#Kruspe chronicles

[marimayscarlett]

You called Richard a brat in your tags… Now my kopfkino won’t stop anymore, it’s been hours. Thank you for this hell (heaven)

Hi 👋🏻

I already mentioned this in this post a while back, that Richard really shows his bratty side in the presence of Frau Schneider - really like a kid who is out to provoke his way through the day, and who is less than impressed with any kind of sanctions:

When I look at Richard in general, I don't see much brattiness - except when it comes to smoking.

There is, to one's heart's content, puffing away indoors:

impatient whining/ordering people around (?):

and complaining like a proper pissed off teenager:

[notafraidofredyellowandblue]

Paul determined not to get sprayed

Found on IG tanya.ivana Du Hast, Oostende 27.06.2024, credit: Brandon Raes

At the start of Du Hast Till the human fountain has taken a big gulp of water and is waiting for the right moment, but this time Paul is determined not to get sprayed. So he takes a detour out of fountain range, Till lets out a few drop to pretend that is all, but Paul is not falling for it and patiently waits until Till has to breath and spit it out and only then goes to his designated Du Hast spot 🥰

[marimayscarlett]

Now expose your Richard chest hair album, we suspect you have one, chair 🪑 it with the class please! 🙏 🥰

Hi 👋🏻

Well, up until now the genius idea of a Richard-chest hair-folder didn't occur to me 😔 So I had to dig through my main Rammstein folder for a while (I guess it holds about 4000 pictures by now) and found some material to represent and share with people who might be interested 🫡

For the sake of a better overlook, we have two categories - sneak peaks and full frontal hairiness. So let's go 🤲🏻

First up, we have to occasional sneak peak through dress shirts, jackets and stage outfits - sometimes more, sometimes less, but barely anything escape my trained eyes 👁️👁️🔎

But of course there have been blessed times for Richard enthusiasts in the chest hair department, when he was/is more open about it - very thankful for that 🙂‍↕️

And my own personal highlight in this regard: Scruffy topless holiday Richard 🌴🤲🏻

[marimayscarlett]

Comparing Richard in the early 90s to now, he went from "(shy smile) It's nice to meet you sir, your daughter speaks so highly of you" to "(takes drag off cig) Y'know, your daughter calls me 'Daddy' too" REAL damn fast. Lord have mercy.

Hi 👋🏼

I agree, the transformation from a very cute young guy in the famous VIVA interview to a mature man who looks like he could crush you with his arms, hips and belly happened quite steadily. For all his phases, you really need different names; otherwise, it might get confusing 👀🔎

As Paul once mentioned, Richard is "the man of many names," and that's also the case for me 🤲🏻 Among other things, he is for me....

-> 'a cute baby, boyfriend material™'

-> 'a silver god'

-> 'my lovely fruity eyebrow man, so beautiful'

-> 'young rebellious vampire'

-> 'No Karen, I won't get the manager for you just because you think the price of these apples is outrageously high':

-> 'hot dad being enthusiastic about things'

-> 'older, thick, dramatic vampire husband':

-> 'love of my life, man of my dreams':

-> unintelligible noises. crying; sobbing, even. Words that might sound like "oh god, daddy" but ultimately, I just lose my mind:

[marimayscarlett]

90s Richard please be my boyfrieeeend<3

Hi 👋

Hm, interesting and understandable choice as the object of your desire. I have to admit, 90's Richard really had a lot to offer. From looking like the cutest boyfriend material:

to very brooding looks:

as well as one hell of a fit physique:

sporting the occasional and much appreciated (at least from me) chesthair:

and his lovely earring, of which I so much wished for a comeback:

and you'd have the little chance to see his real hair color, sometimes even with a beard:

plus his unique stage outfits, which will leave you speechless - safe to say, he really served versatility:

And look, he'd be not only one very good looking boyfriend, but also be up for fun activities! Like go kart driving, meticulously planning travel routes, enjoy foreign cuisines, randomly giving out silk jackets to fans and exploring gravity from pyramidic points of views:

So what else can you wish for - have fun with your young upcoming rockstar boyfriend fantasy 💋

[marimayscarlett]

Do you know a photo of Reesh from maybe 10 years ago. He's in a museum, sitting amongst many chairs. Wish I remembered more.

