“I didn’t know him or trust him. But I gave him all of that money in the hope he would bring me a Strat. I had no idea if I’d see him again”: Rammstein’s Richard ZK on the coffee shop rendezvous in East Germany that got him his first Fender

Richard ZK.

Best of 2025: Over the holiday season, GW is shining the spotlight on some of its biggest stories of the year.

Rammstein riff machine Richard ZK has offered a fascinating insight into the divided Germany he grew up in, revealing the lengths it took to get his hands on one of his first proper electric guitars – and it reads like something out of a spy film.