Burning Man 2013: Cargo Cult
When deciding upon summer activities, there was one long-standing item on my bucket list that loomed large: Burning Man. So, with this in mind, I had a conversation with one of my inner-circle hooligans (aka, Ben) who was moving back to the U.S. from his two year Korean hiatus. Quickly the idea of our next adventure was up for discussion.
"So, when should I come to California?
"I have an idea that's better than California. What are you doing the last week of August? I'd like to see you, but more so at Burning Man than in L.A. Let's get weird in the desert!"
And thus began my quest to see The Man burn.
The planning for this event was no small feat. I first had to acquire a Burning Man ticket, then think about booking my airfare to Reno, figure out how I would make it from Reno to Black Rock City (BRC), not to mention my food, water, and random other necessities for an entire week in the desert. I won't bore you with the details of this planning stage, but think of the last time you staged a siege on a large city and you've got the general idea.
DAY 1--Monday
With planning behind me, it was finally go-time. I barely slept a wink the night before since I was up late packing and wide-eyed with anticipation. I had an early morning flight out to Reno and arrived there at 10 am PCT. Upon landing, I was immediately distracted by the madness of the Burner Express check-in and registration. Burner Express is a bus system that gets you from Reno or San Francisco to BRC. There was no doubting when I'd stumbled upon the registration tables. Firstly, I should say that upon disembarking the plane there was a large banner across the hallway that read: "From runway to playa, Reno-Tahoe International Airport welcomes BURNING MAN." Apparently "this little hippie festival" as my hubby so fondly refers to it (he actually used a much cruder phrase that refers to a circle and a bunch of men who participate in the same self-gratifying activity simultaneously) might be just a tad larger than either he or I thought. When I strolled up to the Burner Express tables, a woman with red and white dreads to her ass gave me an inappropriately long hug (since we didn't even exchange names nor would we ever see each other again, I thought a hug of any length was inappropriate but the length of this hug would have been inappropriate for my mom to give me) and instructed me to sign in. After obtaining my boarding bracelets amidst a sea of dread-locked, semi-naked people I decided it was time to locate Ben. I found him not far from the Burner Express tables napping on his obscenely large suitcase.
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| Crappy cell phone picture of the welcoming banner in Reno |
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When we were finally en route, I quickly realized that we were literally going out into the middle of nowhere. Signs of humanity were quickly disappearing. Cell phone towers were few and far between. Power lines were even becoming sparse. By the time we actually got to the city, the only signs of humanity in the Black Rock Desert were the 60,000 other people who were there the burn The Man as well. Yes, that sounds like there were a lot of signs of humanity, but seriously: stop and think about the last time you were somewhere where you couldn't see power lines or cell phone towers. Unless you are a dirty backpacker or live in very rural America, this exercise should be difficult for you.
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| Burners stuck in 9-mile-long line to BRC |
After nearly 5 hours on the bus (we were stuck in the traditional BRC gate back-up), Ben and I had discovered that we were two of only a handful of Americans on our bus into BRC. We were surrounded by people from Israel, Australia, South Africa, Denmark, and so many other places that I've lost track. I needed to revise my idea of Burning Man as merely a West Coast hippie phenomenon. This point was further emphasized when I got off the bus and was greeted by a large scantily clad Australian man dressed as a wolf (i.e., furry hat and furry Speedo). The Aussie wolf enveloped me in a bear hug (again, inappropriately long) and welcomed me home
**. He then ordered me to drop down and roll in the playa dust. He reasoned that I might as well get used to it because soon enough that dust would be in my every crack, crevice, and hole. I obliged by diving in and performing my best impression of The Worm (I was just writhing around since I can't actually do The Worm) in the dust to a cheering crowd of costume-clad burners. When I was done rolling around in the playa dust, I was again hugged and welcomed home by at least a dozen people. If all of this sounds weird, it's not. This is as normal as it gets at Burning Man.
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| 2013 map of BRC |
After my playa dust initiation, Ben and I quickly made our way to our camp located at 4:30 and C. BRC has a circular layout that corresponds to a clock with The Man in the middle where the hands of the clock would be pinned. All directions are basically given according to the location of The Man. It makes for a very easily navigated city. Also, because the city plan is a circle, it's very difficult to get lost in BRC. That being said, people have been known to disappear from their camps for days but it's usually because they kept getting distracted (easily done) on the way back to their camp and less because they couldn't find their camp. To be totally fair, I have heard of people not being able to find their way back to their camps, but as I understand it there is usually an obscene amount of substances that are involved in such a situation.
