Why is Freiburg the only one Germany concert on your route?

Paul Landers: The promoter knew that we also want to play in Germany if the tour goes past it. In Freiburg, however, the fans see the 'Europe' version of our show - not what they are used to. It's a slimmed-down production because we can't be on the road with eight trucks and set up the entire structure due to the long distances. Think of it as a kind of special concert.

How difficult is it to remember the many concerts of this year's tour?

Christoph: I always remember the places when I go there a second time. Paul is different: He mostly remembers the food of the respective region. For me it's more the people or small experiences.

Paul: The concerts that you don't forget are important. Nobody manages to remember 150 concerts - it doesn't have to be. We always sound the alarm, and even when things get a little quieter in the band, the audience doesn't even notice.

Because you've played in many cities, you have the best opportunity for comparison in terms of the audience and their respective reactions. Can you name differences?

Paul: There are two different views. First: the evening performance. Second: the trappings. The environment is much more important than you think. In contrast to the US tour, the shows in Europe were a piece of cake. The concert tour through America seems more like a galley voyage to me. One city is like the other, only the big cities of New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles are the highlights. The rest is almost like an oversized Neubrandenburg - a snoring town without character. The whole thing then degenerates into hard work. The fans are usually as spirited as the climate, but the air burned at the concert. Moscow was also amazing - in general, things are always very hot in the Eastern bloc. Overall, however, I have to admit that certain character traits are the same among Rammstein audiences around the world.

What do you think when Russian or American fans sing along to the German lyrics?

Christoph: That's the coolest thing of all, because right at that second I feel validated for myself and my work. Transporting German beyond national borders and encouraging other people to sing in our mother tongue - that's a special feeling.

Are you worried about how the foreign fans will interpret the lyrics?

Paul: I don't know how good your English was as a kid - mine was lousy. That's why I was sorely disappointed when I found out what 'Smoke On The Water' really means. For me it had something to do with smoking and cigarettes. And that's how people feel about us. Fred Durst said that for 'Sehnsucht' he always understood 'Chainsaw'. Back then at Kraftwerk, instead of ‘driving, driving, driving on the Autobahn’, people understood ‘fun, fun, fun’. They knew ‘Autobahn’. There are funny mistranslations. A song like 'Links 2 3 4' is also difficult to translate, but the fans know that. The only thing that really matters is that the music and the lyrics go well together.

Were you welcomed with open arms everywhere on the US tour? Or were you met with a lack of understanding or did you even have trouble with the authorities?

Christoph: There were more restrictions on our pyro show. Also Christian demonstrators who - like Marilyn Manson - called us devils and blasphemers. Even in London there was such a rally car in front of the door, and the association propagated that one should not get involved with Satan - that is, us.

Paul: When we perform outside of Germany, the fans encourage us to keep singing in German and not start with the English language.

But you tried the two English versions of 'Engel' and 'Du hast'...

Paul: ...and failed miserably. That wasn't because of the English lyrics, but because the songs were written in German. If we were to write a song in English that wasn't German from the start, it could be good. We have nothing against globalization - at least not in the Rammstein context.

Christoph: It worked with 'Stripped' - it doesn't sound stupid when Till sings in English, but it has to be good English lyrics.

Paul: We're lucky that German is such a cool language for evil music. If I were English or Belgian, I would definitely sing in German. When it comes to bad, hard music, nothing beats the German language. English has too much soul, it sounds way too nice. They can turn on a eater or yell around... That leads to the problem that the English have with us in particular. When people hear German texts there, they immediately stand to attention and think that bombs are being thrown at them. We first had to explain that we don't want to start a war, we just want to sing in German. The English still associate the Germans with the bombs that fell on London in World War II - after that they heard nothing before us. Perhaps a Mercedes drives through London from time to time, but other than that, German has negative connotations. Rammstein try to transform the negative image of the Germans in the world into a positive one. The Reichstag also had a negative image. Since Christo covered it, you think differently about it - that's a new component. In a similar way we try to communicate that being German can also mean something good.

Do you see this as a challenge or as a tedious, tiring task?

Christoph: Even if that may sound pompous: I believe that we are pursuing foreign policy. Later, after our death, we will be written with honor in the history books. (Everybody is laughing)

Paul: We consistently get positive feedback on our band because the world is not used to something good in the musical field coming from Germany. That happens far too seldom.

Christoph: In Russia, the children learn German with our texts, and we were very happy about that.

