Falco, Madonna, Modern Talking – in the 80s no musician could get past “Formula One”. In the interview, the moderators remember the time.
“We were like a big family at ‘Formula One’,” enthuses Peter Illmann (64), who initially hosted the legendary music show of the 80s, in an interview with the news agency spot on news. Together with his successors Ingolf Lück (65) and Kai Böcking (59), he looks back on many celebrity guests and also some mishaps.
The trio of presenters will also be traveling through time on December 14th in the anniversary program “40 Years of Formula One,” which will be shown on kabel eins from 8:15 p.m. Stars like Matthias Schweighöfer (42), Thomas Anders (60) and Nilz Bokelberg (47) are there. The former “Formula One” presenter Stefanie Tücking (1962-2018) is unfortunately missing from the anniversary; she died of a pulmonary embolism five years ago.
What do you particularly remember from your “Formula One” time?
Ingolf Lück: They say that anyone who lived in the 80s and can remember wasn’t there (laughs). In this respect, I expect the active cooperation of Peter and Kai to fill in the gaps in my memory. I am excited.
Peter Illmann: Well, at least I remember it vaguely (laughs). We were like a big family at “Formula One” and everyone was very young, very committed and wanted to do something special. At the beginning I was surprised that the atmosphere of a junkyard prevailed in the hall where we shot. And sometimes it smelled…
Kai Böcking: From the whole “Formula One” era, what I remember most is the relaxedness of the 80s. We were allowed to do things back then that wouldn’t be possible today. There were no such things as shitstorms either. If someone wanted to complain to us, they had to write a letter or send a postcard. This freedom was very good for us and the show.
How has the show influenced you, your life and your taste in music?
Illmann: “Formula One” has absolutely shaped me and my life. Also musically. For example, through the show I had my first contact with rap music. I’m not a big fan of German rap these days, but I thought Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five was very, very good. Another insight was that Schlager doesn’t always have to be bad. I remember a performance by Mary Roos, who sang “Aufrecht geh’n”. And I admired her. For their charisma and absolute professionalism, but also for the song, which was really good.
Lück: I discovered Modern Talking… I know I can’t make up for it as long as I live. One day I hope for Peter at the gates of heaven and that he is a Modern Talking fan. Because then he happily lets me in. If not, he’ll send me down to Hades. But that’s okay too, because at least I’ll meet Diether Bohlen again (laughs).
Böcking: I’m the only one who went from being a fan to becoming a presenter: I watched Peter, Ingolf and Steffi on TV and suddenly I was standing there and became their successor. That was pretty intense. Especially because I was always such a hit parade guy and still am today. I think I was the only one of the presenters who didn’t draw from a huge pool of music knowledge, but simply said every week: Cool, great new song, it’s coming on my show.
What were the funniest mishaps and anecdotes?
Illmann: Oh, various mishaps happened. For example, I was knocked over by an extra on her bike while presenting… (laughs)
Böcking: I missed a lot of interviews with prominent musicians. But it wasn’t all that bad because we always had a lot of fun, even if a question wasn’t quite right. But probably the most embarrassing thing was that I asked Annie Lennox if she had a relationship with Michael Jackson. That was a really big story on “Bravo” back then. At least she didn’t hit me, so she’ll have gotten over it (laughs).
Lück: In my first show, I asked Stevie Wonder out of excitement what he was watching on TV at Christmas. That wasn’t any better (laughs). But he laughed a lot and spontaneously hugged me.
Which celebrity encounter will you never forget?
Böcking: The “Milli Vanilli” film is currently being released in cinemas. The boys grew up with me on the show. I already knew them from “P1” and one day they stood in front of me and said: Hey Kai, we are now Milli Vanilli and we have a song: “Girl you know it’s true”. We then recorded it and a week later Milli Vanilli were number one in Germany…
Lück: Falco was often my guest. An incredibly friendly, empathetic and courteous person. And a true star.
Illmann: I still remember well when Madonna came on the show. At that time she was not yet a big star and no one could have imagined that this woman would one day become Madonna. For her song she stood in a very strange stage set – it was based on Spitzweg’s “The Poor Poet”. I think the sleepy man in the background was supposed to be a bit of a contrast to her very upbeat dance title. But it didn’t bother her at all. She was so professional that she did the shoot ten times until everything was right and everything was right. And then she thanked me politely and left again.
Would you like to see the show make a comeback again?
Lück: We are currently celebrating something at kabel eins. It’s a wonderful class reunion, and if there’s any interest in three incredibly good-looking, young-at-heart old farts, I’ll be there in a heartbeat. Promised.
Böcking: To be honest, I think the time of “Formula One” is over. We were hired back then because there was then Viva and MTV, which played the videos in their entirety.
Illmann: I see it differently. After the big boom caused by MTV and Viva, where a lot of videos were shown, there was suddenly nothing comparable on television. There are also chart shows on the radio. Why not on television, perhaps in a modified form? I would look at that.