Did Rammstein’s Till Lindemann see it coming?
Well, normally I write about other things, but somehow this caught my eye, and I must write about it.
It’s all over the news, Till Lindemann is facing serious accusations, which basically boil down to a system where young girls, allegedly intoxicated with alcohol and/or roofies, are brought to him for the purpose of having sex with him, where consent may not have been given. I’m not saying the case is closed and he’s going to be sentenced now. But the way the girls are coming forward and telling their stories is reminiscent of Weinstein and the broader #metoo movement.
On the face of it, this is nothing new, stories of rock stars having their groupies lined up and picked were told when Robbie Williams was at the height of his popularity. Well, that’s what I remember, when I was a kid, Robbie Williams was at the height of his popularity. So, this rock star groupie thing is probably 30 years older, I don’t know. But the allegations against Lindemann go a bit further, as the girls are said to have been drugged or their drinks spiked, which takes the whole thing from degradation to rape, if true.
There is more to it, the girls claim to have been separated from their peer group, made to give up their mobile phones, encouraged to drink alcohol and many report dizziness and the feeling of being drugged with knock-out drops. It is all over the media and if you want to see for yourself just read the articles or watch youtube. I’m not going to link to that stuff here, I want to look at Lindemann’s content and ask the question of the title: Did he see it coming? I mean, he may not be guilty, but if he is, then maybe he subconsciously saw his fate and processed it in his lyrics.
So, if you look at the content of Lindemann’s lyrics, well, that gives these accusations a strange taste. The first thing that comes to mind is a porno that was released a few years ago:
Well, the porn is not just a little bit crazy, it shows violence and dehumanisation. But even if it was less hardcore, there would still be the question, why the hell would a superstar like Till release something like that?
And then, there is a poem, written by Lindemann, which it goes like this:
Ich schlafe gerne mit dir, wenn du schläfst.
Wenn du dich überhaupt nicht regst.
Mund ist offen, Augen zu.
Der ganze Körper ist in Ruhe.
Kann dich überall anfassen.
Schlaf gerne mit dir, wenn du träumst.
Und genau so soll das sein (so soll das sein so macht es Spaß).
Etwas Rohypnol im Wein (etwas Rohypnol ins Glas).
Kannst dich gar nicht mehr bewegen.
Und du schläfst, es ist ein Segen.
I guess not everyone speaks German like I do, so here is an attempt at a translation:
“I like to sleep with you, when you sleep.
When you’re not moving
Mouth open, eyes closed
The whole body is still
Can touch you everywhere
Like to sleep with you, when you dream
And precisely so shall it be, so shall it be, so it is fun
A bit of roofies in Wine (a bit of roofies in the glass)
You cannot move anymore
And you sleep, what a bliss”
I try to translate things as close to the original as possible, rather than focusing on good English.
I try to translate stuff here in a way that is true to the original as possible not primarily focusing on good English.
The poem describes something that is explained in the allegations, the porn describes something else that is also in the allegations. So the girls/women telling their stories talk about bruises and assume they were drunk, so their memory is gone. These two pieces describe a lot of what is in the allegations. There is more, but one question is often asked:
That poem describes something, which is explained in the accusations, the porn describes something else also found in the accusations. So the girls/woman who tell their stories speak of bruises and assume being intoxicated so their memory is gone. These two pieces portray quite a lot of what the accusations contain. There is more, but one question comes up often:
Why would someone with so many groupies drug his victims? This is a fair point and one that is often raised by Rammstein fans. To be honest, I am a Rammstein fan myself and I have often talked with my friends, and we have tried to understand their works of art. Interpreting Rammstein songs is not always easy, sometimes it is just strange, but with these stories coming out a lot of things have become clearer, but not in a good way.
Why would someone who can have so many groupies like him, drug his victims? That is a fair point which is brought up often by Rammstein fans. To be honest, I am a Rammstein fan myself and I have often talked with my friends and we tried to understand their pieces of art. Interpretation of Rammstein songs is not always easy, sometimes it is just strange, but with these stories coming out, a lot things have become clearer, but not in a good way.
