Elliot's Naked Bicycle Service & Piano Bar - 2016

[Elliot]

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Annnnnnnnd... We will be back!

Yes, indeed. Elliot's Naked Bicycle Service & Piano Bar was a roaring success.
The credit belongs to all the new folks who joined us this year. They somehow became a well-oiled team... instantly.
More later.

PS: Our website is working all right, though I'm still updating it. Use the link below.

[maryanimal]

My foot washing salon will be back and better than last year! It was a success and people came for a respite from the sun and wind! Thanks to everyone who helped make it great! I'm going to give my salon a name this year.Not sure what it'll be but I'm doodling a design!

[Elliot]

Woohoo! Yes, Mary's Foot Salon is one of the Bonus Features of the camp, and I was amazed at how well it worked -- our most popular Bonus Feature, I would say. Clients lounge in reclining chairs while getting their feet treated.

Second most popular Bonus Feature was probably the Piano.
Looks like there is four-handed playing going on here. And is that fellow behind the piano strumming a guitar? Hard to see. But I was told we had a trio going at one point.

[trilobyte]

Nice - and awesome pics!

[Elliot]

Thanks, Trilo!
I know I ought to give photo credits, but I would probably get it all mixed up. The photos are mostly taken by our own campers, though, and our campers deserve credit for much more than photos.

For the Historians among you, here is a link to our 2015 thread:
viewtopic.php?f=403&t=72622&p=1098485#p1098485
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[Elliot]

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More musicians at Elliot's Piano Bar & Lampshade Emporium.

[LowePro]

We were a few blocks away in 2015 and the dust did a number on my bike and some of my campmates',
Thank you very kindly for your bike shop, it was a life-saver on multiple occasions. We bring some basic bike tools but when we're out of our depth, you guys bring us back to life. Cheers!!!

[BAS]

Looks like things went great. Sorry I missed this (and the last 9) year(s). After spending the last 5 or so days really sick, I've decided to attend in 2016. Just in case nice time things are worse!

Now to go find the school bus conversion thread, and a place to store and work on a conversion.

[Elliot]

All right... Brand New Idea:

You may be familiar with Spencer Tunick’s photographic art – his “installations” of hundreds of nude humans in clever formations and exotic locales.

He has done this at least twice at TTITD. The most recent was Desert Spirits in 2013:




Today, Tunick announced the publication of two new books, and this jogged my memory and gave me an idea. We could do our own such installation and photo.
The theme will of course be bicycle-related -- maybe call it Bikes In The Buff.

So... suggestions are hereby invited for a clever arrangement of a bunch’a Burners and their two-wheeled steeds.

My favorite Tunick work is this building in Europe:





My first thought was to use this idea with some camp’s structure in BRC – maybe the Mal-mart scaffold tower. But people might not want to lug their bicycles up and down so much.
Another idea is to use colored light from some camp’s shade fabric – either light coming thru the fabric or reflecting off it.

Could we get people to hold their bicycles over their heads? Maybe if we round up a bunch of lightweight aluminum bikes for the purpose? It’s brainstorming time!

Oh... yea.... If we eventually get 12 different shots, we could print a calendar for camp fundraising.

[FIGJAM]

Another grand plan by Papa Bare Elliot!!!

[Elliot]

I recognize the warning, FIGJAM. There are plans, and then there are unrealistic plans. I do both kinds.
But this seems quite realistic. My campers are already rallying around it on our camp facebook page. And I think we can recruit quite a few folks here on ePlaya. And between us, we know countless more people in various camps. They will all want that calendar.

Just had a thought.... We have occasionally discussed how ladies often prefer to wear clothes to avoid leering and whistling -- even in BRC. But guess what.... At the Desert Spirits shoot, 2/3 or maybe even 3/4 of the participants were ladies. So apparently, for many ladies, an organized event makes all the difference. What say you, ladies?

Back in our planning group, we already have our photo team, which includes a pro filmmaker. This will happen.

Edit to add: Heck, we have two ePlayans who have posed for Tunick, and one of them works in theatrical production.

[FIGJAM]

No warning implied.

I just wanted to call you papa bare!!!

"Papa Bare Elliot's Bicycle Service & Piano Bar" has a hellava ring to it.

[Ratty]

Elliott a calendar is a great idea. We use 2 in the house plus 1 at work. One from BM HQ. (If I'm lucky). One from the Fairies https://www.facebook.com/Sugar-Plump-Fa ... 366339569/ and one from YOU would be perfect.

[Sham]

Wow! Great idea. Imagine 12 different pages of naked eplayans and burners. I'm in.

[Elliot]

Papa Bare's ... Piano Bar is good, yes. When I added Piano Bar I lost the alliteration of Bicycle Service & Beverage Station.
However, I was once called Papa, and that did not work out well, so that word has been retired from my vocabulary.

Sham is on board! That means the masses will soon follow.

[lucky420]

Well no I cant do this. I am a never nude but I would purchase a calendar so i could see all of you. ALL of you

[Elliot]

Sorry to hear you are a never nude. Must be painful. Hopefully medical science will soon find a cure.

I figure 20 lightweight bicycles for the photo where people hold bikes above their heads, or as high as they can.

Went thru my fleet and found eight aluminum bikes -- and one steel bike that is remarkably light. I'm spreading the word locally and picked up an aluminum frame for ten bucks today. After lightening these bikes further, some will be returned to normal, and some will be so dramatically lightened that they will be scrap metal. This is fun!

No moving parts, except the wheels so they can be moved around. Steering locked straight so they are easy to handle -- nothing to pinch a finger or wallop somebody on the ear.

