web chat now with Mr Eavis & Rob da Bank

[fatyeti24]

apols if it has been posted, i did look:

taking place right now

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/may/11/michael-eavis-rob-da-bank-webchat

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

M.E on punk/heavy: Well, we used to have Hawkwind and all that heavy stuff, and the Hell's Angels, but they did once set fire to my father's favourite horse drawn cart, and that upset me. So I've associated that music with that type of behaviour. But we have had acts like that, and I love a band like Rage Against the Machine. And I think we will soon book one of those big acts. We'll do it. Only not next year.

Question about ticket prices and "hooray Henry's" = You'd bring down the ticket prices which are, please admit it, utterly unaffordable for the kind of people who used to make Glastonbury special Plus you'd tone down the Hooray Henry contingent who don't really 'get it'. You'd still sell out easily. Lead the way!

M.E :

Hooray Henrys do come. Well … city-type people who do the posh camping, in a field let my by neighbours. But it's private enterprise, working next to us. So it's nothing to do with us directly. We're fine with the common people!

My view: Is it just me who thinks that tickets aren't utterly unaffordable? If you save a certain amount of money a month, I don't think it's that bad. Obviously compared to how it used to be, prices have gone up, but I think people are rooted in times when it was a lot easier not to pay, than it was to pay. Obviously I mean in terms of festivals. Considering that Glasto is the same price as most of the other major festivals in the UK and arguably has a lot more activities, I don't think it's that utterly unaffordable in the scheme of festivals.

Also said no flag ban, and believes truely Glasto is rooted in local area, and country.

Someone asked Rob why ticket prices are so much more expensive than Europe, and he said European fests are heavily subsidised by business. Say English fests have to pay a lot more for acts.

Edited May 11, 2012 by thesecretingredientiscrime

[LondonTom]

Interesting answers!! Wonder who the big heavier/punk act will be then

Think him and Emily are a bit wrong on the flags though, it has started to effect the audience...don't think last was tooo bad saying that. (But i was mainly at the other stage last year )

Edited May 11, 2012 by LondonTom

[fatyeti24]

surprised nobody asked Mr E who next years headliners are.

i mean, he's never going to say, but it seems a dereliction of duty to not do so.

[chriseede]

I wasn't watching at the time, but from Twitter, I believe Dolly Parton has been confirmed by Eavis for next year. Is this correct?

[philly_eds]

Tom Hasson ‏ @tomhasson

Dolly Parton for Glastonbury 2013! Michael Eavis just confirmed at#tge12

Retweeted by Glastonbury 2013

[LondonTom]

O_o

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Dolly at Glastonbury would be absolutely ace (and no, I'm not that way inclined!).

[eFestivals]

there doesn't appear to be any corroboration for that tweet, so it might be someone trying it on.

[windy_miller]

And to carry on again, and further to what Rob just said: the BBC have made a documentary about Shangri La and that whole area of the festival. 15 June, if I can just plug that! It's directed by Julien Temple. The point is: we're more than just the big headlining acts.

[rexclark]

His fathers favourite horse drawn cart?! The bastards!

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

His fathers favourite horse drawn cart?! The bastards!

[fatyeti24]

i follow Dolly on Twitter and she's said nowt. probably in her contract not to do so.

[Joe-]

Rage against the machine would be good.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

Rage against the machine would be good.

[LondonTom]

I think QOTSA last year was an experiment to see how heavier stuff headlining worked on the big stages. Going by the comments, I think he's working himself up to the idea, especially with heavier acts being absent from Reading, and using Other as an experiment to see how it goes down. I could definitely see a band in the ilk of QOTSA doing Other. Maybe Biffy?

[eFestivals]

i follow Dolly on Twitter and she's said nowt. probably in her contract not to do so.

I've been told a number of times by bookers and other senior staff that Glasto don't put no-pre-publicity clauses in their performer contracts - tho it's possible that's changed of course.

The main reason why the bigger bands tend not to mention they've been booked is because they're used to letting promoters take the lead with announcements.

[eFestivals]

Is it just me who was thinking he was talking up the possibility of Metallica in three or four years?

It read to me like he's made a decision that he's now mulled it over and is now happier to have heavier bands, but that it can't be next year because he already knows who'll be headlining.

If he's got any specific acts in mind for who the first heavier band would be I personally doubt that it would be Metallica at the top of the list, on the basis that I know he's been reluctant to consider far less heavy bands for headliner in the past.

If it's going to happen in the near future then I'd plump for both Foos and Biffy as far more likely to do it before Metallica. If Metallica are going to be in the considerations, I reckon they'd only get to be considered after he's tried out some other less heavy heavy bands first.

[Dan R]

Yeah I agree that I doubt he'd go for an act as heavy as Metallica. He's not exactly a huge fan of heavy music, so I can't imagine him going straight in for what he might considers one of the heaviest headliners he could possibly get. Foo's, Biffy, QotSA, maybe even Pearl Jam if he's feels safe with them after Roskilde.

Edited May 13, 2012 by Dan R

[Mr.Tickle]

Don't Metallica always ask for stupid money to play festival's though? Or is that a myth?

[JamesT977]

Don't Metallica always ask for stupid money to play festival's though? Or is that a myth?