Interview with Ture Rückwardt of FEX, November 2025
The following interview was conducted in late 2025 for an upcoming book on Lostwave (alongside the interview with Ilona Rückwardt which we published here). We have now received permission to publish the interview on our website. The questions were written by Jesse Beers, and the interview was held on phone, originally in German language, by The Outer Edge founder Günter Stöppel.
The Outer Edge: How did you originally get into music?
Ture: I started playing guitar when I was 15 (author’s note: in 1970). And from then on, I really played all day long—six hours at least. We immediately formed a little band with bass and drums. We rehearsed almost every day. And that’s how it all kept going. The band was called Machu Picchu—we thought that name was pretty original.
The Outer Edge: When did Sunshine Caravan and Fantasy’s Workshop begin?
Ture: They also started around that time. Sunshine Caravan first began as an acoustic project with a female singer and two guitarists. We played dreamy, mellow songs—similar to America or the Eagles, that kind of vibe. Later, years afterward, we also formed an electric version of Sunshine Caravan, with drums and a conga player. That was actually my last band before I met Norbert (Ziermann) and Hädi (Michael Hädrich).
The Outer Edge: Can you place that period more precisely? When was Machu Picchu active?
Ture: I was 17 during Machu Picchu. Then Sunshine Caravan came along, which I believe overlapped. Eventually, we ended the acoustic version and started the electric version. All of that must have happened between the ages of 17 and 24 (author’s note: roughly 1972–1979).
The Outer Edge: When exactly did Fantasy’s Workshop form?
Ture: Probably shortly after. It only existed for a very brief time. We also had a female singer. We did a few gigs. There’s even a photo of a VW van with “Fantasy’s Workshop” painted on it.
The Outer Edge: Who took that photo?
Ture: Our drummer, I think—my cousin Manfred Fox. We always called him “Foxer.”
The Outer Edge: How did the Session Band come about?
Ture: That came afterward. It was with my cousin Manfred (Fox) —he was an excellent drummer at the time. We played with Norbert (Ziermann), and with two keyboard players: Hädi (Michael Hädrich) and Kalle (Karl-Heinz Eckert). Norbert was on bass but sometimes switched to guitar, then Volker would play bass; it always shifted around (author’s note: Volker only played bass, Norbert could play bass and guitar). That’s why we were the Session Band—it was a group where the lineup changed now and then. We had maybe five or six songs; everything else was improvised. We even played once at Onkel Pö.
The Outer Edge: Roughly what timeframe was this?
Ture: Ah, dates are tough for me. Wait—(searches through cassettes, then reads aloud): here: 1980, Session Band.
Image courtesy of Ture Rückwardt & FEX
The Outer Edge: How did the Modulators form?
Ture: They were essentially the musicians from the Session Band. Then the Neue Deutsche Welle started up, which we found fascinating and wild. We quickly put together a program and recorded an EP. But after about a year and a half the Neue Deutsche Welle died down, and people thought it wasn’t contemporary anymore. Then New Wave came in.
Modulators, Live in Klausdorf, February 26, 1982. From left to right: Ilona Rückwardt, Ture Rückwardt, Heino R.. Image courtesy of Karl-Heinz Eckert
The Outer Edge: And from that you went straight into forming FEX?
Ture: Yes.
The Outer Edge: Is there any unreleased Modulators material besides the EP?
Ture: I’m not sure. I haven’t really searched. I doubt it, because we didn’t record casually very often back then. But I’m still looking. (author’s note: luckily material has been found by Karl-Heinz Eckert, to be released end of 2026)
The Outer Edge: Where and when did you meet most of the FEX members?
Ture: At school.
The Outer Edge: And how did the band come together originally? What were your thoughts at the time?
Ture: Well, New Wave was the thing. And we thought it was amazing. Those bands—Depeche Mode, Talking Heads—this completely new kind of music that suddenly appeared. Also The Cure. They inspired us a lot.
The Outer Edge: How did the newcomer competition you entered work, and how did it feel to win?
Ture: It was a concert with—I don’t know—six or maybe eight bands. There was a good crowd, which surprised us. One band had a fantastic female singer; we thought they’ll definitely win. And then we won, which made us really happy.
The Outer Edge: How many competitions did you enter? Or was that the only one?
Ture: Let me think. We did another one in Kiel, but that was probably with Fantasy’s Workshop. We eventually stopped doing competitions—they weren’t that enjoyable.
The Outer Edge: Which FEX song did you sing with the most passion?
Ture: Skyscraper.
The Outer Edge: What is your creative process when writing and composing songs?
Ture: I’d start with a blank sheet. Then often I’d turn on a drum machine and let a rhythm run. I’d improvise with my guitar over that. If something good came to me, I’d record it right away so I wouldn’t forget. I already had a four-track recorder back then, so I could add a second vocal or a bass line. It was all very intuitive. Not like “Okay, now I’ll write this or that part.” I always worked spontaneously, letting myself drift.
