiepenheuer & Witsch recently terminated its cooperation with the author.
Lindemann and Rammstein often play with ambivalences. In lyrics, longing becomes hatred, suffering becomes love, violence in all its forms is involved again and again, the transitions are fluid and part of the concept. Lindemann himself, once asked about it, does not like to interpret his lyrics: "If I were to talk about the true background of everything I sing, I would only create pigeonholes. I think it's better not to do that and just encourage people to their own interpretation of the lyrics." dpa