Customer Reviews

Messer. (German Edition)

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This book is not something to just throw to the side of your bed. Till's poems let you into the "real" Till, rather than the butcher or the flamethrower on stage. Darkness is contrasted with the light. Sadness vs. happiness, suicide -he speaks about everything dark and everything that is a flowing, beautiful manner in this world.
I love Rammstein and I've loved Till since I first heard the infamous "Du Hast" in 1997. If you can understand a bit of slang northern German, you'll get a very real perspective of the man, not the showman. This book is worth getting for anyone who is a true fan of Till Lindemann.

We have all read the interviews-- Till has commented that he is not a happy and light person. After reading his poems, you have a better understanding of his self-image, which has led him to write so many dark lyrics. My German is not very good -- admittedly, I have to rely on a translation site, but it is enough right now to pick up the gist of his poems. As my German improves, I will be able to catch more of the nuances. This book greatly increased my respect for Till as an artist.

If you love poetry but still love RAMMSTEIN you need this book! Till goes all out with his singing and writing skills. But who would have expected him to come out with a poetry book. I know I never saw it coming. But anyway this is the first poetry book by Mr. Till Lindemann and hopefully not his last. rock away Till!

signed a huge RAMMSTEIN fan from New Hampshire.

This book is very interesting. The photos in the book seem to represnt a feeling that you are stuck in a world of manakins, and that you are exploring life outside the norm for the first time. To understand what I mean you will need to see yourself. The poems themselves range from short to long. Some are typical of Till's dark sense of humour, while others are deeper. I reccomend this book if you understand German.

Die Bilder stellen das gefühl, verloren in einer welt der Gliederpuppen. Die Gedichte von sehr kurz zu lang. Einige sind typisch für Till Lindemanns sinn für Humor, und einige sind tief. Ich empfehle dieses Buch!

Thats it. I only read a little german as a Rammstein fan, but I have picked up enough to inspire deeper study. Messer is strange and deeply personal and a little disturbing.
And its a great treasure. Its a glimpse into a deep dark well of clear water with something shifting in the bottom. Thought provoking and shocking to say the least!Its rare and I am very happy to have it.

Lindemann holds court as a modern-day minstrel, wandering through our innermost thoughts and challenging our perceptions of the world around us. His verses are individual notes that strike a chord with their rhyme and acute observation. Take this example from Sautod:

For days I've been in stifling heat
I'll go hunt me some wild doe meat
Till morning light I'll crouch and spot
The best range from a shoulder shot

We can imagine the hunter; still, poised, waiting all night for his target to appear. Sau/tod literally means 'Pig Death' but I would put into context of hunting and translate as 'A Wild Boar Dies'. It is sometimes hard for English readers to understand the density of Lindemann's poetry, as a good grasp of German is required, but lie patiently in wait for those hidden gems of meaning and they will magically appear before you in broad daylight when you when you least expect.

As a fan of Rammstein since 1997, and a student of German nearly as long, I have to rave about how much I love this book. These poems are so revealing in their honesty. There are no frills here to pretty things up. The language is not flowery. Nor are the images that accompany the poems. But I do not expect sugarcoating, frills, or flowers from Herr Lindemann. Frankly I did not know what to expect, but what I found was a most pleasant surprise.

One poem that stood out rather well was "Sautod" -- "Sowdeath" in English. A good majority of the poem would become the song "Waidmann's Heil" off of Rammstein's 2009 album "Liebe ist fur Alle Da". The subject matter of "Messer" -- "knife" or "blade" in German -- is rather dark. It is as dark as black on black. But there is real feeling in all the words. These poems seep and bleed with honest feeling. I was moved, reading this book. I've come away with a broader view of Herr Lindemann, and a much broader respect for the man as a writer. This book is a must for any Rammstein fan, and any curious mind that loves poetry.