NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Christian Lorenz

Christian "Flake" Lorenz (pronounced "Flak'-uh Lor-ents"; born 6 November 1966), sometimes called "Doktor Lorenz") is a German musician, notable as the keyboardist for the German Tanz-Metall ("Dance Metal") band Rammstein. He is also known for his role in the band Feeling B. is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Neue Deutsche HÃ¤rte (New German hardness) is a direction in hard rock/metal music that developed in the German speaking world in the 1990s. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making music. ... For other uses, see Ramstein. ... Feeling B was one of the first punk bands in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... The Neue Deutsche HÃ¤rte (New German hardness) is a direction in hard rock/metal music that developed in the German speaking world in the 1990s. ... For other uses, see Ramstein. ... Feeling B was one of the first punk bands in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ...

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years

His family background is vague. Lorenz has a brother who is three years older. He was brought up and still lives in the former Prenzlauer Berg area of Berlin (now a part of the borough of Pankow), where he still passes his old school building on the way to band rehearsals. Prenzlauer Berg is a former borough of Berlin situated in the eastern part of the city. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Look up Borough in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The location of Pankow in Berlin. ...

Lorenz is an educated pianist, but he doesn't consider himself very good. Flake says he chose to play the piano because a childhood friend of his played from the age of three. His parents sent him to a music school. Flake "began by painting the keys on a window ledge" and "practiced one-half year on the window ledge". His parents bought him a piano for one hundred East German marks for his 15th birthday. A short grand piano, with the lid up. ...

Flake became "addicted" to rock and roll as a boy. He stopped his lessons in order to play with his father's jazz records. "When I joined my first band," Flake has said, "I noticed that I couldn't play modern music. I still can't!" At the age of sixteen, he apprenticed as a toolmaker, an apparently short-lived career. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

[edit] Feeling B

In 1983, at age seventeen, he began to play in the band Feeling B with Paul H. Landers and Aljoscha Rompe, a Swiss living in East Berlin. He stayed with the band for about ten years. Feeling B started out firmly grounded in the underground punk scene. Over time, Feeling B's popularity grew greatly and at the end of the German Democratic Republic, it was one of the most respected and influential Eastern German bands despite their underground status. For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Feeling B was one of the first punk bands in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ... Paul H. Landers (b. ... East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. ...

Flake squatted/lived in an apartment with Paul during their early years. When they weren't playing gigs, Landers and Flake would sell jackets made from cut-up bed sheets and dusters on the black market. Two jackets a month meant as much money as an average salaried worker. "It was quite easy to make a living; not to work and stay out of trouble," says Landers, "You only got problems if you were caught." It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into underground economy. ...

The group disbanded in the mid-1990s. On special occasions, the band members would get together for individual concerts at punk festivals, until Rompe died in November 2000.

[edit] Rammstein

For general information on Rammstein, see the Rammstein article. For other uses, see Ramstein. ...

In 1994, Till Lindemann, Richard Z. Kruspe, Oliver "Olli" Riedel and Christoph "Doom" Schneider entered and won the Berlin Senate Metro beat contest that allowed them to professionally record a four track demo. Paul H. Landers formally joined the band, then finally Flake. He was initially reluctant to join his five bandmates and had to be pestered into becoming a member of Rammstein. He thought they would be too boring. Eventually he agreed to join, and the group began work their first album, Herzeleid (Heartache). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Wilder Wein is is a song by the German band Rammstein. ... Live aus Berlin (German for Live from Berlin or Live out of Berlin) is a recording of a concert by the German NDH-metal band Rammstein in 1998. ... Till Lindemann (b. ... Richard Scholle Kruspe (b. ... Oliver Ollie Riedel (b. ... Christoph Doom Schneider (b. ... Paul H. Landers (b. ... Herzeleid (German for Heartache) is the German NDH-metal band Rammsteins first musical album. ...

In the band's performances and videos, Flake is often cast as the outsider of the group, possibly due to his relatively unusual presence as a keyboard player in a heavy metal group. This varies from playing the part of a scientific genius, aloof from the rest of the group, to playing a gimp role, and being bullied by the rest of the band, particularly Lindemann. These distinctive roles in the band's theatrical presentation have led to him becoming a very popular member of the group among fans. For other uses, see Gimp (disambiguation). ...

Flake is probably best known for his part in the controversial live performance of the song "Bück dich" ("Bend down" or "Bend over"), where he and vocalist Till Lindemann would engage in simulated sodomy with a liquor-squirting dildo. On September 23rd, 1998 in Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) Lindemann and Flake Lorenz were arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior. A statement from Sergeant Thomas Radula of the Worcester Police Department stated that Lindemann was simulating sex with Flake onstage "using a phallic object that shot water over the crowd". They were held and released the following day on $25 bail. After months of legal debate, they were eventually fined $100. BÃ¼ck dich (Bend down, Bend over) is a song by the German Tanz-Metall band Rammstein that first appeared on their second full-length album, Sehnsucht. ... For other uses, see Dildo (disambiguation). ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Worcester (disambiguation). ...

