Rammstein USA has shared a very interesting interview, here it is
Exclusive for Rammstein USA: Interview with Stephan Schrör, owner of Fresh Eggs gallery in Berlin, exhibitor of the art of Till Lindemann and Matthias Matthies and the singer of First Arsch.
Source with First Arsch photos: http://www.rammstein.us/archives/10311
“By the way,” Stephan adds in passing as we are exchanging emails to conduct this interview, on art, fraternizing with the stars and playing in an East German punk band, “nobody knows what First Arsch means: like First Class, and Arsch is German for ass…but Arsch means Autonom Randalier SCHwerins,” he refers to the small town of Schwerin where he and Till Lindemann played together, also the place of Till’s youth, in the north of the former GDR, “…and WE are the First ones!”
Mr. Schrör, we know you and Till Lindemann played in the same band, namely First Arsch. How did you and Till meet?
At a party, just short of 30 years ago … the theme was the Prohibition … We all wore those pinstriped, mafia suits, and the ladies wore 30s dresses. We were both interested in the same woman back then…
Some of the online sources also list Paul Landers and Richard Z Kruspe as members of First Arsch. Can you confirm this? If so, can you tell us how you came to form a band with them?
Richard was definitely our first guitarist. Paul supported us quite often during concerts, but he wasn’t in the rehearsal studio with us or anything. The Jazz- and Blues-scene was big at that time, and we – the next generation – wanted to separate ourselves from it and organize true Punk Happenings. I couldn’t sing at all, and as our drummer, Till had had ten hours of lessons, tops. I was very happy that Richard was with us as a guitarist – he had a very solid training. The addition of an excellent saxophonist, added some structure to our performances.
We have heard a rumor about one of the band onstage antics: Till putting live chickens inside the bass drum. Any other antics or interesting stories from that time?
As we weren’t the “biggest”, musically, we often made our performances into Happenings that ended up in chaos. Water, fire, even animals – we wanted to provoke… I remember a concert which we ended completely covered by a huge, black, plastic sheet…
Did Till ever help with writing the lyrics for the First Arsch?
By all means. I always mixed lines from Dadaistic poems and quotes, as well as current headlines and such, into an expressive, reproachful, chant. Empty words, a made up language and expressionistic elements soon became our trademark. Already back then, Till gave me some texts which I then interpreted live…
Do you miss being on stage?
No. But it is great to have successful musicians as friends. I have been all over the world with Rammstein. It’s a big part of my life. But, I don’t belong up on a stage.
Can you tell more about musical scene in DDR back then? We have heard that everything foreign was mostly forbidden and we wonder if it was the same for you.
Yes, everything was more or less forbidden. You needed permits to perform and to buy instruments. However, this was also the time of change, and despite us not having any permits and always having played illegally, we had remarkably little trouble at the time. Once Till’s father brought a toy piano from Casio, which was great. It was an SK 5 and you could sample about 5 seconds on it … We often made quite remarkable stuff with that. In addition, I had built a drum kit with old speakers serving as microphones … We also had laryngophones from Russian tank driver’s helmets … It could get quite shrill at times.
How did you move from rock into art? What prompted you to want to open a gallery?
Till and I were making visual art, back then. We called ourselves the Artist’s collective “AG Taube”… There are still a few pieces of work left from this period. The Gallery came into existence because of the interest in people, in art and especially in people who work with art…
Can you tell us more about the art you and Till were making in the Artist’s collective “AG Taube”? In particular, was it paintings or sculptures, what style it was, etc?
It was all very expressive. For example, Till once built a sculpture out of old water faucets. But he has also created very strong Action Paintings. And now, I have featured his sculpture “Hans im Glück” (‘Lucky Hans’).
What’s behind the name, “Fresh Eggs from Free Range Chickens”?
Till was living just outside of the city. As I couldn’t find my way from the main road the first time, I used a sign for orientation…it read, “Fresh eggs from free range chickens”. And I thought, ‘Yes, that’s us – free ranging!’ A friend just recently mentioned that the sign is still hanging there.
From knowing Mr. Lindemann over many years, how would you say his art has changed?
It was all already there! He sings much better these days, though…
Can you see similarities in Mr. Lindeman’s art and in the lyrics that he writes for Rammstein?
Of course. The music and the show, and of course also the way Till emphasizes his words, make his poems so alive that people all over the world understand them – even if they don’t know a word of the German language. Music is a high form of communication. A lot of birds (singers) twitter their songs today… But Till’s singing can carry a poem.
When did you decide to feature his works in your gallery?
When I saw the great illustrations Matthias Matthies had done. He’s also been our friend for many years.
Any particular desires/hopes for this exhibition?
We are showing “grown up” art. They’re works that fans can purchase. For fans who deal with the artistic side of the texts and can identify with that. Art for people for whom a poster from a Metal magazine just is not enough. Rammstein has fascinated, influenced and infected many other artists around the world. . A lot of people wouldn’t buy the usual posters to hang them in their apartments.
