Information
Date: April 2001
Source: Zillo
Interviewed: Paul
Translator: English translation by Mikki
Interview
Zillo:The single, "Sonne" was available through Napster before it was released. Did you know that? Paul:Yes, we knew about it but don't ask me how it got there.
Zillo:You haven't made inquiries?Paul:We are already tense concerning theft, but in this case we're not too stressed out. The entire album was on Napster before it'd been released, even a song that wasn't on it. We're curious to see what will now happen. If the sales will drop tremendously? We won't sue Napster if it skirts us as a band periferally, Motor is also unconcerned. If the CD is good, then it doesn't matter if it's on Napster. If it's shit, then people won't buy the CD, because they then know it's trash, that I don't buy. I believe it's good and now knock on wood.
Zillo:You grow no gray hairs over the fact that Napster could be the ultimate end for music?Paul:One comes up with ideas how to earn money in his old age. I think though, the clever, jolly record company will think of something since music must be bought by the poor fans.
Zillo:With our first interview you appeared at the time as the band, you didn't tell me your names- you were Rammstein. Because of your success you are now seperated, you and Flake give interviews in Germany, 2 of you, at the same time are in Poland and 2 in Spain. Is it now that everyone can speak for themselves or does everything said have general validity for Rammstein? Paul:When we started, we didn't have the faintest clue how to give interviews. And we do everything jointly, we are still a band, so in our opinion, we should also give interviews as a band, as we do the music, the stageshows, the clothes and the videos as a band. That's demanding, costs a lot of time and nerves. We thought joint interviews were best but then we noticed that it actually hindered us. We split ourselves up in groups of 2. Always 2 take turns in Germany. Last year it was Oliver and Richard, this year Flake and myself, next year it'll probably be Till and Schneider. We speak for the band and we also speak for ourselves. There will be distinctions of what are our own opinions and what are those of the band.
Zillo:You are all often away on interviews and concert tours, everyone wakes up in a different hotel room. Is that always fun or are there moments in which you say, this is too much for me, I want my peace back? Paul:It's both... musicians become, not without reason, musicians, much is self-portrayal. An interview offers a good opportunity to boast a little and one feels honored, thinks they're pretty cool. On the other hand, each of us have tried to have a private life, which is important because we're together so much. And also to not go crazy! As musicians, it's easy to become stupid because people give you a lot of money, they give you drugs, alcohol and glory. One has to shake his head, count to ten and he's already mad. In this respect, if one is at home, the wife says, you haven't washed up, that helps one a little to not completely go to shit, some shit, though he'll definately become (laughs), but not to completely lose contact with the ground. Also the children keep you going because it doesn't matter to them if their father is running around on stage in plastic pullovers, they want to go to McDonalds.
Zillo:You come from the punk corner. Their frame of mind is actually against capitalism. Rage Against the Machine had a similar background, became successful, confronted with money, the band is almost destroyed. Were you overrun, suddenly having to deal with money which you hadn't had before?Paul:We were lucky, because with the end of the East was the end of the punk band. Rammstein, from the beginning wasn't up that street, from the beginning they were commercial. Rammstein, logically, began from below but they never did punk. On the contrary, from the beginning we wanted to be in Bravo. We wanted to be hard and we wanted to be famous and rich, that was the goal. With Feeling B, we also had some money that we couldn't reconcile. Suddenly we'd earned sums, because a lot of people came. In my opinion, that didn't make sense, punk and money don't go hand in hand.
Zillo:Die Toten Hosen get to hear that everyday. Paul:Poor things, I do think it is unfortunate to have to make excuses everyday, for themselves, for the fans, for the journalists. I wouldn't like to be in their shoes. It's never been like that with Rammstein, because we, from the beginning said, we want to make money. Logically, anyone who stands on a stage and plays for 5 hrs, from that it becomes commercial. If you just have ragged pants or not, why stand on the stage? Because he shouldn't go onstage but stay in the practice room, but the moment you prostitute yourself, you sell yourself, with intent or not, you do it. Then they moan or shoot themselves in the head, that's cowardly and not our way, we say: "Yes, we are shit." (laughs)
Zillo:You've produced your third album again with Jacob Hellner. Was it important to you to keep a continuity in sound, instead of experimenting on a large scale?Paul:Initially we were willing to work with a different producer, simply, at the time, to make something new. But we noticed the 3rd album was unspeakably hard for us to do, so we were glad when a couple well- known people, Jacob being one, didn't complicate everything. He helped us a lot because we had frittered away a lot. We wanted to make the best record in the world and it can't be done intentionally. One can just make the next record. At some point we noticed, if we stayed relaxed, it'd be so. He helped us to not throw in the towel.