So you had to grow into the task of being an ambassador, because you couldn't have known at the beginning of the band's career that it would take on such proportions, right?

Paul: No, no one could have guessed that we would sell even one record across national borders.

Christoph: In many areas, such as the American Midwest, people have heard nothing else about Germany than Rammstein...

Paul: … BMW also know a few…

What happens after the extended tour?

Christoph: We will take a four to six month break and do a lot with our friends and families during this break. In the summer of 2002, festival appearances are planned - the big European festivals.

Paul: Then money will be collected. Solid. The European tour and another tour of Germany will follow in autumn. Then we want to venture into the next record with a breath of fresh air. We hope that the whole thing will happen a little faster, but the work on MUTTER and the lengthy live activities showed us that we have grown together as a real band more than ever. We come to Stockholm and 12,000 people want to see us, it's unbelievable. It's just us...

Do you fight on tour?

Christopher: Very often! We never agree and that hampers the flow of the band. Democracy within the structure has also reached a limit where it no longer works. Everyone insists on their point of view...

Who then takes the initiative?

Paul: Democracy has not given way to a dictatorship. In the past seven years, we've learned to argue in ways that don't touch the substance. Schneider and I used to almost cut our throats. On the other hand, arguing makes you tired, and the consequence is that not everyone takes care of everything anymore. For example, I stayed completely out of the book. In the coming break we will recharge our batteries so that afterwards we can fight again with fun.

Aren't you afraid of falling into a deep black hole after the band's intensive life together at the end of the tour?

Christoph: Small children and women are waiting for us at home. It's pretty quick to get used to it again...

Paul: Wipe your ass and change your diaper, then you'll feel at home again. On tour you have a kind of royal life, it spoils the character. We're fighting to keep from going insane. But sometimes I enjoy not having to do the dishes or take out the garbage. The food is introduced to me orally, I hardly need to chew anymore...

How did you get along with Slipknot on the US tour?

Paul: In the beginning we had a lot of prejudices and thought they were stupid.

Christoph: It was very inspiring. I can understand that the kids love this band.

Paul: Slipknot stand for a certain quality. In the States, we've also been lumped into the category of bands that the kids listen to but the parents hate. In the beginning we felt like well-to-do old gentlemen and had a little Scorpions syndrome. Slipknot enjoy the same status in America that we had in Germany three or four years ago. The band polarizes strongly and is provocative. We have put our provocative phase behind us. Everyone knows who can expect what from Rammstein. I don't want to use the word 'solid', but you can't believably play the fright of the citizens for seven years.

You find out for yourself that the fans are getting used to Rammstein more and more and that events that would have caused a stir a few years ago are now part of the agenda. Is the consequence that you constantly question yourself and your actions so as not to stand still?

Paul: For as long as we have existed, we have tried not to repeat ourselves. Especially in Germany, we entered the show business at a high level, so that we had to spend enormous sums on the last Germany tour to always go one step further. The fans are also worth that to us.

Christoph: People don't come that often anymore, they keep a certain distance. When we go on tour again, we can set ourselves on fire - because that's what people want to see.

At some point, however, the show can no longer be improved.

Christoph: Yes, a lot is a question of ideas. Going new ways, incorporating new elements is better than multiplying what you are currently doing.

Paul: Ten flames are no better than one - we quickly realized that. A few simple lamps as stage decorations are enough for a good show.

Do you still enjoy performing live?

Paul (laughs): Yes, with 200 concerts a year, that's unavoidable. But we always try to put the unfunny concerts in places where nobody notices.

Christoph: I always tell myself it's an honor to play for so many people every night. I would envy any other band for this state of affairs.

Rammstein as an art form, as a phenomenon, is limited. What could a logical continuation of the band look like?

Paul: We want to dissolve the Goethe Institute and rename it the Rammstein Institute... (laughs)

Christoph: We are maybe just as limited as Kiss. I don't want to pat myself on the back, but we've already achieved a lot. In my opinion, success abroad is the greatest success.

Paul: We do what we want: 'our' music - not because we changed, but because we didn't change.

Could you ever go back to normal jobs? And if so, which ones would they be?

Christopher: No. Because you don't go in one direction to turn back. You go somewhere else.

Maybe someday you will be forced to do it?

Paul: We'd rather stop. We will not go back to the jobs we once learned and grow telephones for strangers. What job an aging rock star has, we don't think about it. All I know is that I won't start with any record company. That's disgusting. I don't want to have anything to do with music-related activities, because then I would always be chatted up on Rammstein. Maybe later I will compose music for films or advertising with Schneider...

