Rammstein front singer Till Lindemann (r) performs the song “Mein Teil” on stage together with Christian “Flake” Lorenz.
Photo: picture alliance/dpa, Malte Krudewig. All rights reserved.
After Till Lindemann, Rammstein keyboardist, stage whipping boy and mascot Christian Lorenz alias Flake is now faced with allegations of abusive behavior. The keyboard man is confronted with two incidents in a current investigation by the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) and the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The focus is on an alleged incident in Flake’s estate in Brandenburg. This was more than 20 years ago. The 56-year-old had these statements by two women denied by a lawyer. The legal team led by his colleague Lindemann also got involved. The reporting in this Causa would be illegal, it is said.
Flake, the eloquent Icke type, appeared not only as a musician, but also as an author. He wrote about his role as a joke victim. In 2015, “The Key Fucker: What I Can Remember” (Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf), an autobiography about him and his beginnings as a musician, was published. In 2017, “Heute hat die Welt’s birthday” (S. Fischer Verlage) followed about his activities as a musician at Rammstein.
The abuse allegations against the Rammstein camp also draw their circles in the music and literary publishing industry. The record company Universal Music has paused its collaboration with Rammstein. Flake, in turn, pauses his monthly show on Radioeins. ROLLING STONE exclusively found out that an appearance he turned off on “Inas Nacht” with presenter Ina Müller will not be broadcast.
Till Lindemann’s book publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch ended the collaboration with the front man after he used his book of poems in a porn video as a kind of masturbation tool.
How does Flake’s publishing house S. Fischer, where he published his last book, “Today has the World’s Birthday”, deal with the allegations against the keyboardist?
On request, S. Fischer informed us that the book, which was published in hardcover in 2017, has been available in paperback since 2018. A reprint would therefore not be pending, the book is available. And: “There were no plans or discussions about other projects with Flake.”
Rammstein are currently on the “Europe Stadium Tour”. Most recently, the band made a guest appearance in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, which was sold out three times, accompanied by protests.