Now that Larry Harvey has cashed out and stashed the money in the ultimate tax shelter, a non-profit, and an official rave promoter is in charge of Burning Man.... it may have finally jumped the shark.
Now rather than volunteering your time for the founder of IBM, if you will, you will be volunteering for IBM the corporation. It's essentially the same, you volunteer your time for the profit of another, but it feels different when it's your buddy and his company than when you buddy sells the company to a corporation and wants you to keep volunteering for the corporation. The chores may be the same but the "feeling" is vastly different.
For me it seemed OK before because you get a cool shirt and a pass to the mess hall and it's Larry! Everyone knows Larry - he started Burning Man on my beach after-all, BAKER BEACH in California.
Who among us wold begrudge the man ten million bucks profit for starting such a cool party.
But do you really want to volunteer for the Electric Daisy Carnival D/B/A/ Burning Man?
Do you really want to get in their lottery only to be surprised by a charge on your card, or not, later on?
By making it a lottery, it makes it impossible to track what's going on unless you work there. Obviously they are just "fixing" it so they can sell tickets as they choose and not use the tiered system that Larry and the boys used. First, they sell as many of the most expensive tickets that they can get people to buy, then the next level until sold out. They will likely sell only a few hundred at the bottom tier just so they can say they did with the rest going at the top two tiers.
I'd say wait this one out overall.
The way they are selling tickets at the highest tier first ensures the most obnoxious PREVOST/MONARCH motor coach cretins will be the first ones there, all dressed in their tourist uniforms and asking where the trash cans are.
The most fun would be working GATE when they come in. I watched one women say, "Take you shoes off before you come in," as she was putting down a towel on the stairs to her half million dollar rolling condominium. If only I could have heard what the guy said just before trudging up her steps in filthy boots clumped with playa leaving nice tracks on the white carpet leading in to the mirrored monstrosity that was about to be covered in playa that literally can never be fully removed.*
As the old saw goes, all good things must come to an end. Burning Man was best from the start until about 40,000 claimed attendees. I'm sure it was FAR higher at that point as the people collecting the money always lie about the count to the share of the people getting the money.
Then when they were ready to sell, they gave it as much publicity as possible, grew it huge, capped it, sold it and now... now it may really have jumped the shark.
We need a little less praying and hugging and a little more using our noodle:
COMMON SENSE SAYS THIS YEAR WILL SUCK.
New owner, new rules, new confusion. Never buy the first model of anything is sage advice for just about ever occasion, including 50,000 person costume-party raves in the desert.
Was it not the goal for regionals to take over? THIS IS THE YEAR! Every regional in the United States should schedule for the same weekend he man burns and boycott the new ticket rules - and teach the new promoters that Burners won't be played for suckers.
*I have a GMC Yukon XL that has driven 7 dogs over 100,000 around this country, much of the time wet, and one detailing turned the truck to smelling like new. But I took it to The Burn twice and had it detailed for between $150 and $250 six times at three different places and it STILL smells like playa sometimes. Always rent: http://www.ruggedrental.com/ For the outside, go here: http://bestofbaker.blogspot.com/2012/01/best-car-wash-on-earth-travel-clean-in.html
I for one became disillusioned after raising money and then spending thousands of my own each year to provide entertainment for someone elses event only to be told a) it wasn't good enough and b) all our efforts didn't warrant a discount ticket. In fact, its their official policy not to support major sound camps period in any way shape or form. Meanwhile, it is those sounds camps that have helped make burningman what it is. And my last rant - truly I believe the powers that be have officially excised any semblance of fun from the event. I'm sorry, but if I want to go to the dessert and dangle off a boom lift potentially to my death, that is what I am going to do. The fact that there are people who have made it their job to yell at boom operators who are not harnessed and clipped in shows me there is no more fun to be had.
ReplyDeleteThank the man that it was not sound camps that made the event but sound camps that turned a beautiful experience into just another rave event
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