One of our biggest holidays

[gordonzola]

Burning Man this, Burning Man that, all weekend long.

BM is a big holiday in SF and a big holiday at our store. In the middle of last week the pallets of water started to be delivered. We sell so much water to people on their way to burn the man that we just put it out as it comes, then jack another pallet out a few hours later to take the place of the depleted one. And we have three of ‘em going at once.

anarqueso made a sign advertising cheese for the desert, no refrigeration needed. Free hint to rival cheese mongers: Saenkanter 3-4 year aged gouda. Sweet like caramel, sharp and salty, it perfectly compliments dehydration, sun stroke, firearms, splosh sex, and all kinds of drugs. The Vella Golden Bear Dry Jack isn’t a bad choice either.

Some people, I’d like to think tourists, had some really bad haircuts in preparation for the Spring Break for Hipsters. Maybe it’s me, but I don’t think that half-shaved head, checkerboard look is back in style. At least it wasn’t on my Hipster Bingo card. The SF folk I recognized at least were representing well.

It hits close to where I sit also. I use filters for my "friends" list. I have one for locals who I only know through the internet. While my other filtered pages have had the usual amount of action, the Bay Area page has been almost deathly silent. Where is everyone? Heh. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the streets are deserted here, but certain neighborhoods seem a little quieter than usual. The local bar I went to last night was practically empty.

I don’t really have anything against Burning Man. I’ve never been though. I know myself. I’d end up finding the people not having a good time and team up with them, talking shit about everyone else and drinking beer. But you know, I don’t need to leave town to do that.

Comments

Cheese for the journey

[substitute.livejournal.com]

What is dry jack like? It looked scary to me, and I am not a fan of "monterey jack" bland goo. Is it good?

I never wanted to go to Burning Man. It seemed like a very forced attempt at making RVing hip. The nearest I got to that kind of experience was a Sonic Youth/Meat Puppets/Redd Kross/Psi Com/White Flag show that Desolation Productions put on about 60 miles outside Victorville in February of I think 1984? 1985? Anyway I about froze my ass off.

Now I know when to visit SF! Less hipsters, more beer for me.

Re: Cheese for the journey

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Dry Jack was invented by Italian cheesemakers during the war when Italian cheese couldn't be imported as a substitute for Parmigiano Reggiano. It's nothing like regular bland Jack. It's regularly aged 7-9 months. However, I'd recommend the Select, aged over a year or the Golden Bear, aged 2-3 (if you can find it, good luck). The Golden Bear especially has an amazing milkiness for an aged cheese. hard like a parm, not quite so sharp, but buttery, sweet and incredibly long-lasting aftertaste.

and that show sounded like a great idea.

[jwz.livejournal.com]

the people not having a good time and team up with them, talking shit about everyone else and drinking beer

Yeah, that's Death Guild Thunderdome in a nutshell alright...

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

which is just a smaller, darker, version of BM, right?

[jwz.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's actually a camp at burning man, where a bunch of goths set up a barbed-wire enclave and totally fail to interact with the other 40,970 people at the event. I really don't understand why they go to the desert during Burning Man instead of at another time of the year, since they all seem to really hate the hippie e-tard vibe of everyone else who goes.

I've been to Burning Man a few times and mostly had a really good time, but then I realized what a bunch of fucking hypocrites the people behind the Burning Man Corporation are, so I won't give them my money any more.

[walktheplank.livejournal.com]

Burning Man... great idea, but why follow a caravan of people out into the middle of the desert when you can do something similar in your own part of the world? Or do "free cities" only happen when someone else is organizing the event?

I might have considered going to BN at one point, but I burn so easily, and sitting around naked in a dust bowl suffering under 110 degree heat just ain't my idea of fun. And neither is rubbing elbows with thousands of tech workers clutching copies of WIRED magazine in their greedy little hands.

Just what are we supposed to make of a big counter-cultural event after the president of Time-Warner shows up to "let down his hair"...?

[jette.livejournal.com]

I don’t really have anything against Burning Man. I’ve never been though. I know myself. I’d end up finding the people not having a good time and team up with them, talking shit about everyone else and drinking beer. But you know, I don’t need to leave town to do that.

Uhm, exactly.