Zillo:You'd adjusted to playing the first album together without the world knowing there was a Rammstein. There were also no expectations for it. Now the third studio album, in contrast, what have you changed in processing this one since the first album?Paul:Not much, really. The sole difference is, in the back of one's head, the idea which anyone in the world would have and think: My God, I, little Paul Landers now makes a music that Julio in Mexico wants to hear. He's waiting for the CD, God willing, now I actually have to think about what will make him happy. The thought isn't intentional, it's simply there. The greatest struggle of a successful band is actually not about more success or recognition but to learn to get around it. If one is at their peak, as we supposedly are, there are other annoyances, with which one must take care of, like before, finding a record company who'd release the CD. With us now, it was the big struggle, it hung in the balance, we thought, if we'd make the CD at all. We wanted to make it so good and it almost didn't happen.
Zillo:I've played the album for people who don't commonly listen to that type of music. They noticed the lyrics and said: "Crass lyics! How sick can one truly be?" Paul:Crass lyrics reminds me I was traveling in a car with a friend yesterday who's a death metal fan, there were only chainsaws and "I gnaw on your bones" I find that crass. People always think we're crass. We're not at the top of the flagpole, there are real bands, actually into entrails. We are maybe of the trendy bands the crassest. People, who find our lyrics too crass, I can't help. I can only assure we use as nice or beautiful lyrics as we can. We don't intentionally try to be wicked because it doesn't work. There are bands that so artistically say that we are wicked, for the the most part that's a wash-out. We try in that way to make the best lyrics.
Zillo:Does Till write all the lyrics alone? Paul:Yes, that doesn't mean anything, though, if you have good lyrics, they must be first blended with the music. That is always the hard process, to make a song with music and lyrics. Till is very open and flexible, though. With "Rein Raus" he'd written "Du stöhnst und ich bin dein Souffleur, ein Elefant im Nadelöhr," 3 in the band thought that was crap, they didn't want the word "Souffleur" in the lyrics so Till changed it. Till can react to the state of mind of the band, because we have to also play it, we have to think it's good. If one says, I think that's silly, still nothing happens, but if the majority says, I find that disgusting, cheap or too ridiculous, then we get together and mutually try to come up with a solution or Till comes and says, I have this.
Zillo:Do you also knock down lyrics that could get people worked up?Paul:We've never done that. What I can't justify is getting nervous over what people think. The first explanation is that unintentionally one must give in and become more cautious. If someone three times sticks their finger in the wall socket and three times gets shocked, maybe next time they'll wear rubber gloves or not stick their finger in the socket. That I can't now assess. What we can do is to say, oh no, not incest again, this time try something about fags or somethng.
Zillo:Till's singing has changed. It's appears more gentle, from time to time like that of a wicked story uncle, he uses speech-sing and the rolling R is almost eliminated. The R was like a trademark of Rammstein's but it seems exaggerated. It flows better now. Paul:I personally like the speech-sing alot, we will give it up, nonetheless we are also on the search for developments, new colors in singing. The rolling R was never "Now we want time," rather it was simply there to get others worked up. . I find a voice to be good that has different colors, if it sings, speaks or whispers, even more color, all the better. In my opinion, the singing could be louder.
Zillo:In my first interview with you all, regarding Till's singing it was said, "Maybe it'll become better on the 3rd album". Has Till done anything special in this matter?Paul:After the first album we'd tried singing lessons, but one is limited in forcing development, in the end we left it. One can't prevent, that one will slowly become better with his instrument. Till began singing with Rammstein, he had before that never sang, he had no clue how to sing and was practically thrown in cold water. As we began, no one knew if anything would come of it. Now we do things, as if we had never done anything different, but believe me, Till was a basketmaker, he had no idea how to sing. By always singing, it couldn't be stopped that an evolution took place, we welcome it very much.
Zillo:That doesn't strike me as a bad thing.Paul:No, I didn't say it was negative. What I respect about it is that we have kept our depth, as with "Links 2 3 4," he first whispers then grunts.