So, the question we are trying to understand is, why would someone drug and rape their fans when there are so many fans that they could just bang with consent?
Let’s take a look at the really old stuff first. There is Weißes Fleisch, a song from 1995, which has in its lyrics
Du auf dem Schulhof, ich zum Töten bereit
Und keiner hier weiß von meiner Einsamkeit
Rote Striemen auf weißer Haut
Ich tu’ dir weh und du jammerst laut
[…]
Ich werd’ immer geiler von deinem Gekreisch
Der Angstschweiß da auf deiner weißen Stirn
Hagelt in mein krankes Gehirn
[…]
Jetzt hast du Angst und ich bin soweit
Mein krankes Dasein nach Erlösung schreit
Dein weißes Fleisch wird mein Schafott-t-t-t
In meinem Himmel gibt es keinen Gott
In English:
“You on the schoolyard, I’m ready to kill
And nobody here knows how lonely I am
Red stripes on white skin
I hurt you and you moan loudly
I get hornier and hornier through your screams
The cold sweat on your forehead
Hails into my sick brain
Now you are afraid and I’m ready
My sick existence screams for release
Your white skin becomes my scaffold
In my heaven there is no god”
The lyrics are essentially about the torture of innocent victims found in the school playground. The torture is sexual, and the speaker realises that he is mad. It is also interesting that the white skin, which represents innocence, becomes his scaffold, suggesting that this will not end well.
Another notable mention from the old times is “Bück dich”
The song basically says “bend over! I command”, “your face does not matter”.
At the time, we would never have thought that these could be Rammstein’s fantasies, or rather Lindemann’s, because the accusations seem to be aimed at him alone. We just thought they liked to provoke or create art that tried to show and perform a special morbid part of being human.
“Ich tu dir weh” is an easy one. It’s mostly giving insight into BDSM. Easy to interpret.
Nur für mich bist du am Leben
Ich steck’ dir Orden ins Gesicht
Du bist mir ganz und gar ergeben
Du liebst mich, denn ich lieb’ dich nicht
Du blutest für mein Seelenheil
Ein kleiner Schnitt und du wirst geil
Der Körper schon total entstellt
Egal, erlaubt ist, was gefällt
“Just for me you are alive
I put decoration in your face
you are totally devoted
You love me, cause I love you not
You bleed for my salvation
A little cut and you become horny
The body totally disfigured
Whatever, do as you like”
The song was somehow wrong. At first glance, the lighting, the clothes, everything made it easy to conclude that this was all about BDSM. But it was not quite right. “You love me, because I love you not” is not really BDSM. I have not quoted the whole lyrics here because they just describe more things that can be done to hurt someone. The important thing is that it does not seem to be consensual. It gives the impression that the speaker is somehow crazy. But yeah, I just thought it was another way of expressing and especially trying to give an impression of the morbid and dark places of human psychology. It was not that Rammstein only produced sexually morbid stuff. There was also other morbid stuff like eating people (Mein Teil). So back then we could all agree that Rammstein just like to provoke with controversial topics. Probably carving out a map of dark places in our minds.
It is also worth noting that Lindemann drilled a real hole in his cheek for “Ich tu dir weh” in order to shine a light into his mouth. This story is told by the band in a making of (watch on youtube). To make it even more real and cool, Lindemann really injures himself and his bandmates are somehow impressed by his dedication, but also somehow shocked. They even say that they tried to stop him, but he was so happy to do it. It is dangerous, you can get a deadly blood infection, but he was only happy when he finally hurt himself like that and made his art more real.
For my personal reception of Rammstein this was a turning point. I no longer had the feeling that they just wanted to provoke people. Like they were just showing society things that society wanted to keep under the carpet. It was about more. It was about an inner conflict between hating yourself and taking that hatred out and finding something to release the pressure. They wanted to express that inner emptiness, creating an uncomfortable feeling of helplessness that can be silenced for a moment when violence erupts. We will see this pattern again.
And then came Lindemann, the project Till had with Peter Tägtgren. Me and my friends were like “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS”. We tried to deal with the content, but it was a heavy load. Someone came to the conclusion that Till now has his own project where he can do all the stuff that is too crazy for Rammstein.
Lindemann — Skills in Pills
The first Lindemann album is in English, so we don’t have to translate it here. There are even a couple of songs about sex, most notably “Fish On”. It starts with “Catching ladies is my delight” and in the clip there are some young naked girls being chased by hairy creatures.
The girls are eventually caught in fishing nets, and there are some chunky lines like “my rod is stiff” and “I put some grease on my reel”. Then the girls have to ride stationary bikes, which generate the electricity for the building. The building has “Lindemann” written on the top, with lights powered by the girls riding the bikes. At the end, the girls kill the hairy creatures with knives and flee the scene. As a result, the lights go out and the band is left frustrated in the dark. The Lindemann band is furious and Till smashes Peter’s accordion.
At the time, it didn’t quite make sense. The fishing part made sense, but why are they riding bicycles? Why are they generating electricity? But if the accusations are true, then it makes more sense, a darker sense. The captured girls are what powers the band and allows Lindemann to perform. There are insiders who say that Lindemann’s sex addiction and groupies are an open secret. And in rock’n’roll it is not unheard of. But assuming he is guilty of the accusations that go beyond that, the plot of Fish On foreshadows quite well what is happening now. At some point his victims will collectively turn against him and that will turn off the lights for Rammstein or Lindemann. We don’t know yet how it will end, but from my point of view Rammstein have already fired one person involved, Alena Makeeva, who is supposed to be responsible for fishing the girls for Till, er, I didn’t want to say fishing, I meant she offered them to meet Till at a private after-show party. We don’t know how this will end and if Till will be found guilty or if these accusations are true, but if they are, then Fish On is spot on.
The allegations go as far as saying that there was a power system that made girls his sex victims — the hairy creatures in the video. These sex victims are what drives him as Lindemann to perform, and in the end the victims turn against him, and the lights go out.
In a crazy way you could say that Till Lindemann saw it coming and put it into a song. But the question is whether we are confusing the lyricist with the performer.
F & M
Later came the second Lindemann album, and the first one already had a higher density of sex-related songs than any Rammstein album. The title of the second album “F & M”, which stands for “Frau und Mann”, refers to the relationship between man and woman. The song of the same title is about an attempted rape…
And then there are 3 more songs on this album and oh boy do they hit home. “Ach so gern”, “Knebel” and “Platz Eins”. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t like these songs. They are good and they are works of art. Imagine if you look at art, or consume art in any way, and you get the feeling that the artist really wanted to get a message across to you, then you know it is art. That is a necessary part of great art. Heidegger says this in “The Origin of the Work of Art”, and please forgive me for trying to translate it, because it is hard enough to understand this guy in German. But what is really at work in a work of art is the revelation of true truth. And that is the impression I got from these songs.
Knebel
As this song has two parts, let’s just go through the lyrics step by step:
Ich mag die Sonne, die Palmen und das Meer
Ich mag den Himmel, schau’ den Wolken hinterher
Ich mag den kalten Mond, wenn er voll und rund
Und ich mag dich mit einem Knebel in dem Mund
Ich mag volle Gläser, die Straßen, wenn sie leer
Ich mag die Tiere, Menschen nicht so sehr
Ich mag dichte Wälder, die Wiesen blühen sie bunt
Und ich mag dich mit einem Knebel in dem Mund
“I like the sun, the palm trees and the ocean
I like the sky, look at the clouds
I like the cold moon, full and round
And I like you with a gag in your mouth
I like full glasses, the empty streets
I like animals, humans not so much
I like dense forests, meadows blossoming colorfully
And I like you with a gag in your mouth”
The first verse shows the lyrical speaker’s love of nature, tranquillity, animals, and plants. The speaker does not really like people but likes someone who is addressed and has a gag in their mouth. As the video shows a young naked girl with chains, this could be addressed to her.
