They are at least somewhat based. ‘Prison Song’ talks about the prison industrial complex and imperialism. There are also some other songs like toxicity or protect the land that sound anti-capitalism. I also just like there music in general. Their album Hypnotize is one of my favorites overall. Unfortunately, the song of the same name seems to talk about the Tiananmen protesters in a positive light and also talks about propaganda. My inference is that they see China as an “authoritarian” (capitalist?) country. They also talk a lot about freedom or liberty which is kind of cringe. So, what do you think?

  • Soviet Snake
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    81 year ago

    I think the more left you get for a more or less popular band, because you then have bands like Los Monstruitos who have great hits such as “Corea del Norte” but they aren’t known at all, is Ramnstein. They were born in the GDR and even though they don’t have songs that openly talk about communism I seem to remember that upon some criticism made to them because of being fascists, they said that on the opposite. I guess it must be hard to be a popular person and be openly communist, so it’s understandable.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr8ljRgcJNM

    • @Comrade_Faust
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      121 year ago

      Rammstein are definitely left-wing by their own admission. The song you’re referring to is called ‘Links, 2, 3, 4’—if you’re familiar with Bertholt Brecht, this is a direct allusion to the Einheitsfrontlied. Rammstein composed this song after frequent condemnation for being Nazis, owing to the band’s militaristic image as well as peculiarities such as the leader singer’s, Till Lindemann, rolling of Rs, which is often linked with Hitler’s oratory. The music video for the song is an allusion to countless ants (resembling the oppressed masses) uniting to destroy fascism/Nazism represented by large beetles. The lyrics state the following:

      Sie wollen mein Herz am rechten Fleck doch, Seh’ ich dann nach unten weg/weck, Da schlägt es links.

      They want my heart in the right place, but (double-meaning: right as in correct as well as right-wing, like in English) I then look down, It beats to the left (the heart is also beating towards the left of the political spectrum).

      Rammstein’s band members all grew up in the GDR; however, as far as I’m aware, two of them have made pretty clear statements about their experience. Till Lindemann, in spite of his chaotic on-stage appearance, has lamented the loss of authenticity and retains strong connections to how life was in the East. His father, Werner Lindemann, was a poet and was awarded a prize for his contributions to socialist children’s literature.

      Christian ‘Flake’ Lorenz is unapologetically pro-GDR. That’s not necessarily to say he is a perfervid socialist or communist; however, he is adamant in that he misses the GDR, and Lindemann stated: ‘Flake is still a citizen of the GDR, and he will die a citizen of the GDR.’ Flake is quoted as saying ‘free of trouble and pressure, we all had enough money to live.’ He even wrote an essay explaining how he misses the GDR, and he also is a vehement critic of the ‘decadent’ United States. Such feelings are undoubtedly reflected in the song you linked, Amerika. ‘We’re all living in Amerika: coca cola, sometimes war’ and ‘This is not a love song. I don’t sing my mother tongue’ are examples of discontent with American imperialistic and cultural hegemony.

      The band members started out as punks during the final years of the GDR as well. There are interviews where Lindemann was vehemently clear about opposing Nazis, laughing at the assertion that he himself could be one. „Wir kommen aus dem Osten und sind als Sozialisten aufgewachsen. Wir waren früher entweder Punks oder Gruftis.“ Und er positioniert sich ganz klar mit der Aussage: „Wir hassen Nazis!“ (‘“We come from the East and grew up as socialists. We used to be either punks or goths.” And he clarifies his position with the statement: “We hate Nazis!”’) This goes to show that the band members never forgot their socialist education, even if most are apolitical now.

      Undoubtedly they are socially liberal given their portrayal of Deutschland/Germania as a black woman in the song ‘Deutschland’ which induced a lot of right-wing tears, and the numerous times they’ve upset officials in Russia by mimicking homosexual acts while on stage. The song ‘Mann Gegen Mann’ is critical of homophobia and it’s music video is pretty outlandish.

      • @whoami
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        91 year ago

        He even wrote an essay explaining how he misses the GDR

        Do you have a link? Was it published in english

    • @redtea
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      71 year ago

      It’s not music related but, iirc, Vigo Mortensen had an interview at the height of his Lord of the Rings fame. He said something mildly communist and was never really interviewed again on mainstream TV shows. (Looks like he spent some of his childhood in Argentina, btw.)

      • Soviet Snake
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        8
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        It’d be nice to find that interview. But yes, I think he speaks Rioplatense Spanish, and he once came to my city because San Lorenzo was playing a match and he wanted to see them, sadly I couldn’t find him for an autograph.

        • @redtea
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          61 year ago

          I’ll see if I can find it. Might take me a while. I’ll have to remember where I first read the story! This was years ago.

          That’s a shame. He’s a great actor and an impressive human being in general. He seems to be quite a compassionate guy, whatever his exact politics. And apparently he speaks five languages.

        • @redtea
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          edit-2
          1 year ago

          I may have got my facts wrong.

          It could be this interview from 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=API3_OC_XSI

          He’s wearing a shirt with the slogan, ‘No more blood for oil’. Maybe it was the shirt rather than what he said.

          Edit: Strikethrough and it probably was this video. Watch from about 7:33!

          Edit 2: Among some other based points, he argues against individualism and jokes that one of the financial backers (Weinstein, I think) should be happy with 5% of the $billion income considering that he never stepped foot in New Zealand.

          • Soviet Snake
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            21 year ago

            Really based interview, at least for a Hollywood actor, keeping in mind all the trash that inhabits those places. Very well for Vigo! I’m going to screenshot him with that t-shirt, lol.