The Outer Edge: About the mysterious demo version of “Subways of Your Mind”: how did that style come about? Why do you sing with such a deep voice on the demo?
Ture: It just wasn’t finished yet, I’d say. It wasn’t the final version, or I would’ve kept singing it that way.
The Outer Edge: And you recorded that one yourself, right?
Ture: Yes, I recorded it many times, changed it, checked how the vocals worked. I tinkered with it quite a bit.
The Outer Edge: What vocal effects were you using?
Ture: I had the Time Machine—a delay unit. I used it a lot back then. And of course the effects that Hase had at the mixing desk. You can hear those too.
The Outer Edge: Before you recorded the vocals, the drum track—Hans’s drums—was already recorded. Where did you record that?
Ture: In our rehearsal room. We had our sound engineer (Hase) with us. The cable ran into another room, and the door wouldn’t close… That’s how we recorded most things back then.
The Outer Edge: What does “check it in, check it out, tear it in, tear it out” mean in the lyrics?
Ture: It means looking at something from two sides. It’s simple. And it’s a bit of a wordplay.
FEX – Demo Tape, 1985, partly recorded at Hawkeye Studio. Image courtesy of EQX-Music / The Outer Edge.
The Outer Edge: About the session at Hawkeye Studio: do you remember how many tracks you recorded there?
Ture: Not exactly. As far as I know: Heart in Danger and Subways of Your Mind. And probably Talking Hands as well—certain details in the recording suggest it.
The Outer Edge: Do any FEX tracks use slide guitar? Or did you ever use one?
Ture: Yes—on Sarah, a track that will be released soon (author’s note: released December 19th, 2025).
The Outer Edge: It’s said there’s a live recording of a Lutterbeker gig. Is that true?
Ture: We’ve found several live recordings. We’ll have to see what’s usable.
The Outer Edge: How many live performances did you play overall, and how did you get those gigs? Did the Musikbüro organize your tour, or were you involved as well?
Ture: For the tour, we had two managers—Hiller and Bisping—whom we met at a festival. Otherwise, we tried to book things ourselves. We could play at the Lutterbeker twice a year, no problem. Same with Kieler Woche—we could basically play whenever we wanted. And then we’d simply call venues that hosted concerts. I don’t remember exactly who arranged what anymore.
Ture Rückwardt, Heikendorf, ca. 1983. Image courtesy of Karl-Heinz Eckert
The Outer Edge: After the live gigs, some members left for personal or musical reasons, and new ones joined. What happened to the band then? Did you write or record new music?
Ture: It turned into a big band: two female singers—Ilona (Rückwardt) and another—plus a conga player, saxophonist, keyboard player, Hans Sievers on drums, and another bassist. We played poppier things, but also funk and some quirky pieces. It sounded very different from Subways of Your Mind and the other FEX songs. Unfortunately, that lineup only lasted one summer. Then I disbanded the group because I started working at the Hamburg Schauspielhaus for three years, and I had no time left.
The Outer Edge: Was Joy Division ever an influence for FEX?
Ture: No, not consciously. I didn’t really pay much attention to them at the time. Maybe we heard that one hit, but no—not intentionally. Our influences were more Depeche Mode, The Police, Talking Heads, The Cure.
The Outer Edge: What was the inspiration for Persecution Mania?
Ture: I really liked the word—the term. The sound of “Persecution Mania” appealed to me. Then I wrote the lyrics, because that’s “Verfolgungswahn,” and composed some darker music to go with it. It’s fun to venture into darker material sometimes.
The Outer Edge: Where did you come across the term?
Ture: I don’t remember anymore—maybe in a film or something like that.
The Outer Edge: Did FEX have a happy ending—meaning, did people move on to their own projects?
Ture: Yes, I’d say so. Not everyone continued making music, but Hädi had a studio and played with a band for years. I was at the theater but always had a band on the side. Norbert became a stage designer. I’m not sure what else he did back then. But overall, yes—you could call it a happy ending.
The Outer Edge: But during or after the tour—when things were supposed to really take off—it all kind of fell apart. How do you see that?
Ture: Well, because Hädi moved to Munich. But we still played together: I sent him two new songs, he learned them in Munich, then came back north, and we tried them during soundcheck. And he actually played them live. That was at a festival in Jübek—I remember that.
The Outer Edge: Is that gig listed in your concert list?
Ture: Yes, Jübek—we already mentioned it.
The Outer Edge: Do you remember what the two songs were called?
Ture: No, I don’t.
The Outer Edge: Have you ever heard of Daft Punk?
Ture: Yes, I have. I like them. They’re good—quite original, a bit theatrical with the disguises.
The Outer Edge: Did you ever watch The Shining or any other Stanley Kubrick films back then?
Ture: I didn’t see The Shining. But I saw Clockwork Orange and 2001.
The Outer Edge: What’s your opinion on pineapple on pizza?
Ture: (Laughs.) Yes, I’m for it. I’m for it! It’s no disgrace! And anyone who’s against it is a pizza purist.
© The Outer Edge