Hi 👋🏻

I'm guessing you mean this one here:

It's a picture from his visit in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, which he posted on his Instagram account in August of 2019 (here).

Very nice to see him being interested in art and history, this always warms my little enthusiastic history-heart 😊🤍

[marimayscarlett]

Richard has such a saucy way of speaking, be it in German or English

Hi 👋🏻

A while ago I had a similar ask, where I linked several interviews as examples for Richard's saucy speech patterns 💅🏻 Here you go:

But here's another example; it's from 2007 when Richard was spotted by a German TV interview team at an event in the Hamptons near New York. I love hearing him talk, because it's most of the time either super saucy or super relaxed/laid back (like in several podcasts and audio interviews he did with hosts he was already familiar with) or just a mixture of it - and I think this is a perfect example (x) 🤌🏻

Plus the fashion choices are to die for. Maybe not in a positive sense, but well 🤷🏻‍♀️

[marimayscarlett]

Lil Rooster? 😂

Aka cock? Aka dick? Aka Richard? Aka lil Reesh? 😂😂

Hi 👋🏻

Well... 😅

Maybe a reference to the chicken coat I guess? 🐔🐓🐣

[marimayscarlett]

It’s cold outside. Our heating is still off, I am desperately trying to get warm.

Do you happen to have some Richard pictures/stories that might warm my insides?

Thank you for your service, m’am🖤

Hi 👋

First of all, I truly hope that your heating will soon be working! Sending warmth and hugs your way 🤲🏼

Now, regarding some stories - not sure if these will do the trick, but I always feel warm/smile/sigh and look into the distance dreamily when I think about the following (sadly, I can't find sources for every story here - so some might just be cute "urban legends", but I just choose the believe them ☝😌):

A story of a fan about meeting Richard after a concert: "The hug I got was bone crushing. I was right in front of him. Cried my way through Frühling [...]. He checked on me and asked me if I was ok. Said i was fine and even the amount of times I'd seen them play, i got so caught up in the emotion. Richard told me they were the most moving moments for him at least and pulled me into a huge hug that if i think about it, i can still feel. Sounds weird but when you get a hug like that you dont forget it." (X)

It's incredibly nice to see how much he seems to care about his kids. Of course, that's the job of a dad, and yet it's not always the case. This situation warms my heart and makes it aching for him at the same time: “When my daughter, Khira, was 3 years old, she became very ill. There was nothing to worry about, a typical advanced tonsillitis. She was admitted to hospital. As always there were no seats in the wards I faced a choice: either pay for the ward or stay in the corridor. Only very wealthy people could afford the paid hospital ward. I was at that point that still could not afford it. We needed expensive medication, and I did not earn much. And she was put in the hallway. I slept with her in the hallway at night and her mother at daytime. And so the weeks passed until a free place appeared in the ward." (X)

Richard once mentioned (I think it was one of the festival interviews in 2017, yet I can't find the source anymore, so I might be wrong), that he was present during the birth of both of his daughters, and that the birth of a child is one of, if not the most, impressive things he has experienced in life. He seemed truly positively enthusiastic and sincere in that moment, which I found very beautiful, since not every man/father thinks like this.

Just this moment from this interview:

I find it rather endearing that he seems to love fantasy and would have liked to play a role in "Game of Thrones" or "Westworld", to let certain characters in him come to life. Richard seems to find enjoyment in movie worlds like these and I love that he speaks so openly about it 🥰 (X)

A long time ago, I read about an anecdote of the time when he lived with Till in the early 90's - they had little to no money, let alone food, so they apparently stole all the necessary ingredients, so Richard could make donuts for Till, who has a major sweet tooth. No idea if this is true, but it's really sweet.

In this interview, Richard expressed that he would drop everything to play a benefit for abused children.

He once gifted his guitar to the Hard Rock café in Berlin and signed it with "Rammstein!! RZK YeaH" which is kind of cringy, yet very cute?? (X)

Some pictures which just warm my heart - his comfy travel outfit, product free hair, him being soft and smiling, meeting a fan this year and being seemingly quite open, or just downright adorable on stage...

