He already hosts the coolest show in syndicated radio.

Now, he's set to be host of the coolest rock 'n' roll festival show of the summer (and quite possibly the decade).

		For tickets Tickets for Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-212-307-7171.

Little Steven's International Underground Garage Festival brings two amazing, reunited punk-rock legends -- Iggy & The Stooges and The New York Dolls (who'll be making their first U.S. appearance since reforming for the U.K. Meltdown Festival) -- together on one New York City stage, with hot new rock 'n' roll revivalists the Strokes, the Raveonettes and the Mooney Suzuki kicking out the jams alongside acts as legendary as Bo Diddley and the Pretty Things.

The Woggles, The Electric Prunes, The Boss Martians and Pittsburgh's own Cynics also are appearing. And there's talk of them aiming to set the world record for most go-go dancers on a single stage.

As Little Steven, who somehow finds time in his schedule also to be an E Street Band guitarist and "Sopranos" star, explains, he wanted the festival lineup to reflect the format of his "Underground Garage" show, broadcast locally Sunday nights at 10 on WRRK-FM (96.9).

He launched the show two years ago, boasting "the first format ever to play cool old people with cool young people."

The Pretty Things and Raveonettes belong on the same bill and radio show, he says, because there's something inherently timeless about the appeal of the music they're playing -- rock 'n' roll with roots in the garage rock of the '60s.

"It really is timeless," he says. "And when you see these bands, you'll realize how timeless it is. The Pretty Things, who very few people have ever seen, they were as big as the Rolling Stones in England. They were huge in the '60s. And you're gonna see ... These guys are in their late 50s, early 60s, and believe me, they're better than most bands around.

"And then, of course, you've got Iggy, who's still the most consistent, fantastic rock 'n' roller I've ever seen. And David Johansen, who is grabbing Sylvain and Arthur, the two remaining New York Dolls. It's going to be phenomenal. We're gonna fit as many as we could. The Cynics. The Fuzztones. The Chesterfield Kings. All the classics."

The Cynics, he says, "are extremely important. They're part of what I call the first generation of the contemporary garage rock movement. They have not only been, obviously, a great example of what a great garage band is, but their label, Get Hip, has been a very, very important part of the whole movement, keeping rock 'n' roll alive."

Indie labels in general, he says, have been crucial to keeping the music alive.

"We play 75 new bands," he explains. "And 12 of them are signed to major labels. The other 60-some are still on little labels like Get Hip. So they are the ones that have been important. Not the major labels. Not when it came to this movement. We played Jet two months before the record label even knew they'd signed them."

One great rocker you won't see performing, should you make it to the festival, is Little Steven.

"Nahh. I don't play my own records on my radio show," he says. "I don't fit my own format."

Little Steven laughs, then says, "I've made all different kinds of records. The one record that fits the best probably was the record I never released, 'The Lost Boys.' There was one song that ended up coming out on the 'Sopranos' soundtrack, 'Peppers and Eggs.' David Chase had heard it. But other than that, I never put out a real straight garage rock kind of record."

He certainly knows his garage (and rock 'n' roll), though, leading to his "only frustration" with the festival, which takes place Aug. 14 at a place called Randall's Island:

"We can't fit as many in as I had hoped."

Despite the number and historical importance of the featured acts, the show is only $20.

"I wanted to have the cheapest ticket in history," he says. "Which we do. It's gonna be, like, 50 cents a band, OK?"

He laughs, then says, "I want young kids. I want teenagers coming. I want people who can't afford a lot of money to come. It's important that this next generation of kids actually hears real rock 'n' roll for the first time."

Little Steven credits Dunkin' Donuts, which also sponsors his radio show and Battle of the Bands, with keeping the ticket price down.

"It's a very, very different relationship than we had with sponsors when I grew up," he says. "The sponsors were the enemy back then. All they did was support bands that didn't need it. Now it's the opposite. Now they're the coolest people around, supporting stuff that radio stations won't play and record labels won't sign. All of the sudden, we've got corporate sponsors who are more adventurous than most radio stations and most record labels. It's because of Dunkin' Donuts that we can keep that ticket price at $20. That's worth going in and getting a donut."

As for "Little Steven's Underground Garage," he says he still approaches every show the way he did on that first broadcast, April 7, 2002.

"I treat every band I play -- the Charms, the Cynics, the Chesterfield Kings, the Woggles -- I treat them like they're new mainstream, hit-record-making bands," he says. "That's how we look at it, you know? We kind of create our own world. We don't care about reality. Reality's just too boring. So we've just created our own little world, and we're gonna keep it going until they pull the plug."