Richard Z Kruspe, the enigmatic guitarist for Rammstein, the German
industrial/dance/metal band that brought pyrotechnics, flammable guitars and S&M gross-out theatrics to the Big Day Out stage back in 2001, has
"emigrated" from the destructive streets of Berlin to anxiety-charged New York to live in an ancient haunted fire station.
After 17 years riffing with Rammstein, he picked up the the microphone and assumed a new character for his side project, Emigrate. We caught up with Richard to talk about their Big Day Out 2009 hopes, Berlin vs. New York and the ghost in his fire station ...
"He's living in a different city, singing in a different language," he says of Emigrate - not just a band, but a new character. "After a while, living [as] this one Richard in Rammstein, its quite boring because you always play the same role. In Rammstein you had to be strong, you had to be evil. I was tired of this because there was something else in me, something even female, maybe," he ponders.
"This band comes from a really deep place in my heart, because this is the first time in my music career I'm singing," Richard says thoughtfully. "It was also a time in my life where I decided to move from the country where I grew up ... Entering a new world, emigrating to a new world," Richard says of his move from "destructive" Berlin to "anxious" New York, his first record created outside of Germany. "When I moved to New York, I felt I really had done everything I could do in Berlin. With Rammstein, we had such huge success for a German-speaking band," he says.
"Every person I meet in New York is popping Xanax all the time!" he exclaims. "The reason why? This city creates so much drama, so much anxiety, that people go crazy. That's why I actually love it, because I use it to write songs. A lot of people have the feeling of being insecure and unsafe, [that] creates this energy … But, if you go back to Berlin, I feel much safer," he says.
"I had a huge drug problem in Berlin, I never had a drug problem in New York," he remembers. "Think about it, back in the 80s, Berlin was one of the biggest heroin cities in the whole world. Nick Cave, the Australian artist, was there, Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Iggy Pop…they all came, they all got addicted to heroin there. I don't know, Berlin has a safe feeling, but it also has a really destructive energy," he muses.
The unease of New York can be harnessed, according to Richard. "To me, it's good, because I use it to write music, transform it to make music, use it as a creative tool, but a lot of people don't. They're just popping pills. The secret is to use the city, but every time the city comes to you, and wants pay back.. you have to leave. I'm a big believer that the energy becomes a part of your music. I just wonder what will happen if I come to Australia, stay for a year, and write a new record," he muses.
The Emigrate album was created within his home, "an old firehouse in SoHo," in the company of the resident ghost. "When I moved in here, I felt a lot of energy in this house. Then my bass player (when he was recording my vocals) told me that there's someone here. Then, my girlfriend moved in here, and she doesn't believe in any of that kind of sh*t. After two weeks, she could not take the energy. Cra-zy. I got a little nervous thinking about it," he says.
"I went to this firehouse museum where you can find pictures of the way they looked back in the day. I found this picture, and as I was printing it I had goosebumps all over my body. I showed the picture to my friends and my friends said, 'How did you put yourself into the picture?' There's a picture from 1874, and the guy standing in front of the building looks exactly like me!" he exclaims. He has found a way to deal with this ghost. "I make my peace with it. Not loud, but just like 'morning' and 'good evening.' Since then, I have no problem," he remarks.
After 17 years as a guitarist, Emigrate captures his first ever singing experience. "It was quite frustrating in the beginning … if you listen to your voice for the first time, you hate yourself and you hate everything that's come out of it." he says.
"I went to a vocal coach, Mick Jagger's voice coach. He saw me out the front the first day smoking a cigarette… and he screamed at me, 'What the f**k is this?' So I left, thinking I'm not going back there," he says. But it wasn't to end there. "My bass player said to me, 'Those songs are very personal - noone else can really sing those songs.' Then I realised that (especially in rock), it's more about attitude, not just singing all those scales," he laughs. "Playing an instrument, you can hide…you can pretend in a way. Singing, you can't pretend. Anyone listening can tell you're pretending. Its more true, its more naked," he says.
The experience of the Emigrate project made Richard "more complete as a songwriter. Secondly, it gave me the balance to go back and be the guitar player in Rammstein. Emigrate is basically the silence of Rammstein," he says.
Rammstein will once again take centre stage later this year, as the band return to the studio to craft their next album. "I promised the guys in Rammstein I'd be back with them, writing new tracks for the new record, so unfortunately I can't tour with this album. But I had such a great time!" he says.
