F riday .— D ust bites M an Lux. Veritas. Lardum. Volume III, Number V. Sepyember 1, 2007 PAPER MEN SMOLDER AS BURNING MAN’S PAST IS PRESENT

growth, and ultimate success. trip to Nevada. The Nevada Burn ByMitch Starving Writer equals, and, if you believe some of the court filings, perhaps not even that. Burning Man began in 1986 when was successful, although Law claims Harvey “did not participate at all other URNING MAN has come of age. Whatever the truth of the matter, Larry Harvey and his friend Jerry than to arrive at the event as a spectator Now There’s If he would just get down off of his Harvey owns 45% of Paper Man, James brought a wooden stick figure B after it was completely set up.” pedestal, you could buy him a drink to along with Black Rock City LLC to Baker Beach in San Francisco and The event continued and grew in celebrate his 21st annual event. Director Michael Mikel, who also has burned it. According to Law’s suit, A New Man Nevada. Law described himself as “the But while the Man is all grown a 45% stake, and John Law, who holds this was not an entirely new idea. technical and logistical leader,” while In Town Mikel was the de facto accountant by Mary Jane or controller, and Harvey was the artistic director. The three formed CRANE lifted the headless a partnership and registered the A form of the reconstructed Man “Burning Man” service mark. into place just before noon Thursday. Onlookers hooted with delight as four n his blog, Law says Harvey agreed men in utility buckets bolted his feet to Ito formalize the trio’s relationship the tree trunk base. in 1994. The reason was so that if Volunteer labor, a well thought out Burning Man were ever to become contingency plan, and a remarkable profitable, Mikel and Law would gain esprit de corps deserve credit for the quick some compensation as organizers after recovery from the early Tuesday arson years of contributing time and money that damaged the original 2007 Man, to the event. according to Just George, a Department Citing philosophical differences of Public Works staffer. The Man is with Harvey, Law decided in 1996 to almost completely new. A few ribs withdraw from the festival. Law, Harvey from the first Green Man and a bit of and Mikel dissolved the partnership neon in the eyes are the sole “phoenix and created the jointly owned Paper elements” according to members of the Man to license the “Burning Man” construction crew. mark. Paper Man charged Black Rock A couple of hours passed and the City a licensing fee that covered Paper Man’s stick neck was still bare. “Who Man’s minimal costs. will give the Man head?” howls a In 2004, according to Mikel’s passing bike rider. The exhausted crew Francis Wenderlich demand for arbitration, Black Rock had taken a break before attempting up, three of his figurative parents the remaining 10%. Artists had been building and burning City repudiated the license agreement the delicate feat of placing the head. are squabbling like children over his Law this year sued his Paper Man sculptures at parties on Baker Beach and stopped paying the fee. Acting on With whiteout conditions prevailing future. co-owners, seeking a court order to for years, and Harvey had previously behalf of Paper Man, Harvey granted through the afternoon, it took until The dispute, being played out in either put the Burning Man name in attended some of these. Black Rock City a license that Mikel Thursday night for the Man to return the California legal system, is over the public domain, meaning anybody Harvey and James repeated the described as “grossly one-sided” in in full vigor. ownership of the trademark of the could use it, or to transfer the trademark Burn the following year. In 1988, favor of Black Rock City. It just seemed like a bonus for Burning Man name. It might seem to a de facto partnership of himself, James met Law and asked him and the In his lawsuit, Law is ultimately Michelangelo, who was playing his like an obscure point of law, but the Harvey and Mikel. Cacophony Society, with which Law seeking to transfer the marks for didgeridoo in the lovely overcast Burning Man name may well be the No longer involved with the event, was associated, to help build the Man. Burning Man, Decompression, Black weather of the early afternoon and most valuable asset connected with the except through his Paper Man stake, Cacophony is a group of free-spirited Rock City, Flambé Lounge and the watching the construction. “I got out event. Law initially owned a third of that thrill seekers that was created in 1986 Burning Man logo either to the public here late and I still get to see the Man You might be surprised to learn that corporation, with Harvey and Mikel and that looked for unconventional domain or to a de facto partnership be raised. It’s like deja vu,” he says. Burning Man, the name, is owned each owning one-third shares. adventures, such as trips to remote composed of himself, Harvey and “Burning Man times two, a burning, by Paper Man, a limited liability places. In 