Till Lindemann and Joey Kelly in the Amazon
November 25, 2020
Two men stand holding an anaconda which winds its scaly body around their shoulders like a feather boa. The duo are Till Lindemann and Joey Kelly, musicians of Rammstein and Kelly Family fame respectively.
The cover of the new book, Amazonas, speaks for itself. It depicts through photos and interviews the journey which the two musicians and friends undertook along the Amazon and Rio Yavari tributary.
Most famous as the singer of the band Rammstein or more recently for his solo set, Till Lindemann appears, in his sweat-drenched t-shirt and unkempt hair, as a hero of old battling a mythological beast.
"I couldn't stop myself from having photos taken with the snake. I love snakes. Joey finds them scary," Lindemann explains in an interview in the book.
Nevertheless, Joey Kelly also comes across as pretty comfortable with a giant snake over his shoulders.
These two men have something to teach us — lesson one: the Amazon is no petting zoo.
From Alaska to the Amazon
This is Till Lindemann and Joey Kelly's second joint journey to a far-flung, less known corner of the natural world. The previous trip to the Yukon river in Alaska also led to the publication of a similar book. The second trip to South America's longest river was a much more dangerous goal.
It makes one think of the stories of adventure from Germany's greatscientist-explorer Alexander von Humboldt. But while the inquisitive Humboldt spent five years in the rain forest with his companion Aimee Bonland in the 19th century, Lindemann and Kelly stayed only a few weeks.
As stated by National Geographic, publisher of the 240-page book, the pair headed off to the jungle to discover the "myth of the Amazon."
An interview which appeared in Playboy magazine made clear that 21st century travelling is not without its own pitfalls. Joey Kelly, a member of the band Kelly Family and extreme sports practitioner, explained how he narrowly escaped an attack from piranhas on his genitals while wading through unknown waters.
The pair describe their experience in the book: "The contrast couldn't be clearer, the Amazon is the complete opposite of the Yukon, it has a completely different flora and fauna. And don't forget, South America's amazing colors!" says Joey Kelly.
He adds: "I learned the net throwing technique for fishing from the Indios and caught creatures in the river for which every aquarium owner would give €3,000 to €4,000. Angelfish, discus fish, armored catfish, sucker catfish, catfish in all shapes and sizes. I don't know how many hundreds of catfish species there are, it was crazy!"
Playing Conan the Barbarian
Lesson two: the Amazon is no day spa.
The musicians were accompanied by two photographers — Thomas Stachelhaus and Matthias Matthies who captured the daring duo on their journey, showing them fish, making fires and manning their canoe.
The tropical beauty sometimes finds it difficult to take center stage from the thick-armed pair who could play the role of Conan the Barbarian. Despite the admittedly impressive landscape photographs, we're left with the impression that the book is considerably more interested in how the two friends are portrayed.
Joey Kelly, who has been all over the world as an extreme sport athlete, described how tough the tour was: "The trip was at times very demanding, it's full of curves and you have to keep paddling, steering against the current, and then come the shoals, it gets flat and you have to change course."
Moody pictures from the rainforest
And they pull this off sublimely. At times we see them leaning against an ancient tree, at other times casting their fishing rods in the waning light of the moon. One of the photos is accompanied by a poem with the title: "I don't need you."
Till Lindemann, who has since 1994 been the singer and song-writer for Rammstein — one of Germany's most successful bands — also published new poems in the book.
Lesson three: the Amazon is an incubator for all possibilities.
Among the thick atmosphere and computer-perfected photos, one fact is sorely missing. The rainforest is no longer an untouched paradise, it is massively under threat from deforestation and climate disaster. However, the two musicians never acknowledge this crisis during their trip.
"Amazonas - Reise zum Río Yavarí" by Joey Kelly und Till Lindemann. Published by National Geographic Germany, 240 pages.
The original version of this article is in German; adapted by Alex Berry.