US and UK festivals -- how do they compare?

"It's so hot here I'm feeling like I'm at Lollapalooza again, but I would say the crowd here are a little more... initiated. They now what to expect, to come here to camp out and freak out, and sort of surrender to some sort of paganistic rock thing (heheh. -me). Maybe Americans aren't as committed to that sort of thing. They want more of a shopping-mall experience. Everything in neater packages."

Did you go festivaling as a lad?

"Growing up there were never festivals. Every five years or so Rainbow or Reo Speedwagon would play. That was about all."

Have you been out and about?

"Oh yeah. It's a very medieval scene here. Y'know, bodies passed out and refuse and debris all about; people sweating and wearing strange clothing in various degrees of inebriation and hallucination. Human specimans of all sizes and forms. It's really just an orgy of activity. I can't imagine after four days of this what the derangement of consciousness will be."

You've been seen smoking a pipe. An explanation, please...

"Well, I'm a pipe man. You can take a puff and come back later, you're not committed. It's meditative, but you're in control. I have a sea-captain's outfit I wear, too. The stage is your boat, and you decide which direction to sail... the old tobaccy I favour is called Morecambe Riff. It's a Scandinavian/German brand."