“The lead singer of the rock band Rammstein, Till Lindemann, was accused of adding drugs to a fan’s drink during the group’s concert.”
Similar headlines broke out in the press in several countries around the world. According to Shelby Lynn, at the concert in Vilnius she was offered to have sex with the lead singer of Rammstein.
Shelby Lynn wanted very much to meet the musicians and took some steps to be in the so-called “zero row” – the seats in front of the stage. Her actions had the desired result. Before the concert, all the invited girls were gathered together and Lindemann came into the room and poured tequila for everyone. During the concert the former Combichrist drummer Joe Letz asked her to meet Till to talk to him, because her English was much better than the other guests. According to Lynn, she specified that it was a conversation and nothing else, and Joe Letz confirmed that. At the intermission the girl was invited backstage, where Till appeared and offered to have sex with her, but was refused, to which he “furiously reacted” and went on with the concert.
After the concert, she was invited to an “after party” where she was with “many other girls.” During the event, the girl felt ill, and she went to her hotel. In her room, the alleged victim discovered bruises on her body.
Bruising including what seems to be finger marks from being grabbed maybe. I don’t know when these bruises happened because I was so off my head under the influence of something. This is from the night of and morning after #shelbys69666 #rammstein pic.twitter.com/wvv4fwDB16
— Shelby Lynn (@Shelbys69666) May 25, 2023
Shelby Lynn claims the same thing happened to the other girls who attended the band’s concert and “after party.” The next day she took a drug test, which came back negative.
They could offer me 10 billion I still wouldn’t take it. I will not be silenced, I will be the voice for the many MANY victims.
— Shelby Lynn (@Shelbys69666) May 25, 2023
The story Lynn told did not go unnoticed and has already had repercussions. So the German publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch (KiWi) terminated its cooperation with Till Lindemann. In 2013, 2015 and 2020, this very company was engaged in publishing three collections of the musician’s poems. In its press release, the publisher noted the following:
“From our point of view, Till Lindemann has exceeded the immutable limits in his relationship with women. We have therefore decided to end our collaboration with him immediately, as our relationship of trust with the author has been irrevocably broken.”
There is a discussion going on on Reddit, where many “similar stories and facts” are surfacing. There is a similar testimony from a Brazilian woman who encountered a similar incident at a concert in the Netherlands in 2019.
Anna Yakina, the manager and wife of Peter Tegtren, who previously participated in the Lindemann project, commented on Lynn’s Instagram post. She stated that she believed his story. According to her, this is not the first time this has happened.
The band Rammstein remained silent until yesterday, not commenting in any way on the allegations against their lead singer. Now, the following message appeared on the band’s official website:
“The publications of the last few days have caused irritation and questions from the public and especially from our fans. The accusations hit all of us very hard, and we take them very seriously.
We say to our fans: it is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows – in front of the stage and behind the stage. We condemn any misconduct and we ask you:
Do not engage in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made accusations. You are entitled to your point of view. But we, the group, also have the right not to be prejudiced.“
Zu den im Netz kursierenden Vorwürfen zu Vilnius können wir ausschliessen, dass sich was behauptet wird, in unserem Umfeld zugetragen hat.
— Rammstein (@RSprachrohr) May 28, 2023
Uns sind keine behördlichen Ermittlungen dazu bekannt.
As usual, the press is already predicting the most negative consequences for the Rammstein band. They write, that band members are not happy with Till’s behavior, because they think he involve them into “the dirty business”. And also that the musicians were already discussing a proposal to break up the band.
Shelby Lynn is not going to stop, although she receives a lot of threats and abuse.
Rammstein, in turn, notified the girl of the legal consequences. And, perhaps, we will become observers in the libel and defamation lawsuit. And at the moment, we can assume that a “culture of cancellation” is slowly gaining momentum. And even if Till is able to defend his honor in court, the consequences of the raised clamor could have a negative impact on the whole band and their creativity. Alas, you don’t have to go far to find examples…
I guess nowadays most people won’t tolerate hoeculture of metal music 🙁