Jim Dier (threedueces@hotmail.com)
Tue, 21 Sep 1999 01:21:02 PDT
A few peeps on the list have asked me about burning man. So here's a few
thoughts...
One, had the absolute time of my life. No, not like the expression, but
quite literally I had the fucking greatest time of my friggin' life. What
it going on in the Black Rock desert is a bit beyond description. Its more
a vibe, an alternative society. It is the most non-commercial festival of
its size that I know. There is no sponsorships and no vending, except to
buy ice and coffee at the cafe. In fact, many commercial and capitalist
entities are warped and mocked, people changing the sides of their rental
trucks from 'Budget' to 'Fudget', or 'Ryder' to 'Fryder'.
There was at least twenty different sound systems out there, playing every
conceivable type of music, lots of house, breaks, and trance but also
jungle, dub, jazz, punk, wierd vocals (ala Yma Sumac), ambient, noise, IDM,
fucking everything. No less then ten pirate radio stations are set up, two
newspapers (and an 'alternative' paper, like a weekly, named 'Piss Clear',
after a motto for drinking plenty of water--fucking hilarious). There's
even a place to get your passport stamped. I ended up doing a set and
hooking up with this crew out of Chicago that do internet and pirate radio
out there--really good shit, fucked up Christian moral spoken word records
over psycho-delic beats and soundscapes, skipping records, generators going
out from time to time--extremely lo-fi and beautiful.
The city is laid out really smart, streets are set up, with certain sections
being louder than others. It is a semi-circle with a large open space (the
'playa') where 'the man' is (he who gets burned). In and around this are
various art projects or just plain wacky shit that's even more wacky because
you're in the middle of the desert. There was a hockey rink set up out
there, people playing while (of course) dj's spun to the action. A ship
that was built to look like it was half sunk (and done really well) in the
desert. A full size Mad Max beyond thunderdome dome was out there, complete
with harnasses and foam clubs and swords, some dude looking exactly like the
movie (black rubber armor, red goggles, some staff with a skull on it), and
people chanting 'Two men enter, one man leave!' or women as it pertained.
Out of fucking control.
One of the illest residents of Black Rock City is Megavolt. He is a man
dressed in some crazy electro resisent suit, birdcage over his head, and he
stands on top of a truck as it drives around the playa. Oh, I almost
forgot: also on top is a giant tesla coil that shoots out bolts at around a
million volts. Megavolt acts as a conductor, reaching out his hands and
'catching' the electricity. One person asked her friend if it was real or
some trick--I pointed to the two by four he was holding in his hand, it was
on fire from the discharges. The best part was the guy on the megaphone
inciting the crowd, "Bow down to Megovolt, feel his wrath, give us beer,
give us drugs, give us cigarettes, did I mention drugs?, worship Megavolt!"
The crowd would start chanting, "Megavolt! Megavolt!" and go crazy as he
stood there in devo like poses, getting struck by lightning. Insane.
Because there is no vending, many things are done on the barter system,
which can be quite hilarious. I traded a Cliff bar for a beer at one 'club'
called Spacelounge (really really nice house breaks, funkay shit). Spent
some time admiring the daisies at 'Rabbit in the Hole'. They were about
thirty feet high, made with Eucalyptus trees with the bark stripped off, and
handmade sewn leaves, with a floodlight for the center of the flower. They
looked unbelievable. Who needs drugs? Well, they did come in handy from
time to time.
There was no way to see or do everything. We came to a fire at 3:30 in the
morning, my girlfriend and I psyched to warm up after DJin' in this wacky
dome, when we hear an accordion player at the fire as we approach. Then we
recognize the song: "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim. Sick sick sick. Then he
went into the Chemical Brothers, Violent Femmes, Depeche Mode, A-Ha, Jimi
Hendix, Springsteen, all on the accordion.
The environment is a bit harsh, you can goto their website to find out more
about that and preparing for it. A bike is essential for getting around.
Or build your own wacky transport. Some of the rides people had: a living
room on a platform that drove around, complete with bar, lamp, and couches;
a hammock on a platform with an engine, the driver's controls conviently by
his arm while he laid back; a dinasaur type monster thing with people riding
on its back; several golf carts converted in UFO type machines with
christmas lights in a dome shape; a surfboard with wheels and a motor; a
banana car, the list goes on and on.
The music was top notch, I could not get over how much great fucking music I
was hearing. Dub reggae at 8:30am after hanging out all night, people
dancing with live drummers. New skool sub funk breaks with DnB baselines.
Real dope funky house. Hip hop is a bit lacking out there, though I heard
some beats. Dirty techo, Goa, straight ahead jazz blasting from someone's
camp. Some guy (didn't get the name, very late in the morning) was doing an
incredible live PA of Autechre/Squarepusher styled beatz, absosmurfly going
out of my mind with the shit he was conjuring up. There was three people
checking it out, a very very large sound system. And a few jazz funk bands
were holding it down.
The best thing about Burning Man is the simplicity. People cheering the sun
as it rose above the mountains. A room set up with comfy couches and old
refrigerators and one word, spread across the entrance: CHILL. Somebody
setting up orange cones, a sign (Kal-Tramps, as opposed to Cal-Trans), and a
big sheet painted like a road, like there was construction to be done in the
middle of the playa. A large fountain with bubbles coming out of it, with
the word "Dream" painted on the side of it. Brillant.
This shit is endless so I'll pull the plug here. Lemme put it to you this
way. People in 'Piss Clear' are advising folks to say it sucks just so it
doesn't get too big. The shit is that good. So tell people you heard it
fucking blows, and I'll see you there next year. Shout outs to my boy Cruz
Missle and the Acme Industrial camp.
$¢
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