So you're not worried when it comes to future issues?

Christoph: Life always takes care of you, you don't have to worry. The new signposts are coming, you just have to learn the ability to see them.

Paul: So far we've been great. The trouble only started when the money came in abundance. We had to learn to remain carefree despite this huge chunk, this lottery win. We then quickly put it on pointlessly, wasted everything, and now we can be more carefree again.

Christoph: You have more worries with money than without.

With Gert Hof's book, which was published in November 2001, you give an intimate insight into your private life for the first time, in that you have been photographed with friends and relatives, among other things. Why?

(Silence)

Christoph: The book should have a bit more colour, and we thought it would be nicer not just to use press photos. For one or the other, it may be interesting to see what Rammstein looks like privately.

Pau: But the amount of privacy is still very low.

The people with whom you can be seen in the pictures, are these the people who are closest to you?

Christoph: Yes, our mothers, our wives, girlfriends, children...

Paul: You can't see all of them, some are standing and even closer, but they'll be in the next book.

I can see you only want to sell books.

Christoph: It was very difficult to find a sensible concept for a Rammstein book. The result is a mix of photos, not too much text, a bit of band history, personal thoughts - I like that.

Paul: I would have liked some explanations about the photos, but I was pretty much alone with that opinion. With Oliver you think what kind of girlfriend he has, but it's his mother. The band wanted the photos to stand alone, leaving fans guessing who it is.

Can you still call yourself spontaneous? After all, the Rammstein entourage is a heavyweight, sluggish monster that, due to its marketing potential, cannot allow any wrong steps.

Christoph: You're right: the bigger, the more cumbersome. Rammstein is an oversized aircraft that needs a huge runway. Before a Rammstein concert can take place, a lot has to be prepared. We can't just take the bus and play.

Paul: Even if we want to add a new song to the program, it takes three to four shows. We submit an application to Schneider, which he ignores, then hesitates at first, but eventually changes it.

Which fans do you prefer? Those who like you because of the music, or those who just like Rammstein's image? Or don't you see any difference?

Paul: We can't choose who we like. As a band you have all the fans to find. this is your job. Anything else would be arrogant. The fans are allowed to say who they think is good and who is shit in the band, but we can't. We play for everyone.

Does it also cause problems that you as Rammstein always have to maintain the image of the tough, grim men and aren't allowed to cry?

Christoph: If we weren't having fun anymore, we would change it. The overly masculine is just a game, we live out a side that fits the music.

Paul: Before Rammstein I played in a fun punk band for ten years and it was a lot harder. Because as a fun punk - Die Ärzte can confirm that - you always have to be funny. The fans throw a beer over your head and you have to come across as nice. At Rammstein I can be 99 percent what I want. Being fierce is easy, it needs no pretense. Even when you're in a bad mood, it's totally awesome. If everything pisses me off, it promotes the show 100 percent. I can stand there like a pawn in a chess game throughout the concert and don't have to bat an eyelash - but the concert is still great.

Christoph: That's why the band is so successful. We convey what we do honestly. I'd like to talk to the doctors and see if they're starting to get sick of always acting funny.

Do you think honesty pays off?

Paul: We used to see it as a weakness that we were so normal in interviews and never tinkered with the image, but always said what we thought.

Christoph: There was a phase when we weren't washed up with the journalists. When the accusations came that we were politically right-wing, they unsettled us and we didn't react properly.

Paul: We even let ourselves be denied because we had no idea. We made up stories and didn't even know what we were talking about.

You must have broken something with that.

Christoph: No one wanted to talk about music, we were constantly being questioned about politics, which really annoyed us.

Can Till actually get carried away with interviews?

Paul: He never has, only in exceptional cases.

Christoph: Many people want to talk to Till because they expect to find out the truth about Rammstein. Actually, he doesn't want to talk, and it wouldn't be good at all because he doesn't have the experience to do so, because he always tries to give official answers...

Paul: He doesn't have the necessary routine.

I rather think that a lot of people have respect or even fear for Till because he embodies the uncouth, coarse block.

Christoph: That's a good thing, we're happy to leave the picture as it is. Till will definitely give interviews at some point, maybe after Rammstein, but we don't want to push him at the moment.

Do you think about solo projects?

Christoph: From time to time, but because we've been together for so long, I can't imagine starting in another band again.

Paul: If I made other music, it would be best if all Rammsteiners were involved. You see it with other bands: When the artists record solo records, the result is usually not nice.