Weird assortment, I know and I'm sorry, but maybe it helps a bit 🤍

[marimayscarlett]

Hi! I absolutely love all of your detailed posts about Richard, they make my day when you post them, I was wondering if you could make a compilation of very wholesome moments with fans? I'm afraid that Rammstein will never come back to the US and I'll miss my chance of meeting him in person and I'd love to see some sweet fan interactions ❤️ Dankeschön ❤️❤️

Hi 🤍

Please excuse my late reply to this, but I love this ask! It's known that Richard can be very warmhearted towards fans and gives out bone-crushing hugs left and right - I found several accounts of fans who met him and will accumulate these in the following post 😊 (sources are linked at the end of the post.)

First some stories of fans who shared their experiences on the internet:

One fan met him before a concert, he gave the fan a hug and they say that to this day, they haven't forgotten the feeling of this hug.

Here's an account of a fan who met Richard at a resort in Mexico: "Richard never acted like we were imposing on his time or being a hindrance, even though he was with a table of friends. As soon as we were in eye contact range, his entire demeanor changed. He lit up like a Christmas tree and stood to shake our hands, stood close to us to chat for a few minutes - five minutes, tops, and gave us hugs as we left before shaking our hands again."

After a concert: "The hug I got was bone crushing. I was right in front of him. Cried my way through Frühling [...]. He checked on me and asked me if I was ok. Said i was fine and even the amount of times I'd seen them play, i got so caught up in the emotion. Richard told me they were the most moving moments for him at least and pulled me into a huge hug that if i think about it, i can still feel. Sounds weird but when you get a hug like that you dont forget it."

Richard seems to be a bit camera-shy while being out and about (declining selfies most of the time), but offers/asks for hugs himself as a return, as told by a fan who met him at the Chicago Airport. The fan apologized after asking for a selfie, yet Richard immediately asked her to give him a hug afterwards.

At a concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit back, May 2012: "For some reason, I thought of making a sign that said "Pick für mich, bitte". We were right at the barricade and I decided to flash the sign. I don't even know what I expected out of it. Well, Richard fucking Kruspe went to his mic stand, got a pick, went to the security guard in front of the railing and told him to give me the pick. The guard and I had chatted prior to their performance, so he looked at me with a "way to go, kid" look. People around me cheered. Best concert memory ever. Nothing but a class act."

Another fan reports him being quite talkative and attentive during parties - apparently really listening to the other person and showing real interest. He really likes to talk about music and guitars and seemingly likes hearing the opinions of fans.

Meeting the band in front of their hotel: "His hug was the tightest, and he smells SO GOOD, I wanted to ask what was his perfume. I told him I loved Emigrate, he gave me the biggest smile and thanked me."

Then we have voice from withing the fandom on here - the lovely and helpful @anwiel13 said this about meeting him at a Meet&Greet (thank you again for sharing this! 🤍):

"Once he entered the room, we immediately know it. Not that he did something, but he really has this big personality, in very good way. He was smiling all the time, unless taking photos, than we was all his gothic deep stare self. He was also super nice to two girls, who were absolutely nervous, telling him how much they love him. We all know he hear this all the time, but he really looked like he is listening them and make them feel not like crazy fangirls annoying him with their feelings. If that's make sense. He hugged one girl when she asked him and again, did not looked like she's annoying him with this. He left very quickly after taking photos and signed our things. Overall, he was very nice and caring. I heard somebody complain about him being all snobby and annoyed during some M&G, but he was nothing like this during the one in Prague."

Plus I have found two 'essay'-posts on here describing fan-experiences at Meet&Greets and afterparties:

Here Richard is described as really warmhearted, smiling and patient with the fans:

A very wholesome interaction (with a cute Paulchard momet) with a fan who brought selfmade fan art with her:

And since of course I found some experiences with other band members on my research-way, here are my favourites of some of the other guys 😊:

At an afterparty: "I spent a long time talking to Flake who is beautifully underappreciated. He's such a wise man with an incredibly dark sense of humour. [...] Flakes English isn't great but he seemed to really appreciate that someone would talk to him in German and happy to help me figure out words I wasn't familiar with and vice versa. I really appreciated it as he did slow down his natural German speaking speed to help me continue a conversation in German as native speaking speed was just a little too fast."

