October 2005 rammstein.com fanchat from German to English

Chat transcript: October 2005 German rammstein.com fan chat

[20:02] Mod: Hi people, great to see so many of you here! Paul is approaching and on his way to the computer!

[20:07] Mod: Anja: When will the Rammstein Live DVD be released – Still in this year?

[20:08] Paul: When everything goes right at the end of this year.

[20:08] Mod: E.C.: Hi Paul! You always play your songs in C-Tuning. With what? Do you use Bariton-Guitars or normal guitars with thicker wires?

[20:08] Paul: normal guitars with thicker wires.

[20:08] Mod: SirDeca: Does Till have a dislike for gays or is the song "Mann gegen Mann" just bitter persiflage and provocation??

[20:08] Paul: the Rosenstolz- keyboarder gave his blessing for the lyrics.

[20:08] Mod: mega_jana: Does Richards soloproject have any effect on the band, nicht das deswegen am Ende die Trennung bevor steht, that would break many hearts.

[20:09] Paul: yes, a very pleasant one. Richard is so active, that one band is not enough for him.

[20:09] Paul: It took a lot of pressure off the production.

[20:09] Mod: eater: Hi. After you played in big venues, how important is it to you to play again for 100-200 people?

[20:10] Paul: In big venues you have little contact with the audience. When you want to know what is going on, it is better to play small in clubs once in a while.

[20:10] Mod: CoMuS: Which Rammstein song pleases you the least?

[20:11] Paul: That depends. At the moment it’s Fellfrosch.

[20:11] Mod: feuerraeder: On Rosenrot there are a lot of leftovers from Reise Reise. Nevertheless, some titles did not make it onto the album, for example: "Holz", "Ich bin", "Student", "Sonntag bei Omi", "Spring Jungle", "Hin und her", "Eisenmann" or "Seid bereit". Will those titles be released someday and what do they sound like? Calm, like on "Reise, Reise"/"Rosenrot" or harder like on "Herzeleid" or "Sehnsucht"?

[20:12] Paul: You payed attention very well!. "Spring Jungle" became "Spring"

[20:12] Paul: out of "Student" came "Benzin".

[20:12] Paul: "Ich bin" became the Spanish song.

[20:13] Paul: In general we try to make every song/album as hard as possible.

[20:13] Paul: But just like your next girlfriend, you can’t pick them out, you just take the one you fall in love with.

[20:14] Paul: that means: It would make me happy when the next album will be harder again.

[20:14] Mod: Micha: How did it come to a cooperation with Sharleen Spiteri of TEXAS?

[20:14] Paul: That was an idea from Jacob Hellner, the producer.

[20:14] Mod: Benziner: Which ideas did you contribute to the album "Rosenrot?"

[20:15] Paul: A couple. The basics for the individual titles are actually supplied by all.

[20:15] Paul: When assembling, most of the time all the band members are also there.

[20:16] Paul: It’s not really important who has supplied the basic idea; it’s much more important that everybody likes the idea and participates.

[20:16] Mod: Saturnine: Because I always liked you music video’s a lot; I really would like to know how you get the director for those video’s. Jonas Åkerlund, who’s work I really like, was said to be behind the camera for one of you video’s. Do you choose the director on you own, for example by means of a certain video or film you like (nevertheless you wanted David Lynch to be the director for once) or does the record company make any suggestions, and does it all start with that?

[20:17] Paul: Yes, we always choose the directors by ourselves, however, not all the directors on our wish list are available for services at the moment we have to shoot the video.

[20:18] Paul: for example, Akerlund was our heart wish for a long time, but until now, he never had the time. By the way, he is also a Rammstein fan.;o)

[20:18] Mod: Apo: Are you planning to release older (demo-)songs like "Schwarzes Glas", "Feuerräder", "Biest" (the "primal-version" of "Tier"?), "Jeder Lacht".

[20:18] Paul: Actually not. We already have so many ideas for new songs.

[20:18] Mod: lebendeheizung: Why didn’t you call your latest album reise reise vol2, as expected, but "Rosenrot"?

[20:19] Paul: The title "Reise, Reise 2" was not romantic enough to us.

[20:19] Paul: And "Rosenrot" also has two R’s.

[20:20] Mod: Ben: Do you intent to increase the electronical elements and the use of the synthesizer in the near future? In the end, it was an important Rammstein trademark to mix metal with electronical elements.

[20:21] Paul: Good idea. I also gave that some thought already.

