"Burning Man" - The event is named after its Saturday night ritual, the burning of a wooden effigy. Image Credit: Aaron Logan"Burning Man" Burns ... But Will Be Replaced
In 1986, Larry Harvey and a couple of friends thought it would be a great idea to set out over Labor Day and hold a “Counter Culture” festival.
Today, the Burning Man festival has morphed into an eight-day-long annual festival in the desert East of Reno and draws about 40,000 people.
The event is described by organizers as an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance and takes its name from the ritual of burning a large wooden sculpture of a man on the sixth day.
Last night, the incendiary object of the festival’s namesake was torched by an arsonist.
Funny That!
In the ultimate act of counter culture, a counter culture festival (organized by Black Rock City, LLC – a corporation ... one might say is the epitome of being a mainstream symbol in a capitalist culture) was disrupted when the original Burning Man 2007 sculpture was prematurely burned.
"Burning Man" 2006 - Snapshots from my forth trip to the most amazing place on earth. Burning Man! I realize these images are just snapshots to most who'll visit here but for me, I feel the emotion well up inside me when I relive each moment. I feel lucky to have been there! I LOVE Burning Man. You will to, It changed me. Let it change you too. "Participate". YouTube Credit: oneluckydog
This from Reuters -
Burning Man burns too soon, man charged with arson
Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO - Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:14PM EDT
The Burning Man effigy, whose torching marks the highlight of the annual eponymous countercultural festival in the Nevada desert, was set on fire prematurely with arson suspected, organizers said on Tuesday.
The symbol of the week-long festival, scheduled to go up in flames on Saturday night, was set on fire overnight on Tuesday and one man was arrested.
With tens of thousands of people heading toward the area east of Reno hoping to see the famed mascot end its short existence in a massive bonfire, organizers say they will construct a new Burning Man in the coming days.
"We have the means and the will. The event continues on schedule, and the Man will burn on Saturday night," said Andie Grace, a festival spokeswoman.
An official with Nevada's Pershing County Jail said Paul Addis of San Francisco was being held on charges of arson, possession of fireworks, destruction of property and resisting a public officer.
Reference Here>>
Additional YouTube Video Here>>
UPDATE: Scorched Man 2007 - Booked Man 2007
Scorched Man 2007 - At 3:00 AM on Tuesday, August 28th, at the height of a rare lunar eclipse, an individual armed with a propane torch, burned the Man. Image Credit: DangerRanger via flickrThe arsonist happens to be an actor who recently played Hunter S. Thompson (in “Gonzo, A Brutal Chrysalis”) in the Climate Theater, San Francisco. The one man show is expected to tour the west coast starting next month.
Paul Addis as Hunter S. Thompson – Image Credit: Laughing Squid via flickr
Paul Addis as booked arsonist – Image Credit: Laughing Squid via flickr