At a meet and greet: "Schneider gave me such Dom-Daddy vibes that I would have got on my knees if he asked. He was so friendly, asked about myself and I was able to give him a letter from my best friend who had spoken to him years before, and he was so happy to take it."

At an afterparty of Till's solo tour (London concert): "I went to see Lindemann in London and was invited to the after party and ended up trying to open a bottle of wine with a set of keys with Till and then ended up drinking vodka and chatting to him for a few hours. Such a humble human and one of my biggest role models in life - he made me want to become a fire performer and he said I looked great doing what I do."

"Did a meet & greet on the 2019 tour and a bunch of the after parties. Doom is an incredible dancer and Paul and Richard give the best hugs." (I've read several times that Schneider seemingly kills it on the dance floor 👀)

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6

All in all, it's always amazing reading about fans having nice experiences with them - but let's not forget (since some people do exactly this), the band members are also just human beings like you and me, don't owe the fans smiles and good moods, and it's not a crime to have a bad day once in a while (with less enthusiastic interaction with fans) or just wanting some peace or being in a hurry, since they all do have private lives🤝🏼

[marimayscarlett]

Hello!

I just wanted to ask: what are your favorite facts about emigrate? (Be it about songs, videos, or just the band in general)

Thank you in advance!

Hi 👋🏻

Thank you for this sweet and thoughtful ask! Had to think for a bit, and I'm not sure if these count as facts...more thoughts I think about repeatedly when it comes to Emigrate 👀 Going to throw some of my favourite pictures of Richard in Emigrate-settings into it, just to fit the theme 🤲🏻

1) The fact that Richard literally found the inspiration for the band name on the streets of New York, as if it were fate:

"I had just arrived in New York when I found a piece of paper on the street which read 'Emigrate'. To me, that was a sign. It describes many things, like breaking free from my past." (EMP 07/2007)

2) The fact that he clearly expresses his love/appreciation for the people in his life through his music. 'Rainbow' and 'You are so beautiful' seem to be dedicated to his daughter Maxime, 'Babe' was dedicated to Khira, and Merlin's unwavering enthusiasm for 'Come Over' motivated Richard to further develop the song (Thank you, Merlin! I really came to love this song 🎶).

"Sometimes I was really surprised [about some of the songs he wrote in his earlier Emigrate-days]. The song 'Come Over' was one such case. What was I thinking? But then I remembered that my son was absolutely crazy about this song, and it moved him deeply. So, I continued writing the song with him in mind. A song like that is probably something I would never write nowadays, but I didn’t want to deny the past either." (source)

Additionally, he reflected on his friendship with Till in 'Let's go' and dedicated 'We are together' to his Rammstein colleagues. Richard really seems to use Emigrate like a little musical diary or journal - you can truly feel the emotion flowing through the music.

"There was a lot of work, a lot of talking, a lot of caring and love – so I was trying to write a song about that, to say I’m very proud that we’ve had the patience and managed to stay together for all these years. Everything we’ve achieved, singing in German, who would have bet on that?" (source)

3) I’m glad that Richard had the courage and determination to start Emigrate as a side project, a channel for his seemingly endless creativity. The existence of Emigrate has been beneficial for him and for Rammstein, contributing to balance and helping Richard through depressive lows.

"Basically, I need Emigrate as a balance for myself, so that I can enjoy Rammstein again. The problem was that over the years I felt more and more uncomfortable within the band. EMIGRATE restored a balance that was important. Because of that, I feel good with Rammstein again." (source)

4) Although he doesn't like giving interpretations of his songs, he still can’t resist openly sharing his ideas and inspirations. I really like the song 'Hide and Seek' and had to smile when he talked about his love with spaghetti westerns 🤭

"If this has a cowboy vibe it’s because I’m a huge spaghetti western fan. It might sound strange, but I have really early childhood memories of my father watching these cowboy movies and falling asleep… that ended up being part of my upbringing somehow. I particularly love the work by Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone did together… it’s very inspiring." (source)