[20:21] Paul: The problem is, that when we want to make something, we want to make things that others have not made before.

[20:22] Paul: And especially in the field of electronics and synthesizers there are no new realizations or innovations.

[20:22] Paul: Therefore we first focused ourselves on ourselves as a band and wait for inventions within the electronic range.

[20:22] Mod: LordofRammstein: Will you give one or more signing sessions in Germany.

[20:22] Paul: Until now, nothing is planned.

[20:22] Mod: TimaL: How old were you when you started playing guitar and how long did it take you to get "good"?

[20:23] Paul: Started maybe at 14. With 15 I was "good" at it.

[20:23] Mod: Weiland: To what extent is Nietzsche a source of inspiration?

[20:24] Paul: Have to think about that first. I haven’t read Nietzsche yet.

[20:24] Mod: Port0 | Gr8: How did you get the idea for the Benzin video and to what extent does it refer to the lyrics?

[20:24] Paul: I think the idea came from Till.

[20:24] Paul: The reference to the lyrics unfortunally does not exist. However, we noticed that too late.

[20:26] Mod: der METZKERMEISTER: Doesn’t Rammstein make an obvious breach with "Rosenrot", style wise?

[20:27] Paul: The songs have the same style as on "Reise, Reise".

[20:27] Paul: From album to album, I think we managed to change every time, without loosing our style.

[20:28] Paul: It’s always hard, not to repeat yourself and also be true to yourself.

[20:28] Mod: Rabe: Doesn’t it make you a bit depressed from time to time to always play songs about love sorrow, death, sex and violence?

[20:28] Paul: Haven’t thought about that yet. We simply can’t do anything else.

[20:29] Paul: With Tarantino there is also always slaughter and no cooking.

[20:29] Mod: Swu: Are there any questions left in interviews that actually surprise you?

[20:29] Paul: Seldom.

[20:29] Mod: mega_jana: have you planned a tour for "Rosenrot"?

[20:29] Paul: Not until now.

[20:29] Mod: BTTH: Will you make real hard songs again, or will you stay at the boring "Pop/rock" you make at the moment??

[20:29] Paul: see above.

[20:30] Mod: DropD: What advice can you give us hobby guitarists, so when we play your riffs, they sound just as immortally powerful?

[20:30] Paul: Well, a good guitar is very important. I myself just found that out a year ago.

[20:31] Paul: When you can play to some extent, it will sound good, no matter which amplifier you use.

[20:31] Mod: R!7$uk0 4k@g!: Do you have something against Flake, 'cause you put him down in your new video’s.

[20:31] Paul: Flake is our best guy!!!!

[20:31] Mod: prYnce: Which songs from Rosenrot come from previous albums and which one’s were written for "Rosenrot"??

[20:32] Paul: That you should find out for yourselves. You won’t hear the difference.

[20:32] Mod: DAVE: Paul, can you also jamm blues? When you guys would get stranded on an abandoned island, who would you eat first? What’s the price of the engl Powerball (Amplifier) you play in "Keine Lust"?

[20:32] Paul: Blues - no.

[20:32] Paul: We should eat Till, he’s got the most on his body.

[20:33] Paul: But, I fear that he won’t let us eat him. I think that the one who falls a sleep first, has lost.

[20:33] Paul: I haven’t paid the Engl Powerball. By the way, very well observed.

[20:33] Mod: dEReViL:: Will Rammstein release the song "Los" (plugged) on the upcoming singles? Or was it never recorded in the studio?

[20:34] Paul: Was planned as a single. Somehow it did not happen. Too bad, too bad. It would have been a song that is suited for radio, I believe.

[20:34] Mod: feuerengel: When the Mutter album was recorded, you had some "domestic" trouble! How is the relationship between you guys now, just now when the time between touring Reise Reise and the Rosenrot album was so short and stressy?

[20:35] Paul: We were lucky not to be taken down by this battle, but matured because of it.

[20:35] Paul: somehow someone wants us to keep making music.

[20:35] Mod: Port0 | Gr8: One of your new songs, Spring, concerns the topic "suicide" in relation too an exterior influence. What exactly is behind that song?

[20:36] Paul: The text actually explains itself. Just another 2 days of waiting!

[20:36] Mod: weisse-fee: Would you end the project Rammstein when you notice that everything is nothing more but routine and there are no new innovations, or will you go on just as long as it pays off? Why did you revaluate the songs from Reise Reise for the new album? Are you out of ideas?