Das Leben ist einfach, einfach zu schwer
Es wäre so einfach, wenn es einfacher wär’
Ist alles Bestimmung, hat alles seinen Grund
Und du bist ganz still, hast einen Knebel in dem Mund
“Life is so easy, easily too hard
It would be so easy if it was easier
It’s all destiny, everything has its cause
And you are so quiet, got a gag in your mouth”
The chorus shows how the speaker has a distorted view of life, trying to convince himself that it is easy when in fact it is difficult. Everything has a reason, there is a destiny, which refers to circumstances that cannot be changed. Again, the recipient has a gag in his mouth and is (unsurprisingly) silent.
Ich mag leichte Mädchen und weine wenn sie schwer
Ich mag deine Mutter, den Vater nicht so sehr
Ich mag keine Kinder, ich tue es hier kund
Und doch ich mag dich mit einem Knebel in dem Mund
Ich mag die Tränen auf deinem Gesicht
Ich mag mich selber, mag mich selber nicht
Das Herz ist gebrochen, die Seele so wund
Und du schaust mich an mit einem Knebel in dem Mund
“I like light girls and cry when they are heavy
I like your mother, your father not so much
I don’t like Kids, I say it now and here
But I like you with a gag in your Mouth”
The light girls can also be translated with “floozies”, in German there is an ambiguity because light girls can be literal light girls or floozies. I did not want to translate this directly with floozies, because I think Lindemann really wanted to have another contradiction of light girls who are heavy. The speaker doesn’t like children, he likes the mother but not the father. This is a typical pattern for a seducer who sees the father as a protector and children as a nuisance.
Das Leben ist traurig, das Leben ist schwer
Ich würde es mögen, wenn es einfacher wär
Die Welt dreht sich weiter, die Erde ist rund
Um dich dreht sich nichts, hast einen Knebel in dem Mund
In dem Mund, ja
“Life is sad, Life is hard
I’d like it, if it was easier
The world is revolving, the earth is round
Nothing revolves around you, you have a gag in your mouth
In your mouth, yes”
Here the song changes drastically. The speaker is no longer torn between two opposites. Life is no longer easy, slightly too hard, as it was described before, life is now sad and hard. No contradiction, just the statement of a frustrated person. The irrelevance of the person being addressed is clearly stated and this is also linked to the gag in the mouth. The next thing that happens is a change from harmonic to aggressive.
Ich hasse dich
Ich hasse dich
Ich hasse dich
Ich hasse dich
“I hate you
I hate you
I hate you
I hate you”
In fact, the person being addressed is now hated and not liked as before. All ambiguity, all contradictions are gone, and unlimited aggression breaks out. This is clear in the lyrics, the visuals, and the sound. The video shows blood on faces, screaming and expressions of violence like biting an eel.
Leben ist einfach, einfach zu schwer
Es wäre so einfach, wenn es einfacher wär’
Ist alles Bestimmung, hat alles seinen Grund
Und du bist ganz still, hast einen Knebel in dem Mund
In dem Mund
This is the chorus again and we have already translated it. This time it is sung in an aggressive tone. The song describes a silenced victim who is addressed by the lyrical speaker. The lyrical speaker is a torn soul trying to maintain balance, but eventually all the hatred and frustration breaks out as the song moves into the exploding aggressive second part.
In order to interpret and understand the song, it makes sense to watch the uncensored version, as it reveals a few more details. When the aggression breaks out, the protagonist (played by Till) has his mouth in the crotch of the victim, who is standing in front of him and then sitting on his shoulders. He bites into the genitals or performs oral sex, it’s not clear, but there’s a lot of blood coming out of the crotch. If you have not understood how strongly this song is linked to sexuality, it should be clear now. In the first two scenes of Let’s call it eating story the victim looks like she enjoys it, after that the victim fights against Till and swims away in the end. Even before that, the victim pulls the protagonist towards her with the chain connected to the protagonist’s steel collar. The steel collar was seen earlier in the clip. Afterwards, the victim swims away and hits the chain into the water, as if frustrated by its presence. The chain and collar are clear symbols of his enslavement, and what makes him a slave could be his sexuality.
