To what extent are Rammstein taking the piss?

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I've checked the archives and Rammstein never appear to have been discussed much here. So, this thread is inspired by my seeing the video for their 'Hier Kommt Die Sonne' (ie. 'Here Comes The Sun', although while I can understand almost none of the lyrics, I think it's safe to say it's definitely not a Beatles cover).

It's a pretty bizarre video, in that I had previously (and quite possibly wrongly) assumed them to be a humourless and possibly homoerotic bunch of possible fascists. But the video involves Rammstein recast as the seven dwarves and slaving away down t'pit for a somewhat dirty Snow White who alternately mothers/seduces and punishes/enslaves them. Until they inject her with a poisonous syringe while she's writhing in a bath, that is.

What to make of all this? Do Rammstein have a sense of humour, or is their career a monumental piss-take?

― M Carty (mj_c), Monday, 15 December 2003 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

so you just saw a video where the band is cast as the seven dwarves and you are wondering if they have a sense of humor? well, to end your confusion, yes, they have a sense of humor.

― scott seward, Monday, 15 December 2003 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Well yeah, it seemed pretty clear that there was some humour going on there, but my previous dim awareness of them seemed to point unanimously in the opposite direction (and I'm sure I vaguely remember some late-90s fascist accusations flying their way).

I think I should have more specifically asked whether any bilingual ILMers might be able to explain their broad lyrical stance, etc.

― M Carty (mj_c), Monday, 15 December 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

it's a great video! i thought the dwarves were trying to keep her alive because they either perversely enjoyed the mis-treatment or they didn't know what else to do tho. haven't seen it recently enough to remember if poisoning her was accident or not but there seemed to be some indication of regret/reluctance/remorse involved i seem to recall.

oh and i think they are deadly serious about taking the piss - if that answers your question.

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 15 December 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

"deadly serious about taking the piss"
This sounds highly plausible!

I've seen their new one too, though, for a song called Mutter (ie. mother). The song sounds like a horrible, keyboard-led steal of The Unforgiven by Metallica, and video seems not to lack any discernible humour, so again I have to wonder if this is some none-more-arch meta-humour that way transcends my understanding, or what?

― M Carty (mj_c), Monday, 15 December 2003 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

To the fullest extent, I'd say.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 15 December 2003 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

this came up on one of my finals.

― g--ff (gcannon), Monday, 15 December 2003 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

at a company i used to work for we had a 43 year old technical director from Frankfurt who listened to nothing but Rammstein. generally came across as a stern, humourless guy who rarely engaged in social banter (avoided any sort of conversation at all most of the time in fact), but one day during lunch:

me "what's on the menu today? oh not this lamb stew again"
co-worker "this if like fucking prison food"
german technical director guy (with exceptional timing and wonderfully evocative accent) "get used to it"

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 15 December 2003 15:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, cheers stevem, this is more the sort of insight I was after! I should append to my original question an inquiry as to what their fans are generallly like.

The first time I ever heard of them was watching German MTV on the first day of being on holiday in Bavaria about 5 years ago. They were playing at some outdoor festival and inspiring possibly the most violent and riotous moshpit ever witnessed, involving thousands upon thousands of people. I seem to recall that neither the guitarist nor singer had tops on. The guitarist had some sort of bondage mask thing on and seemed to have mud all over his torso, while the singer had seemingly painted (not dyed) his hair grey.

My reaction was one of bafflement, to say the least.

― M Carty (mj_c), Monday, 15 December 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

My whitebread suburban collegian roommate seems to like them okay. He also likes Powerman 5000 and Pearl Jam.

― ben welsh (benwelsh), Monday, 15 December 2003 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Having interviewed Rammstein, let me assure you they have a very good sense of humor, but it's German humor. The singer, Till Lindeman, reminds me of no one so much as the all-but-silent hit-man played by Peter Stormare in Fargo. He sat across the table from me chain-smoking, and periodically injecting some totally deadpan statement that was clearly a hilarious joke to him, but somehow came across like a threat of bodily harm or something. During the interview, I mentioned that my wife was studying German (she still is), and Lindeman croaked, "You should have brought her. We would have stolen her away from you." (puff of smoke)

It reminded me of a scene from Flaming Carrot comics: the Carrot walks into a party with his friends. The room's very crowded. Carrot: "Too many people at this party! Better kill some!"

That's the humor of Rammstein. Needless to say, having met them, I find them hilarious.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Monday, 15 December 2003 16:19 (twenty-two years ago)

It is impossible to EVER tell for sure whether Germans (see also: Amon Duul, Can, Boney M, Kraftwerk, Silver Convention, Einsturzende Neubauten, Belfegore, Falco, Nena, Trio, etc etc etc) are joking. And that is only one of the reasons that Germans make so much great music.

