Burning Man 1997 The Burn

SEP 01 1997 · 04:00

Burn Night 1997.... after taking a couple of laps around the circle, we parked near the lamp lined esplanade coming from center camp. In those days, when the Mans arms went up after being by his side all week, it meant that he was ready to receive the procession that was waiting in center camp with the fire that was going to burn him. Wait, back up a little.... that fire, was a fire that was started with a magical mystical mirror with some cryptic patterns from an ancient civilization in a magical mystical land that had been handed down through time, like ancient things are wont to be handed...... it may have even had an Atlantis postmark on it, but I dont know that for sure. Anyway, with some degree ceremony and a little bit of parading around by a mix of costumed, naked, and camping clothed people, this mirror was used to reflect the heat of our very own sun, also known as the star Sol to our friends in other galaxies, and start a fire that was kept burning all week in a cauldron in center camp. On burn night, a torch was lit by the same fire and was the torch that would light the Man, with star fire.... pretty sacred shit, I liked it. So the Mans arms would go up and the procession would start. Some of the original fire performance groups were part of this pageantry.... legends like the Pyrodesiacs from Vancouver (Hi Naomi, where ever you are)... stilt walkers, and all manner of indescribable people, things, and..... other, would start out from center camp. This took a while..... and was abandoned some years later, maybe when the burn moved to Saturday night, but youll see a little of that procession like it used to be here. Youll also see the guy on fire. Hes the guy you saw rehearsing for this stunt in my Day 8 post. In Chuck Cirinos great documentary of this year, you see him in layers of flame retardant clothes topped with overalls and being squirted down with some fluids, and at the end of his stunt, you also see two guys that throw the fire smothering blanket on him when he hits spread-eagle on the ground and a third guy with a CO2 fire extinguisher... obviously fire effect professionals of some degree. I couldnt believe this guy..... he kept burning and burning and burning like Shadrah, Meshach, and Abednego in that holy fucking furnace. He burned way longer, twice, three times as long as anything I had ever seen in the movies. It was one of those gasp moments.... it was a goooood one. He could have become an fixture, an icon, a regular event on burn night, but the next year didnt go so well.... the 1998 burn coming soon to a home page near you.