Paul Addis burnt the man early perhaps on a full moon at 2007 Greening Man Theme.
1998 )’( streets were Esplanade Mercury, Venus earth, mars Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Excellent streets this is how I learned my planets. I also learned most of the constellations visible in the sky.
The Lotus giant sculpture, flame of the eternal return built by Scott Levkof was approximately 8 o’clock Esplanade on the Playa also huge pyramid frame for the Saturday night ritual and performance before the Sunday night man burn back in those years the man burned on Sunday until year X
1998 was our first year back on Playa after 1997 Wallapai Playa with tumbleweeds sage actually a really excellent year
1997 was the first year with grid streets coordinates, and I thought I might not go as it seemed all too fascist having streets laid out
I figured it would be too easy for the cops to receive a call some hippie with a joint smoking, 420 ganja Street
But I went and 1997 was an excellent year as people left their cars parked walked and biked everywhere. Super Duper fun.
1995
1995 was loud. Pulse jet car zoomed around monstrously circles, glowing, red, hot iron pulse jet.
Around the man before he burned.
That was actually scary as I wondered what would happen if he lost control and crashed into the crowd. Oh well.
By day
I enjoyed black powder artillery camp, where I got to black powder into a mortar and then black powder into a tennis ball and then firecrackers into the tennis ball and launch it up into the air.
Lofting 3 stage explosive charges
I got to shoot a 12 gauge deer care pop round out of the shotgun. No lead. Just Bang
Then we ride off to the drive-by shooting range, which was super fun
I enjoy blasting some stuffed animals on sticks with a 38 revolver
Barney stuffing popped out of his body as the stick wiggled back-and-forth after he got shot
Why was that satisfying?
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen anything sexier than the topless woman, shooting an AK-47 under the hillside
Or another topless statuesque brunette plinking 380 Auto, and some other stuffed animals
Got really interesting when five vehicles joined in the drive-by
One truck had half dozen guys in the back, and there were many more long rifles and shotguns laid down in the bed of the truck, and they just emptied them into the scores of stuffed animals on wooden stakes stage hillside
Pretty fun
Pretty wild
Good times
Fly geyser most excellent Hot Springs for soaking in mud
1995
Wicked Rave Camp was a mile away, and that was fun to bike too day and night
Other people walk there
Some folks said it was too loud so
1996
Rave camp was 2 miles away and that was bad because people drove cars to get there
I biked
But a car ran over a tent spilled hot radiator fluid on guess it was a woman. Not fun
So because of too many cars running around and accidents, they said no more driving cars around in 1997
The idea was MC park your car enjoy burning man on foot and bicycle
Which ended up being a really really good answer in an excellent idea because 97 was really fun
People had a really good time and they partied hard
Most Excellent
So, as much as I was pissed and rebellious, and hating most of the effed up, rules all along the way on my rebellious side
I also could see burning man was finding reasonable compromise solutions to avoid loss of life and limbs
Anarchy
As the event morphed from 3000 peeps 95
To more each year
Burning man struggled to appease, three different law, authority, agencies that were fiendishly, harassing cars searching for devil weed all kinds of contraband like plants and shit
Burning man actually did a really good job of managing anarchy as best could be under the rest of these three different law-enforcement agencies
BLM Washoe and Pershing CO Sheriff
today nobody else was able to manage anarchy that well to the tune of 80,000 people
Who could still run around naked and be free
just as free as you possibly could on land with
Three agencies of law enforcement, Hungry to make busts
I’m not saying it was perfect
It was an experiment
The anarchy stuff was really fun in 95
Naked people running around everywhere day and night was really fun and 95 96 97 until shirt, cocking old men with 35 mm or digital cameras ruined it by perving in on hot chicks. Who Were just trying to have a good time in the desert.
Freaking assholeS ruined 90% of the naked at burning man
Cops were Trippin too
Cops pulled up to
Jiffy Lube with hand on holster pissed off because there was a sign of to stick figures or neon figures in a automated car catcher up in the air going at it with each other
It was just different times. It was the end of freedom. There was this freedom thing in the desert.
