Burning Man is burned too soon...

[Guest yume]

What an asshole. >

Article

[Guest saintjohn]

"Someone went to a great extent to interfere with everyone else's burn. I think, frankly, an attention whore has made a plea for attention," said a Burning Man volunteer who goes by the name Ranger Sasquatch.

Oh, the irony.

[Guest yume]

ha!

[Guest speedway]

Has anyone here ever been to Burning Man?

[Guest pod]

No.

I personally don't see the appeal. They want me to pay money to go into the desert with the drug crowd? I can do that for free, in Miami, and not deal with the desert.

It's supposed to be enlightening or something, but I would gather most of it would be over my head unless I was severely fucked up.

Though it would make an interesting shooting expedition.

[Guest saintjohn]

I have some friends that attend Burning Man every year. They've tried to explain to me why they love it so much, but the more the say, the less I want to go.

Just not my thing, I guess.

[Guest speedway]

I'm in the same boat - friends who rave about, but I just don't get it. Not to mention the conditions there just seem way too unhealthy (understatement).

Pod - I'm sure you are right. It would totally provide you with some insane content to shoot.

[Guest saintjohn]

I think he means a different kind of shooting

[Guest yume]

The impression I get is that it is certainly not for everyone. I have a couple friends that drive down in an RV and set up a good sized camp every year. DJ Dan went with them last year actually, and had a blast.

I have yet to join them, something always comes up.

Next year I hope.

Some other friends of mine did a movie project about it for college, and I saw some crazy shit. It looked like fun to me. In one scene, there is an endless parade of hundreds and hundreds of topless or naked women riding bikes. Hundreds of them, maybe thousands. It was quite a sight, even on the movie. And most of them were not old & saggy like that guy posted in his blog.

There was another scene of this crazy huge zipline that people would ride over part of the city.

That blog article was pretty funny, but read all the replies to it for a better idea to how most people seem to see the event. Everyone I've spoken to has had a lot of fun, with the occasional bad experience due to weather or un-preparedness.

:::::edit:::::

I just found some pics from my buddy's trip:

That's not art? I think that blogger was just looking for website traffic by saying it sucked.

[Guest JMT]

i can almost smell the BO now.

[Guest pod]

Here's the thing about it. Other than from a journalistic perspective, I've had no desire to go. I'm not a big believer in shrugging off modern convenience to find myself or whatever the mission may be. I've found myself, and I'm a drunken lout photographer with ill regard for others.

However, I've noticed, on innumerable forums, that anytime there's an anti-Burning Man thread or post, you get this huge backlash, from people who vociferously repeat the same mantra of "you don't get it".

Now, from what I do know of this festival, part of it is about respecting your fellow man. I would hope the respect includes respecting people who don't feel the need or desire to participate. It's like clubland. I love clubland, I love working the industry, but I don't rip on people who would rather go to an art gallery or a lounge somewhere.

I really just expect the whole respect thing to be a two way street.

[Guest ramon]

Lee told me it was one of the best gig's he's had this year.

[ryan2772]

i can almost smell the BO now.

and patchouli

[Guest dahzel]

some of you are such pussies!!! it's not sanitary, i can smell the b.o..... haven't you ever been camping? if it's not your thing than cool, fair enough. i have never been but have quite a few friends who have gone and between the stories and the pics i have seen it looks like a blast.

[Guest pod]

I can deal with almost anything.

Deal being the key word. I could "deal" with the BO and the unsanitary conditions. Do I want to? No.

[Guest yume]

I've found myself, and I'm a drunken lout photographer with ill regard for others.

lol.

[Guest pod]

Finding yourself doesn't necessarily mean that you're reaching some sort of Buddha-esque state of enlightenment. You can find yourself and it just might turn out that "yourself" is not that.

I don't know, I've seen oodles of events like BM, the various pseudo-hippie fests, you know the type, and they tend to run away from the founding ideals (if there are any) in a hurry. You get your core 1% who maybe are there for the original stated purpose, all the rest are looking for free drugs and loose women.

I'm tempted to throw a "Free Drugs and Loose Women" festival. The tagline will be "The Honesty Fest!"

[Guest JMT]

Burning Man suspect held in arson attempt

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

San Francisco Chronicle

The man accused of setting the Burning Man on fire four days early has been arrested for planning to set Grace Cathedral ablaze, San Francisco police said Monday.

Paul David Addis, 35, was arrested on the cathedral steps at 11:40 p.m. Sunday after officers were tipped off that someone intended to set fire to the Episcopal church, police spokesman Sgt. Steve Mannina said.

Addis was wearing an old ammunition belt that carried small explosives, Mannina said. He was booked on suspicion of attempted arson, possession of an incendiary substance, possession of explosives and possession of explosives with intent to terrorize a church.

A bomb dog was brought in to search the area and found no other explosives at the California Street cathedral.

Deputy Chief Morris Tabak said Addis had only a small amount of explosives.

"Did he have the capability to do substantial damage? Absolutely not," Tabak said.

Tabak said police didn't know Addis' motive. "He said something about it was his religious right," Tabak said.

Tabak said he expects a judge will order a psychiatric evaluation for Addis, who was being held on $488,000 bail.

Addis was arrested early on Aug. 28 in Nevada and charged with felony arson for allegedly lighting the icon of the annual Burning Man festival on fire four days before its scheduled immolation. The fire was doused within half an hour, and the figure was rebuilt in time for the official burning at the festival's end in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

Addis told The Chronicle after his arrest that although he was not taking responsibility for the blaze, he did represent a satirical group that had committed the act. He said that the individual expression and community-building at the core of the 21-year-old festival had given way to a "suburban" event, and that an act of spontaneity was needed to shake things up.

"This was not an act of vengeance, it was one of love," Addis said then. "A love of the ethos that is fading at Burning Man. There's no sense of spontaneity. No sense of 'F- it. Let's burn this down.' "

Addis was free on $25,632 bail in the Nevada case when he was arrested Sunday.

[Guest yume]

This guy has issues.

[Guest pod]

Separated at birth?