5) He also shared his thoughts and inspirations behind the song 'Get down':

Well, kind sir, then please explain these here:

I probably could list some more, but that's it for now 🙂‍↕️

[marimayscarlett]

Americans are going thru it today, is there any way you could bless us with sweet facts about Rammstein and Richard? Thanks for your help, I know I absolutely live for your detailed posts, they're my favorite ❤️❤️

Hi 👋

First of all, my heart goes out to all American citizens who hoped, voted and fought for a different outcome. We live in very surreal and scary times and I just wish you all lots of strength and calmness for your minds 🍀🤍

Now on to some other, hopefully uplifting/interesting enough things to get your mind of things - maybe not all sweet ones, since I grabbed them from the top of my head so to speak and searched for the sources afterward, yet I hope they provide a little bit of distraction:

tiny little fact I love: Richard is actually a proper country boy. Eventhough he was born in the city of Wittenberge, he lived up until he was 7 in the german countryside in the little village of Weisen, which according to Google has 997 inhabitants. "That was a beautiful childhood with alot of nature, cats and dogs and a big family with two siblings."

as the most memorable (or miserable) jobs he ever worked in, Richard listed the following: window cleaner (since he suffers from vertigo), making shoes and selling them, going through an apprentinceship for becoming a cook and cleaning for an old lady who had stuffed poodles in her apartment.

if he could timetravel, Richard would choose to visit the period of the Knights Templar, 11th century, since he feels rather drawn to this history era.

a little fact about Richard and the gifts he gets from fans to his door step I think about regularly with mixed feelings: "I myself got a rose on my doorstep every day for years. Sure, it's nice - you always have roses at home, but there are so many unpleasant feelings involved. For a while, someone always left cigarettes in my mailbox. My brother always had to smoke the first one!"

Richard took singing lessons with a coach who also worked with Mick Jagger. Said coach scolded Richard a lot due to him smoking right before class - in one interview Richard mentioned he was so intimidated by that coach that he was ready to call his parents to pick him up. But he went through with it and worked a lot on his voice, which became quite beneficial for his singing.

Apparently, the idea of the infamous Flake-stew during "Mein Teil" came from Richard, who then actually was less than enthusiastic for his own idea: "I had the idea of Flake being cooked in the pot, then I realized, the first time we actually did it onstage, that it was too convenient, just stupid or not even funny, whatever. So I said, ‘I hate it’. But by that time, the rest of them had done it and loved it…"

The band actually considered various names before they settled for 'Rammstein': Tempelprayers, Mutter (mother), Milch (milk), Erde (earth).

A well known fact or rather, legend, but I think about it a lot: Richard recorded the whistling for 'Engel' it true chaotic composer fashion, namely while he was taking a bath and was struck by creativity. The band apparently didn't manage to record a better version, so his version was used for the song.

some song recommendations by Richard - these were his favourites back in 2009: 'Hurt' by Nine Inch Nails, 'Baby I'm gonna leave you' by Led Zeppelin, 'Sin City' by AC/DC and 'Personal Jesus' by Depeche Mode 🎶

I hope this helped at least a tiny bit! Sending you all the good and cosy vibes you might need 🤲🏼

Have some cuddly R+ guys for emotional support:

Sources: Rockhard magazine wir.sehen.euch rammwiki Emigrate Kerrang rammwiki Rammstein

[marimayscarlett]

Is it right that Richard didn't know he had a son until 2001?

Hi 👋🏻

I honestly don't have the sources to prove this as facts, but it is implied that Richard didn't know Merlin was his son until the boy was about 10 years old. I also heard that since this was during the era where Richard lived mainly in New York City, Till apparently took care of Merlin a bit. Again, I don't know to what extent this is true.

Merlin's mom, Tatjana Besson, was an active part of the DDR punk music scene (she played for example in 'Die Firma' together with Richard), as well as worked as an IM (informeller Mitarbeiter, meaning an unofficial informant/collaborator) for the Ministry of State Security ('Stasi'). Many musicians in her circle naturally took offense in that after it came out. She is brought up in the book 'Mix mir einen Drink', where Flake mentions her being present at the first ever Rammstein concert at the NATO in Leipzig on the 14th of April, 1994:

Tatjana stood in the first row, everyone had a strained relationship with her, because she had the talent to give everyone around a guilty feeling [meaning: guilty conscience]. You'd feel lousy when she'd look at you. She stood in the front row, really wanting to see for herself: "Alright, guys, you fools, you dads, show me what you’re up to these days." Till absolutely didn’t want her looking at him and making him feel embarrassed. (Page 377).

