Rammstein keyboarder releases video on climate crisis
Dagmar Breitenbach
November 25, 2022
Christian "Flake" Lorenz, Rammstein's keyboarder, stars in a video with his daughter, Mimi, commenting on the destruction of the environment — and criticizing the music industry.
Christian "Flake" Lorenz, Rammstein keyboarder Image: Christophe Gateau/dpa/picture alliance
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The 2-minute clip, created in collaboration with the Berlin city cleaning service (BSR), shows Rammstein keyboard player Christian "Flake" Lorenz and his daughter, bundled up and seated in an underground bunker in a dystopian future, the world above them in ruins.
Mimi holds her father, among others, responsible for the fact that "the world up there" is destroyed — she stands for the younger generation, pointing a finger at previous generations for not having done enough to stop the destruction of the environment. The musician stands for people of his generation who are unaware of their responsibility for the world.
"Here we are, 10 meters underground, in a bunker, and we can't get out," Mimi says. "The world up there is destroyed."
Her father tries to justify himself. But his daughter won't be dissuaded — also pointing out the many world tours of his band: "You and your band touring all the time, gargantuan shows, a thousand trucks — for what?"
Though the father corrects her daughter by pointing that he was in Rammstein and not Scorpions, it is unlikely that the band will actually change its opulent touring style.
Contributing to the problem? Rammstein has opulent live shows Image: Jens Koch/Rammstein/dpa/picture alliance
Billion of disposable cups land in trash
The video rather hopes to draw attention to the problem of environmental pollution caused by disposable cups.
"In Germany alone, two billion cups were thrown in the trash every year. That was sick!" Mimi says, referring to single-use cups that are resource intensive and cause problems for the environment.
After the conversation between father and daughter, the video states: "Use reusable now and protect the environment. It's easier than you think."
And Mimi looks straight into the camera and says, "Tomorrow is actually too late, better not to use the cups."
Rammstein, the dark gods of hard rock
Powerful shows have been the German shock-rockers' trademark for 25 years. They've headlined all the major music festivals, from Moscow to Buenos Aires.
Image: Universal/G. Karp
Music made of nightmares
Knowing no taboos, Rammstein have managed to infuse their performances with humanity's darkest nightmares. It's all about violence and murderous fantasies, cannibalism and various unthinkable acts of horror. They delight in crossing the line, and their provocations are celebrated by a legion of fans. Rammstein is one-of-a-kind — and the band members are worldwide stars.
Image: Universal/G. Karp
Eastern punk heritage
Come from East Berlin and Schwerin, the members first performed in seminal acts within the East German underground punk scene. Guitarist Paul Landers and keyboardist Flake Lorenz played in Feeling B; singer Till Lindemann was with First Arsch, bassist Oliver Riedel with The Inchtabokatables, guitarist Richard Kruspe in Orgasm Death Gimmick, and drummer Christoph Schneider in Die Firma.
Image: Universal
Appearances are deceiving
They actually look like nice guys. This photo was taken in 1995 when the band was one year old. "Herzeleid" (Heartbreak), the first LP, had gruesome texts on issues like child abuse in "Weisses Fleisch" (White Flesh), and necrophilia in "Heirate mich" (Marry Me). All that to harsh guitar riffs, merciless percussion and an edgy electro sound. It reached No. 6 in the German album charts.
Image: Pressefoto
God knows I'm no angel
"Engel" (Angel) in 1997 was the breakthrough. Given much airtime on the MTV and Viva music channels, it was inspired by Quentin Tarantino's film "From Dusk Till Dawn." The second album, "Sehnsucht" (Longing), went platinum both in Germany and in the US. Rammstein's contribution to the soundtrack of David Lynch's film "Lost Highway" kickstarted their career in the US.
Image: Paul Brown
A plea for tolerance in a Hawaiian shirt
Aren't they sweet? The surf boys pose on the Californian beach with pretty bikini-clad girls and sing about the foreigner that is unwelcome. The happy images collide with the hard, rapid industrial beat. When "Mein Land" (My Country, 2011) comes to an end, the candy-colored beach party is over, and it's back to familiar Rammstein imagery with fire and scowling faces.
Image: Universal
Inter-generational collaboration
In a crossover phase, German folk music star Heino covered well-known rock and pop songs, including Rammstein's "Sonne" (Sun). In 2013, the group invited Heino to join them onstage at Wacken Open Air. Facing 75,000 metal fans and flanked by flames and smoke, Heino sang together with Rammstein — looking slightly startled. The periodical "Metal-Hammer" tweeted: "Did Heino know where he'd landed?"
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Heroes onscreen
The film of the Rammstein concert in New York's Madison Square Garden, and the documentary "Rammstein in Amerika," premiered in movie theaters on September 24, 2015. The DVD climbed to No. 1 in the DVD charts in 13 countries. Rammstein has conquered four of the world's five biggest music markets: the US, Great Britain, France and Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/Eventpress
Cultivated pyromaniac
Rammstein lead singer Till Lindemann likes to shock with his outre makeup. But under the wild man exterior, Till's a sensitive, contemplative soul who published a collection of poetry titled "Messer" (Knife) in 2002. Meanwhile, the 56-year-old got his buff physique from high-performance swimming. And what about his love of fire? Lindemann took a course in pyrotechnics in 1996.
Image: Paul Brown
10 years of waiting
Rammstein's 7th studio album (untitled) was released on May 17, 2019. It was an eagerly awaited release, coming 10 years after the previous one. It garnered plenty of media attention ahead of its release, in part due to the music video for the single "Deutschland," which portrayed concentration camp prisoners. It became Germany's best-selling album of 2019.