[20:36] Paul: It’s really hard to notice if things have become routine.

[20:37] Paul: Until now, I think that we will quit when it’s no fun anymore.

[20:38] Paul: We still have enough idea’s.

[20:38] Mod: Passion: Is this chat the beginning of a new area in dealing with fans, with more interaction and communication? Do you plan more of such activities and if, which?

[20:38] Paul: not really.

[20:38] Mod: mortis "zwitter": Are you planning to release songs again like "Stripped" or "Das Modell", that aren’t/wont be available on albums?

[20:39] Paul: I don’t exclude that.

[20:39] Mod: uomo guasto: You can find a lot of different styles within Rammsteins genre, for example NDH, Industrial and others. How would you define your style?

[20:39] Paul: Difficult question. In the beginning it surely was Metal and Industrial. Now, Now we have become rockier.

[20:39] Mod: Psychomantis: Why do you always have 11 songs on an album?

[20:40] Paul: So that we now have 55.

[20:40] Mod: R!7$uk0 4k@g!: Rammstein: Can you imagine to still play live at a tough age, like the Rolling Stones?

[20:40] Paul: That would not be very pleasant. Maybe one of us dies so we will be speared.

[20:40] Mod: R!7$uk0 4k@g!: Which one of you guys designed the "RAMMSTEIN character font"?

[20:41] Paul: The basic idea came from the band and was refined by a commercial artist who we call "Pausbäckchen".

[20:41] Paul: The idea was to use letters as thick as blocks.

[20:41] Paul: That old font is on the very first Rammstein T-shirts.

[20:41] Mod: lebendeheizung: Why did you choose the Japanese "Reise, Reise" cover for "Rosenrot"?

[20:42] Paul: Because it was a pity only to use it for the Japanese.

[20:42] Mod: go: Do songs like "Moscow" and "Te Quiero Puta" have a personal background since "Reise Reise", or do you dedicate this songs, as the only internationally successful German band, to you foreign fans?

[20:43] Paul: I think that people already are pleased with that. I was also pleased, when I understood David Bowie...

[20:43] Mod: Angel of Death: During you time with Rammstein, what has moved you the most?

[20:44] Paul: When I discovered a Rammstein section behind the Ramones section in a lonely record store in the far America.

[20:45] Paul: Need more questions.

[20:45] Mod: Apo: Which of your songs would you consider the hardest to play?

[20:45] Paul: Amour.

[20:45] Mod: Rammsteiner: To whom you owe your success? How did you manage to obtain a record deal? Were you guys at the right place at the right time or were you approached by a producer after a gig? What’s the best thing one can do to make professional music with a band to earn a living with it? Can you give any tips?

[20:46] Paul: A good singer with good karma. Voice is secondary, see Grönemeyer. Good songs, interesting Live show, insolence and luck.

[20:46] Mod: passion: What influence does Rammstein really have on decisions made by management, record company etc, for example with cover design, handling fan sites, or on the decision what articles can be acquired in the Rammsteinshop? Who wanted the Rammstein-socks or the sowing patch with a naked woman without recognizable context, which was simply only tasteless. But on "tasteless" you stand, if we can believe your expressions in the Int (???)

[20:46] Paul: relatively, we decide everything.

[20:47] Paul: Handling fan-sites and the articles in the shop are absolutely not always a decision of the band..

[20:47] Paul: I didn’t know about the Rammstein socks. Good idea.

[20:47] Mod: Michael: How do you prepare, emotionally as well , for a big world tour like you have done? You are always on the road, far away from family, something like that must consume much energy . . . ?

[20:47] Paul: I always ask myself the same thing.

[20:47] Mod: diokhan: What do you think of Tokio Hotel and similar groups, who end up on number 1 out of nowhere? What’s your opinion about such casting shows?

[20:48] Paul: I don’t think that Tokyo Hotel is a casting band. And please don’t hit me, I think they are good. Of course, I speak for myself. What the others think of them, I don’t know.

[20:48] Mod: MannemerMaedel: What do you Rammstein guys think of band that sings songs with a political message? (like for example System of a Down)? Is it thinkable that Rammstein will go the same route some day?

[20:48] Paul: We all like System.

[20:49] Paul: However, superficial political we will probably never become.

[20:49] Mod: Caine: In the course of the years, have you introduced/developed certain rituals, like a prayer or a certain habit or something like that, before you go on stage??

[20:50] Paul: We have a round of Tequila.

[20:50] Mod: Passion: How do you see your audience? Flake is quoted: the typical Rammstein fan is male, 14 years old and has acne.

[20:50] Paul: Flake is nuts.

[20:50] Mod: Nikolai: We have heard many times already about a Rammstein film project. Will this really start someday? After all, Rammsteins mystic is ready for the movies!

[20:50] Paul: Thank you, but nothing is planned.

[20:50] Mod: Stefan Weidner: I’m interested in if you are friends with colleagues in the music industry. It is said that Rammstein keeps good relationships with Depeche Mode, Die Ärzte and Kiss. Is that correct, and are there other artists?

[20:51] Paul: We have met Depeche Mode and Kiss once. We are friends with Bela.

[20:51] Mod: Rammer: Why don't you do some more for the fan community? You lose so many fans this way.... Why don't you write in forums? Something like that does not stress much time..

[20:52] Paul: You are right, but we are having a hard time, to jump over our own shade.

[20:52] Mod: Riff: What do you think in general about the remixes on your albums? Are they meant to be an enrichment, or are they just there to fill a cd?

[20:52] Paul: I think the remixes on the last albums were getting better.

[20:53] Paul: We try to get good remixes, that we also like to hear. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t..

[20:54] Mod: wall of sound: Will there be another single collection? The old one is already a fine thing and in the meantime you clearly improved in the "Packaging & Design" range.

[20:54] Paul: Why not.

[20:54] Mod: Feuerräder: When you played in Knaack Club in 2000, you played a song called "punk" what has become "Feuer Frei" now. How did you end up with this title and to what extend you changed the text for "Feuer Frei".

[20:54] Paul: "Punk" was just the working title.

[20:55] Mod: Don-Philippe: Do you have any desire for co-operation with other artists/bands?

[20:55] Paul: Actually, in this range our desire holds itself within limits.

[20:55] Paul: Because there are six of us and that is enough cooperation.

[20:55] Mod: weisse-fee: Do you have influence on the single production? If so, why are all singles since "Links 2 3 4" without a real B-Side (5/4 doesn’t count)?

[20:56] Paul: Yes. We don’t want B-sides anymore.

[20:56] Mod: steinchen: Hi Paul,

[20:56] Paul: Yes?

[20:56] Mod: Suparossi: How did it come to a co-operation with Marilyn Manson (Mobscene-Sauerkraut Remix)?

[20:56] Paul: He just asked us.

[20:57] Paul: Annoying enough, the song was already that hard, that we had no choice but to make it so electronical.

[20:57] Mod: Moonless: You use a lot of pyro technics during your live shows. Has there ever been a situation, when you on stage noticed that something wasn’t going as planned and you had to consider ending the show?

[20:57] Paul: No.

[20:57] Mod: olf: According to your opinion, which album is the best/most successful/in itself most complete album?

[20:58] Paul: Metallica – Black Album.

[20:58] Mod: BTTH: Hi, I think your music is really great, but I think that the album Reise Reise and the pre-listen snippets of Rosenrot are just boring. When are you going to make real hard songs again like "asche zu asche" or "weißes fleisch"? It would be great when you go back to your old hardness and not fall back on Pop/Rock.

[20:58] Paul: I will not exclude it.

[20:58] Paul: I want to.

[20:58] Mod: lotzi: Even though it is a real long time ago, I have a question about the album "Sehnsucht". I saw a video to Eifersucht once, where Till was eaten by a couple of women. I really would like to know if this was a video made by you, or some other band that cover your songs?

[20:59] Paul: We have no video for Eifersucht.

[20:59] Mod: asche1986: What influence does the band have on you as individuals?

[20:59] Paul: The dynamics of the group have a substantial affect on each individual member. Therefore we have to take a small break from time to time, so we won’t beat each other to death.

[20:59] Mod: LordofRammstein: Do you also like Korn? Can you imagine making a remix for them once again?

[20:59] Paul: Yes. and yes.

[21:00] Mod: Darkman: We were told there will be no Rosenrot Tour, will you catch up or will there be a creative break first? Or do you already work on new pieces.

[21:00] Paul: Small break. Then we continue working. Voluntarily.

[21:00] Mod: Are there no other questions?

[21:00] Mod: Times up! The English chat is waiting. Thank you very much for taking part!

[21:01] Paul: Until next time - in 5 years.

[21:01] Paul: Little joke. Perhaps we improve. Until then.