For one week beginning this Wednesday, the first annual High Line Festival will take place at venues near and not-so-near the High Line, a pigeon shit encrusted, 22-block strip of elevated railroad running from Gavnsevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th St. set to become a nightlighted, foliage-fettered public park in the sky. Though the festival’s connection to the High Line project is tenuous (5% of ticket proceeds go to Friends of High Line, supporting the area’s development, otherwise they share a name and some geography) this first installment — featuring performances by the Arcade Fire, Air, the Polyphonic Spree, Ricky Gervais — is curated by David Bowie, making it, by definition, cool.

And the media loves it. New York has a lengthy article (worth reading) on the history of the High Line project; and Time Out New York has a sweet Bowie cover, a Festival-based feature, and bits of Bowie interviewing Laurie Anderson and email interviewing (sorta) Ricky Gervais.

Not everybody is in NYC, nor does everybody have tix to the High Line events, but unless your job loves firewalls and hates freedom, everybody can enjoy some good old fashioned YouTube. A good Samaritan recently upped the BBC’s Cracked Actor, a tour doc from 1974 showing David during his coke using years. So we go from the High Line to seeing David high on lines — twitchy, emaciated, strung out and still more eloquent than most. An an arresting, awesome watch. Part one here, parts two through four after the jump. Enjoy.

BONUS: 15 Reasons Why David Bowie Is The Man. Bet you can come up with better.