When can we see the band back in Oz? "The next thing we do is definitely come with Rammstein, for sure. We have to finish this record, but maybe January for Big Day Out [2009], if we are successful," he reveals.
source www.channelv.com.au
After 17 years riffing with Rammstein, he picked up the the microphone and assumed a new character for his side project, Emigrate. We caught up with Richard to talk about their Big Day Out 2009 hopes, Berlin vs. New York and the ghost in his fire station ...
"He's living in a different city, singing in a different language," he says of Emigrate - not just a band, but a new character. "After a while, living [as] this one Richard in Rammstein, its quite boring because you always play the same role. In Rammstein you had to be strong, you had to be evil. I was tired of this because there was something else in me, something even female, maybe," he ponders.
"This band comes from a really deep place in my heart, because this is the first time in my music career I'm singing," Richard says thoughtfully. "It was also a time in my life where I decided to move from the country where I grew up ... Entering a new world, emigrating to a new world," Richard says of his move from "destructive" Berlin to "anxious" New York, his first record created outside of Germany. "When I moved to New York, I felt I really had done everything I could do in Berlin. With Rammstein, we had such huge success for a German-speaking band," he says.
"Every person I meet in New York is popping Xanax all the time!" he exclaims. "The reason why? This city creates so much drama, so much anxiety, that people go crazy. That's why I actually love it, because I use it to write songs. A lot of people have the feeling of being insecure and unsafe, [that] creates this energy … But, if you go back to Berlin, I feel much safer," he says.
"I had a huge drug problem in Berlin, I never had a drug problem in New York," he remembers. "Think about it, back in the 80s, Berlin was one of the biggest heroin cities in the whole world. Nick Cave, the Australian artist, was there, Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Iggy Pop…they all came, they all got addicted to heroin there. I don't know, Berlin has a safe feeling, but it also has a really destructive energy," he muses.
The unease of New York can be harnessed, according to Richard. "To me, it's good, because I use it to write music, transform it to make music, use it as a creative tool, but a lot of people don't. They're just popping pills. The secret is to use the city, but every time the city comes to you, and wants pay back.. you have to leave. I'm a big believer that the energy becomes a part of your music. I just wonder what will happen if I come to Australia, stay for a year, and write a new record," he muses.
The Emigrate album was created within his home, "an old firehouse in SoHo," in the company of the resident ghost. "When I moved in here, I felt a lot of energy in this house. Then my bass player (when he was recording my vocals) told me that there's someone here. Then, my girlfriend moved in here, and she doesn't believe in any of that kind of sh*t. After two weeks, she could not take the energy. Cra-zy. I got a little nervous thinking about it," he says.
"I went to this firehouse museum where you can find pictures of the way they looked back in the day. I found this picture, and as I was printing it I had goosebumps all over my body. I showed the picture to my friends and my friends said, 'How did you put yourself into the picture?' There's a picture from 1874, and the guy standing in front of the building looks exactly like me!" he exclaims. He has found a way to deal with this ghost. "I make my peace with it. Not loud, but just like 'morning' and 'good evening.' Since then, I have no problem," he remarks.
After 17 years as a guitarist, Emigrate captures his first ever singing experience. "It was quite frustrating in the beginning … if you listen to your voice for the first time, you hate yourself and you hate everything that's come out of it." he says.
"I went to a vocal coach, Mick Jagger's voice coach. He saw me out the front the first day smoking a cigarette… and he screamed at me, 'What the f**k is this?' So I left, thinking I'm not going back there," he says. But it wasn't to end there. "My bass player said to me, 'Those songs are very personal - noone else can really sing those songs.' Then I realised that (especially in rock), it's more about attitude, not just singing all those scales," he laughs. "Playing an instrument, you can hide…you can pretend in a way. Singing, you can't pretend. Anyone listening can tell you're pretending. Its more true, its more naked," he says.
The experience of the Emigrate project made Richard "more complete as a songwriter. Secondly, it gave me the balance to go back and be the guitar player in Rammstein. Emigrate is basically the silence of Rammstein," he says.
Rammstein will once again take centre stage later this year, as the band return to the studio to craft their next album. "I promised the guys in Rammstein I'd be back with them, writing new tracks for the new record, so unfortunately I can't tour with this album. But I had such a great time!" he says.
When can we see the band back in Oz? "The next thing we do is definitely come with Rammstein, for sure. We have to finish this record, but maybe January for Big Day Out [2009], if we are successful," he reveals.
source www.channelv.com.au
