Rammstein: As a fan, how should you deal with the discussion?

“Those who wait patiently will be rewarded at the right time.”

Rammstein texts like this are currently even more pregnant than usual. For more than two weeks there has been a discussion about the band and what the allegations against Till Lindemann in particular are about. And as is so common these days, two camps quickly formed:

Those who would like to ban the band immediately because of the allegations. And those who worship Rammstein as demigods who allegedly have never made a mistake in their (band) life. There seems to be no point of view between these poles.

Discussion about Rammstein: As a fan, I’m caught between two chairs

I’ve been a Rammstein fan for years and have been following the discussion since the first posts circulated on Twitter. And I still feel like I’m hanging between chairs.

So much can be said: I believe the women who have shared their experiences via social media channels or the media. I have no reason not to. Nevertheless, for more than two weeks now I have been trying to take a differentiated position so as not to let myself be taken in by either side.

Colleagues Julia Lorenz and Dirk Peitz from “Zeit” wrote last week: “In the case of Till Lindemann, the suspicion that he actually did what he as an artist indicated in his works, if not announced, is depressing.” Playing with taboos is part of Rammstein’s identity. For his critics, the texts that Lindemann has written over the past few decades are an admission of guilt. Someone who does not also sympathize with subjects such as necrophilia, cannibalism or sadistic sex in reality cannot write such texts as an artificial character. From them you can see what kind of person Lindemann really is, so the opinion.

Interestingly, the ones who scream this kind of thing the loudest are also the ones who have absolutely no connection to the band. Not listening to their music, not dealing with the lyrics or their context and for whom it would generally not be a loss if Rammstein were to cease to exist overnight. Canceling is the easiest, which means nothing to you.

Fans defend the band no less undifferentiated

On the other hand, fans are up in arms, who defend the band no less undifferentiated. It couldn’t be all that. Pictures from the past few years have been posted thousands of times, showing Lindemann meeting fans in wheelchairs and small children in Rammstein T-shirts or playing pranks with his bandmates. Subtext: THAT is the real Lindemann. The martial figure on the stage – all just acting, art, artificial figure.

But for many, this defense is not enough. They go on the attack. The women who dared to approach their idol, who speak openly about alleged transgressions, they made up these stories to get attention. It is a recurring insinuation that has been heard before in cases involving power and abuse of power in the broadest sense.

The only people who are actually worse are those who are now trying to weave the discussion into their Kulturkampf. Listening to Rammstein is suddenly on a par with not being vaccinated, eating meat and opposing a heat pump. They are not at all interested in the actual discussion that needs to be held. For her, Till Lindemann has become a symbol for the fight against the supposed “wokeness”. It really makes you sick when you see social media users who now think they are side by side with Lindemann and who were bursting with anger a few months ago when the (male) band members kissed on a stage in Russia to be with to give a symbolic kick to the gesture of widespread homophobia in the country.

What if all of this is true?

I’m sure many fans have found themselves thinking, “What if this is all true?” As a follower who connects a lot with a band, who finds himself in their music, this possibility is unbearable because it would mean the imperative: the band would no longer be possible. With other groups you might be able to cope with this, because then there will still be someone somewhere who can be used as a substitute. But with Rammstein it’s different.

Anyone who sees Rammstein live has the feeling of witnessing something historic. These performances, more musical than concert, with all their lights, costumes and pyrotechnics are distinctive, irreplaceable, unique. Rammstein is a myth and the concerts are the sacred masses of their followers.

We should try to find a middle ground again in the discussion

So how should a fan deal with the fact that despicable things may have happened at these holy masses? Perhaps one should take the liberty of not positioning oneself at all. Because that works too.

When protest groups try to hold fans responsible and make them feel guilty, as they did on the weekend before the Rammstein concerts in Munich, it’s unfair. It is even more unfair to try to silence the women who may have experienced traumatic things.

We should try to find a middle ground again. Some discussions take time. I’m sure many fans feel like me at the moment: They are torn between their own conscience and the hope that the issue between the band and those affected will be clarified – whatever. Until then, we should accept it when someone says, “I can’t listen to this band anymore.” Likewise when you say to someone, “I don’t want to give up the band – but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about those involved.”