Rammstein Drummer Christoph Schneider Issues Statement About Till Lindemann Allegations

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Rammstein have stayed remarkably quiet since allegations of Till Lindemann spiking a fan’s drink at one of the band’s parties, and other reports of sexual misconduct, have arisen. Drummer Christoph Schneider, however, has now spoken out independently.

As Consequence Of Sound reports, Till Lindemann is currently under investigation by German prosecutors due to the allegations.

Berlin’s public prosecution office, per an Agence France-Presse report, cited, “Preliminary proceedings have been initiated against Till Lindemann on allegations relating to sexual offenses [sic] and the distribution of narcotics.”

The allegations against Lindemann first surfaced when fan and concertgoer Shelby Lynn alleged that she was drugged at one of Rammstein’s pre-concert parties in Vilnius, Lithuania. She further claimed that Lindemann asked her for sex and once she said no, he furiously stormed away.

German news outlet Tagesschau also published an article featuring different allegations against Lindemann. Another woman came forward and similarly claimed that she had her drink spiked with drugs, however she also alleged that sexual misconduct took place.

Tagesschau’s reported allegations read: "Lindemann was lying on her when she regained consciousness and asked her if he should stop. 'And I didn't even know what he wanted to stop doing.'"

While the band have denied the allegations, Lindemann’s book publishers, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, dropped the singer. The New York Times also reports that Universal Music has paused marketing and promoting Rammstein. A spokesperson for the label said in a statement, “The accusations against Till Lindemann have shocked us.”

Schneider also seems to be in shock, claiming that Lindemann “has distanced himself from us in recent years and created his own bubble”.

Sharing a statement on social media, written in German and translated by The PRP, Schneider said that the recent allegations have “shaken us as a band and me as a person”. You can read the full statement below.

“Dear people,

“I would like to share my personal emotions and thoughts with you.

“The accusations of the last few weeks have deeply shaken us as a band and me as a person. You fans certainly too. I feel as if in shock by the things that have been shared on social media and in the press and in print about our singer. This is an ebb and flow of emotions for us band members and crew.

“No, I don’t think anything criminally relevant (such as the use of knockout drops) happened. No. I don’t think anything illegal was going on, I’ve never seen anything like it, nor heard anything like it from any of our crew of 100 people. All I heard from Till‘s parties were adults celebrating together. And yet things seem to have happened that, although legally ok, I personally don’t think are ok. Certain structures have grown that went beyond the limits and values of the other band members. It is also important to us that Till‘s parties are not confused with our official after-show parties.

“Till has distanced himself from us in recent years and created his own bubble.

“With their own people, their own parties, their own projects. That made me sad, definitely. I believe Till when he tells us that he always wanted and still wants to give his private guests a good time. How exactly these guests had imagined this, however, seems to differ in some cases from his own ideas. The wishes and expectations of the women who have now come forward were probably not fulfilled. According to their statements, they felt uncomfortable, on the edge of a situation that they could no longer control.

“I feel sorry for her and I feel compassion. However, it is important for me to emphasize something objective: every guest in the backstage area is free to leave (they may have to wait a moment for security to lead them safely to the exit). All bottles are sealed and in full view of the guests freshly opened or they open them themselves.

“Water and snacks are available just like Security personnel and medical care available at any time. We want all of our guests to feel comfortable and safe with us!

“This is our standard. So I’m sorry to hear that some didn’t feel that way.

“We have the greatest fans in the world and they all deserve to be treated with respect! I’m sorry for anyone who wasn’t treated kindly or felt unsafe backstage with us.

“Also for Shelby, she deserved a great concert and a wonderful evening.

“But I don’t want this whole public dispute about our band to feed the extremes: neither the beast social media, which has not yet been tamed by our society, nor paternalistic tendencies to deny women in their mid-20s the ability to make self-determined decisions about their sexuality and also by no means victim blaming, so that people continue to talk about it if something happened to them. I wish for a calm, level-headed reflection and processing, also in our band.

“And all together, six of us. We stand together.

“Your Christoph Schneider.”