Exclusive for Rammstein USA: Interview with Stephan Schrör, owner of Fresh Eggs gallery in Berlin, exhibitor of the art of Till Lindemann and Matthias Matthies and the singer of First Arsch.
Source with First Arsch photos: http://www.rammstein.us/archives/10311
“By the way,” Stephan adds in passing as we are exchanging emails to conduct this interview, on art, fraternizing with the stars and playing in an East German punk band, “nobody knows what First Arsch means: like First Class, and Arsch is German for ass…but Arsch means Autonom Randalier SCHwerins,” he refers to the small town of Schwerin where he and Till Lindemann played together, also the place of Till’s youth, in the north of the former GDR, “…and WE are the First ones!”
Mr. Schrör, we know you and Till Lindemann played in the same band, namely First Arsch. How did you and Till meet?
At a party, just short of 30 years ago … the theme was the Prohibition … We all wore those pinstriped, mafia suits, and the ladies wore 30s dresses. We were both interested in the same woman back then…
Some of the online sources also list Paul Landers and Richard Z Kruspe as members of First Arsch. Can you confirm this? If so, can you tell us how you came to form a band with them?
Richard was definitely our first guitarist. Paul supported us quite often during concerts, but he wasn’t in the rehearsal studio with us or anything. The Jazz- and Blues-scene was big at that time, and we – the next generation – wanted to separate ourselves from it and organize true Punk Happenings. I couldn’t sing at all, and as our drummer, Till had had ten hours of lessons, tops. I was very happy that Richard was with us as a guitarist – he had a very solid training. The addition of an excellent saxophonist, added some structure to our performances.
We have heard a rumor about one of the band onstage antics: Till putting live chickens inside the bass drum. Any other antics or interesting stories from that time?
As we weren’t the “biggest”, musically, we often made our performances into Happenings that ended up in chaos. Water, fire, even animals – we wanted to provoke… I remember a concert which we ended completely covered by a huge, black, plastic sheet…
Did Till ever help with writing the lyrics for the First Arsch?
By all means. I always mixed lines from Dadaistic poems and quotes, as well as current headlines and such, into an expressive, reproachful, chant. Empty words, a made up language and expressionistic elements soon became our trademark. Already back then, Till gave me some texts which I then interpreted live…
Do you miss being on stage?
No. But it is great to have successful musicians as friends. I have been all over the world with Rammstein. It’s a big part of my life. But, I don’t belong up on a stage.
Can you tell more about musical scene in DDR back then? We have heard that everything foreign was mostly forbidden and we wonder if it was the same for you.
Yes, everything was more or less forbidden. You needed permits to perform and to buy instruments. However, this was also the time of change, and despite us not having any permits and always having played illegally, we had remarkably little trouble at the time. Once Till’s father brought a toy piano from Casio, which was great. It was an SK 5 and you could sample about 5 seconds on it … We often made quite remarkable stuff with that. In addition, I had built a drum kit with old speakers serving as microphones … We also had laryngophones from Russian tank driver’s helmets … It could get quite shrill at times.
How did you move from rock into art? What prompted you to want to open a gallery?
Till and I were making visual art, back then. We called ourselves the Artist’s collective “AG Taube”… There are still a few pieces of work left from this period. The Gallery came into existence because of the interest in people, in art and especially in people who work with art…
Can you tell us more about the art you and Till were making in the Artist’s collective “AG Taube”? In particular, was it paintings or sculptures, what style it was, etc?
It was all very expressive. For example, Till once built a sculpture out of old water faucets. But he has also created very strong Action Paintings. And now, I have featured his sculpture “Hans im Glück” (‘Lucky Hans’).
What’s behind the name, “Fresh Eggs from Free Range Chickens”?
Till was living just outside of the city. As I couldn’t find my way from the main road the first time, I used a sign for orientation…it read, “Fresh eggs from free range chickens”. And I thought, ‘Yes, that’s us – free ranging!’ A friend just recently mentioned that the sign is still hanging there.
From knowing Mr. Lindemann over many years, how would you say his art has changed?
It was all already there! He sings much better these days, though…
Can you see similarities in Mr. Lindeman’s art and in the lyrics that he writes for Rammstein?
Of course. The music and the show, and of course also the way Till emphasizes his words, make his poems so alive that people all over the world understand them – even if they don’t know a word of the German language. Music is a high form of communication. A lot of birds (singers) twitter their songs today… But Till’s singing can carry a poem.
When did you decide to feature his works in your gallery?
When I saw the great illustrations Matthias Matthies had done. He’s also been our friend for many years.
Any particular desires/hopes for this exhibition?
We are showing “grown up” art. They’re works that fans can purchase. For fans who deal with the artistic side of the texts and can identify with that. Art for people for whom a poster from a Metal magazine just is not enough. Rammstein has fascinated, influenced and infected many other artists around the world. . A lot of people wouldn’t buy the usual posters to hang them in their apartments.
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