Fuck This Theme

[Fire_Moose]

the ghetto is 4:20 and A

[Simon of the Playa]

oh my god, the suburbs is Gerlach, and Bruno's is Applebee's.

[EmilyD]

Alley
Beltway
Cul De Sac
Diamond Lane
Even Keel
Free Toll
Go-Round
Highway
Inside Stretch
Junket
Kilometer
Locomotion
Manhole
Nether Region
Opposite Side
Pylon
Quick Turn
Right Way
Soft Shoulder
Turnaround
Up Only
Vertical Drop
Watch for Children
X-ing
Yellow Curb
Zone

[EmilyD]

Atlantis
Babylon
Cibola
Delphi
El Dorado
Fez
Gomorrah
Heliopolis
Isfahan
Jericho
Kesh

NICE!

[H.G.Crosby]

Artists
Bankers
Celebrities
Drunks
Eggheads
Farmers
Gentry
Home-boys
Industrialists
Janitors
Krazy Homeless Folk

[Fire_Moose]

Artists
Bankers
Celebrities
Drunks
Eggheads
Farmers
Gentry
Home-boys
Industrialists
Janitors
Krazy Homeless Folk

Gets my vote

[Simon of the Playa]

Avenue
Boulevard
Cross-Walk
Drive
Esplanade (just to fuck with peoples shit)
Freeway
Grassy Knoll
High-Way
Indian Burial Grounds
Junkyard

[Fire_Moose]

damn simon, i like that one too....you kids are good at this.

[EmilyD]

Avenue
Boulevard
Cross-Walk
Drive
Esplanade (just to fuck with peoples shit)
Freeway
Grassy Knoll
High-Way
Indian Burial Grounds
Junkyard

Grassy Knoll FUR SURE! ;-0

[ygmir]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmFN9C9PVpg[/youtube]

[bluesbob]

The word comes from the Greek μήτηÏ

[Fire_Moose]

Fuck this theme! It's worse then "The American Dream"

Dream this larry:

/finger

[Love-love]

I think this theme could be fun.
I don't think it represents commercialism or buttoned down lives or any of that really. In fact I think it's almost the opposite. More the freedom in life. It sounds like fun to me, actually

As far as names go. Thought some of these sounded fun:

America
Baghdad
California
Dubai
Europe
Flight
Guantanamo Bay
Hudson
Ikea
Johannesburg
KLM
LAX
Male'
NASA
Oil
Paris
Qatar
Reno
Singapore
Tel Aviv
United Arab Emirates
Vancouver
Wal-mart
Xiamen
Yemen
Zurich

[Fire_Moose]

Fer Cereal

[rgk]

Though I've never been to any BM, I like the theme. I'm sure the theme doesn't dictate that much of the event, but look at this way: BM has grown to the size of not a small, but medium sized city. It's quite appropriate to acknowledge that, and to acknowledge the good and the bad that comes with the growth of a city. Something to reflect on as we gather in the desert to make it our home. Just my two cents.

[Here and there]

1. American Dream could have been a good theme, if people had spent more time thinking about it and less time being pissed off about it. A few centuries of history driven by variants on that concept leaves the artist with nothing to talk about? Seriously?

If one finds oneself believing that, maybe the problem isn't with the theme.


2. The org would have done better to call the theme something like "urban life". Using the name "Metropolis" will make people think of that Fritz Lang movie, even though that isn't what this is about, and leave them wondering how they'd ever find the money to make something like what they saw in that movie, if they'd even want to. Cities, on the other hand, have been around for the last few thousand years, and in real life have often been put up by people a lot poorer than we are. Hovels and shantytowns have been as much a part of history as palaces and cathedrals.

The theme is much broader and much more practical than the title makes it sound. But I guess it's too late to change the title.


3. Griping about the theme is an annual tradition, so I guess it's all good, anyway. Maybe next year's theme should be "this year's theme sucks". Self-referentiality is so postmodern, and serious whining has nowhere to go. "This year's theme sucks". "Yeah, man, we heard that was what it was going to be" "No, man, I mean this year's theme sucks" "Heard you the first time. Are we going to do the broken record thing all day?"



4. One can ignore the theme, so what's the issue?

[Here and there]

OK, I guess that's four thoughts.

[Fire_Moose]

The theme is not allowed to break the 4th wall.


Next year's should be "Fritz the cat"

[Here and there]

The theme is not allowed to break the 4th wall.

The fourth wall is so last millenium.

[Fire_Moose]

Uhhhhhhhh.............ok

[Here and there]

I really had to put a smiley on that last one?

[Fire_Moose]

Not sure if i smiley would add anything...

In other news, this theme sucks, fuck it

[SFbrothermichael]

Here and There
I agree with all four of your points.
Well said.

To me: this is the heart of the theme:

"...Great cities are organic, spontaneous, heterogeneous, and untidy. They are, like Burning Man, magnetic hubs of social interaction. This year's theme will function as a micro and a macro-scope, an instrument through which we will inspect the daily course of city life and the future prospect of civilization."

In other words, the theme asks us to explore what we have learned about community, urban planning and city design from Black Rock City that we can teach the default world and future civilizations.

[Simon of the Playa]

In other words, the theme asks us to explore what we have learned about community, urban planning and city design from Black Rock City that we can teach the default world and future civilizations.

on MARS!

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/new ... ngman.html

[Pink Daddy]

I just wish that Larry Harvey would get out of this funk of so-called 'introspective' themes and go back to something fun again...

Like 'The Great Beyond' or 'Other Dimensions' or 'The Great Kazoo'.

[geekster]

Next year's theme should be something like "The Grand Illusion".

I think the event should return somehow closer to its more cacophonic roots.

Larry Harvey once gave an interview where he basically said he loved creating illusions.

I will see if I can dig it up. In the meantime ...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=allN_4ZYuFk[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OQNRjNmRrc[/youtube]

[brighteststar]

its a great theme! if we have a future for the human race we need to think about metropolis,which is where most of us live and will live in the future.its every bit as essential an idea as "the green man". larry is way past the point of being anything less than a visionary.this is a visionary theme IMHO

[brighteststar]

sorry...... fun is not the only point to burning man.i began going in 1994 and everything continues to evolve. many major festivals like wanderlust and more are now incorporating more concepts into them besides "fun" since the state of the world demands a little more introspection and action. and its still fun.....!

[geekster]

If the theme is Metropolis, then the man should wear a big red cape.

[velocirafter]

Here and There

In other words, the theme asks us to explore what we have learned about community, urban planning and city design from Black Rock City that we can teach the default world and future civilizations.

Great explanation!!