Sturdy men can lift regular bikes. Ygmir can lift a motorcycle.

In more normal news for a bicycle service camp....
Another couple from north of the border is joining us in 2016. Sean & Sarah are very much bicycle people. Rick & Marcia recruited them.

With more Technicians, I will and shall get out of camp more this time. I haven't seen the Man and the Temple until Friday the last three years, and haven't seem much else. You are all invited to come by and drag me out of camp. We now have an Office of the Operations Manager, consisting of Jim.

[gaminwench]

Make time for Singing classes.

[Elliot]

If you would like to hold a class at our camp, I will make both time and space! The main shade is 20 feet by 38 feet, and I am considering widening it to 30 x 38. We would just scoot the bicycle repair equipment to the sides. It would be best if the class can finish up by Noon, when we normally open for bicycle repair, but we can also perfectly well open late one day.

Edit to add: And we have a paianna!

[gaminwench]

I'd be happy to do Singing for Scaredycats at your place!

Choose your day!

[Elliot]

Ooooohhh.... Oh. Ah. What a relief. I was afraid you were saying "Choose your weapon". (Been reading about Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton again.)
We will collaborate backstage.

[Elliot]

Now that we are referring to the 2016 Burn as this year, instead of "next year", planning is shifting up a gear or two.

We have at least two more Bicycle Technicians this year.

And we seem to be putting together a Healing Arts Branch of the camp, offering Reiki and Shiatsu -- whether I spelled those correctly or not. So with Mary's Foot Salon, that's three features tending to the well-being of humans, while the main shop tends to their bicycles.

We also have a hypnotist, but I don't know yet what category she fits in. (Where was she last year?!)

Gaminwench's Singing for Scaredycats will take place at 11 a.m., with the day to be determined later.

Two campers with serious camera skills have volunteered to shoot our Butts & Bikes calendar photos.
And so far I have 9 or 10 super-lightweight bikes for the purpose.

And this year we shall finally "conform" to the official Art Theme of Burning Man, which is da Vinci's Workshop. (Technically, it might be more correct to say "Leonardo's Workshop", but it's all right as it is.)
By pure chance... a full size "airplane" built after Leonardo's drawings has fallen into our lap, and will be on display in camp. (Yes, my barn is turning into a rival to the Smithsonian.) It has wing span of 30 feet and length of 20 feet, and will need protection from high wind, so there is some tent-constructing to be done.

Here are two photos of "Leonardo's Wing", as it was displayed in its former home. More about it later -- and specially credit to the builder.

[Skuzzy61]

That is awesome Elliot!

If we get tickets, I am building Leo's helicopter to be used as shade at our camp. The base will be converted to a table with seating around it, but the shade itself will be as exact as I can make it, from Leo's drawings.

[Elliot]

That sounds fabulous, Skuzzy!
My Leonardo's Wing was built of bamboo, held together with rope and glue. Plus canvas, of course. All fastening was done by wrapping with rope, with glue added. This makes a surprisingly solid joint. I had to saw thru some of those to separate the silly thing into three transportable pieces.
When I rework it, I may cheat a little, so the thing can be readily disassembled and reassembled.

I still have not gotten around to talking with the builder, but will soon.

As for the Bikes in the Buff photo project.... I was googling that sort of thing and came across this photo. Of course, we will want to hold the bikes in an orderly even fashion -- not haphazardly like here. Super-lightweight bikes should make that possible. Volunteers to participate are invited! We will also use regular bikes on the ground.

[sweetgoatmama]

My travelling partner and I met Mary a couple of Burns ago when she literally ran into us in the line coming in. Taco Tuesday was promised in reparation and we've been hanging about since. Elliot has been kind enough to allow us to come offer our services to do Reiki and we are also planning to offer some meals for campers. Looking folrward to meeting more of you.
Sweet Goat Mama '"And Alice"

[Elliot]

Woohoo and Yeehah!
Welcome to ePlaya, Carolyn and Alice!

Yes, indeed, folks, these Oregon ladies are two of the latest three additions to the camp. The third is Jenny, all the way from Texas.
All three bring the Healing Arts to the camp, so we can "fix" people while the Mechanics fix their bicycles.
Of course, we already have Mary, who fixes people's feet. So now we have a veritable Healing Arts Branch of the camp.

[Elliot]

Aaaaaaannnnnnd....
Now there are four Healing Arts practitioners in camp!

This has been in the works for some time, and this afternoon our new campers (and my long-time friends) Tony & JoAnn came by my house again. JoAnn does hypnotherapy, which she described as related to meditation and relaxation, with the added benefit of potentially improving the way our subconsciousness works for us (or against us, as sometimes often happens).

Tony is also a "useful" sort'a fellow. I have seldom met anyone so competent at mechanical solutions in general, and he takes bicycling seriously also. For starters, he is helping me expand our shade structure.

[silas thatcher]

My foot washing salon will be back and better than last year! It was a success and people came for a respite from the sun and wind! Thanks to everyone who helped make it great! I'm going to give my salon a name this year.Not sure what it'll be but I'm doodling a design!

mary. were you by chance the camp near rod's road and 4:00 ???

[Elliot]

Hey Silas!
No, Mary is in our camp. And we are developing a Healing Arts Branch of the camp, of which Mary's Pedicurean Salon is the foundation.

[Elliot]

Aaaaaand... we're in business for 2016! Our DGS ticket allotment just arrived. Not as many as I requested, but I did ask for the moon. We're in good shape. Full steam ahead!