Dispatches From Cascadia Vol. IV

Firefighters attempt to save the man from his premature fate.

(submitted by cousin marc, on location in hawaii)

Premature Conflagration

Black Rock City, NV - Well, the ashes of yet another Burning Man Festival have been scattered across the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. The “Burners”, sunburned, dehydrated and desperately in need of a wash, have all headed back to whence they came, ready start the countdown to next years installment of the infamous spectacle of art, excess and pyrotechnics. But, the countdown to the this years burning of the 40 ft tall wooden man, the namesake and centerpiece of the entire event, did not go quite as planned. Just last week, by the light of the lunar eclipse, Paul Addis of San Francisco managed to accomplish what some people attending the festival have been expecting to see for years – the burning of the man prior to the regularly scheduled climax and the man’s annual moment of fiery reckoning, the Saturday before Labor Day. Response to the premature conflagration (four days before the scheduled burn) has been unsurprisingly mixed, given the diversity of the events participants. As the man began to go up in flames part of the group of onlookers began chanting “Let him burn! Let him burn” while others responded with “Save the man!” As is to be expected, local blogs have been all abuzz with various commentary on the event. From a purely artistic perspective, I believe that Addis’ actions embody the spirit of radical free expression that has been so proudly championed by the events organizers for years. For that he should go down in Burning Man history, alongside Larry Harvey, the founding father of the event. However, the reality of the situation on the ground is that he torched a very large wooden object that is designed to produce a spectacular burn and then come crashing down in flames. During the regularly scheduled burning-event a large perimeter is maintained by a staff of fully equipped professional firefighters who all volunteer for the event. In the absence of these carefully orchestrated precautions, Addis’ burning of the man represents a serious safety hazard that could have resulted in major injuries. At the time of this writing Addis had been arrested by local law enforcement officials and charged with suspicion of arson, illegal possession of fireworks, destruction of property and resisting a public officer. He has been released from the Pershing County, jail after posting a $25,000 bond.