Rammstein becoming increasingly entangled in a big #MeToo scandal
The German band Rammstein has responded to new allegations of misconduct against lead singer Till Lindemann and the band on Instagram. The band states that they condemn all forms of violence.
“The publications of recent days have caused irritation and questions among the public and especially among our fans,” writes the band. “The allegations have hit us all very hard and we take them extremely seriously. We say to our fans: it is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows, both on and off stage.” The band condemns “all forms of violence,” writes Rammstein.
They also ask not to judge the people who have made the allegations. “They have the right to their opinion. But we, the band, also have a right, namely not to be judged.”
After a concert in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, a Northern Irish woman accused Lindemann of having drugged her. The band denies this, and a drug test carried out by Lithuanian authorities was negative. Meanwhile, more women are accusing the singer of abuse of power, violence, and sexual misconduct.
At least two women are reported to have had sex against their will with Lindemann, according to NDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung based on conversations with dozens of people involved. “Rammstein regularly recruited young women, so Lindemann could have sex with them,” says NDR. A ‘sophisticated system’ was designed to lure female fans into meeting their great idol. With the aid of alcohol and drugs, Lindemann then imposed himself on the women, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s investigation. Lindemann has not yet responded to all allegations.
Prospective women were scouted by the entourage – prior to the Rammstein shows – and placed in ‘Row zero’ at performances. This is close to the stage, allowing fans to disappear backstage immediately after the show. This includes 23-year-old Cynthia A., who attended a concert in Hanover in 2019. “I resisted the sex,” she claims. In a hotel, another young woman is said to have had sexual intercourse against her will and to the point of bleeding with Lindemann. The female fans were lured with work or money promises. But little came of those promises so NDR says.
German publisher KiWi ends collaboration with Lindemann
It is unclear whether German fans will actually see the band. Rammstein’s management has not yet responded to questions from German media. The German publisher KiWi (Kiepenheuer & Witsch) did not wait and ended the collaboration with Lindemann on Friday afternoon.
Cologne-based publishing house Kiepenheuer & Witsch (KiWi) claims to have become aware of a music video that Lindemann released in 2020 in the form of a pornographic film. A bit strange they use that as a reason since this video (and another one) was widely commented back when it was released.
The clip, which shows the singer engaged in sexual activities with several young women, was the last straw for the publisher. After publishing two volumes of poetry with Lindemann, the collaboration has now ended.
The publisher also made this decision public on its social media channels. On Instagram, KiWi’s post divides users – while some praise the publisher for this move, others criticise it and accuse the publisher’s management of pre-judging the singer and poet.
Back in 2020, there was criticism of Kiepenheuer & Witsch after they published Lindemann’s poetry collection “100 Poems”. This includes a poem in which the lyrical I tells of the rape of a sleeping person. Many people therefore feel the publisher’s decision is coming too late – especially since the mentioned pornographic film was also circulating on the internet three years ago.
“First turn a blind eye when women are treated as objects and make good money from it. But now express ignorance and outrage,” one user accuses the publisher. “For a long time you have benefited greatly from a man who glorifies rape under the influence of date-rape drugs in his literature. Didn’t that give you pause?” another commentator agrees.
The implications for Lindemann’s solo tour – which was due to visit our country on 10 December are still unclear.
Who is Rammstein’s Till Lindemann ?
Till Lindemann was born in Leipzig (Germany) on January 4th, 1963. He grew up in Wendisch Rambow in the DDR with his parents and his sister, who was six years his junior. At the age of eleven, Lindemann attended sports education at the Rostock Sports Club. He didn’t get along with his father, Werner Lindemann who was a well-known children’s book author in the GDR, and who allegedly abused his on. His mother, Brigitte “Gitta” Lindemann, is a journalist and worked as the Head of Culture for NDR 1 Radio MV at the Norddeutscher Rundfunk in Schwerin from 1992 to 2002. Lindemann has a sister who is six years younger.
His parents divorced in 1975, after which his mother Brigitte remarried to an American. From 1977 to 1980, Till Lindemann attended a boarding school. He was the European youth champion in the 1500 meters swimming and was nominated for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. However, he was disqualified from participating because he left the hotel without permission to buy a Playboy magazine during the European Youth Championship in Rome. He also had obtained “class enemy” stickers from colleagues from West Germany in the team bus. In 1979 his swimming career ended due to a muscle injury.
He completed a carpentry apprenticeship with the Rostock housing construction combine, while living in a new building in Rostock-Evershagen. He later worked as a basket weaver, carpenter, and technician.
In 1981 he refused military service and narrowly escaped a stay in prison for this reason.
In 1982, at the age of 19, he moved in with his father, who lived in a farmhouse in the artists’ colony Drispeth in the Mecklenburg municipality of Zickhusen. He stayed there for nine months, but the cohabitation between father and son was not always harmonious. His father documented this time in literature in the book “Mike Oldfield in the Rocking Chair: Notes of a Father”. The book was published in 1988 and, at the initiative of Till Lindemann, was reissued in 2006, but with a different cover image: while the first published work showed a rather general illustration, the current cover is a photo of Till Lindemann sitting on railway tracks with a wooden chair. After moving out of his father’s house, Lindemann stayed around Lake Schwerin. He initially moved in with an acquaintance who worked as a basket weaver in a few villages over.
Lindemann’s father succumbed to alcohol in November 1992. The song “Heirate Mich” is believed to be inspired by this event.
In 1985, when Lindemann was twenty-two years old, his first daughter, Nele, was born. Lindemann married Nele’s mother after the birth, but they eventually divorced and Lindemann raised Nele by himself. Lindemann had a second daughter, Marie-Louise (1993), with his ex-girlfriend Anja Köseling. Köseling claimed that Lindemann molested her during their relationship and that he refused to pay parental contribution for their daughter. Lindemann never publicly responded to these accusations.
His musical career began as a drummer in the band First Arsch before he moved to Berlin in 1994 and, together with five other musicians, founded the band Rammstein.
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