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| Mystikal Misfits camp |
We finally arrived to our camp and home for the week which featured a
large atomic bomb (with accompanying fire-throwing system that could get
you a nice 30 feet of flame,at least) and three stories of scaffolding,
not to mention the large wedding tents in the back that covered at
least 40 tents, two yurts, and several RV's. Yup, looks like home to
me! My new home and family for the week: the Mystikal Misfits.
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| Our atomic bomb bar |
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| Our address |
Ben and I arrived at the tail-end of a happy hour our camp was co-hosting with an art car (see glossary below for information on art cars). We arrived to many inebriated campmates and several random burners occupying our camp. Our campmates greeted me with hugs from those who knew me and hugs from those who got to know me over the course of the week (I was much more comfortable hugging these people since I was guaranteed to interact with them at some point...but I was still kinda uncomfortable with the hugging thing in general). Here's the thing about Burning Man: when you get to BRC, there's no easing into it. BAM! It's right in your face. There's no escaping it. The motto of Burning Man (one of many) is "There are no spectators." It's completely impossible to not participate in Burning Man if you are in BRC. Hell, even the cops who were assigned to bust people for drugs and underage drinking were costume-clad and partying their asses off while taking pictures with the hottest burners they could find. I even got a temporary tattoo of the the Washoe County Sheriff's Department from some cops who just wanted to hang out during one of our parties. When you are at Burning Man, you live Burning Man.
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| El Pulpo Mechanico |
My first night included a group outing to the playa that began with 11 people. By the end of our tour, we were down to 5 people. Like I said, it's real easy to get distracted at Burning Man. My playa tour began with flaming mushrooms, then onto a fire-spewing, tentacle-moving octopus art car with accompanying sound system (
El Pulpo Mecanico), a deep playa French diner with menus only in French, a drive-in movie theater, a stationary bug car, and finally ended in a seashell in deep playa. The seashell acted as a small shelter and came with soft music, a faux campfire, and cushions designed to fit five people comfortably. Once inside the sea shell, our small group began one of those stereotypical conversations that you've probably heard happen at Burning Man. It began with this question:
"What does everyone hope to get out of this experience?"
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| French diner in deep playa |
I assumed that most people would BS their way through their answer but was completely flustered when three people I'd just met began opening up about incredibly personal things (e.g., divorce, heart ache, family issues) and answering earnestly. Not just earnestly, but in a way that I am hard-pressed to do with even my closest friends. When it was my turn I started by bumbling a bunch of generic answers but soon found myself slipping into incredibly personal feelings about exploring the meaning of family and what direction I want my life to take. WHOA! I'd JUST met most of those people and I felt like a complete tool. I was so vulnerable and...raw. But the conversation was really supportive, considerate, friendly, and seemed significant. If I hadn't given into the feeling of the moment, I believe I would have been deprived of an experience that is pivotal to Burning Man. I soon learned that bonding moments like those are really what Burning Man is about. Yes, there is a lot of silliness and collectively questionable decision making but at the heart of why Burning Man exists is the need to bond with people. Bonding with friends, family, campmates, strangers. The idea is that Burning Man creates a safer emotional environment so that bonding is not only promoted but downright difficult to avoid. So, in a seashell illuminated by black lights and a plastic camp fire, I was initiated into Burning Man. Whether I liked it or not or whether I was ready or not, I was about to experience all of what this crazy week in the desert had to offer.
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| Flaming mushroom. |
**The idea of Burning Man as "home" runs deeps in BM culture. It is said so often that I began to believe it was a mantra instead of a conversation piece aimed at bonding with other burners. The idea is that BRC is really the only place that you can freely express all (or at least most of) your desires and personality quirks. The idea is that BRC is accepting of all people. The idea is that BRC is made of hugs and bunnies with nothing but love for everyone. While not all of these are true, it's not a bad ideal to strive for and by the end of the week, I was starting to understand and agree, at least somewhat, with the sentiment.
Glossary of useful terms:
Art Car--a motor vehicle that has been transformed into something else entirely, though it can still be driven. These art projects are massive undertakings. For information about art cars see the following links:
Burner--someone who has gone to Burning Man
BM--Burning Man
BRC--Black Rock City
Deep Playa--when you have gone so far on the playa that there are very few art projects or people. If you go far enough into deep playa, you hit the trash fence, which functions as the official border of BRC.
Playa--refers to the large central part of BRC where most of the large art projects are found.
Playa Name--name by which you are known at Burning Man. These names are earned and usually bestowed by friends or campmates, but really anyone could give you a playa name. Not everyone has one but they are very common.
The Man--refers to the large wooden effigy of a man that is the center of BRC. The Man is burned on Saturday night of the festival and generally thought of as the closing ceremonies.
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