#metal.de | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

notafraidofredyellowandblue · 3 years ago

Text

Richard Kruspe interview - metal.de 2021-11

published 2021-11-23, by Jannik Kleemann

Richard about the new Emigrate album, talking to fans for a podcast, Emigrate without himself and if Emigrate could do german lyrics.

Disclaimer:

Before taking offense with anything RZK says in this interview, please consider

although my intention is do translate as correct as possible, there may be nuances lost in translation (neither english nor german is my first language)

the interviewer may have written down RZK's answers with a different nuance than Richard intended

translation:

Emigrate "I wanted to quit music."

EMIGRATE's “The Persistence Of Memory” wasn't even planned as an album, originally there would be just three or four new songs. Why it turned out to be a whopping nine and why mastermind Richard Z. Kruspe usually only writes such music in a negative state of mind, he tells us in an interview.

“The Persistence Of Memory” is released only three years after its predecessor, the intervals between the albums are getting shorter and shorter. Do you need an outlet for your creativity?

I just realised in an interview with another magazine that every time I make an album, it has a very dark history before it. It's never like I'm going through life happy and I'm in a great mood and then think: “Now I'm going to write a new EMIGRATE album.” It always goes hand in hand with a strong change in my life.

I did a podcast yesterday together with fans who shared their experiences to certain songs and on the one hand these were extremely sad, dark stories, but it was also very motivating. We're talking about abuse, suicide, and all these stories. But they managed to get out of this through this music.

In 2019, after the big RAMMSTEIN tour, I fell into a huge hole and somehow couldn't get out. I was totally uninspired and actually wanted to quit music because I couldn't see any real sense in it. But memory, as a transportation device, so to say, managed it, that i could remember times when I was inspired. These songs, which I've written over the last 20 years, have managed to bring me back to the present and to see the future again. It wasn't even the intention to write a new EMIGRATE album, but a kind of therapy with myself in which I had to reconnect with music in general.

I only wanted to bring out three or four songs, but then all of a sudden there were nine. It would probably have been eleven if I still had had time.

Then I hope that you will be fine in the future, but that we still get to hear new songs from you.

Probably not, you have to hope the opposite, because then I write most of the albums. I have a theory that many musicians feel that they can write better on a certain path of suffering, in certain destructive forms, than when they are happy. There is a kind of rhythm that has developed, in that we consciously embark on this path of suffering because we know that we will be more creative that way. This is of course incredibly unhealthy, I definitely don't want to recommend it to anyone.

That really doesn't sound healthy, one has to find a balance somewhere.

Exactly, and that brings us back to the elapsed time between albums. You also need time to recover. That's why the periods between are probably always a little longer. But of course my breadwinner also has a say in this. When I'm busy with RAMMSTEIN and on tour, that has priority. After the first album I was on the road a lot with RAMMSTEIN, so I first needed time for new ideas.

It's your face on the cover again. Is that developing into a kind of trademark?

Yes, it is. The funny thing was, I got the inspiration for the cover from the song “Always On My Mind”. When I heard the song, it occured to me that it's not about a relationship with a person, but about our planet. From there the cover idea developed with the face that looks at the earth.

With “Freeze My Mind” there is lot of band performance in the video. Would you say EMIGRATE is becoming more of a band than a project?

The interesting thing about the things we create is that things develop a life of their own. There's a reason why I did not call the project “RZK”, but gave him *1) his own name. At the moment it is still the case that I am the captain and steering. But that doesn't always have to be that way. I believe that at some point projects will take on their own shape and have their own meaning and thus also their own responsibility.

When I heard these stories from people yesterday, I thought it was amazing how many people the music I wrote helped keep going. The stories were so heartbreaking that I thought I can't just stop, I just have to continue. This has great therapeutic value. And maybe at some point other people in the band want to continue that. You can take that further and ask to what extent an individual is still important for the project or whether we are only servants for the project.

There are certain trademarks of bands that are important to the fans, be it a certain singer or guitarist.

Exactly. That's true, of course, but so far life has shown me that it always goes on. It may be that it isn't that cool anymore or you don't think it's that good anymore. Like back then with AC / DC when Malcolm Young died . No more Malcolm Young, no more Bon Scott, but the way they played and the fact that they carried on at all probably brought more than if they hadn't. It's just always possible, we probably take ourselves a little too seriously.

With RAMMSTEIN it is of course even more extreme, that it is important that it's us. But by now I think we can also be replaced. Of course it could also be that the band doesn't want to anymore and the band can only just be these musicians, like with the BEATLES, that's okay too. But I think, another example, that the ROLLING STONES will continue to tour even without Charlie Watts. Or even more extreme, I think KISS will one day be the first band to be completely replaced.

If what you have created has developed a life of its own and still touches people and has a right to exist, then these things will just live on and be carried on. But you can be sure of one thing. If that's the case, then I'm no longer on the cover (laughs) .