It seems like no one will shut up about Burning Man these days. In the nineties I thought it was the gooniest, because the only people I knew/met that went were dorky dot-com types and I was bitter because I worked non profit and made no money and had three small children and had no time. Even way back when I did think it was cool, it was already being poo-poohed as no longer cool by people who only went when it was still at Baker Beach.

I usually feel like Burning Man, certain raver campouts, St. John's Divine Rythym Society - all those events are full of people who take massive amounts of drugs, push their "boundaries," create Temporary Autonomous Zones, and go nowhere with it. I mean, it doesn't seem like they go home and do anything but continue to be unfettered twenty and thirty somethings with little real community consciousness.

Or perhaps I am just jealous. When I was very young and freaky, people would throw things at me for having differently colored hair. When I got to college, and got bored with dying my hair, I would get younger kids with colored hair acting like they were somehow shocking me with theirs. I thought they were very old hat - but it was only 1985 and now it is people are still dying their hair. Although it's mainstream now, people still do it only when young and trendy.

Being ahead of my time, the story of my life. Always slightly out of step.

Sometimes I feel lonely and wish I was at a party with 15,000 of my closet friends. Except I don't because I really don't want to paint myself blue and be nakey with a bunch of twenty-somethings. (Not with this older, multiparous bod, anyway.) And I would miss the kids and Black Rock City doesn't exactly sound child friendly. But you know what I mean.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the long post. I would have responded sooner but I had to go swim in the Russian River all day.

Personally, I just feel ambivilant about BM. Mostly because I love going to the desert for the silence and emptiness. Plus I can't stand heat so I would be very unlikely to go to the desert at all not in Winter or early spring.

But kid-friendly? no.

mmmm swimming under the redwoods....

[jette.livejournal.com]

I'm super big on the desert in the spring.

I wish I could have gone to some of the Desolation Center things in the eighties, but I think still and empty are what I want out of the desert as well.


I don't need every thing in the world to be kid friendly, or to take mine everywhere, I am not that kind of mom-bot. But I wouldn't want to be TAZy and away from them for a whole week/ten days since they're a part of the bliss I follow.

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

I usually feel like Burning Man, certain raver campouts, St. John's Divine Rythym Society - all those events are full of people who take massive amounts of drugs, push their "boundaries," create Temporary Autonomous Zones, and go nowhere with it. I mean, it doesn't seem like they go home and do anything but continue to be unfettered twenty and thirty somethings with little real community consciousness.

Suddenly, I am having a very strong flashback to the Dead Kennedys' "Halloween."

[jette.livejournal.com]

Heh.

The whole world is my autonomous zone. Of course, it's easier for me, I totally have Straight White Married Middle-Aged Middle-Class Mother-of-Three-Sons privilege* and people don't get in my way. But the kids these days, they're so hemmed in ... it is the future, it is the clamp down, it is the boot kicking the human face (figuratively, between the RAVE act and much harsher economic pressures than what I dealt with)... I feel kinda sorry for the kids that go, maybe this is their one chance to feel free.... the thirty and forty year olds should know better though.

*I have the privilege, though I don't really identify with it for a number of reasons.

[jennizane.livejournal.com]

haha! Yeah, BM. Another excuse for "hippies" to get naked and dance around a fire. Nee dank u. I've never been either, dont plan to but still like to talk shit about it. I know, awful.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Yay! I've missed your comments. And I even got some Dutch gesprechen* this time. whoo-hoo.

*my rul of thumb, for Dutch, substitute German and mangle it a little.

[jactitation.livejournal.com]

Maar, niet (nicht? nisht? damn, Yiddish is killing me) Dutch, Nederlands.

[beer-retard.livejournal.com]

Whenever I hear the words "Burning Man," I get irritated. I really hate that shit for some reason. I think my disdain is more about the people that are really into it than the event itself. Anyone I've ever met who's enthusiastic about BM is someone who I can't stand to be around for more than 2 minutes.

[ex-motel666812.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, WORD.

xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

"Some of my best friends go to Burning Man"

[uke.livejournal.com]

Single-issue people tend to be annoying. Doesn't matter how I feel about the issue.

[fluxions.livejournal.com]

I would have been all over Burning Man if I were still in high school. Back then, it would have sounded so cool and fun and appealing. But I didn't hear of Burning Man until I moved to CA, and my impression of it was intensely annoying hippies being entralled with themselves. In the 4 years I've lived in CA, I've learned to hate BM and make fun of it mercilessly. BM has come to represent people I can't stand to be around. (Not exactly true of course since there are individuals I like a whole lot who go to BM, but I see it more as a collective thing.)