His role in "Bück dich" is not the only live act he is known for. Up until 2002, Flake would surf the audience in a boat during the performance of "Seemann" ("Seaman"). Ollie took his place in 2002. According to Flake, the change occurred because he was injured too often. Also, during a 2001 concert in St. Petersburg, Flake was tipped out of the boat by the crowd and almost completely undressed. When performing "Mein Teil" ("My part"), Flake is "cooked" with a flame-thrower by Till in a giant cauldron. Flake used to do a dance during "Weißes Fleisch" ("White flesh"). In the video for "Keine Lust" ("No desire" or "Don't feel like it"), Flake is seen in an electric wheelchair. He is seen about to jump off of the top of a burning building (trying and failing to land safely on a trampoline) in the video for "Benzin" ("Gasoline" or "Petrol"). In the video for Ich Will (I want) song, Flake is tied to a bomb that explodes in the end of video. Flake was also the lead vocalist for Rammstein's cover version of "Pet Sematary", originally by The Ramones. Also see: 2002 (number). ... Seemann (Seaman) Is a song by the German Tanz-Metall band Rammstein from their album Herzeleid. ... This article is about the year. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Mein Teil is a single by the German Industrial metal band Rammstein from the album Reise, Reise. ... Riverboat of the U.S. Brownwater Navy shooting ignited napalm from its mounted flamethrower during the Vietnam war. ... WeiÃŸes Fleisch (German for White Flesh) or Weisses Fleisch is a song by the German industrial metal band Rammstein. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Keine Lust is a song by the German band Rammstein. ... Benzin is a song by German band Rammstein, released as the first single from their album Rosenrot. ... The Ramones (L-R, Johnny, Tommy, Joey, Dee Dee) on the cover of their debut self-titled album (1976), cementing their place at the dawn of the punk movement. ...

During a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden on July 30, 2005, Till Lindemann suffered a knee injury when Flake accidentally ran into him with the Segway he rides during the performance of "Amerika" ("America"). This caused concerts scheduled in Asia to be cancelled. For other uses, see Gothenburg (disambiguation). ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Inventor Dean Kamen demonstrates the p Series Segway HT at the U.S. Department of Commerce on February 14, 2002. ... Amerika is a song by German band Rammstein, released as the second single from their album Reise Reise. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ...

In 2005, Flake suffered from an infection that caused concerts in South America to be cancelled. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

[edit] Personal life

Brown is his natural hair colour, but he has dyed it various times. His eyes are blue.

Flake's current marital state is unknown, but he has been divorced once and has three children, one of them a girl named Annie, date of birth in unknown.

There is very little information available about his personal life outside of his musical career because he chooses to keep most of it private. He has described the riskier parts being in Rammstein as being like a cold shower. It doesn't feel too good right then and there, but afterwards you get a good feeling. Flake, an atheist, is opposed to organized religion. He is quoted to have said, "I disapprove of religions which are made into rigid institutions. I also think that religious fanaticism and missionary work are dangerous". For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ...

Flake has a certain skepticism towards American culture, which he has reportedly called decadent. He likes the net (but is no longer able to access it from home), Poland, and Polish food. He despises McDonalds. This article very generally discusses the customs and culture of the United States; for the culture of the United States, see arts and entertainment in the United States. ... For the more general networking concept, see computer network, computer networking, and internetworking. ... Polish cuisine (Polish: kuchnia polska) is a mixture of Slavic, Jewish and foreign culinary traditions. ... McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the worlds largest chain of fast-food restaurants [1]. Although McDonalds did not invent the hamburger or fast food, its name has become nearly synonymous with both. ...

He likes to listen to Einstürzende Neubauten, Die Ärzte, Element of Crime, Coldplay, Placebo, Johnny Cash, PJ Harvey, System of a Down, Ministry, The Prodigy and once remarked that he would've liked to have been the sixth Rolling Stone. EinstÃ¼rzende Neubauten is an experimental music band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. ... Die Ã„rzte (also spelled die Ã¤rzte; German for the physicians or the doctors) are a German rock/punk rock band from Berlin. ... Element of Crime is a German rock band that plays melancholic-chanson pop- and rockmusic with guitar, base, drums und voice/trumpet. ... Coldplay are an English rock band formed in London in 1998. ... Placebo are an alternative rock band currently consisting of Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English musician and songwriter. ... System of a Down (commonly referred to as System or abbreviated as SOAD) is an American rock band, formed in 1995 in Glendale, California. ... Ministry is an influential, Grammy-nominated American industrial metal band founded by frontman Al Jourgensen in 1981. ... This article is about the English band. ... This article is about the rock band. ...