Ach so Gern
Although Knebel may not be clear at first glance, on closer inspection the story Knebel tells is clear. Let’s move on to the next song.
Ich kannte viele schöne Damen
Auf dieser schönen, weiten Welt
Mit Fug und Recht kann man da sagen
Ich war ein wahrer Frauenheld
Man sagt mir nach, ich wäre schamlos
So herz- und lieblos und frivol
Man meint, ich hätte sie gezwungen
Nein, die Wahrheit liegt dazwischen wohl
“I have known many beautiful ladies
In this beautiful wide world
One can rightfully claim
I was a real womanizer
They say that I am shameless
So heartless, unkind and frivolous
They say I might have forced them
No, the truth lies somewhere in between”
Denn ach so gern hab’ ich die Frauen geküsst
Und doch nicht immer auf den Mund
Ich wollte immer wissen, wie es ist
Und küsste mir die Lippen wund
“‘Cause oh I have so gladly kissed women
But not always on the mouth
I have always wanted to know how it is
And I kissed until my lips were sore”
Ich küsste nicht nur rote Wangen
Ich hatte einfach alles lieb
Man sagt, ich sieche vor Verlangen
Besessen so von Paarungstrieb
Sie meinten, ich wär’ tief gefallen
In ein Meer von Libido
Man sagt, ich sieche vor Verlangen
Das kann man so sehen oder so
“I did not only kiss red cheeks
I just loved everything
They say I am dying of desire
So obsessed of mating drive
They say I have fallen far
Into a sea of libido
They say I am dying of desire
You can see it either way”
Denn ach so gern hab’ ich die Frauen geküsst
Und doch nicht immer auf den Mund
Ich wollte immer wissen, wie es ist
Und küsste mir die Lippen wund
Ich nahm sie einfach in die Arme
Und Manche hauchte leise: „Nein“
Doch ich kannte kein Erbarmen
Am Ende sollten sie’s bereuen
“‘Cause oh I have so gladly kissed women
But not always on the mouth
I have always wanted to know how it is
And I kissed until my lips were sore
I just embraced them
And some of them whispered “no”
But I knew no mercy
In the end they would regret it”
Wie das Kaninchen vor der Schlange
Ein kalter Blick, dann biss ich zu
Und das Gift ruft ein Verlangen
Ließe nimmer mich in Ruh’
Ach, die Frauen, all die treuen
Und manches Herz brach wohl entzwei
Am Ende sollten sie’s bereuen
So viele Tränen und Geschrei
“Just like the rabbit in front of the snake
A cold look, then I bite
And the venom calls for a desire
Did not leave me alone
Oh all the faithful women
And some heart was broken
In the end they would regret it
So many tears and screams”
Denn ach so gern hab’ ich die Frauen geküsst
Und das nicht immer auf den Mund
Ich wollte einfach wissen, wie es ist
Und küsste mir die Lippen wund
Ich nahm sie einfach in die Arme
Und Manche hauchte leise: „Nein“
Doch ich kannte kein Erbarmen
Soll damit sie glücklich sein
Ba-ba-ram-bam-ba-ba-ram
“‘Cause oh I have so gladly kissed women
But not always on the mouth
I have always wanted to know how it is
And I kissed until my lips were sore
I just embraced them
And some of them whispered “no”
But I knew no mercy
so she will be happy”
The interpretation of “Ach so gern” is surprisingly simple, there is no real subtlety here. A rapist is telling his story, how he is seen, and even from his relativisations his guilt is obvious. The lyrics say nothing of what is seen in the clip, if you watch the one-shot clip linked above. There is also an official clip, which has fewer views, but also has some other scenes. However, the important part of the clip is the protagonist being beaten by the prison guards. The lyrics could be what he explains to them.
