It’s been a good four weeks since I wrote here how difficult it is for me as a fan to position myself in the Rammstein case. Since the end of May, more and more women have been reporting suspected sexual assaults. About a “casting system” to bring singer Till Lindemann to wife, and about parties after which the female fans couldn’t remember anything. Lindemann himself denies all allegations about his lawyers.
At the time, I advocated giving yourself and everyone else in the discussion time to form an opinion and, above all, to continue listening to those presumably affected.
What has happened since then? From the outside, you might think: nothing at all. Rammstein is on a European tour as planned, the stadiums are sold out, Till Lindemann continues to roll the “R” reliably, the pyrotechnics turn every arena, no matter how dull, into a sea of flames.
Only a few demonstrators, who protested against the performances in particular before the concerts in Berlin, disturbed the picture. The allegations suddenly seemed very far away – a fever dream that disappeared as quickly as it came.
These days, when peace returns, bring with them an absurd hope for Rammstein fans: Maybe there won’t be anything anymore. Maybe that was it, and it will all be cleared up soon. Maybe Rammstein will just be a normal band again soon.
And it is precisely on such a day that new allegations make the comfortable veil of (wanting to) forget disappear and reality is seen clearly again. This time it’s not just about Till Lindemann. According to a new report, keyboarder “Flake” Lorenz was also sexually assaulted – including towards a 17-year-old, reports the Süddeutsche Zeitung and NDR. Lorenz himself had the allegations denied by a lawyer.
Every new story that comes to light makes my trust in the band crumble – and also in myself. Flake of all people! He was always the intellectual of the band, the reasonable one. Artist, author, someone who loves the theater. It is said that when the others celebrated, he preferred to go to the hotel to read. Such a person is not sexually assaulting – or is he?
The incident, which a woman describes to NDR and SZ, is said to have been decades ago. And yes, of course one can argue that sensitivity to sexualized behavior was not as pronounced as it is today. Or that everyone involved is said to have been very drunk. But I don’t want to accept that. You screw up when you’re drunk, but in my world, that means stealing a construction light or tipping over a dixie, not sleeping with a practically unconscious woman without even considering whether she wants to or not.
For weeks I have been writing the same phrase in all articles on this subject, and it still applies today: as long as the accused have not been finally convicted, the presumption of innocence applies.
But as a fan, every new article, every revelation, every story hurts. There are now too many for me to believe that the whole world is conspiring against Rammstein and that none of the reported events ever happened.
For years I understood Rammstein’s music as a profound art that could be interpreted in so many different ways. I brushed aside views that the lyrics were flat, the songs all sounded the same and that the myth of the band was only the result of a level of fireworks that was at least as obscene as the rest of the stage show.
I never realized that I had the same feeling as many others: As a fan, you think of yourself as part of an elitist circle – a group of like-minded people who have mastered a certain art and that’s why they find it so great. Those who don’t like them just don’t because they don’t understand them. And the members of a band that creates great art can’t be bad people per se. Arrogance meets naivety.
With every accusation that becomes public, the defensive bulwark that I somehow still carry within me crumbles. The story “that was all Till, we didn’t know anything” of the remaining band members has now been taken ad absurdum at the latest. I’ll probably have to say goodbye to this band and despite all the arguments for it, it’s going to be a long and hard goodbye.
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung
