ah yes, my friends, another journey to the edge has done come and gone.
an eternity of preparation, and then away in a flash. and to show for it: a surreal assortment of interconnected freeze frames that simultaneously motivate, amuse, inspire, befuddle, enrich, entangle, electrify and delight.
i mean, did you realize that for one week of the year black rock city becomes the third largest planet in the solar system?
yeah, well, you should have seen it last year, which did not hold a candle to the year before, which barely resembled the intimacy of the previous year, which was nothing like the old days when larry used to come over to our house and set off fireworks in the back alley.
and is there anybody out there who did not see the double rainbow? or was that a triple, sheikh?
and talk about the greenhouse effect. when we first started going to burning man it got cold at night.
not any more.
now black rock ain't no place for polar bears.
or penguins.
but it still is one bad ass place to call home for a week. a fine city, whose population is now just a couple free spirits shy of 50,000.
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CAMP BOJON... solid, solid camp this year. shout out to uncle velvet and mikey D for heading up early, securing the primo real estate (8:30 and estuary), and setting up the chill space. 40+ peeps in the camp this year along with 5 RVs. strong f'in effort, fellas.
and a spirited freshman class this year provided a nice kicker. nicky g, mikhail collier, supersnatch, the delafields, and brother burby all made noteworthy contributions and provided that raw rush of enthusiasm that helps fuel the fire for everyone else.
rookie blunder to comrade collier in a landslide. this fine neophyte saw fit to lock his cruiser up to an art installation that appeared to him to be well rooted in the playa. trouble was this was no "installation" at all. rather, an art car... that subsequently rolled away with his wheels. classic.
makes a difference when the chemistry of the camp is in synch. we even got what amounts to a group shot this year, as a cluster of our posse gathered to take in some of the saturday night flames.
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ART INSTALLATIONS... a bodacious collection of art this year, both large and small, clever and obtuse, on theme and off.
always mind bending to see what people come up with. i mean, you gotta wonder at what point someone sits up and says, "i got it. we'll snake together two tractor trailers and call it the BigRigJig."
one piece that garnered a lot of attention this year was the flying monkeys. when viewed at night, the strobe light effect made this monkey merry-go-round look like the primates were swinging from trees and intermittently being fed apples by a serpent. trippy. and the whole thing was ignited by pedal power from stationary bikes surrounding the structure. genius.
and impossible to miss was a 100 foot high oil platform called the "crude awakening." shrieking sculpture figures surrounded the piece which was meant to highlight the world's dependence on oil. of note was the outrageous view from the top of the platform. from the upper level, you could get a sizzling bird's eye view of the entire city.
and arguably more impressive than the structure itself was that they blew the whole thing up in one massive propane jolt the drove a fireball a couple hundred feet into the air. sick. totally lit the whole place up at night.
and of course there was tons of other stuff. way more than one could take in a week. and that's if you abstained from dabbling in the dark arts and actually tried to see it all.
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THEME CAMPS... I REPEAT: hands down, the DEEP END continues to be the best happy hour on the planet. again. many years running...
western saloon theme this year was well crafted. gotta hand it to this crew: they bring the energy like it's meant to be brought. a total inspiration.
of course, a slew of other theme camps out there as well, from a full-service spa to a full-length hoops court.
and everything in between from CarbonFuckingNation to a nifty little stand where you obtain some supplies to gussy up the toilets.
and when you needed a break from the action, the tequilla pit crew was there to get you back to top form.
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ART VEHICLES... a dobule decker caboose, a ferris wheel, a flame throwing grapefruit, and two darting cup cakes. and that just captures what i saw on one trip to the bathroom.
TWO YEARS AGO.
but much the same this year.
oversized shopping cart was a crowd favorite.
and the silver fish gizmo was pretty freaking cool. the head sort of extended out, and flames shot out from somewhere. or maybe that was some other ride.
guess it's pretty telling when a 20 foot dinosaur with a roving bar almost seems passe.
nothing passe about our friend mojo, though. great to spend a little time with this cat this year as well as with his gal, dizzy. lots of good vibes brought forth by this crew...
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BIKING THE PLAYA... love it. gotta be one of the most carefree activities there is. downhill in all directions. wind always at your back.
and no matter where you ride to, that's where you are.
ah yes, let us not forget to give it up for the ladies bojon, who were out in force to show their critical tits.
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THE TEMPLE... if the man is the heart of the burn, the temple is the soul. regardless of your belief system, the sanctity around this structure is palpable.
sadly, with the recent loss of bojon compadre, jerry tuttle, there was much to mourn at the temple this year on a personal level.
the unabridged catharsis that the temple brings is never something i look forward to beforehand, but it always something i am grateful for afterward.
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THE MAN... all sorts of well-documented controversy surrounding the man this year. short short of it was that some nefarious rebel took it upon himself to burn the man on monday night (some 5 days early). gesture was either to win the affection of some elusive damsel or to protest the lack of spontaneity in the burn of late. or both.
however you slice it, you gotta give the guy at least a little credit. burning the man early is a bold move by anyone's standards, and it is not an easy fortress to penetrate. not sure the felony arson charge was worth it, but a memorable act nonetheless.
and alas, the good people got the our wooden effigy rebuilt in plenty of time...
... to burn him again at the proper time.
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SIBERIAN SUNRISE... third time's a charm for our modest little outpost situated deep in the epic hinterland of the outer playa (roughly 12:20 & 5500').
vodka this year. russian vodka. siberian russian vodka. wrapped around a hogan's heroes type prison arrangement. lots of hard labor. and perhaps a bread line or two. and an oasis-like quality that comes from a location this far from the center, this close to the edge.
sunrise precisely at 6:27 am. but the glow is well prominent by 5:30.
official hours: 6am-9am (more or less)
capacity: (49,644). comfortably
terms: never oversell, always over serve
stipulation: use the door
do you have any bloody maries?
shot for a question.
ok. (gulp). so, do you have bloody maries?
nope. next question.
from lucifer and the absinthe, to mojo and the purple palace, from fluffer and his cohorts to the return of jamal, it was killer to hang with some old friends as we made some new ones.
and madd props to dj clark, he of deep end fame. this groovy cat's been a VIP at the bar the last two years, and this year he set the place on fire with two epic music sets on back to back days. clarkie, you possess the shine, my friend. thanks for sharing.
and yes there was a cage. solitary confinement for all those daring souls oh so willing to submit.
and a watchtower, to ensure the best possible view when things ventured into the realm of the ridicular.
Don't turn around, oh oh
Der Kommissar's in town, oh oh.
special times out there on the fringe, that's for sure. interactions to cherish for a lifetime. long live the siberian sunrise.
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so there you are, my friends. and the sign off for the last two years still holds:
life is fleeting. get it when you can. as best you can:
my, oh my, what the future will surely bring...