"Aren't we crazy? Aren't we so creative and avant garde? Let's take more pictures of ourselves!"

[jette.livejournal.com]

I must say how gratified I am to see other people hating on Burning Man without having gone! Swaz keeps talking about "reserving his judgement" since he's not been either, but I can just tell that it's lame. :-D

Further BM Dissertation

[queen-beeanna.livejournal.com]

I have never gone, and plan to go next year.

I have met some of the most generous and amazing people because of this event. The thing that moves me the most is the strong sense of community. And not the "We all live in the same house with 5 dogs and 10 cats and the granola and organic soy drink is community property, hey did you use my patchouli and not put it back" kind of community.

The kind of community where every member is motivated, and there is no such thing as apathy. An enviornment in which you can have the craziest ideas for creating, and actually have the support (fiscal & manpower) to make them into reality.

Those of you who think it is just a bunch of hippies finding an excuse to get naked and take a bunch of drugs are totally missing the point and obviously have not met anyone who really could represent to you what the whole thing is about. But, I know that shit talking is fun, especially shit talking about hippies, so if thats your gas then I totally understand why you would want to view it in that light.

As far as the "why not do it on a more local level" angle, if you have seen the brochure for this year, you will be able to tell the scale of some of the creations and realize that there is just not a way (or a place) to house such gargantuant creations.

Re: Further BM Dissertation

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

the scale of some of the creations and realize that there is just not a way (or a place) to house such gargantuant creations.

that's actually the biggest attraction to me. Big, huge, crazy shit. especially when it explodes or burns.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

That looks great. And I always thought the inspiration came from .

About the art

[djfauxfaux.livejournal.com]

An enviornment in which you can have the craziest ideas for creating, and actually have the support (fiscal & manpower) to make them into reality.

I want to emphasize this point. As an artist, Burning Man is an opportunity with no equal that I know of. It's way easier to get funding and physical help to make uncompromised art there than anyplace else. I didn't realize that the art of most museums and galleries was so constrained and conservative until I went to BM. When you think about it, most art in a gallery is there to be sold to a rich person or a corporation.

One of the fundamental challenges of being an artist (because most of us have day jobs) is paying for your tools and materials. I'm a metal sculptor so that's a pretty big deal. Sheet metal is not cheap. Under most circumstances, in order to make something, I have to think that I can sell it or get a commission. Usually a commission is for some sort of public art, so it has to be totally inoffensive. It also has to be totally safe and durable. The best part is, commissions or grants have an assload of paperwork. Fun, fun, fun!

At BM, it's easy to get a group of people together who will raise money and work their asses off to make a cool piece of art. By pooling our money and holding a fundraiser party, we can build something huge that thousands of people will enjoy, and it can be wilder than anything you have the chance to see in the city.

There are a lot of fruits, nuts, and flakes at BM, but not as many as you think. It's not a Dead show. There are all different kinds of people there, young and old (although a bit racially narrow, but that's changing). The people you choose to surround yourself with while you're there is the most important decision you can make. If you camp with people you can trust, who you've known a long time, you will have a good time and meet other cool people. Just like any city or store or club or concert, it has its share of dumbasses. It's not too hard to avoid them.

People say it's too corporate, or it's sold out, but what does that mean? It's not presented by Clear Channel. It's 100% funded by tickets and donations. There is absolutely no advertising or vending inside. You don't realize what a difference this makes, when thousands of people get together and it's not to sell each other something. How often does that happen?

Anyway, I don't care so much about people trashing it, it seems pretty lighthearted (and funny). It's not for everybody. The desert can be pretty harsh if you don't like the heat. If I wasn't an artist I don't know if I would be so into it. But that still leaves the music, the fireworks, the games, and the shows. There are so many things to do.

Re: About the art

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Good for you for posting a defense of Burning Man. As I said to Jette over there, I'm just kind of ambivilant about it. But I do agree 100% about your "It's not a Dead show." statement. I can understand why certain BM groups rub people the wrong way. But we should all unite against the common enemy: Deadheads.

what a magnificent captain you are.

[queen-beeanna.livejournal.com]

Way to go by keeping the focus alive and uniting the people behind a common enemy!

