Of all the places for Rammstein to be banned, we didn’t think it would be their home country. Yet indeed, Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da has been banned from display in Germany. Apparently, it isn’t the somewhat realistic painting hinting at cannibalism that caused the album to be banned. Instead, it was the picture in the artwork of guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe spanking a hooded naked woman. And the lyrics to “Ich Tu Dir Weh” (or “I Want to Hurt You”). We don’t see what’s wrong with lyrics like “”Bites, kicks, heavy blows, nails, pincers, blunt saws – Tell me what you want,” but that’s just us.

The ruling was handed down by the German Federal Office for the Examination of Media Harmful to Young People. Wow, why doesn’t America have one of those? What’s more surprising is that they had no problem with “Pussy.” Actually, the Federal Office did suggest that the song incites listeners to engage in unprotected sex, but it wasn’t included in the ruling banning the album. Actually, young people could learn quite a bit about the birds and the bees from the song.

And the album isn’t banned overall, it will just be sold over the counter. You know what I did when I was a kid and heard an album was banned? I bought it. Yeah, that’s right. I’d have to imagine that anyone that knows about the band and likes them has bought the album already. But now that they’ve made headlines by having their album banned, there’s going to be a lot more people that hadn’t known they have an album out that will pick it up now, as well as others picking it up just out of curiosity over the controversy. Good move, German Federal Office for the Examination of Media Harmful to Young People.

Bram Teitelman

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