Rammstein Press: Exclusive Interview with Richard | Herzeleid.com

Rammstein has officially admitted that problems in their love lives lead directly to the title of their first album, and that 'Sehnsucht' also was a product of emotions and feelings within the band. Why 'Mutter' now, then?

"Well, it sometimes happens that you do things without thinking. You know, you can suddenly get a feeling that something is missing in your life even though you have never thought about it before. You start doing things differently without knowing it.
'Mutter', of course, is a song from the new album - one of my favourite songs even. It strikes a theme that I still to this day can use. My own mother, in her own way, has had a great influence on my life - just by being a woman. I didn't realize it at the time, but she really laid the tracks for my life in many ways, and I didn't even feel that I knew her.
The theme of motherhood is a theme that I really want to learn something about. I use it as kind of therapy. It helps me get away from all the problems of this issue - a little bit.
Motherhood is also a theme with many faces. It's not only about freeing yourself from your maternal influences; it's also about the whole concept of conception, birth and origin - a lot of themes, actually.
The tradition in Rammstein about picking a theme for an album and implementing it, the way we did it with 'Herzeleid' in the beginning, then 'Sehnsucht' and now 'Mutter', has in some funny way become one. The three themes seem to interact with one another. For example the agony of our love lives in the 'Herzeleid'-period was, subconsciously, very much a maternally related problem."

Richard talks about the subject in a very lively way. It's obvious that he's extremely interested in the philosophical side of Rammstein, but at the same time, as he's warming himself up, he looks like he's afraid that he's contagious. He slowly closes the subject and leans forward again.

Do you have one wish for the future?

"Since I moved to New York I have finally discovered how happy I really am with what I'm doing. I'm the kind of person, you see, who has a very restless spirit. I need challenges all the time, and luckily New York is a constant challenge, I think.
When I lived in Germany I had a tendency to feel satisfied and comfortable, but when I moved it all changed. My eyes opened up once again and I remembered how hard it is to make it in any aspect of life - to be successful. That's what living in New York does to me, and that gives me back the motivation and makes me remember why I'm here, so to speak.
My wish is that I always cherish that feeling and that I will never make music just because I feel I have to."

Do you also have one wish for the past, too?

"That's a good question," is his immediate response. He leans forward again, putting his index finger to his lower lip while he's searching for a revelation on the ceiling of the hotel suite. 15 seconds go by in silence - and that's a long time"
"the past"..Yes, I wish I had a different childhood, I think."

Speculations are running high when it comes to the long awaited American tour. Will it be with Tool? What about the Ozzfest? Another German band, maybe? And when?

"There's a really simple answer to all the speculation," Richard smiles. "There definitely will be an American tour, and that's all we know right now. Patience, please."

Patience will be rewarded, and finally the ultimate question is no longer avoidable. The mother of all questions when it comes to Rammstein. Forget about musicianship and small things like touring, stage shows, more records, philosophy and artwork. Does Richard Kruspe know about the existence of Herzeleid.com?

"I'm sorry! Herzeleid dot what?"

Well, that about answers it. For all the masochists of this forum, here's the rest:

"A couple of weeks ago I spent a few hours surfing for Rammstein websites. My God, there are so many out there. 'My favourite Rammstein heaven', you name it. But Herzeleid.com I don't know."

Kann man Herzen brechen?

"Liebe Grüße von Richard an unsere Fans von Herzeleid.com"
Greetings from Richard to our fans at Herzeleid.com

Press: Exclusive Interview with Richard

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