Burning Man – day 11 – the man burns
Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 
It’s Saturday and the culmination of all things Burning Man. Everyone is in preparation for the night, all day it seems. I wish I could remember what we did, but all I can think of is that I continued to build my hat and Jason cleverly wired and soldered with led lights. I crowned it finally with a piece of aqua foot jewellery circa 1975 loaned to me by Ro (it was he aunt’s) specifically to be worn at Burning Man. Here it is Ro!
About eight we all started to dress, drink cocktails and generally get excited. Had to leave quickly to make it to the Man in time to get a good spot so about twenty of us all ride out on our bikes. Half way there Jason realises he left his camera behind. We all decide to meet at the Cubatron which is easy to find on the playa…except when it’s not on, but hey, we didn’t know that at the time! Somehow we manage to find the Cubatron is darkness. It’s not looking for for Jason to find us. We wait, and wait and wait. Look, I can laugh about it now but at the time I was freaking out. All the months planning, the preparation, the travel, the nights and nights of partying and the days and days of, well, just the whole thing starts to come crashing down on me and the person I’ve been through all this with is not with me now, when we’re supposed to be together. Fuck.
I could go into the bizarre and hysterical situation of the start of that night but I won’t except to say that all the people we were with were so fabulous and sweet and wonderful while I was having my meltdown. Hal, Paul, Neal, Chris, Mark, Rusty, Poiter and Harry all kept it funny and loving. Finally we realise that the Man’s gonna burn without us so we walk over to watch the spectacle. Wow, 600 fire spinners at the base, fireworks, every art car in the place so the playa is lit up like a Las Vegas street, 45,000 people gathered around a burning figure in the desert is just mind blowing. The Man burns and burns and everyone cheers till it collapses and then they roar. It’s terrifying, beautiful and unbelievably cathartic. I guess that’s why so many people do it. Oh and everyone hugs and kisses, wishes each other “Happy Burn”. It’s a general love in and very cute.
For those who aren’t aware, many years ago Larry Harvey, the founder of Burning Man, had a girlfriend. She dumped him for another man so he gathered a group of friends on a beach one night and burned an effigy of a man. Burning Man was born.
After the burn we regroup at the Cubatron (which is now on) with the plan to see the Oil Derrick burn. Jason and I had made a pact before that if we were separated we would meet back at camp. I feel certain he must be there so I leave the others with the vague hope I’ll ever see them again that night and head back. Of course he’s there. Yeah! Wisely, when he couldn’t find us after much searching, he stayed to watch the man burn and filmed it. So we head back to the Cubatron and amazingly, find some of our gang there. Incredible. Get some party supplies into us and really take off.
The Oil Derrick is rumoured to be one of the biggest pyrotechnic displays ever and a planned gas explosion of mammoth proportions, and it does not disappoint. Jason has an incredible 20 minute film of this which shows the whole event up until just before the derrick falls (and his arms get tired from holding his camera up). The smoke builds from the ground up, an eerie siren wails. We wait thirty or more minutes, then the fireworks start and WOW @**&&%$#@# until the gas explosion and 40,000 people shout and take a massive step backwards. Never have I seen anything like it. Just watching the footage makes me wnat to go online and buy my ticket to next year’s Burning Man NOW!
Stunned but alive, we wlak back to the Cubatron and find more of our gang. Can you imagine how excited they all are to see Jason! Hugs and kisses all around. The trick now is to maintain the mood and find the right After Burn party. For the rest of the night we travel to clubs of Burning Man. Pink Pussycat, Nexus, Opulent Temple and finally Sacred Temple where we dance till dawn. Only Hal, Betsy, Jason and I are left standing.
What a night. Oh, forgot to mention, all this time Jason is actually feeling really sick…
