Bowie: A Biography - JFK247

poet Ken Nordine, the Polyphonic Spree, Deerhoof,
Daniel Johnston, and the Arcade Fire, and selected
a series of Latin and Spanish films.
“It’s quite another stamp of approval, you know,
‘Bowie likes you. He really likes you,’” Gervais says
of being asked to perform, echoing the sentiments of
every baby band who ever welcomed him to sample
from their backstage crudités. Initially it was
announced that Bowie would perform as well, but
short of introducing Gervais (in full formal wear) at
the latter’s Theater at Madison Square Garden
show, Bowie opted to let the selected artists
represent themselves. There is no plan, at the time
of writing this, by the way, for a second High Line
festival, so who knows if the experiment worked at
all?
In the fall of 2007, Bowie dove a bit more
wholeheartedly into his next nonmusical project.
Bolstered by his then seven-year-old daughter’s love
for the program, he accepted an offer to loan his
voice to a character on the massively popular
Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants.
Bowie’s turn as the Lord Royal Highness of Atlantis
drew a record nine million viewers to his Bikini
Bottom antics, rivaling the Sopranos finale for mostwatched
cable program of the year. In the episode, a
mini movie, SpongeBob comes into possession of a
magic pendant that unlocks the secret of the lost
continent of Atlantis (where Bowie’s Lord Royal
Highness keeps the peace). Atlanteans, like Bowie,
are, we learn, “eons ahead of their time” and have