Nietzsche and “Das Ich”
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ends with a reference to the Bible: “lightening rays thick like towers celebrated
Antichrist/Lucifer fell.”20
In interviews referring to the album Antichrist, Bruno Kramm points out the
relevance of Friedrich Nietzsche’s theory of perspectivism for the band’s view
of the world: “that there is nothing ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ in the absolute, but that
everything depends on the point of view”21 (Kaschke 7). In another interview,
Kramm says: “What our Western nations call good is only their definition of
capitalist values. Who participates in the global game and does it according to
the rules of the USA is allowed to commit arson and is, then, good”22 (Eck 1).
Kramm adds that, unfortunately, the loss of perspectivism in our way of thinking
probably will have dire consequences for the future of mankind. Instead of a
life-enhancing intercultural exchange as Friedrich Nietzsche had envisioned it,
this tenacious new thinking in binary oppositions might result in an apocalyptic
disaster as Das Ich describes it shockingly in several songs. These arguments
seem to justify the strong nihilism in the band’s Weltanschauung. However, as
has been mentioned earlier, the band’s nihilism is not absolute. As the text
Antichrist shows, neither was Nietzsche’s. In fact, Nietzsche’s criticism of
Christianity is mainly directed against its nihilism: “God degenerated to a
contradiction towards life, instead of being its enhancement and eternal Yes”23
{Antichrist 185). Will Self remarked about the positive aspect of Nietzsche’s
philosophy:
Nietzsche is the first great punk philosopher. 1 see him there in
the pantheon with a safety pin stuck through his nose and two
fingers thrust up in the general direction of the philosophical
pantheon. ... In his most apparent nihilism he seems to me
also the most apparently positive of thinkers because he is
enjoining people to do it themselves in that way. His
philosophy is not a guide that you should think like him, you
should think for yourself. (Self)
According to Nietzsche, this kind of thinking should come from the body and its
practice of self-transformation, and not from abstract categories. Seeing Stefan
Ackermann stage his emotions, with his skinny naked torso painted white,
watching his contortions and grimaces and listening to his voice, it becomes
clear that the band understands well Nietzsche’s idea that art can turn our
feelings of repulsion at the absurdity of modem existence into ideas compatible
with life.
Bruno Kramm, commenting on the hope in Das Ich’s songs despite their
nihilism, stated that by writing and performing music he can work through his
depressive thoughts with the result of becoming a “a content and hopeful
person”24 (Kaschke 3). He adds that the yellow press never understands why the
theme of death is on so many young people’s minds. It is, he answers,
[BJecause [death] is an important aspect that is excluded in
our world today, with which nobody wants to deal. It doesn’t