COMPOSITIONAL SILENCE
Avoiding the situation of a composer only sitting in front of his desk, I tried to escape the relative isolation of new music by being active in the concrete cultural and political field. These were the points leading to the extreme situation in 1975-1980: my exclusive political work in this time implied compositional silence. 
[In: "Angefügt, nahtlos, ans Heute," (1991)]

Political Engagement
In the run of time it increasingly made me sick to observe the exclusiveness of the musical sphere, not only in classical music, but also in the circles of the avant-garde. Whether in Venice, in Amsterdam, in Cologne or in Darmstadt - everywhere I met the same persons on stage or in the audience. On the level of universities or academies, I observed the strictness of the scene. My decision was to escape those circles by "going out", which means trying to address social problems with my music, having contact with "normal" people. The particular situation in the Ruhrgebiet was important for the development of my intensely Marxist-oriented thinking. Changing structures in the Ruhrgebiet, e.g. closing coalmines in the '60s or the crisis of the steel industry in the '70s, caused social and political struggles. Here, the attendance at strikes, the organization of demonstrations became more important to me than concentrating on avant-garde music. It was a bubbling time, which finally led into exclusive political work. Producing pieces or songs with theater groups and performing works in public places or even pubs were my main artistic ventures. During the last few years, experiences of that time have become important again. Many things I used more spontaneously and provocatively in the '70s have now become structural elements in my compositions. Since everyone is talking about a new order, it is necessary to remember that in principal nothing has changed, and that in any case, it is not towards a better world. 
[In: '... rote Fäden ...' Gespräch mit Johannes Bultmann (1994)]