Burn Man's lighting mishap

bradDaDad · Post by **bradDaDad** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 12:14 am

Why did the lights go out. It was my first year, so I don't have the keen eye of the veteran, but I do have my theories of why the Burning Person had problems on the night of the burn, hence the Travolta strut.

1) Union Neon Workers aren't used to the "strong shit" and just got way too blitzed.

2) Or... dig this galactic irony. Bee Gee lyrics are prophecy!
BM is disco god.

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man: no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm. //--------music WAS loud---
I've been kicked around since I was born.
And now it's all right - it's O.K. -
And you may look the other way. //------embarassed by an injured god--------
We can try to understand the New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin alive, stayin' alive. //------inversely proportional-----
Feel the city breakin' and ev'rybody shakin'
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' Alive.
Well now, I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right, it's O.K.
I'll live to see another day.
We can try to understand the New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and ev'rybody shakin'
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' Alive.
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.
Somebody help, me, yeah. //------death cry------------
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help, me, yeah.
Stayin' Alive --- (to beginning and fade... Well, you can tell.... )

3)?

clandyone · Post by **clandyone** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 12:16 am

His lights went out because one of his arms broke, fell down, and whammed into his leg. I suspect that this was because his arms aren't constructed to be up for more than a couple minutes. Raise 'em, then torch him is what I say.

Although I like to think he was waving good-bye. Or maybe giving a Black Power salute.

Lydia Love · Post by **Lydia Love** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 12:18 am

A woman in front of me said

"Oh! He had a stroke!" all full of sympathy.

And then she screamed something out about burning the defective motherfucker down.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 8:08 am

Lydia Love wrote:A woman in front of me said

"Oh! He had a stroke!" all full of sympathy.

And then she screamed something out about burning the defective motherfucker down.

ROTFLMAO

TheJudge · Post by **TheJudge** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 8:14 am

The riggers for the arms were trying to figure out why one of them failed. They had attempted to raise it back up again when it broke completly and slammed against the side of the body, breaking the neon.

Best theory I've heard was that Half Dome was behind the scenes fucking things up for us.

For those of you that dont know, Half Dome was a superhero. That's all that needs to be said.

longshot · Post by **longshot** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 8:18 am

Yes...

Half Dome was a superhero.

His kindness and energy was missed this year...

III · Post by **III** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 9:45 am

apparently the yellow spot at the top of the man's head was actually a highlight for halfdomes urn. good for him. hope he had a good view.

desert pearll · Post by **desert pearll** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 9:50 am

Late late late Saturday night we struck up a conversion with a
lovely couple. The gentleman mentioned he had worked
on the neon for the man---including the beating heart.
Far from being corny, I think it was a damn fine tribute to Half Dome.

Polar Weasel · Post by **Polar Weasel** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 11:06 am

The beating heart in The Man wasn't neon -- it was roughly 200 high-intensity red LEDs soldered together in three redundant strands, protected by thick, clear plastic tubing.

The heart was intended as a visual cue to help folks drum in unison along with The Mutaytor while they played their composition "Heartbeat of The Man" during the Fire Conclave processional before The Burn.

I'm not part of The Mutaytor, nor was I the designer of the heart -- I helped, though, and working on this project was one of the highlights of BM for me. Some folks liked it, some thought it was corny, but that's art for you ....

I also hope the heart seemed to folks like a fitting tribute to Half Dome, for though I never met him, it sounds like he was truely a good human.

-Polar Weasel

Jordan 10-E · Post by **Jordan 10-E** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 6:45 pm

After his left arm fell and broke the neon...the Man kept his other arm lifted and was saying to me, "Right Arm, Dude"

Capthayes · Post by **Capthayes** » Sun Sep 07, 2003 4:06 pm

Correct me if Im wrong but it seems that the last three burns the man failed to get his arms up properly.

Kinetic · Post by **Kinetic** » Sun Sep 07, 2003 8:06 pm

Last year the arms had problems...this year the arms had problems. Sheesh, doesn't everyone get it? We didn't send the DPW enough care packages and well...they lost focus, the man didn't get built right...and on and on it goes. We gotta get Metric to post the address to the work ranch again so we can take care of DPW.....otherwise it will be 4 years of the same damn thing. Let's make sure they get taken care of...so in 04 we get a better constructed man.....(that sure didn't come out right, did it?)

And by the way, did you leave something for DPW before leaving for the gate? I left good Tequila, good porn (nothing like Private's best to keep 'em entertained on those cold dark winter nights in Nevada), socks, and even some smokes....because without DPW, there would be no BRC.

nipples · Post by **nipples** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 7:15 pm

my dearest Lydia Love,

were you by any chance standing near 12:30 & just outside of seated burners beside a very large bunny when you heard this?

"A woman in front of me said

"Oh! He had a stroke!" all full of sympathy.

And then she screamed something out about burning the defective motherfucker down."

the bunny heard the same thing!

Taniwha · Post by **Taniwha** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 8:00 pm

Kinetic wrote:Last year the arms had problems...this year the arms had problems. Sheesh, doesn't everyone get it? We didn't send the DPW enough care packages and well...they lost focus, the man didn't get built right...and on and on it goes. We gotta get Metric to post the address to the work ranch again so we can take care of DPW.....

And by the way, did you leave something for DPW before leaving for the gate? I left good Tequila, good porn....because without DPW, there would be no BRC.

and I dropped off cold beer to them on the playa while they were surveying a couple of weeks before .... but then again maybe they need to be MORE focused in the weeks just before the burn

In reality practical engineering is hard, esp. if you don't get much chance to test stuff

Burn Man's lighting mishap

Burn Man's lighting mishap

The beating heart in The Man

it's a small world after all