Richard Kruspe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Richard Kruspe |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Kruspe with Rammstein in 2009
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sven Kruspe |
| Also known as | Richard Z. Kruspe Richard Zven Kruspe |
| Born | 24 June 1967 Wittenberge, East Germany |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1985–present |
| website = }}
Richard Kruspe (born Sven Kruspe; 24 June 1967) is a German musician. He is best known as one of the founders and the lead guitarist of the Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein, as well as the frontman of the industrial metal band Emigrate. Kruspe has released eight studio albums with Rammstein and four albums with Emigrate.
Early life
Sven Kruspe was born in Wittenberge (then part of East Germany). He later changed his first name to Richard, under the belief that anyone should be able to change their own name. He has two older sisters and an older brother. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother remarried; Kruspe did not get along with his stepfather. The family moved to the village of Weisen when Kruspe was young. Because of his poor relationship with his stepfather, Kruspe often ran away from home in his early teens, sleeping on park benches.
In a 2014 interview with Metal Hammer, he commented on life in East Germany, stating: "The thing about East Germany is that it was great to grow up there, until you were 12. You were presented with the illusion of a very healthy society, which worked unless you asked questions – and you don't ask questions until you're 12."
At the age of 16, Kruspe and some friends visited Czechoslovakia, where he bought a guitar, originally planning to sell it at a profit, but then started playing it.
Career
.jpg)
In the late 1980s, Kruspe moved to East Berlin. For two years, he lived in an apartment with a drum kit and a guitar and made music by himself as he was not familiar with the local music scene. On 10 October 1989, Kruspe found himself in the middle of a political demonstration after exiting a subway station. He was then hit on the head by police and arrested. Kruspe spent the next six days in jail where he was interrogated and beaten by authorities. Once out of jail, he decided to leave East Germany. Because of the Eastern Bloc, he entered West Germany by traveling through Hungary. When the Berlin Wall came down, he moved back to Schwerin in East Germany.
Kruspe's first band, Das Elegante Chaos, was formed in 1987. The band recorded material in 1989 that were later released on the album Lyrik in 2011. Following the break-up of Das Elegante Chaos in 1989, Kruspe formed ... Death Gimmick in 1991. The band released three demo tapes before disbanding in 1993. Kruspe was also a member of First Arsch with singer and drummer Till Lindemann and guitarist Paul Landers. The band released their debut album, Saddle Up, in 1992.
In 1992, Kruspe traveled to the southwest of the United States together with Lindemann and bassist Oliver Riedel. Upon returning to Germany, he decided to pursue a new style of music that combined machine-like sounds with heavy guitars. In 1993, Kruspe formed a new project with roommates Riedel and drummer Christoph Schneider named Tempelprayers. Together with singer Lindemann, they entered the Berlin Senate Metrobeat contest with a demo tape in 1994 and won a recording session in a professional studio. That same year, the band was joined by guitarist Landers and keyboardist Christian Lorenz, and changed their name to Rammstein.
Personal life
Kruspe has three children, two daughters and one son. He married South African actress Caron Bernstein on 29 October 1999. The ceremony was Jewish, and Kruspe composed the music for it. He took the last name Kruspe-Bernstein during their marriage. Kruspe moved from Berlin to New York in 2001 to live closer to Bernstein and work on his side-project Emigrate. They separated in 2004, and he reverted to his original last name. Kruspe moved back to Berlin in 2011.
Equipment
Kruspe has been an endorser of ESP Guitars since 1996. He bought his first ESP guitar, a sunburst 901 model, in 1990. Kruspe primarily used 901 models and Kirk Hammett signature model guitars for recording and touring until ESP produced his signature model guitars the ESP RZK-I in the mid-2000s and the RZK-II in the early 2010s. He also uses other ESP guitars, including Eclipse models and a Ron Wood signature model, in the studio. Kruspe was previously endorsed by EMG and was a long-time user of EMG 81 pickups before switching to Fishman in 2018 and joining their Fluence artist roster in 2023. He also has a signature Fluence pickup set. Kruspe mainly uses Mesa/Boogie amplifiers and cabinets, notably the Mark II C+ and Dual Rectifiers amps and 4×12 cabinets, in addition to Friedman and Soldano amps. He also uses the Kemper Profiler in the studio and live. Kruspe has a signature guitar pick and a signature string set through Dunlop and SIT Strings respectively.
Discography
- Rammstein
- Herzeleid (1995)
- Sehnsucht (1997)
- Mutter (2001)
- Reise, Reise (2004)
- Rosenrot (2005)
- Liebe ist für alle da (2009)
- Untitled Rammstein album (2019)
- Zeit (2022)
- Emigrate
- Emigrate (2007)
- Silent So Long (2014)
- A Million Degrees (2018)
- The Persistence of Memory (2021)
First Arsch
- Saddle Up (1992)
Das Elegante Chaos
- Lyrik (2011)
Other appearances
- Apocalyptica – "Helden" from Worlds Collide (2007)
- Hotei – "Move It" from Strangers (2015)
- VAMPS – "Rise or Die" from Underworld (2017)
- Aesthetic Perfection – "Gods & Gold" from Into The Black (2019)
- Lifeline International – "Come Together" (2022)
See also
In Spanish: Richard Z. Kruspe para niños