Merlin was about 1,5 years old on that point (being born in the 10th of December, 1992), and it was most likely known that Tatjana had a child. So either Richard didn’t consider the possibility that this child might be his to begin with, or Tatjana was in a relationship or dating multiple people at the time Merlin was conceived, making the thought that he could be the father not at all obvious to Richard. So why it took another 7 years, I have no idea. But I don't have to know, since it's none of my business and not my family, so ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ Richard openly acknowledged him as his son in interviews soon after, talking about "my children" (plural!) or "my son and daughter" openly.

[marimayscarlett]

I have a feeling. It must be so intense to be loved by Richard. But like, really REALLY loved.

Hi 👋🏻

I don't have any real information to throw into the ring here (since I don't follow his relationships or rumors about them for example) but from his appreciation regarding his family and friends, we can get an idea about his love for the people in his private life. For example the way he filled his house with family and friends and spends a lot of time with them (found in this post):

Back in 2004, he talked in this interview about the tradition to spend Christmas with his friends, including the tradition that every has to bring some sort of dish from their country/area of living as well as watching Lord of the Rings as a group. He seems to enjoy time with his loved ones in a very mindful way, mentioning how much he likes the peace and harmony of these days.

And let's not forget his heartfelt hugs Richard so generously gives out 🫂🤍

[marimayscarlett]

Richard was slightly limping tonight ☹️

Hi 👋🏻

I witnessed in some footage from tonight that he showed signs of experiencing pain or dealing with some sort of issue, which made standing up again difficult. He was playful and energetic enough to hop and skip around during the show, so that was good to see:

Yet at the end of the concert when the band kneeled down, it looked like he had to use extra momentum to get back up, which then slightly bounced him backward:

📽️ by iris.quint3

After saying goodbye to the big screen, it was also visible that Richard held his lower back on the way into the elevator. Someone also told me that he had difficulties getting up during one of the last concerts (not sure if it was Reggio Emilia or one of the Frankfurt ones). Plus, after 'Engel' at Reggio Emilia, he swung back and forth on one of the poles of the B-Stage - also a possible exercise to take pressure out of the spine.

My husband saw that gif and immediately went 'He has back pain, and this movement helps a lot.' (since my husband suffers from the same thing).

All in all, and without wanting to speculate too much, it seems like his back and/or knee issues is catching up on him again. I seriously hope he has time to rest, a good physiotherapist nearby and some methods at hand to get the issues under control, so that he can experience the last few shows with little pain as possible.

Being on tour must be incredibly exhausting, so in this regard I am glad the tour comes to an end, so there's more time to focus on health issues.

[marimayscarlett]

Do you think Richard is into watersports?

Hi 🤽‍♀️

Richard apparently does find some enjoyment in different sport activities - in this interview from 2018, he states that he engages in sportive activities five times a week an hour a day. This includes (or included, not sure if he still follows this routine) running, swimming, cicling, gymnastics and on tour with Rammstein he practices yoga frequently. In this interview from 2009 he also states that he needs this hour of for example jogging/running, and doesn't feel good if he's unable to go through with it due to illness/in this case surgery of his knee.

Maybe this interest in sport/need for sportive activities stems from his childhood - in the GDR, interest in sports and athletic achievements was quite high. Till grew up in the field of swimming, while Richard turned to wrestling early on. However, this was not his own decision - he was early on musically inclined, and his talent in this area was recognized by his teachers. Nevertheless, his parents demanded that he become a wrestler like his older brother (sources x x), which then again turned out to be a good way to channel his aggression.

Apart from the mentioned swimming activity, I haven't found any hints of him being interested in watersports (Olli might be your man regarding this sort of activity 🏄‍♂️). But have some yoga pictures of a motivated Richard 🧘‍♂️