RICHARD KRUSPE

Richard Kruspe Biography

Richard Kruspe (born Sven Kruspe; 24 June 1967) is a German musician. He is the lead guitarist and one of the founders of the Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein, as well as the frontman of the industrial metal band Emigrate. He has released eight studio albums with Rammstein and four albums with Emigrate.

Sven Kruspe was born in Wittenberge, then part of East Germany. He later changed his first name to Richard, believing that anyone should be able to change their name if they want to. Kruspe has a younger sister and an older brother. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother remarried. The family moved from the village of Weisen to Schwerin when Kruspe was young. He did not get along with his stepfather, who would be physically abusive, and Kruspe often ran away from home in his early teens. During his youth, Kruspe was a wrestler for seven years.

In a 2014 interview with Metal Hammer, Kruspe 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 age 16, Kruspe and some friends visited Czechoslovakia, where he bought a guitar, originally planning to sell it. He then met a girl who saw him with the guitar and insisted he play something. When Kruspe hit random notes in frustration, the girl commented that it sounded "beautiful" and the moment would inspire him to learn how to play guitar. Kruspe later studied jazz guitar at the conservatorium in Schwerin for four years.

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