Pitchfork

Let's be honest: We all secretly entertain thoughts that David Bowie is more than just a fan of bands like the Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. He probably has a factory where he creates them, perfecting the calculations necessary to churn out bands oozing so much hip that the Thin White Duke can't help but look ultra-fashionable by association when he goes to their shows, duets with them, and big-ups them in interviews. The man is almost 60 years old and he puts most twentysomethings to shame with the cool he exudes, not to mention the whole brilliant songwriter thing.

Bowie himself gave our conspiracy theory even more credibility on Monday, when he announced the establishment of the High Line Festival in New York City, a new annual event that will debut in May of next year. According to his website, Bowie says the fest will be devoted to "seeking out emerging artists and giving them a place in a festival that will also feature some very well-known names." One of those names will of course be the man himself.

The 2007 High Line event will be Bowie's first concert in NYC since 2003, and the city is so excited that they are making him a park. In what bowieNet calls the city's "biggest and most prestigious public works project in over 50 years," the park will rise like a phoenix from the ashes of "the abandoned elevated train tracks on New York City's West Side." Finally, "meet me at the train tracks" won't sound so creepy anymore!

Seriously, though, this festival sounds awesome. It will be a "10-day marathon event" that will feature "music, nightlife, visual art, performance and film." Let's play guess the lineup! The Arcade Fire, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, TV on the Radio, Secret Machines, Dandy Warhols, the Polyphonic Spree, Sonic Youth, Lou Reed...

Speaking of film, Bowie's schedule now offers him a lot more time to spend on his other interests. In a recent interview with New York magazine, he explained his plan for spending the year away from music: "I'm fed up with the industry. And I've been fed up for quite some time. I'm taking a year off - no touring, no albums. I go for a walk every morning and I watch a ton of movies. One day, I watched three Woody Allen movies in a row." He sounds a little bit like your retired parents, except they don't have a podcast.