1989, Law, Mikel and other Mikel. He also seeks money damages Burning Man.” corporation. Paper Man licenses aw filed his suit after Mikel initiated members helped with the event, Law’s for the unauthorized use of the the name to another limited liability a separate action to expel Harvey suit claims. L trademarks, for fraud and breach of corporation, Black Rock City LLC, from Paper Man for breach of fiduciary What is likely to be a crucial point fiduciary duty, breach of contract, which produces the event. duty. Mikel claimed that Harvey has is Law’s contention that it was the Suicide conversion and negligence. The existence of Paper Man points to ridden roughshod over Paper Man, to Cacophony Society that came up with An unidentified Black Rock citizen Harvey said at a news conference an early Burning Man organizational the benefit of Black Rock City LLC. the name “Burning Man.” His suit died, apparently by hanging himself earlier this week that he was confident about 7 a..m. Wednesday morning in the structure in which Larry Harvey, In his blog, Law described himself, claims that the term was coined in a that he was on firm ground but has front corner tent used as a gynmasium widely acknowledged as the event’s Harvey and Mikel as “three old white 1989 Cacophony newsletter. by the camp and healing community, not commented on the lawsuit because founder and the chairman of Black guys” who “all hate each other’s guts.” Law claims he and the Cacophony Comfort & Joy. Camp members found he wants to avoid creating a “hateful” a man hanging from rope he brought Rock City LLC, was at best first among Marian Goodell, the Black Rock Society also played a critical role discussion. and rigged. As of Thursday evening, City Communications director, more in moving the event to the Desert. Pershing County Sheriff deputies were diplomatically described the lawsuit as Harvey was “completely defeated and unable to identify him. Black Rock City a “legal disagreement between people dejected” when police blocked the On Sept. 13, District Court Judge The death was the fourth known to William Alsup will hear the defendants’ have occurred within the Black Rock population: 41,562 as of who’ve known each other a long time.” 1990 Burn in San Francisco, but Law City limits.—Technomad motions to dismiss some of Law’s 16 claims. noon Thursday. Harvey, Law and Mikel were says he suggested burning the Man

instrumental in the event’s evolution, at an already-planned Cacophony Weegee Black Rock Beacon DOUBLE DACTYL by Maggie We’re taking a day off!

Paraffin pyroffin Dusty and Puzzled the The Black Rock Beacon will not publish on Saturday so that we Some guy the Arsonist Burners are waiting to can go see Burning Man. We’ll be back Sunday with our last paper of Ziplined his way into Anticlimactically 2007. Happy Burning. Burning the Man Scorch him again Oh! Waiting for the Dear! Crude Awakening band to come Playa Chicken by Deb Prothero (firefighter) the “socially relevant and the spiritual by Rockstar Tammy from Seattle asks: aspects of an idea while simplifying Every year I hear about famous NE OF this year’s most striking the visual to convey complex ideas to a he midnight hour came, went, but celebrities who come to Burning artworks is Crude Awakening, wider audience.” still no Mutaytor. This being the O T Man. Who’s here this year and a massive Playa sculpture comprising The project combines the sculptures Tsunami Stage at 4:30 and Esplanade where can I go to meet them? eight gigantic human figures and one with performance art. All week long has and not the Sunset Strip, there was The Playa Chicken responds: oil derrick. The installation was created been the first of three acts, the reverence little concern. The minutes dragged by I hate humans. It’s bad enough that by Karen Cusolito and Dan Das Mann to the oil derrick, which ends Friday in quarter-hour chunks, with a group you stomp around my home with your in collaboration with Black Rock FX, afternoon. Act 2 will be a fire show at of leather-lunged fratboys setting up a blobby, featherless excuses for bodies, Pyrokinetics, Nate Smith, Mark Perez 10 p.m. on Friday, including the largest chant of “Holy-Fucking-Shit!” They but making me endure your inane and Monkey Boy. fire cannon ever and a performance quit after a half-dozen rounds, gnatlike cultural quirks for an entire week The towering humanoids represent by the band The Mutaytor. Act 3 will attention spans exhausted. makes my beak burn from bile erupting the various religions of the world and welcome the new day with a 10 p.m. I chatted up some lovelies out in the from the depths of my gizzard. You the geographic areas affected by the Saturday performance that promises to dusty street, including the charming come to the Playa to make a “political violence of the worship of oil. These reveal the secret of the future. Iris, who’d followed the desert-disco statement” and to “challenge the sculptures capture an earnest reverence Plan to see this sculpture in its circus known as The Mutaytor from its establishment” and then you spend the for the object, the Reverend Oil entirety before Friday night and be on Playa origins and recalled the Flying whole time whining to me about how Derrick. At night, Pyrokinetics takes time for the big show at 10 p.m.. Air Elvis of 2004 with awe. The crowd your campmate wore your ugly Holey over to animate the figures as they bow raid sirens will call us to the crisis and grew restless, but finally Buck Downs, Soles without asking permission. Or to Big Oil with gestures enhanced by TAYMAR the smoke generator from a battleship resplendent in dreads and gunfighter’s in your case, Twerpy Tammy, asking participant-activated fire effects. will pour forth a malevolent cloud. The moustache, led a streamlined version about where to spot celebrities. Please. Each sculpture weighs 6 tons and reverence yourself by climbing the Reverend Oil Derrick will be lit up of the troupe through a distracted, Kill. Me. Now. is more than 30 feet tall. Burners are tower. Participants on the ground with a fire display like none seen on the occasionally forceful romp of familiar I honestly can’t figure out why you familiar with previous sculptures interacting with the sculptures will playa in many a year. The largest fire material. The dancers, led by the humans consider some among you to by Das Mann and Cusolito made of cause them to bow to the Burners on cannon will bring down the Reverend altogether eatable Roo, shook it as only be worthy of stalking and gawking. welded scrap metal materials, which the platform. Oil Derrick. Playa ladies do in public, but the show From where I sit, you are all equally are surprisingly capable of expression. Dan Das Mann explains the “Crude Awakening” is on the open held the most interest with the newer, contemptible and only worthy of being Be on the receiving end of that motivation for the project as capturing Playa at Habitat and 1:00. darker, classic rock-tinged material off the group’s upcoming “Shouting stalked to the nearest ATM so I can Theater in a Crowded Fire” album. grab your cash, peck your eyes out and “I swear to God we know what we’re be on my merry little way. But though doing up here,” Buck chortled before I don’t consider any of you to be better I Asked Dr. Hal the troupe hiccupped its way through than the next, I have learned to not “Drop the Laundry.” He promised a bother stalking anyone who smells of fireworks display of Brobdignagian patchouli as they never have any money by Citizen X proportions at the Crude Awakening to steal… plus, nine times out of 10 sitting atop the Ziggurat in full Devil drag. count as one of my all-time highlights in the show on Friday night. With that, the they’ll just lead you to a drum circle. As for why I went, it seemed the thing to desert. here are important Burners out there Playa’s very own house band slammed Since I’m in an unusually generous who are not part of “official” Burning do. Q. Where do you think Burning Man mood, Tammy, I will tell you a celebrity T is going – as an event, a movement, a through the encore, bringing a wildly Man structure. One of them is Hal Robins Q. What keeps you coming back to story from a few years back. It was the of San Francisco, someone you may not Burning Man? phenomenon? careening set to a clattering finish. know about but should. A. The prospect of serving by performing A. As British author [Stephen] Baxter sees year I signed the deal to bring MTV As a self-described art bum, he has an has always been the engine to carry me it, [in his 2000 novel Manifold Time], the to the event, so I often found myself impressive resume as a principal member of there. And I’ve always had a couple of Man still Burns future decades from now. Events in the company of Carson Daly. Let the Church of the SubGenius, a parody of shows to do. This year I’ll be doing radio He sets the event in the American landscape me tell you something, that guy is a as a permanent feature, a manifestation of Saturday. Noon. Wings over the religion religion; cartoonist and comic book with assistant and colleague KrOB, a pathetic pasty-skinned lightweight artist for the Church and the alternative poetry performance in Center Camp Café, some shades of U.S. national spirit. Man comics press; video game voice talent; film two appearances (at least) on the Neverwas I would say that the best side of America oot, Black Rock City’s airport who can’t even hold his own against and television actor; performance artist; Stage at the invitation and instigation of is the one which tolerates and incubates commander, tells us that there a dust-encrusted bird. He and I were Burning Man. The negative or polar H and inspired comedian on both the weekly Pittsburgh, Pa.’s own Phat Mandee, and of will be a special aerial performance slamming ‘em back in his RV and I Church radio broadcast and the “Ask Dr. course my own specialty, the Fashion Show opposite has its representation in those gotta admit, he can put away quite a few forces