New Rammstein video "Mann gegen Mann"
Feb. 25th, 2006 01:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silversolitaireI've just finished watching the new Rammstein video for "Mann gegen Mann" and dude... it's bizarre. Of course I realize that's a "Duh" thing for Rammstein, but still... *laughs* If you're familiar with the song, it's about "the gay man" or "being gay". As usual, every time when Rammstain tackles a subject people immediately freak out and say they're being hostile towards it, against it, ridiculing it, whatever. So, naturally, Rammstein was accused of being anti-gay since they made a song about being gay. Makes total sense, doesn't it. Most people don't even bother to listen to what the band is saying about their songs and what they were thinking - something which they're usually very clear about - and so it just happens that Rammstein is one of the most misinterpreted bands I know.
In case your interested is piqued, the lead singer, Till, said about the song that he once lost a bet with one of the members of another band (forgot which) who's gay and so he had to go to a gay bar with him. While he was there he was enjoying himself greatly and he was observing how the gay men were acting around each other and he admired how easy it was for them to hook up with each other. No silly games, no needless beating around the bush. He thought that was great and it made him wish he could be like that. That's how the song was written. Just FYI.
Anyway, about the video. One thing I've always liked and adored about Rammstein was their aestheticism (which sometimes could actually be rather unaesthetic, but it's still part of a big consistent picture). I mean, they've never been cooler than they've been on "Live aus Berlin" and I'm still kinda craving for the eyeliners, silver hair, duct tape, tight latex clothes and leather coats. After that came "Mutter" which was a bit icky with all the birthing stuff and goo and gore. I haven't seen a lot of live material around "Reise, Reise", I must admit, so I don't know which theme they've chosen there and I don't notice any particular theme in "rosenrot" yet either. In "Benzin" they were dressed in some sort of Mad Max-ish fur-leather combo, in "rosenrot" they were all priests, monks and other clerics.
Now in "Mann gegen Mann" they're uhm, naked. Yes. All of them are, except for Till who - quite inexplicably - is wearing some sort of Marilyn Manson commemoration outfit with high heels, stockings (or were they boots that reached to his thighs? The stream was kinda low quality) and long black hair. Just like MM he tries to disfigure beauty by disrupting the black glossy long hair with a strip of shaved skull right on top, kinda like a reversed mohawk. He's the only one wearing anything around his naughty bits, too. He's wearing black panties. The shots are quite masterful, since you're always dangerously close to seeing the full monty of the guys when they move around but you never really see anything of consequence.
Ironically, Till is the one who sports the least droolable body, so to speak. The other band members are surprisingly lean, well-defined and muscular. Especially Paul surprised me O.o. Flake is his usual skinny self and I thought Schneider, being "the pretty one" usually, was actually rather lacking in definition on his chest, at least judged by his position behind the drums, just to be fair. Added to this scenery are gratuitous shots of musclemen flexing their muscles, then piles of naked men sliding across each other, rubbing against each other, slick with oil... yeah, the imagery is rather clear, if you ask me.
Then comes the usual "OMGWTF" moment that you get with almost every Rammstein video where the naked guys storm towards the band and sorta sweep them off their feet and wild fighting / humping ensues and you can't really see anything with all the naked bits and limbs flailing about, but you kinda get the idea that the band isn't that happy with being oberwhelmed like that. Rain is pouring down on everyone, slicking them up more. Then the band starts fighting back, beating off the men and sending them into retreat while Till is standing in the rain, black stuff pouring down his body, while he's screaming and tearing at his hair, pulling it out until a shaggy black shock of hair is left over.
Interesting video, but IMO not the best they could have come up with. Kinda reminded me of "Stripped" with the Riefenstahle aesthetic they used there. Not my favorite video of them, no. My favorite will always be "Du riechst so gut"... hmmm. "Sonne" is also awesome. Okay, a lot of them are awesome, but this isn't one of them.
In case your interested is piqued, the lead singer, Till, said about the song that he once lost a bet with one of the members of another band (forgot which) who's gay and so he had to go to a gay bar with him. While he was there he was enjoying himself greatly and he was observing how the gay men were acting around each other and he admired how easy it was for them to hook up with each other. No silly games, no needless beating around the bush. He thought that was great and it made him wish he could be like that. That's how the song was written. Just FYI.
Anyway, about the video. One thing I've always liked and adored about Rammstein was their aestheticism (which sometimes could actually be rather unaesthetic, but it's still part of a big consistent picture). I mean, they've never been cooler than they've been on "Live aus Berlin" and I'm still kinda craving for the eyeliners, silver hair, duct tape, tight latex clothes and leather coats. After that came "Mutter" which was a bit icky with all the birthing stuff and goo and gore. I haven't seen a lot of live material around "Reise, Reise", I must admit, so I don't know which theme they've chosen there and I don't notice any particular theme in "rosenrot" yet either. In "Benzin" they were dressed in some sort of Mad Max-ish fur-leather combo, in "rosenrot" they were all priests, monks and other clerics.
Now in "Mann gegen Mann" they're uhm, naked. Yes. All of them are, except for Till who - quite inexplicably - is wearing some sort of Marilyn Manson commemoration outfit with high heels, stockings (or were they boots that reached to his thighs? The stream was kinda low quality) and long black hair. Just like MM he tries to disfigure beauty by disrupting the black glossy long hair with a strip of shaved skull right on top, kinda like a reversed mohawk. He's the only one wearing anything around his naughty bits, too. He's wearing black panties. The shots are quite masterful, since you're always dangerously close to seeing the full monty of the guys when they move around but you never really see anything of consequence.
Ironically, Till is the one who sports the least droolable body, so to speak. The other band members are surprisingly lean, well-defined and muscular. Especially Paul surprised me O.o. Flake is his usual skinny self and I thought Schneider, being "the pretty one" usually, was actually rather lacking in definition on his chest, at least judged by his position behind the drums, just to be fair. Added to this scenery are gratuitous shots of musclemen flexing their muscles, then piles of naked men sliding across each other, rubbing against each other, slick with oil... yeah, the imagery is rather clear, if you ask me.
Then comes the usual "OMGWTF" moment that you get with almost every Rammstein video where the naked guys storm towards the band and sorta sweep them off their feet and wild fighting / humping ensues and you can't really see anything with all the naked bits and limbs flailing about, but you kinda get the idea that the band isn't that happy with being oberwhelmed like that. Rain is pouring down on everyone, slicking them up more. Then the band starts fighting back, beating off the men and sending them into retreat while Till is standing in the rain, black stuff pouring down his body, while he's screaming and tearing at his hair, pulling it out until a shaggy black shock of hair is left over.
Interesting video, but IMO not the best they could have come up with. Kinda reminded me of "Stripped" with the Riefenstahle aesthetic they used there. Not my favorite video of them, no. My favorite will always be "Du riechst so gut"... hmmm. "Sonne" is also awesome. Okay, a lot of them are awesome, but this isn't one of them.
