The allegations weigh heavily – but Rammstein remained silent. Until Christoph Schneider spoke up. But there could be calculation behind the statement.
“I feel like I’m in shock”, with these words Christoph Schneider spoke on Instagram a few days ago. The 57-year-old is the drummer for the successful band Rammstein. His words refer to the allegations against frontman Till Lindemann. It’s about a perfidious groupie system, abuse and drugs.
The statement is long. Schneider does not believe that anything criminally relevant has happened. He stresses that the allegations do not divide the band. “We stand together,” he says.
And yet he distances himself a bit from his singer, explaining surprisingly openly: “Till has distanced himself from us in recent years and created his own bubble. With his own people, his own parties, his own projects. That made me sad, definitive.” Certain structures were created “that went beyond the limits and values of the other band members”.
Schneider positions himself, draws boundaries with Till Lindemann. To date, he is the only musician in the band to do so. No member has personally addressed the public since the allegations arose. The fact that he gives such a detailed statement and even gives an insight into the life of the band is surprising and seems like a solo effort. Who is the man who broke away from the band’s unity?
Rock star and family man
Christoph Schneider played in bands when he was still at school and gained some experience before eventually co-founding Rammstein in the 1990s. Together with his bandmates Lindemann, Christian “Flake” Lorenz, Richard Kruspe, Paul Landers and Oliver Riedel, he has enjoyed great success ever since.
It is known about Schneider’s private life that he has been married to his wife Ulrike since 2014 and has three children. He announced the birth of his youngest son in 2020 on his Instagram channel. Schneider also keeps his life away from the stage under wraps, the public focus is on his work as a musician.
“The drummer is the heart of the band”
Keyboarder Flake once described him as “the most disciplined and most unpretentious member of the band” in his book Today is the World’s Birthday. “He plays like a machine. Only better. It’s a pleasure. Luckily for us we have a drummer who doesn’t want to express himself in every song. But the drummer is the heart of the band,” Flake continues in his book. With simple, clear rhythms he holds the band and the song together.
Schneider also spoke to “Welt” in 2019 about the important role of the drummer – and drew parallels to handball, where he used to be a goalkeeper: “The role of the goalkeeper corresponds to that of the drummer in music. You’re behind, you’re for them Responsible defensively and holding the place together.” At the same time, the rhythm is set from behind, he speaks of a “special role”.
Against this background, it does not seem surprising that Christoph Schneider in particular also plays this special role in the Till Lindemann scandal; and steps forward while everyone else is silent. With his statement he seems to be trying to give the band a rhythm to keep the place together. It remains to be seen whether he will succeed in this case.
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