Rammstein - Waiting For The Opera

Even if my pencil doesn't do justice to the model, my intention always does.
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Grammar, IV, 58

It would probably come as a great shock to most of my Dear Readers that if you asked the Oracle of Ottawa who was the greatest rock band in the world today at the time of this writing, the Oracle would have to reply instantly; Rammstein! Even though the Oracle of Ottawa is six years older than Till Lindemann, and has seen very many of the most awesome rock bands of all time in his misspent youth, including the first seven tours of Canada's greatest rock band Rush, the Oracle stands by his choice.

Till Lindemann

Rammstein was in Canada in the recent past, out on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. The Oracle of Ottawa seriously considered attending, one last big blowout in honour of his misspent youth. But alas, age and the serious misgivings of my significant other forced me to change my plans. It was a good thing too. The weather of the night of the concert was still over 85 degrees. When the Oracle saw the clips on You Tube and on the CBC of the actual blow out event he was relieved that he wasn't there. It was insanely hot and the Oracle at his advanced age would have surely wilted as a delicate flower.

The Oracle always tells anyone who will listen that Rammstein is much, much more than just a flashy rock band. Many of their works are going to be standards of German classical Leid in the centuries to come. You should see the strange looks the Oracle gets when he lets that one off in public! Although you can't even easily buy a Rammstein CD and it is impossible to get the concert DVD's in North America the Oracle strongly believes that we haven't seen nothing yet. 

What impresses the Oracle the most is the utter commitment of the members of Rammstein to their art. They will undergo any discomfort and social moral restraint to get the desired effect across. All of the members at some point have suffered personal injury in their performances that would put many of today's Rock and Roll Hall of Famers out of commission for ever. But again the Oracle of Ottawa strongly believes that there is much greater stuff to come. Like a full and serious Wagnerian style opera. The Oracle strongly believes it is in Till to bring us a stunning modern German opera in the greatest classical German tradition. The Oracle feels that the subject matter will pretain to ancient German archetype with the effects of the New World Order on the fate of the world....

Postscript: Could you imagine Geddy Lee or Mick Jagger going this far out on a limb for their art? Till can make the baddest Academy Award winning Joker look like a harmless cub scout! Now that is true art...