Leo Kottke returns to the State Theatre on Saturday with a new wrinkle: his first opening act in 24 years of post-Thanksgiving concerts, David Hidalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos. After waking up from an afternoon nap last week, guitar god Kottke, 63, talked turkey, Los Lobos and guitars on airplanes.

Q Why the opening act?

A Contractually, I kind of have a law against support acts because I like getting [the audience] when they aren't already turned in some direction. But I have known David -- we've done some recording together and have some mutual friends in Los Angeles -- forever. David told me they would come down to hear me in the Troubadour [club in Hollywood] -- this was about 1970 and '71, and they hadn't become a band yet. It's really nice to know that David and Louie can come perform as an acoustic quartet. The other reason for it -- it's still new for me; it's the third concert for me since I moved to the State, and the Ordway [where he played 21 years] moved to Broadway and show productions.

Q With 75 to 80 gigs a year all over the world, you are on planes a lot. How do the new baggage policies work for you and your guitars?

A It now costs me, on certain carriers, an extra 175 bucks to get the two guitars and a bag checked. A friend of mine built two guitar cases for me made of carbon fiber, which is nearly indestructible. He's an aeronautical engineer and was the vice president of Scaled Composites, who put the private rocket into space. Those [cases] have changed my life; I haven't had any trouble -- though two or three times a year, your guitars won't arrive; then you just borrow some in the town, and that's a pig in a poke. I used to be able to buy a half-fare seat and put two guitars into it and myself next to it. You can still do that, but now it's three full fares and they have to be on the bulkhead, and the head flight attendant can throw them off if he or she doesn't like the way they look.

Q Why did you choose to end your recording contract with RCA this year with you owing them two albums?

A Everybody was making money and they didn't want me to leave. Because of the way everything is changing, I wanted to sit back and see what I might want to do. I always wanted to release nothing but singles. At the same time, nobody is doing that.

Of course, what I'd really like to do next turns out to be a project that RCA wanted to do when I mentioned it. I wanted to record with the Turtle Island Quartet. Around last Christmas, we played nine jobs together. It was nerve-racking because there was a lot of memory for me -- I can't sight-read [notated music] -- but it was really, really a ball, and we made some music that I don't really hear anywhere and made the crowds happy.

Q Have you had offers to license your songs for commercials?

A They have come up. Once Mountain Dew wanted something, but this just kind of gives me the willies. I could be bought; they haven't offered enough money. I do like to do voiceovers, but I will avoid some because of what the copy is or the product is. I've done Nike, Foot Locker, Saturn, the Washington Post, Maxwell House, Old Navy. I've been fired twice because I sound like the devil. I don't know how anybody decides what the devil sounds like.

Q When it comes to turkey Thursday, breast or drumstick?

A Easy: the breast. The drumstick does all the work. I don't want to go near that.

Q Pumpkin or apple pie?

A Oh, apple pie. Actually, my mother-in-law's apple pie. She's no longer with us, but that's one of the things I remember about her. Just extraordinary stuff. It's one of those recipes that no one else seems to be able to repeat even though they have the ingredients.

Jon Bream • 612-673-1719