If you want to identify a subtle message, it is the typical defence of a rapist, the girls wanted it too, mixed with some fatalistic explanation that he was a victim of his lust and external circumstances made him do it.
Platz Eins
And last but certainly not least we come to “Platz Eins”
Alle schauen mich neidisch an
Denn ich führ’ die Liste an
Endlich bin ich an der Spitze
Erfolg kriecht mir aus jeder Ritze
“Everybody is jealously looking at me
because I am at the leader of the list
I’m finally at the top
Success crawls out of every crack”
Durch die Menge geht ein Raunen
Und die Männer werden staunen
Alle Frauen, alles meins
Alles dreht sich nur um mich
“the crowd goes ooh and aah
and the men will marvel
Every women, everything mine
everything revolves around me”
Ich bin Platz eins, ja
Alles oder nichts
Platz eins
Ich im Rampenlicht
“I am number one, yes
Everything or nothing
Number one
I am in the spotlight”
Die ganze Welt wird mich bald singen
Ich werde es noch sehr weit bringen
Jede Note sing’ ich richtig
Der Text dabei ist gar nicht wichtig
“The whole world will sing me
I will go far
Every note I sing perfectly
The lyrics do not really matter”
Meine Lieder sind die Besten
Und Autogramme für die Gäste
Der liebe Gott hat auch schon eins
Und alle Engel, alle meins
“My songs are the best
And autographs for the guest
Even god has one, too
and all angels, all mine”
Ich bin Platz eins, ja
Alles oder nichts
Platz eins
Ich im Rampenlicht
“I am number one, yes
Everything or nothing
Number one
I am in the spotlight”
Vor, zurück, zurück und vor
Jeder will mein Lied im Ohr
Vor, zurück, zurück und vor
Alle singen mit im Chor
“Forwards, backwards, backwards and forwards
Everybody wants to listen to my song
Forwards, backwards, backwards and forwards
Everybody is singing all together”
I only cut the last part, as it just repeats stuff that has already been translated. Overall, I tried to stick more to the German lyrics than to go for good English. The lyrics of Platz Eins alone are quite clear. It is about a very successful musician, who is maybe a bit too arrogant and self-opinionated. Some of the statements are interesting. The lyrical speaker realises that it does not really matter what lyrics he writes, the fans will still admire him. He also thinks that all women belong to him.
Watching the clip here makes a lot of sense for further interpretation of the song. There is also an uncensored version that shows scenes from Till’s porn “Till The End”. The video for the song shows women in cages, washing machines or being moved around in a trolley, presumably after being knocked out. The women wear lingerie and are clearly presented as sex objects. In some scenes they wear masks with Till’s or Peter’s face on them. These are further objectifications / dehumanisations. It could be argued that they are being held as sex slaves. The sex scenes also show violence, as in the porn “Till The End”.
In summary, it is quite clear what is meant by “Every woman, everything mine”. The scene takes place in a hotel called “All or Nothing”, which means “all or nothing”. This indicates that the protagonist is willing to risk everything to get everything.
And then there is the Till nugget. The video also shows a second scene where Till is lying on a bed in some kind of dark hospital, with no limbs, just his body and head.
It’s a completely different scene, an absolute contrast. The same person who was untouchable, who had girls in cages, who was number one, is now in the worst condition. He still whispers “number one”, so there is a clear connection. Sometimes he gets an injection and Peter sits next to his bed playing a mini keyboard.
His eyes are white, and the unusual colour indicates possible brain damage. As the video continues, it becomes increasingly disturbing, with a naked girl crawling backwards, blood everywhere, and then the video cuts to the final scene in the dark hospital, where the protagonist stops breathing and dies.