― chuck, Monday, 15 December 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

(And yeah, I know, Falco was actually AUSTRIAN. Same difference.)

― chuck, Monday, 15 December 2003 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Blixa Bargeld was an incredibly fun interview. Really nice, charming, but jaded/sinister at the same time. He'd make a hell of a villain if they ever make a Blade 3.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Monday, 15 December 2003 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)

they are making blade 3. better give him a call quick!

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Monday, 15 December 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

[i]It is impossible to EVER tell for sure whether Germans are joking.[/i]

True, that. And for the record, Faust were taking the piss just by calling a certain iconic-sounding tune of theirs "Krautrock," though I don't think many folks got it. Hell, they were taking the piss just by calling themselves FAUST!

― yetimike (McGonigal), Monday, 15 December 2003 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

this guy i go to whenever i need guitar repairs toured with them as a guitar tech for a few months. according to him, they were fun guys to be around.
that said, a friend of mine who was drummer of my high school band Squishy for one practice was a huge rammstein fan and always wore one of those bland green long jackets with a german flag patch on one shoulder. he was a nice enough guy, but he didn't make me laugh too often.

― Felcher (Felcher), Monday, 15 December 2003 20:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I always thought it was pretty obvious Rammstein were joking.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 15 December 2003 20:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Laibach were a hoot as well.

― scott seward, Monday, 15 December 2003 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah how obvious can it be...anyway, having seen that "Sonne" video dozens of times: the dwarves don't inject her with poison - Snow White forces them to work in the mines to collect gold dust for her to snort & inject, and finally ODs on the stuff, and then the dwarves mourn, etc...ok this is splitting hairs but anyway.

The "Links 234" video about a hill of totalitarian ants triumphing over three monstrous ant-eating beetles is rather nice too.

The new Laibach single "Tanz Mit Laibach" (dance with Laibach) is a similar tongue-in-cheek affair, featuring thumping jackboots in sync with the song, and the singer instructing the listener harshly to "comrad come dance with me, dance with democracy, dance with socialism, dance with totalitarianism, dance with red anarchy". It already spawned a kitten-parody at rathergood.com, I noticed.

― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 15 December 2003 21:54 (twenty-two years ago)

The new Laibach single "Tanz Mit Laibach"

I gotta hear that!!!

― scott seward, Monday, 15 December 2003 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought Rammstein took the piss quite literally... as in one of the members attached to himself a large member and simulating pissing all over the audience. I'm not kidding!

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 16 December 2003 00:57 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

They're not taking the piss AT ALL: premiere of their new videoclip on an amateur porn site + "that's not what he just sang, is it? damn" lyrics

http://www.visit-x.net/rammstein/

― StanM, Thursday, 17 September 2009 08:08 (sixteen years ago)

This is VERY not safe for work, btw.

― StanM, Thursday, 17 September 2009 08:12 (sixteen years ago)

Well, that's a new version of Viral Marketing, I'd say...

― Mark G, Thursday, 17 September 2009 08:32 (sixteen years ago)

'at the end it got a little dirty'

― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:31 (sixteen years ago)

Dicka

― Hoostentlantavegas (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:40 (sixteen years ago)

I have a dick-ah!

― chap, Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:43 (sixteen years ago)

Ha, xpost

― chap, Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:43 (sixteen years ago)

Always had a soft spot for Rammstein. They're the Scooter of metal.

― chap, Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:44 (sixteen years ago)

Can I has dick-ah

― Hoostentlantavegas (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:44 (sixteen years ago)

Great to have them back!

― Soukesian, Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:47 (sixteen years ago)

i'm a hamburg-ah

― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:50 (sixteen years ago)

you have a pussy
I have a dick-ah
so what's the problem?

― O(Suggest/Ban)AMA (Z S), Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:56 (sixteen years ago)

xpost
I vilkom them

― Hoostentlantavegas (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:57 (sixteen years ago)

I think the keyboardist thought it was funny.

― bamcquern, Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:59 (sixteen years ago)

I can't get laid in Cher-man-ee

― chap, Saturday, 19 September 2009 15:01 (sixteen years ago)

The video suggests otherwise

― Soukesian, Saturday, 19 September 2009 15:19 (sixteen years ago)

Great, now I've got that stuck in my head.

"ZO vat's dih Problim?"