And cops were more conservative than the Bohemian hippie, raver freaks that were having a dust rave or or even just country camping and enjoying their sunsets
So this was a whole evolution of counterculture, and it’s not just painted as a failure
It took a lot of social skills to delegate and diplomatically relate to these salivating hungry law-enforcement agencies
Which were writing hundreds of $250 marijuana tickets and
I don’t even know how much mushroom tickets were, but I think those are more serious
And the tickets came from Arkansas. I think BLM not fun.
So I feel for phantom and I really miss the 90s and the TAZ freedom
And I want to see more temporary autonomous zones, and other lands, as we were able to create them
To some extent those are available at 4th of Juplaya and at other times on BLM Lands
But it’s still federal, and Mr. Garrison‘s gonna tell you
Drugs are bad. Don’t do drugs Mkay
Burningman is a unique social experiment like none other in the world
And there is not, and has not ever been anything quite like it
Rainbow Gathering
Is seriously different and has its own serious unique challenges with cops
Cops actually put up roadblocks and searches at roadway, entrances to rainbow gatherings in some states and some years
Like a nightmare from the 60s or whatever
With drug searches
Hats off to rainbow
“Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization”
Larry Harvey
Had a heart of gold and devoted his life to pioneering and experimenting in intentional community as nobody had ever done before
It did start as a temporary autonomous zone
And as it grew, he had serious input from other co-creators who designed streets and avenues
Ways to get in water, medical EMS DPW
Serious infrastructure
Intentional community was the goal
And they were all pioneering it anew
Pipe Dream
Would’ve been cool to see how it could’ve evolved without cops, but
That was not allowed to happen
Mostly everybody had the best time in their lives
Burning man went to bat too to liaison with law-enforcement officers. LEOS. Even got a ACLU lawyers involved.
Try to get the cops to back off from searching peoples backpacks
And succeeded
Burning man successfully prevented, massive, unwarranted, search and seizure in subsequent years
This is too wordy, right no one wants to read this right
Please do not pretend that burning man hasn’t spent
Thousands of people hours and days and years trying to figure out how to provide a party or art fire sculpture music gathering in the desert for 80,000 people
It was not easy
And burning man was not perfect.
Nobody is. Nobody can be. Perfect doesn’t exist.
But if you watch YouTube videos of burning Man, for three decades, you could easily think perfection is easy
That delicious scene is a gift burning man gave to the world
That may have saved humanity who wish and desire for humans to come together, and simply coexist
Boogie down make huge art burn shit
Good times
Myself
I had incredible, highs and lows most years
And I am super thankful as I was able to use these experiences in the desert
To vastly improve my life at home
Seeking better relations in work and play
Better communications with family relatives, coworkers colleagues
I am not alone
Burners, credit desert playa )’( BM experience for
Transforming their lives in the default world
It’s a good thing
People should go as they are able
To the desert, to regionals, to other campouts and festivals in their, state or region
Transform life for the better
I went 20 years in a row from 1995 to 2014 and most years were excellent best party ever!
Burningman grew and growing pains were everywhere,
but I simply told people
If you want Mardi Gras carnival go Esplanade 2 o’clock, 10 o’clock
If you want Bernie man, like he used to be just hang out on the backstreet
Where you can camping barbecue have a beer and
Smoke a joint. Enjoy the sunset with your neighbors.
You really are able to choose the level of experience you want every year at every burning man
You can rave hard at 140 BPM and a huge dome 10 o’clock in Esplanade with 1020-year-old ravers and excellent DJs and radical Soundsystem
Or you can have social experiences with all the new friends at any of a camps of your choosing at the temperature you like
Its like fantasy Island burning man provides as do you, and you can create anything you want
You can bring your own camp and have your own people bring your own friends and meet new friends there
There is no other template like Burningman
5 mi.˛ of flat playa )’( BM
On a 400 mi.˛ flat lake bed of nothing but
What you bring?
Did I mention music fire art sculpture? Fashion good times freedom.
Boogie down !
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