Burned Out

Yes, I was a quintessential jaded and bitter veteran. And yes, I'm actually sorry I didn't go in '97.

Sometimes.

I certainly missed out onthe desert, the comraderie, meeting new folks, et cetera.


I didn't miss the hypercommodification, the "technopaganism thru buckyballs and mixtapes," the rockstardom and politicking, or the 15,000 frat-boy spectators.

Plus: the locals didn't want us there. That was enough even without the Haight Street on the Playa vibe.

The 9/15/97 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured Miss Calendar telling Giles about her summer vacation: "I went to Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert - there were drum rituals and we all got naked and covered ourselves in mud!" That episode also featured Cibo Matto playing at The Bronze.