Back in 2000, for the launch of the Rolling Rock Town Fair, Anthony Kiedis turned up shirtless and mohawk-ed to headline with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Eight years later, for the first-ever American Eagle New American Music Union festival, the 45-year-old singer is on board again, this time in a more subdued, administrative role (though you never know).

Keidis was asked by American Eagle to curate the festival, and he followed through with a lineup that even the biggest indie-rock snobs have been hard-pressed to challenge.

Last week, he took a few minutes on the phone to explain his vision for NAMU.

When American Eagle approached you, what did they ask you to do?

They asked me to curate a festival -- something I was barely familiar with the concept of. I was just familiar enough to go, 'You mean for me to actually curate the festival? All by myself?' And they said yes, and I say OK, I'm in. An opportunity like that is like getting the golden Willy Wonka ticket. You get to start making lists of your favorite bands, who you'd most want to see. Not a bad gig.

Did you have a vision for the festival or did you just pick some favorite bands?

I started out with a vision and then it metamorphosizes and takes on the shape it's meant to take on. It's impossible to get everyone you want at the exact same day at the same place. Logistically, bands are difficult to work with. They're in Japan and they're in England and getting married and getting broken up and their bass player is in jail and the singer's been on tour too long. So you have to be somewhat flexible in terms of letting that vision reshape itself along the way. So, I realize if it's not going to be the way I wanted it in the beginning, perhaps it's going to be better 'cause I have to look under a stone I didn't plan on looking under.

What was their reaction when you said Dylan?

They were into it. They were really into it. The coolest thing about this festival, in some ways, is that the younger acts are in the same space as Bob Dylan. There's something neat about that.

There's a lot of crossover between the acts. Do you think we'll see any interesting collaborations? I realize that it probably won't happen with Dylan ...

You'd like to hope so. All these people are going to be mingled up together. And I think, actually, Bob Dylan on rare occasions does let mere mortals infiltrate his stage space.

Jack White and Dylan?

That would be my vote ... those two old kindred spirits.

What will you be doing there? You're going to make an announcement or introduction?

Am I? [Laughs.] What sort of announcement would you like me to make? I was planning on hanging out and getting into the shows. I'll probably at some point say hello to the audience, but I don't know that I have anything to announce. I could go up and do a two-minute stand-up routine or something.

So you won't be performing with anyone?

No. Geez. Well, I might want to brush up on a Bob Dylan tune or two just in case he passes out halfway through the show and I have to finish it for him.

So, what's happening with the Chili Peppers?

We worked very hard for a long time. That goes back to when John [Frusciante] came back to the band in 1999, which is when we did "Californication." Pretty much from that point forth, we never took a break. We did the songwriting, rehearsing, recording, touring, took a few deep breaths, back into songwriting, and we did that over and over a couple times, one of which was a double album, which was doubly hard. And when we got off of our last tour, we were thinking, let's stop for a minute and do other things, and learn something new and let it breathe and reinvent for a while. So, we're in that space, and how long that lasts and what will come out of it, no one knows. It actually turned out to be perfect for me, cause I had a son about one month after we got off the road. ...

Oh, congratulations. How old is he now?

Ten months. I would have been at a complete loss if I was to miss this portion of his life. You know, waking every day and having him be the first guy I see and hang out with. I wouldn't wanted to miss that, so I have to thank the universe for orchestrating that for me. When it's time for us to go back together and go into our little room and start re-creating, I think we will.

Well, I hope you enjoy your time in Pittsburgh.

I always do. That's not just [blowing] smoke. I've always loved that stop on tour on the map, hanging out there. I like it there. I like that it's not totally blown up, that it has its serenity intact.