There are several possible explanations for how these things are connected. One interpretation could be that the protagonist is insane and dreams of being number one and doing all this crazy stuff. Another possibility is that one scene shows his inner world and the other his outer world. So emotionally, personally, he is totally crippled and almost dead, but on the outside, he is living a wild life with no limits. The third possible interpretation is that there is a transition from the successful superstar to the wreck of a human being.
In my opinion, the first interpretation can be largely ruled out, because when such a dream or hallucination plot is set up, the filmmakers indicate it by having a waking scene, sometimes starting with the real setting, then moving into the dream, and then leaving it with a waking scene. This is not the case here; the video starts with the action and often jumps back and forth between the settings. However, it could be that the Nugget is remembering things from the past.
I think both interpretations are acceptable, and what is clearly seen in the video is an evolution. That is, the madness grows, and everything becomes wilder and escalates from an initially less mad situation. This works very well with the third interpretation, which is the transition from superstar to crippled nugget. But in fact, this also works with the inside/outside world interpretation, because there could also be a development and a transition into more madness. So, in this case, the outer actions become crazier, more violent, and disturbing, while the inner emotions become duller and duller, to the point of total emotional death at the end.
Both interpretations fit well with the overall tone and aesthetic of the video. It shows a dark side of super-success, a mind unable to cope with being number one. With the realisation that anything is possible, and you will still be cheered, comes absolute brutalisation. Or as another saying goes, “absolute power corrupts absolutely”. This is probably the abstract message here and that this corruption will not end well.
Conclusion
I have already said that we do not know if Lindemann is guilty of the accusations. In any case, it is crazy how many songs deal with exactly this topic. All these stories revolve around someone who abuses women, and it will not end well. On the newer albums that Lindemann has written the lyrics for, the theme is also present several times on a single album.
t is obvious that it is not possible to draw any conclusions from this. If it were possible, it would mean that any art about any subject means that the artist actually does what the lyricist does, which is clearly nonsense. By the same token, it does not exonerate him. Which brings us to a very popular point, especially among Rammstein fans:
“Why would Till do such a thing, if he has so many groupies, if there is absolutely no need for it?”
And this point is also bullshit. Then you can also say: “Genghis Khan did not rape women, why should he? He was the ruler of the Mongolian empire, so many women wanted to have children with him, there is no need to rape. And the same goes for so many others. There is only one way to find out if he is guilty and that is to listen to the guests at his private parties and find out if they are full of contradictions and have them analysed by professionals. That is why we have a legal system and hopefully it will be able to find out the truth.
Another thing that happened after the organiser of the private parties was fired is a statement by Christoph Schneider, Rammstein’s drummer:
It can be found on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtjOPD8sgZf/?hl=de
He says 3 important things. Firstly, he does not think that Till did anything illegal. Secondly, he is sad because Till has created his own bubble with his own party and his own people, which he does not share with the rest of the band. These parties are clearly different from Rammstein’s official after-show parties, where everyone is free to leave at any time and all drinks are opened in front of the guests so they can see that they are unaltered. The third statement is that he feels sorry for the women who did not get what they expected, even though it was legal.
Well, the statement that every drink is opened in front of the guests is hard to believe because I have never seen a party where 30 shots are filled from a bottle of vodka and before everyone gets a shot, everyone is gathered around, the bottle is opened, and the shots are filled in front of 30 guests and then the shots are distributed. I call that bullshit. It is also noteworthy that he mentions structures that have grown up in Till’s bubble and do not represent the values of the rest of the band. Even if his statement is meant to show that Till is not guilty in a legal sense, it still sounds very strange. The statement sounds like “Yeah well, actually what happened there is not ok, I don’t think anything illegal happened, but just in case I didn’t really have anything to do with it”.
Finally, can we now answer the question of whether Till Lindemann saw it coming? We don’t know if he saw it coming, but the lyrical speaker definitely saw it coming. After Christoph Schneiders statement it sounds very much like there were crazy sex parties, if they contain illegal elements is not clear yet, but the band distancing itself from these parties is a strong statement.