Due to the fact that the songs were created within the last 20 years, the album has become very diverse. Would you set yourself limits with EMIGRATE or is everything possible in principle?

Definitely, anything is possible. That is also the calm that I allow myself a little, especially because I play in another band, whose structure it is difficult to break out of. That's why I need this balance with EMIGRATE. What I can't act out at RAMMSTEIN, I act out there. That's why I don't want to limit myself in any way.

Rock music is no longer the folk music it used to be. That's because rock music as such no longer rebels. The rebellion takes place elsewhere these days, mostly in texts. That's why kids buy so much hip hop these days, because there's rebellion in the lyrics.

Maybe it also has to do with age that I appreciate other music more. During the Corona period I started to write more songs on the piano and appreciate the diversity of a new instrument. I am interested in electro music and have always been interested in many things, even as a teenager. There used to be this metal following back then and it was difficult to explain to them that I also think KRAFTWERK and DEPECHE MODE are cool.

The funny thing is that none of the music followings are in any way open to their counterparts. I tried to do things as a DJ once and I was told I can't combine electro with rock. That's when I realized how narrow-minded some people listen to music.

Therefore, what I do is first and foremost something very selfish, because I act out my own ideas with EMIGRATE. But when I also touch people emotionally with it, that's a beautiful thing . So if I was interested in Trap, I would.

Are EMIGRATE songs completely in German also conceivable?

Ofcourse. It is not easy to write texts, I always get help with it, but it is easier for me to write in English. Probably because I grew up listening to English rock music. But because I'm playing in a band that sings mainly in German, I'm naturally wondering how it could be done.

I was sitting in my den the other day and a 'Schlager' *2) album was presented on Radio Eins. And when it came to the lyrics, I thought to myself that it couldn't really be true. I don't understand the lyrics in 'Schlager' anyway, they are really dishonest in my eyes. In this respect, I have this high demand on myself, but at least I'll try.

With every album, the voices get louder for EMIGRATE to performe live. How about that?

The reason why I don't play live with EMIGRATE is because then I'd have the feeling I had to play live even more. I want to keep the balance between these two worlds. I want to be comfortable with what I'm doing. “Never say never” of course, but at the moment I have the feeling that I don't want to play live even more. That has of course changed over the past few years, but now I'm going on a major tour with RAMMSTEIN again next year and for now I hope that I will survive that.

At the moment it is not possible to play live with EMIGRATE. Because of the people who play in it with me, the ice on that aspect is getting thinner, but there is still ice there.

So you're not the kind of person who has to tour every year?

Not at all. I'm more interested in creating. I always have the feeling that what you have created, you recreate on stage. Of course there is a wonderful feeling when you are on stage and share this energy with the people. But I have that with RAMMSTEIN, I don't need more of that with EMIGRATE.

Some pieces like “Freeze My Mind” are around 20 years old. How much have they changed from their original version?

I didn't do that much with “Freeze My Mind”. That was from the time when I moved from Berlin to New York City, where I also had the feeling that I had to do something new and get out of my old life. I only changed a bit in the arrangement. The text has stayed the same. This is the song on the album that has retained most of the original identity.

“You Can't Run Away”, for example, was an idea I once had. I wanted to write a Bond song, but I didn't think the lyrics were that cool and I put it on hold . Then I was with the guys from RAMMSTEIN while we were recording an album and were talking about suicide. After the discussion I wrote the chorus and the song developed in a completely different direction. I re-recorded every song and re-played everything, but everyone has it's own story of how much I have changed it.

There are significantly fewer feature guests than on the previous albums. Why is that the case?

Because there was no idea of making an album. It was more this therapeutic approach, so it never occurred to me to ask other people. And I was also at peace with my vocal performance. It's always a process as a singer, during which I learned a lot and got a lot more respect for my singer Till, whom I asked if he sings this cover song (“Always On My Mind”) with me .

Years ago I was asked by a record company for a cover album and there was only this song left to cover. So I listened to this version of ELVIS PRESLEY and was so excited about his vocal performance. I'm not a huge fan of him, but I absolutely loved the way that voice got through every guitar wall. Then there were problems with the cover album and I let it be.

I only came across Till as the singer for this song very late. I was wondering who else could have a voice like Presley, so unique. And sometimes you can't see the forest because of the trees. Till was the last person I thought of. But then everything happened very quickly.

When Till sings in English, it sounds pretty hard. I thought to myself that the emotional component was missing a bit, so I put myself behind the microphone again and brought in this emotional component.

-----

*1) Richard refers to Emigrate here as "ihm" (he/him) instead of "es" (it), which i thought was an interesting detail

*2) 'Schlager' music is very likely referring to a typical German style (and language) of folksy music that is quite popular with large parts of German, Austrian, Swiss audiences, but not usually known to be interesting or challenging from a musical point of view, and occassionally considered old-fashioned.

#richard interview #my translation #richard kruspe #rammstein #emigrate

29 notes · View notes