BARACK OBAMA - GLASTONBURY CHIEF JOINS OBAMA ON TIME 100 LIST

GLASTONBURY CHIEF JOINS OBAMA ON TIME 100 LIST

Michael Eavis has been named on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world alongside the likes of Barack Obama and actor Zac Efron.

The Glastonbury Festival founder said he was "flattered and maybe a little embarrassed" to have made the prestigious countdown, which also included Oprah Winfrey, prime minister Gordon Brown and Twitter founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams.

In an article explaining Eavis' importance to the music industry, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin described Glastonbury Festival as "the biggest rock cathedral in the world".

"Michael is one of the people to whom I owe my life and career," he wrote, saying the band's headline set in 2002 had "changed everything".

"We've headlined other festivals, but Glastonbury is the only one that feels like - and is - a family event. It's also the only one where we received some handmade cheese as a thank you."

Eavis, 73, commented: "I've put in 39 years and things have worked out incredibly well in that time.

"So I'm flattered and maybe a little embarrassed to make it onto this list. We've been awarded the best festival in the world by Pollstar in the USA for the last four years, so that must count for something over there.

"What's really important too, is that I'm a non-conformist. It's all about kicking against the traces and making it work."

This year's Glastonbury is headlined by Bruce Springsteen, Blur and Neil Young.