A fortnight after the fact, Wiley has offered some context on his now infamous anti-Glastonbury screed.

Wiley caused a sizeable internet storm when, live from Worthy Farm, he launched a volley of invective at the festival organisers  (sample quote: “fuck them and their farm”), before scarpering from the site without playing his scheduled Saturday set. In an interview with Global Gathering Radio, Wiley has now gone in-depth on the motivation behind his Network-grade freakout:

“I turned round to Glastonbury and said no because of something they’ve done to me previously. Not that we should be playing tit for tat… but the fact I can get to a place where I can say, “You know what I’m not going to do Glastonbury, let me help the other festivals rise up.” Once you play the game for a certain amount of time, you’re in the loop, and you can’t be ignorant and arrogant cause they’ll kick you out of the loop.

“When Glastonbury called I said no. I’ve told Glastonbury I respect the man (Michael Eavis), I respect the amount of money they earn, I respect they give it to charity. But my point is this: Glastonbury is meant to be the biggest festival in the world and Glastonbury charge £220 a ticket – and there’s loads of elements in that place about just making lots of money instead of being the best festival in the world. I just wanted the world to know that – I don’t want to upset Glastonbury. I want them to win but I’m saying they’re not the only festival on the earth[…] The man who started that thing, Michael Eavis, I’ve got nothing but respect for him…he’s done something you and me ain’t done, and he’s laughing his head off.”

If you’re interested in Wiley’s high-jinks, check our guide to his maddest ever moments, from trolling The Guardian to planning – and aborting – his debut porn shoot. [via NME]