Flake is an amateur painter and likes classic cars. He has a Mercedes and is involved in vintage car hire business.^[3]

Lorenz used to write frequently in the Fanarea logbook on the official website fanclub, which closed September 2004.

On 5 October 2005, Flake appeared briefly on Deutsche Welle. When asked how he felt about the reunification of Germany, he said he prefers/misses the way things were then. "Even if the GDR survived, I still would've stayed a musician. The increased size of the world also brought the danger of being compared to all of the international acts. The bands which were in the east were the only ones there, and if you were successful there, you were successful. I miss the simplicity. You went into a bar, ordered a beer, and you got a beer!... They didn't ask if you wanted... with a head or without a head, foam top or bottom... It really gets on my nerves having all of these choices I really don't want". For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the German international broadcaster. ... This article is about the state which existed from 1949 to 1990. ... For other uses, see Beer (disambiguation). ...

[edit] Nicknames

Christian Lorenz commonly goes by the nicknames "Flake" (pronounced as "Flak'-uh" in German; the corresponding German pronunciation would be like the German word "Flocke" (flake) ) and "Doktor". "Doktor" came about because at one point he wanted to be a surgeon, but he was unable to study to become one because of his refusal to join the East German military. but in a December 16, 2000 interview, he states it is his proper name.^[4] Shoulder board of East German soldier Construction Unit (Bausoldat) There was a high level of conscientious objection in East Germany. ... The National Peopleâ€™s Army (German: Nationale Volksarmee) served as the military of the German Democratic Republic. ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Interviews

For other uses, see Ramstein. ... Till Lindemann (b. ... Christoph Doom Schneider (b. ... Richard Scholle Kruspe (b. ... Oliver Ollie Riedel (b. ... Paul H. Landers (b. ... Rammstein is a demo album by German industrial metal group, Rammstein. ... Herzeleid (German for Heartache) is the German NDH-metal band Rammsteins first musical album. ... Sehnsucht (German for Longing and sometimes translated as Hunger) is the German NDH-metal band Rammsteins second album. ... This article is about the album by Rammstein. ... Reise, Reise (German for Arise, Arise (naval jargon) or Travel, travel or Journey, journey) is the German NDH-metal band Rammsteins fourth album. ... Rosenrot (German: rose-red, listen) is the German Neue Deutsche HÃ¤rte band Rammsteins fifth musical album. ... Du riechst so gut (German for You smell so good) was the first single Rammstein released, and the first from the album Herzeleid. ... Seemann (Seaman) Is a song by the German Tanz-Metall band Rammstein from their album Herzeleid. ... Engel (German for Angel) is the first single by Rammstein from their LP Sehnsucht. ... Du hast (ger. ... Das Modell (German for The model) was a single released by the Big floppy donkey cocks industrial metal band Rammstein in 1997. ... This is a re-release of the single Du riechst so gut by the German band Rammstein. ... Stripped is a single by the German Industrial Metal band Rammstein. ... Asche zu Asche is a single by the German band Rammstein, from their first studio album, Herzeleid. ... Sonne (German for Sun) is a song by the German Tanz-Metall group Rammstein. ... Rammstein is a German band formed in 1993. ... Ich will (German for I want) is a single by Rammstein. ... Mutter (German for mother) is a song by Tanz-Metall band Rammstein, and is the sixth track from the album of the same name. ... Feuer frei! is the command to start shooting in German military language and also a well-known songtitle from the German band Rammstein. ... Mein Teil is a single by the German Industrial metal band Rammstein from the album Reise, Reise. ... Amerika is the second released single from Rammsteins fourth studio album titled Reise Reise. ... Ohne dich is a song by German band Rammstein from the album Reise, Reise. ... Keine Lust is a song by the German band Rammstein. ... Benzin is a song by German band Rammstein, released as the first single from their album Rosenrot. ... Rosenrot1 (German for Rose-red) is a song and single by the German band Rammstein on the Rosenrot album. ... Mann gegen Mann (German for Man against man) is the third single from the Rammstein album, Rosenrot. ... Live aus Berlin (German for Live from Berlin or Live out of Berlin) is a recording of a concert by the German NDH-metal band Rammstein in 1998. ... DVD Cover Lichtspielhaus (German for Cinema, nowadays called Kino, literally, light-game-house) is Rammsteins second DVD. It is compilation of all their videos to date, some live performances, commercial advertisements and trailers, and making-ofs. ... VÃ¶lkerball (German for Peoples ball) is the German NDH-metal band Rammsteins live album/DVD set. ... This article contains the discography and related information about the band Rammstein. ... Schtiel is a song recorded by Till Lindemann and Richard Zven Kruspe from the German band Rammstein. ... For information on emigration, see Emigration. ...

Encyclopedia > Christian Lorenz

Contents