"ULTRA", 2002
I: Hello, I'm calling you from best Russian alternative radio station, "Ultra"; you'd visited us in Moscow some time ago.
Paul (on Russian): hello.
I: Hello, before we start, please, introduce yourself.
Flake: Hello, I'm Flake, I'm a keyboard player in Rammstein.
Paul: I'm Paul, Pavlik, guitar player from Rammstein.
I: And we're starting to receive calls.
Q: Hello, Paul, hello, Flake. I've heard you singing songs on Russian, on radio "Ultra". You speak Russian?
Paul (on Russian): sure!
Q: So, maybe we can talk to you on Russian?
Paul: that was too long ago, in my school days.
Q: How long you've been studying Russian?
Paul (on Russian): Five years.
Q: So, you CAN speak Russian...
Paul: I am an exception. (On Russian) I lived one year in Moscow.
Q: Was it a long time ago?
Paul (on Russian): I was seven years, maybe.
Q: And what do you think of Moscow? What do you remember?
Paul (starts on Russian): I lived... (On German) no, this will be too long... (Laughs) I lived near Moscow's universal shop called "Moskva"... I remember cakes and Moscow people. Kvas (traditional Russian non-alcohol drink) is very important. Is it possible to buy Kvas in Moscow now?
I: Sure! And now let's listen to next question.
Q: You were born in DDR. What did you feel when Berlin wall felt down?
Flake: We understood, that world is much bigger than Russia and DDR.
Q: What you were doing that day?
Flake: We were playing in Berlin, in that time we had fun-punk band, you know - Rammstein were created in 1993. When wall felt down, we weren't dying to see west, we were satisfied with our environment, but that wasn't a typical position.
Q: How would you call your music style? And what are its components?
Paul: Stamping rhythm, good guitars, usually no solos, good melody, deep voice, open guitars in chorus, if you want one word - we're trying to make hard groove music.
Flake (on Russian): groove-machine! (laughs)
Q: Why you're singing on German?
A: Puff… (such a stupid question) When we started to play, it was polite to sing on language your friends can understand to. And when we went out of Germany, we've found out, that others can't understand us. But songs were ready and we decided not to change them. Later people were coming to us, saying: "if you would sing not in German, you would be popular all over the world". And we were replying: "Yes, so pity"…
Q: Don't you think that because of all those visual effects on the shows, people are not paying enough attention to your music?
Paul: We're making our shows for those, who can't understand our lyrics, to make them understand what it is all about through effects. This is very good question, we ask it ourselves every day - what is more important: show or music? We have a lot of piro machines, couple of piro-maniacs in group, and couple of those, who think that music is the most important thing and these two parts of group are fighting each other every day. Sometimes fire is more important, sometimes - music. We're trying to combine these ingredients. And I'm glad that our music is very good in itself.
Q: Don't you think, that right now we can see German-coming music rising? There are a lot of new popular German bands, like Guano Apes etc…
Paul: Actually, no. They are an exception. German musical industry is undeveloped, German musical landscape is very dark and much too boring. Good music comes from Sweden, Island, America and England. We're glad for all groups that became popular - no matter where are they coming from. "Placebo" are very good, we like "Muse" albums, because they have dance energy we'd like to have. We like "Massive Attack", because they music has very good groove; you almost fall asleep when you're listening to them, but in the end, you're staying sleepless. I was very impressed by last album of "Muse"; they're one of new bands I liked the most.
Q: Do you know David Lynch personally? You became popular after he included your songs in the soundtrack of his "Lost Highway". Have you ever met him?
A: No, never. We'd sent our songs to him, hoping that he will make video for us, but he said he has no time. But he was listening to our songs in the car, and later he had dependence to our music.
Q: Please, name your favorite movies.
Flake: I don't have a television, and I never go to cinemas. I like to read. And to think.
Q: Whom of popular persons, dead or alive, you'd like to hang out with?
Flake: I prefer to be alone.
Paul: And I have a girlfriend (giggling).
© RammsteinFan.ru (http://www.rammsteinfan.ru)
© translating from russian: MajorTom.
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