― Neotropical pygmy squirrel, Saturday, 19 September 2009 15:42 (sixteen years ago)

I dunno what it is about Rammstein that make me totally casual about sitting here with the door and window open watching fairly explicit porn THAT JUST HAPPENS TO FEATURE THEM but... it is an effect

The dude who was tied to the cross or the wall or whatever it was has a Tuomas sorta thing going on imo? Maybe?

― you used to sleep with somebody who avoided a soap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 19 September 2009 16:23 (sixteen years ago)

this is...

― alien vs the smiths (country matters), Saturday, 19 September 2009 16:51 (sixteen years ago)

I really miss Antoine de Caunes' Eurotrash...

― a gift from your mind in the form of the perfect beat (snoball), Saturday, 19 September 2009 17:12 (sixteen years ago)

my friend says 'this is the logical conclusion of german culture' and i don't believe he is far wrong

― alien vs the smiths (country matters), Saturday, 19 September 2009 17:13 (sixteen years ago)

I would agree with that if they had some beer in the video.

― a gift from your mind in the form of the perfect beat (snoball), Saturday, 19 September 2009 17:15 (sixteen years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Pussy_Cover.jpg

― Terminator Eggs (Billy Dods), Saturday, 19 September 2009 18:13 (sixteen years ago)

never delete world

― alien vs the smiths (country matters), Saturday, 19 September 2009 18:13 (sixteen years ago)

The album cover's a ripe one too..

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/Cover_lifad.jpg

― Terminator Eggs (Billy Dods), Saturday, 19 September 2009 18:18 (sixteen years ago)

I bet Marilyn Manson is so pissed that he didn't think of doing this first.

― Terminator Eggs (Billy Dods), Saturday, 19 September 2009 18:33 (sixteen years ago)

http://manalogue.com/images/Windowlicker.jpg

― hypermediocrity (Derelict), Saturday, 19 September 2009 18:35 (sixteen years ago)

two years pass...

To answer the question -- to a very very large extent:

http://www.side-line.com/images/uploads/october28012011.jpg

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 28 October 2011 18:40 (fourteen years ago)

Hahahahaha! That's priceless!

― Turrican, Friday, 28 October 2011 18:42 (fourteen years ago)

Rammstein are definitely a band that comes to mind when I think of the phrase "musicians living the dream"

― he carried yellow flowers (DJP), Friday, 28 October 2011 18:51 (fourteen years ago)

i ran into Rammstein once at a beer garden in Berlin, six or seven years ago. the whole band sat down at the table next to me. i thought they'd all order giant steins of beer, but instead they all drank froufrou cocktails.

― geeta, Friday, 28 October 2011 18:57 (fourteen years ago)

^^^ even more proof

― he carried yellow flowers (DJP), Friday, 28 October 2011 18:59 (fourteen years ago)

― geeta, Friday, October 28, 2011 6:57 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

awesome

― lagerfeld of modern despots (latebloomer), Sunday, 30 October 2011 04:02 (fourteen years ago)

five months pass...

Rammstein are for the children

http://gawker.com/5901772/adorable-kids-cover-a-rammstein-song-about-overdosing-on-drugs

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 13 April 2012 17:46 (fourteen years ago)

!!!

― markers, Friday, 13 April 2012 17:48 (fourteen years ago)

ME IRL

― markers, Friday, 13 April 2012 17:48 (fourteen years ago)

this is GREAT

― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Friday, 13 April 2012 17:51 (fourteen years ago)

mad impressed by the drummer tbh

― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Friday, 13 April 2012 17:52 (fourteen years ago)

omg I just got to the end bit

― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Friday, 13 April 2012 17:53 (fourteen years ago)

are those kids german?

this is amazing

― billstevejim, Friday, 13 April 2012 17:58 (fourteen years ago)

They've got more than one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZNSN_dRtaM

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 13 April 2012 18:29 (fourteen years ago)

Romanian kids living in the US, according to the comments on this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0DXCuKfqRw

― xhuxk, Friday, 13 April 2012 18:43 (fourteen years ago)

Got that Mo Tucker tom-tom style down cold.

― Ashes, Pits of Ashes (leavethecapital), Saturday, 14 April 2012 03:10 (fourteen years ago)

one month passes...

The sequel! In which it is proven Rammstein are indeed the best band ever.

http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/05/22/video-lil-tykes-famous-for-rammstein-youtube-covers-open-for-rammstein-in-denver/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TjgeTCOoMM

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 17:58 (fourteen years ago)

That was just extraordinary. Those kids are cool as cucumbers up there.

― A. Begrand, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 18:01 (fourteen years ago)

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