which eternally work against the over the Man at noon Saturday. Twelve Hal” show. Hal Robins is a true showman in the Café on Saturday, the day of the Coors Lights. But less than 30 seconds treading on the fringes of reason. Burn. This annual event, which I host, has Man’s existence, trying to ban the event aircraft will fly in formation in the Before hitting the Playa, I e-mailed Dr. been going on every year but the very first permanently. shape of the Man. Watch the skies! after I pulled out the bottle of absinthe, Hal some impertinent questions. Here are one at the Man; Annie Coulter has been The freedom of the country, epitomized he’s naked and projectile vomiting all his cogent replies: in charge but this year will bow out for the classically by the American West, finds over the giant Blink 182 poster he keeps Q. Tell us about your early involvement very first time, taking a sabbatical. vigorous expression in Burning Man. The Winner above his bed. with Burning Man. When was your first Q. What do you do or see while you’re Those who don’t understand this are also he Black Rock Beacon is pleased incapable of comprehending true liberty, Granted, most of my evenings tend to Burn? How did you hear about it? What on the Playa? to announce that Paul Brady of made you decide to go? A. I see what I can, though acknowledging and chronically unable to experience T include someone naked and engaging A. My pal Puzzling Evidence, a.k.a. Doug it’s unlikely I’ll get to catch everything. anything like it themselves. Portland, Ore., has won our second in projectile vomiting, but this one was Wellman, of the Church of the SubGenius, I’m often too busy doing shows to take a Q. Thank you, Dr. Hal. annual Bacon of the Month Club raffle. special. I think it might have been the with whom I’ve done the KPFA radio show leisurely peregrination around the great Paul, if you’re im Black Rock City, satisfying – albeit puke-covered – look for the last 25 years, introduced me to Larry circle just for the sake of sightseeing. As for For more information on The Ask Dr. come by our camp at the 9:00 Plaza to he had on his face as he drifted off to and the gang around 1995. I believe my first doing as opposed to seeing, in addition to Hal show, see askdrhal.com/. The show is pick up your prize; otherwise we’ll mail Burn was in ‘96, when we’d made HELCO planned performances I sometimes happen sleep while dry-humping a Shakira CD infomercials to prefigure the devilish goings on to other venues; one should be adaptable. broadcast on Wednesday nights from 10 p.m. it to you. Thanks to everybody who case. on out on the Playa. I also impersonated/ For example, encountering Davy Normal’s to midnight on Pirate Cat Radio 87.9 FM, helped make the Black Rock Beacon a In case you didn’t catch that, channeled the lost archangel Satan himself crew in 2000 (I think) I became part of his and podcast on www.piratecatradio.com/ reality in 2007. Tammy, I’m telling you that you can that year at the fundraiser at SOMARTS, stage show The Secrets of Uranus, which I playlist.php. find celebrities in RVs, and the majority of them leave their doors unlocked. Perpetrators of The Black Rock Beacon... I think you can figure out what to do Mitchell Martin, managing editor. Michael Durgavich, major general counsel and director of foreign intelligence. Francis Wenderlich, graphics editor and from this point. co-camp manager. Ali Baba, co-camp manager and volunteer coordinator. Angie Zmijewski, production goddess. Rod Allen and Rev. Pete, trendy design. John Lam, news editor. Larry Breed, chef copy editor. Edge, webmaster. Armadillo, goddess of the underworld and circulation manager. Howard Jones, LNT manager and missing shack wrangler. WeeGee, minister of photography. Brian Train and Lianne McClarty, superior dupers. Saint Everything. Editors: Ali Baba, Rod Allen. Writers: Nod Miller, Ron Garmon, Rod Allen, David Peterman, Deb Prothero, R.J. Thomas. Photographers: Richard Gilmore, John Lam. Illustrations: Diana Acosta. Distribution: Biff, the Paper Boy. Puzzle answers Oops. Thursday’s puzzle, Heartless Semi-Legal Mumbo Jumbo Haiclue, contained the clue we planned Copyright © 2007 The Black Rock Beacon, a not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the state of Washington and located at 32657 9th PL S, Federal Way, Wash., 98003, to give you today. The answer, of some rights reserved. You are free to to copy, distribute, display, and perform the information and images contained herein, to make derivative works, and to make commercial use of this work under the following conditions: You must attribute the work to the Black Rock Beacon and, if you alter, transform, or build upon our material, you may distribute the course, is BEER. resulting work only under a license identical to this one. These conditions may be waived if you obtain permission from The Black Rock Beacon. For more information, visit our website The answer to Wednesday’s limerick, at www.blackrockbeacon.org was, of course, BACON.