Self-reliant, eh? So, they grow their own food at Burning Man, too? Brew their own beer? Are there wells for drinking water?

Somehow I doubt it. Instead, they come to this desert spot in Nevada, bringing everything they need with them, and then leave before it all runs out and return to whatever they do the rest of the year.

Self-reliance is good, but it's not a word I'd use for this event. Burning Man is quite an event, or was the three times I was there, but it was not self-reliant in any way. Self-absorbed, certainly. Self-aware, perhaps. Self-contained, most assuredly. But far from self-reliant.

LOL. Your assessment pretty much sums up my impression of the event.

Good place to get stoned out of your gourd, walk naked on the desert, and talk to a lot of other people who are stoned and many who are naked. Fun times. I can't say it was all that meaningful for me in the long run, though.

Maybe I'll go to a Juggalo "Gathering" one of these years, too, but I doubt it, somehow.

walking around stoned and naked in the desert sounds like it fcould be fun. With plenty of sunscreen.

But you'll never catch me at a Juggalo gathering.

Not because I don't like the people - Some Juggalos are the nicest, sweetest, kindest people you'd ever want to meet. Not racist, into loving everyone, will share the shirt off their back. But goddamn their music suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.

truly filthy dirty. If you use intoxicants of any kind, bring your own and hang on to it. You'll meet some interesting people, and some people who are exquisitely uninteresting. You'll see some big, random, temporary works of art.

Plan on being exhausted much of the time, bored much of the time, and ready to leave at the end of your time there.

Sunscreen? Yes. Sunburn? Inevitable, regardless of the sunscreen.

I was just joking about going to a Juggalo gathering. I won't. I hate Faygo, the Insane Clown Posse, and food poisoning.

I'm not interested in going otherwise, but if there were a way to go just to walk around and see the art without having to stay overnight, I would want to do that.

I think it might be too big to see in one day of walking - but then, I get beat walking around our local little sidewalk art festivals. I'm looking for the beer tent and a place to sit about 3 booths in lol...

and ICP is at the top of my list of never-wants.

My grandpa just bought a small Airsteam motorhome and he says I can borrow it...not sure if I want to bring it back to him after a Burning Man trip though...Would not be anxious for that conversation "hey, what's this I found....?" lol

But he just turned 93 and doesn't plan to drive it forever so maybe after he's done with it we'll mosey on out west...

He's a guy I know who is heavily involved in that.

I would totally do it to troll people.

Definitely a passage of right into manhood this event is ;o

I stopped going when it move to the desert.

I thought Burning Man was finished when the SF Chron ran a week long series from there. Also when I read about it in the NY Times, the voice of death for cutting edge culture.

The next year my 60 -something neighbors went and had a ball. They brought some friends the following year. I encourage anyone who wants to go to do so and have a great time.