Erykah shows off her summer buzzcut.

Jimi Goodwin (center) of the atmospheric Manchester indie rockers politely entreats you to not throw beer at him, thanks

PLAYING: SASQUATCH!

years ago, Manic Street Preachers brought their own port-a-loo to Glastonbury and put a sign on the door: FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF MANIC STREE T PREACHERS. I remember it was controversial, but it was their place and they wanted their own private toilet experience. I’m sure they thought, “Well, you can bring your own if you want. Tough luck!”

You’ve been on the U.K. music scene since the early ’90s. Is it safe to say you’ve played more festivals than you’ve attended? It’s safe to say that now, yes. I used to go to them before I was ever in a band. The first time I went to Reading, I was 13, and my dad took me for the weekend, and I saw Thin Lizzy. That was fantastic.

What’s the dumbest thing someone can do at a festival? Throwing beer is a bit of a no-no. I don’t know why people think it’s punk rock to fuckin’ hurl things at people. That’s not in the spirit of the boogie right there. You’re abusing your fellow man; it’s not right.

What’s the strangest one you’ve
ever played? There was one in Tal-
linn, Estonia, in 1992, when I was in
the band Sub Sub—we were on with
Doctor & the Medics and a Queen
tribute act. It was pretty cabaret-
tastic. The festival was a disaster, way
underattended. The promoter put all
his money into it, maybe
with some Mob help, and
he looked like he’d had
a mild stroke, he was so
frightened of his creditors.
So we waived our fee and
left it at, “You got us out
here, we’ll get ourselves
home.” There was extreme
fucking poverty and this
bad-boy gangster thing.
The kids were having fun
and all, but the country just
wasn’t ready for it.

Has the economy affected how much you guys get paid for a show like Sasquatch? That’s none of your business! I don’t even know myself at the moment, but I’ll find out. I only start worrying when it costs us money.

Doves’ Kingdom of Rust (Astralwerks) is available now.

For the prodigiously eclectic
neo-soul goddess, a festival is
very much a family affair

PLAYING: NE W ORLEANS JAZZ FES T / SASQUATCH! / BONNAROO

What’s one thing you’d like to see improved at festivals? Non-smelly private bathrooms. A few

Meeting other artists at festivals can stem into working together. I met TV on the Radio at Austin City Limits last year—theirs was the only set I got to see. I hung out on the side of the stage, and afterward we exchanged info. I did more research on their work, and they on mine, and we decided to work together. Same with the Mars Volta—I met them at a festival, and they ended up playing on my album New Amerykah Part One. It’s like gravity—like minds are drawn together.

I have a son who’s 11, a daughter who’s four, and a new daughter, Mars, who’s a month old, and what’s beautiful about festivals is that they’re more family oriented. There are babies, not necessarily backstage, but out in the field and wrapped onto mamas’ backs and bellies. For Sasquatch, I’ll keep the kids at a hotel. I want to party at a festival like that, be a little more free, have my time to run. One festival that stands out in my mind is Woodstock in 1999. André [3000] stayed home with our son, Seven, so it was like my first time really venturing out on my own. I don’t know if it was the sun or the diversity or all the people—I played with the Roots—or just the change of getting off the stage and not having to be a mommy. It was funny that they burned Woodstock down—that was kind of terrible. But I was gone by then.

I don’t even know who I’ll be this summer. When the hair changes, you kind of change with it. I might be Head-Wrapped Erykah Badu by then.

Whenever big concerts would come through Dallas, I would go. Mostly rap and hip-hop ones, like Run-DMC and Beastie Boys or Al B. Sure! and New Edition—the bigger acts in the ’80s. My sister and I were front row every time. My mom would drop us off and tell us, ‘You need to find a ride back,’ and we always did. Money is short now, but I still think music is the refuge, you know? More than CDs, people like the vibration of live music. We want to rock with each other, breathe with each other. That’s what we need right now.

Ask a Townie

New Amerykah Part Two (Universal Motown) will be out later this year.

“We average 40 to 50 arrests each year— those are just the folks who get out of hand. Any small amount of drugs, we just write ’em a citation. We get a Jesus every year. A couple years ago, we had Jesus, Elvis Presley, and Burt Reynolds all in the drunk tank at the same time. The nurse hit ’em with the Narcan to knock their high down; they didn’t like that. That was pretty funny.”

Steve Graves, sheriff of Manchester, Tennessee, explains what it takes to get arrested at Bonnaroo

From top: Kenneth Cappello/Corbis outline; DeiDre o’Callaghan

62 may 2009 / get better mileage with spin.Com

ILLUS TRATIONS BY MAYA LILLEY WILD