In 1960 he met Hanns Eisler and began to write poems and songs. In 1961 he formed the Arbeiter- und Studententheater (Worker and Students Theatre). It produced a show called Berliner Brautgang documenting the building of the Berlin wall and was shut down in 1963.
On 16 November 1976 the politburo of East Germany decided to strip him of his citizenship whilst he was on tour in West Germany. In 1977 he was joined in the west by his partner East German actress Eva-Maria Hagen and their daughter Catherina (Nina Hagen).
In the west he continued his musical career, criticing East Germany for its Stalinism. In 1998 he received a German national prize. He now lives in France.