:-)

I <3 you G!

Everyone from SF

[djfauxfaux.livejournal.com]

Has anyone here been to the "Burning Man Decompression" party that's held every October in San Francisco? That would probably be the best place to test your impressions about BM without actually going. Yes, it's OK to go there and make wise cracks about the excess of fire-spinners and DJs, we all do it (and I'm a DJ). Anyway, you could see some of the big art, and find out if it really is just a bunch of annoying hipsters.

Burning Man and the Rapture: Compare and Contrast

[freshwater-pr0n.livejournal.com]

Burning Man is my favorite time of the year in SF. It's so empty! The hipster population is decimated, so it's possible to eat brunch on a Sunday morning without waiting three hours for a table. You can get a drink at usually way-crowded bars and listen to the crickets chirp. You can park on Valencia. It's a claustrophobe's dream.

Re: Burning Man and the Rapture: Compare and Contrast

[fluxions.livejournal.com]

Finding parking in SF is very exciting. For that reason alone, I would support the continuation of BM.

Re: Burning Man and the Rapture: Compare and Contrast

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Pathetically I agree.

Re: Burning Man and the Rapture: Compare and Contrast

[jactitation.livejournal.com]

So true! My favorite bars re-up as my favorites when I'd started to get a little put off by hipdom. My cafe (my main social scene these pathetic, pathetic days) is parsed to its nicest denominator (and kid-est). Damn! Why am I up north this weekend?!!

[chitinous.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I wish I could eat cheese sans illness and regret--those are some great-sounding ones.

I've never been to BM and probably will never go since 1) I strongly dislike camping and 2) I have some health constraints that make my strong dislike of camping even stronger. However, some close friends of mine go every year, and they are not lightweights when it comes to practicing what they preach either artistically or community-wise. I'm sure BM has its share of dumbasses (as someone pointed out above) but whatevs.

That said: Parking availability in SF makes me want to cry tears of delight. Enjoy it!

Burning Man:10,000 White People Battle the Forces of Nature

[anarqueso.livejournal.com]

Don't like it? Find alternatives. I propose the following:

Boring Man G, remember that Russian security guard we recently had, the one whose mere presence made people slip into a coma? Send him to Boring Man! Where one person gets a paid trip to a vast and empty expanse of dust, where a single folding chair awaits him. That is all.

Spurning Man where 10,000 people get to party together, but all sexual and emotional connection is unrequited. If you don't rebuff someone in a cold, harsh, and/or underhanded manner, you just haven't participated.

[capn-jil.livejournal.com]

on burning man: you are paying about three hundred bucks to go be cool in the desert. that is really, truly, what you are doing. being cool in the fucking desert. you give me fifty, i'll make something fucked up out of papier mache, and i'll buy a bus ticket and be cool wherever you goddamn want me to. and i won't have to be naked with water all over my rapidly frying sorta caucasian bod to do so.

not to mention that after going to renn fayre last year, part of the fun of such an event of wild craziness is doing it with a whole family of people you've suffered with all year long. gives it that tingle, you know?

[de-gustibus.livejournal.com]

I can't decide if it's unfortunate or uncannily appropriate that BM is now the accepted shorthand for Burning Man.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

You know, i just used it to be obnoxious and then everyone else followed suit. heh heh heh.

[de-gustibus.livejournal.com]

yes, but I've seen it on something my friend ollapodrida linked to on her blog as well.

BMs in the desert.

[reddawn.livejournal.com]

You know, you people by the Bay have an odd definition of the word "hipster". See, socialretard mentioned that he was glad all the hipsters would be gone to BM while I'm in town and I was very confused. In Chicago, "hipsters" are pasty, skinny, tall people with mesh caps, bad tattoos and pretentious record/book collections who spend most of their time in dark, cramped spaces such as dirty store fronts, basements, studio spaces, etc and would rather be beaten with a giant aluminum bat than spend several days camping in the desert. In other words, art school kids. From what I've gathered the general BM participant is a hippie or a weekend-warrior-yuppie-wanna-be-hippie who is simply never, ever considered a "hipster". What exactly could ever be hip about paying $250 to get naked and build shit in the desert? Whether it's fun and cool or not is irrelevant to this point, by the way. It's not fucking hip.

$250?!?

Anyway, just seeking clarity on the terminology here.