My dear friend Iroto122 asked me to help her 'destroy the myths' people have spread about Till. I greatly appreciate being asked to do this- because I’m a firm believer in the idea that, before you go criticising or spreading gossip about someone, you find out the truth what they’re all about. She has done her research into these, I can assure you:

Sources used:

Mike Oldfield im Schaukenstuhl - Notizen eines Vaters (Author; Werner Lindemann from 1988)
Mike Oldfield Neuerdings - Radio Hoerspiel (Interview with Gitta Lindemann from 2011)
Mein Sohn der Frontmann von Rammstein – A Declaration of Love (by Gitta Lindemann from 2008)
The March of Misunderstandings (Interview from Tylko Rock Magazine with Till from 2001)

In that last mentioned reference; Till was asked about whether or not the song Mutter had to do with his own mother. These were his answers:

A: “Neither the title, or the text have got anything to do with my own, or my colleagues’ mothers.

Q: “You reportedly consulted the text of the song with your own mother. Do you always test out your new musical material on your parent?”

A: “I just wanted to avoid all unnecessary misunderstandings and vague hints, so that my mother wouldn't hold any grudge against me afterwards, you know? Looking askance, wagging her finger at me, and asking ‘What kind of pamphlet is this?!’ Especially when given the fact, that the "Mutter" song tells a rather sad story which has got no reference to our relationship in real life. My mom listened to it eagerly and she enjoyed it- so all things are settled between us.”

Q: Your Mom herself is a Rammstein fan?

A: She wasn't one right from the start, that's for sure. My Mom works in radio, in a regional broadcasting station in north-west Germany. She's the chief of the cultural redaction and you could likely see it coming, that one day, all her co-workers and acquaintances would nag her with all sorts of questions, like: ‘What the heck is going on?" They would say: "I saw your son in the TV, I read an article with your sweetheart" and so on. That would eventually make her feel proud. It made her totally change her attitude towards my musical activity, she started to look differently at my role in Rammstein, the way I express myself through the music".

Werner Lindemann (his father) once described how Till ran up to his Mom and threw her up in the air in a hug- a big, joyful grin plastered on his face- then placing her back down on the ground with extreme care to make sure she won't fall. (Aww. )

* * *

Childhood

-Till wrote his first poem at the age of nine. It's called "Nutcracker".

-Once when it was raining (and a rainbow appeared) little Till said: "Look, the meadow is crying".

[b]According to Werner's memoirs;/b]
-When Till was little, he once looked up in the sky and commented on the gibbous moon: "Look, the moon is broken".
-Till worked as a carpenter in his youth. Werner once paid him a visit in his teacher's workshop and saw a flower pot - "cherry tree beauty" as it was described; made by Till for Gitta as a Christmas present. (Till came home, once, outraged by his co-workers' behaviour; finding it very rude that none of them congratulated their tutor on his 73rd birthday. (That same tutor's sick wife was lying in a clinic, and no one would ever pay her a visit. Embittered, Till stated; "These people are no authority for me!")

* * *

Family

-Till’s parents did not divorce when he was 12. His father (Werner) moved to the small cottage in 1975, because he liked the quietude of the farmhouse and wanted to write his poems and books in peace. Being in town caused him too much stress. Till mentions his Father taking long walks in the woods to seek inspiration, leaving his notebooks all over the house, and his sharp sense of observation. Till says he "had no interest in these back then. But it stayed by me. I told my Dad that I could change my mind one day and become a writer, which I actually did at some point".

-Gitta had to do her job as a journalist More than once it is mentioned that Werner would love to have her around all the time, but it was impossible because of their professions. They would pay each other regular visits, mostly during the weekends. Every once in a while; Werner would even move to the town for a couple of days. Werner had stated that his precious daughter Saskia (Till's sister, 6 years younger) would have had a long way to go to school, if she were constantly in the village. There was NO AMERICAN STEP-DAD in Till's or Saskia's lives.

-All those stories about Till's screwed up relationship with his father are totally far-fetched and exaggerated. Yes, they would have a fight every once in a while. Yes, his Dad would keep telling him how to live his life, and yes, Till objected, Till answered back, he wanted to make his own way, he would rebuff his Dad's remarks and tell him to get lost. Till was nineteen at the time! What teenager does like being told what to do by their parents?

-Werner himself would give a lot of thought to their relationship- frequently analysing his own mistakes and shortcomings as a father. ("How do I become with my friends with my son?" he would muse. "Why is there such a gap between us? why can't he be more easy going? Should I be the moral drum? Perhaps I shouldn't start to scratch before it itches. Maybe I shouldn't be so pushy about some things.")
They once had a fight and it turned a little physical. As a result; Werner fell downstairs- but several days later; he wanted to talk to his son, no matter what happened next. He entered his son's room and they said "sorry" to each other at the same time. (Gitta has mentioned it in an interview.)

-Werner would take care of his son, when he was sick

-Werner, once or twice, would cover his sleeping boy with a blanket

-Till would carry heavy things for his Dad

-Father and son would take long strolls in the woods together and plant trees

-They would listen to music together (Till even got his Dad to listen to Scorpions)

-Till dedicated his "Messer" poem book to his Father and Gitta herself has stated that "she was very delighted to have learnt about that dedication."

-Till's Grandma was very supportive. Till mentions a certain incident that took place in his sport school, when his trainer told him off for not being fast enough. On hearing this; Tillchen's Grandma walked up to the trainer, pulled him by the ear and cried: "How dare you speak to my Grandson like that?!" Till said that he would always love his Grandma to bits, and he would never forget that moment when she stood up for him! Gitta also mentions about Till taking lovely care of his Grandma (feeding her, taking her to family meetings and so on).

* * *

Till und animals

-When Till was young he used to take wounded and injured animals home to care for. (e.g. a mouse, which he used to keep in his training cap, but his trainer found out and told him off, so he took the mouse with him- and a puppy, which he saved from death and gave to his Dad as a present, and which would eat with; ) Milli, Puschi and Billi- Till's three cats. They lived in the cottage in Werner's farmhouse. Gitta mentions Till craddling a cat in his jacket, taking a stroll, which he loved to do, through a snowy landscape.

-Till wanted to become a sea-diver in his younger days. On learning this his Dad remarked: "Are you sure? Perhaps you would like to think it over... maybe you should study a little."

* * *

The Loss Of A Parent

Werner’s drinking did not kill him. By that point he had already been off the drink for a long while- even musing about how he was glad to quit it once and for all- despite things like people offering him champagne at New Year’s, and him refusing it. He would make some Gluhwein for his wife and the rest of the family but he himself wouldn't drink it. (After he quit; Werner would see a drunk on the street and it would creep him out.)

What was the real cause of Werner's death? We learn that from Till himself: "I witnessed the death of a person I loved very much. My Dad died of stomach cancer. When he was dying, my Mom and me would stay by his bedside." (Even Wikipedia was able to at least get that part right.)

There’s no evidence suggesting that Till has never visited his father’s grave. (How can we be sure he hasn't?) I’m inclined to agree with Iroto, when she says; if it’s true, maybe it was too much for him to bear? (My god in heaven; if it was my father, I think I’d have an indescribably hard time doing that- not because there’s any bad blood between us- but as she says of an experience a friend of hers has had; I love him with all my heart, and I think I would prefer to keep his memory alive in my heart- not think about his body lying there in the earth.

Oh - so many interesting anecdotes about Till I did not know. Interesing facts, also - are u sure u finally dissolved all the myths that are going around ?