The theatre only knows what it's doing next week, not like the opera, where they say: 'What are we going to do in five years' time?' A completely different attitude.

When I was confronted with official tuition, the academic thing, I could see no relationship whatever between that and the music I'd been writing since I was 11.

I think there are influences that you open the door to, and influences that come under the door.

I'm not a music lover in the sense that I look for something to have on. I've never had that attitude to music.

I didn't have a record player.

Minimalism now is a reaction to what came before. It's absolutely of its time. Music moved into the set theory thing, and moved out of it.

When I dealt with set theory, I could never make it be the music that I wanted.