Zillo:I recently heard the radio-play LP "Rübezahl" from the year 1968 and asked myself how must I now think of Rammstein? I listened shorty to the new Rammstein CD and it began as a story with, "Mein Herz Brennt." Is that an attempt to have people with the first song come to realise that "Mutter" is more of a dark fairy tale and one shouldn't take everything about the band personally, rather that many fantasies are put in the lyrics?Paul:I'm happy that you saw that which I can only subscribe to. With the song, we've only done a shabby trick, that at first it starts low and after that gets louder.
Zillo:As I listened to the lyrics, the fantasy/fairy tale character pervaded many things, but there are also things that sounded autobiographical. You have also struggled a lot because people want to put you in the "right" corner. Is "Links 2 3 4" an official Anti-Nazi song, in which you say, we are not Nazis?Paul:(Laughs) I like that, an official Anti-Nazi song. It is, for our part, a statement to the entire problem. It will not remain concealed to one and another, that we have been constantly wrongfully accused and naturally it goes for us down the sinkhole! We have always tried, in our opinion to explain this as as well as we could. To look for lyrics has become our joy since the first album. There is now, in our opinion no reason to keep quiet about it.
Zillo:There are "Against Right Campaigns" for musicians as well as football players, have you had interest in doing something like that?Paul:I find such campaigns dubious. There was a good one by a Hamburg advertising company, where colored people would wear t-shirts that said, "I'm proud to be a German". That I found successful, so something of that sort I'd support because it takes the wind out of the idiots. All other campaigns I find meaningless, one should invest time at youth clubs, work or sports, where one can get others involved and not going door to door with dumb ideas. If we supported something like that, one wouldn't believe us correctly. Our call is so ruined, it'd seem silly to do a benefit against right.
Zillo:I think that the song of yours would be understood.Paul:I hope that of everyone. I couldn't imagine what one can't understand about it.
Zillo:"Ich Will" appears to me on the soundtrack to be that you want to celebrate at a concert. Paul:(Grins) It's totally shabby. Absolutely horrible and at the same time we rejoice in it.
Zillo:"Mutter" seems to have a genetic engineering theme.Paul:As the song was written the year before, there wasn't too far to go with it. It plays a bit with it but one can also see the disturbing relationship with his mother.
Zillo:"Spieluhr" turned out, for me, extremely morbid, and I also wonder, that you having children yourself, how you'd take up the theme of such a thing as a child's death. Is the humor so veiled that I don't understand it?Paul:No, it should get you in the balls. But as the child was in the world but also dead, we thought, to raise it up again. We have, amongst ourselves, named the child the little Georg and we said: "Till dig little Georg up again". Then he wrote the line, "On Totensonntag they heard on God's Acre this melody, they got out of bed, the little heart in the child is saved."
Zillo:"Rein Raus" has a couple nice melodies for the old in-out play, sounds to me though, as an attempt to test the compatiblity of Rammstein to Ballerman 6.Paul:The level of "Rein Raus" is no better than that of "Bück Dich". We have always had a lowness like that on a CD, like "Fellfrosch", they mostly sink but are always there.
Zillo:Because Till sings from an I- perspective, does one project the macho pig on him?Paul:That we can't help. One can interpret it in many ways, I actually find it amusing.
Zillo:"Adios" is almost a punk song. Also the effects of drugs on the body are well written. Was it from personal experience, or how can one imagine this situation?Paul:It sounded so beautifully real (grins). These days everyone is confronted with drugs, as musicians you are truly more at risk than non- musicians. If one is lucky, he gets away from it, if bad luck, he doesn't.
Zillo:And you have all escaped it?Paul:That we will see. The struggle continues.
Zillo:The photos in the booklet, especially that with the segmented head, to me, turned out rather tasteless, though certainly have to do with the theme of gene manipulation.Paul:The pictures were done by Geo and Daniel Fuchs, who put out a book in which only dead living things are in it, dead animals and people who are preserved in formalin. The entire photo album radiates such a sense of calm, as if they have, to me, a connection with the dead. That impressed us a bit, we thought it was good, because death is always regarded as frightening. In the book it's no longer scary, more friendly and pleasing. That inspired us, whereupon we called them. We were very lucky that they wanted to work with us and for once photograph something living. Then we found a heated pool in Hamburg which we used, holding our breath for 2 days underwater, until the photos were finished. I find the photos very successful. Though mind you, the hand isn't in the booklet more, we found it too goutish.