Thoughts on mohawks?

[flower_2011]

mohawk.JPG

Just curious what people's stance is on mohawks? I make them using feathers, beads, and a mold. They are super secured. I've traveled with them to europe and back and not one feather drops off. I saw a lot of them last year - so I thought I'd get people's thoughts. See attached image.

p.s. sorry that the image is inverted!

[trilobyte]

I don't care how you secure them, do not bring fauxhawks made with feathers.

[Ratty]

I really doubt that you stood in 50+MPH winds. BICYCLES blow away. COTS, CHAIRS, STRUCTURES. Please rethink this. NO feathers.


I love Mohawks of hair.

[Eric]

I saw a lot of them last year

That's like saying "there wasn't an earthquake in SF last year, so I'm going to loosely hand all my cast iron pots over my bed"

Last year was, if not the absolute mildest year ever on the playa, close to it. To see how a "real" year would treat one of your 'hawks, put it in a wind tunnel, blast playa-dust at it at 70mph for 7 hours & then look at it. It will be destroyed - guaranteed.

I don't care how tight you think you have them secured, don't bring them. Do you really want to be guided by the actions of other people who are too stupid to follow simple directions about not bringing feathers?

From the Burning Blog (about MOOP):

Honorable Mention: Pistachio Shells and Feathers
Pistachio shells and feathers are familiar friends from years past. For a long time, we haven’t seen them… but they’re starting to return to the playa. Remember, organic matter can still be MOOP! Don’t bring stuff that will just turn into litter.

[Eric]

This is a "real" year:

[AntiM]

Pretty and cute, but better somewhere else. You aren't that special that your feathers will magically hold up. And you would be setting a Bad Example, as did the people you saw with their special feathers.

We will mock you. Mock, I say! Mock!

[Drawingablank]

No matter what you do or how well you think they are secured feathers will cause moop.

Believe it or not someone on the Burning Man Fashion facebook page is actually encouraging folks to use feathers.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/127179313991731/

Kinda turned me off to that FB group.

[Ano]

Feathers suck. So many people think that their feathers won't blow away, but they always do. Last year was super mild, and I was still finding feathers all over the place. I met a guy who made a bike out of peacock feathers - he claimed that it was clearcoated and would never break. I picked up like 30 of his feathers around where he was camped on Sunday. Feathers break, your feathers aren't special, they will break too.

It seems like a lot of people think the rules don't apply to them... but they do. Feathers break. No feathers!

[TomServo]

Keep it simple. Keep it narrow..over 2 inches wide is just silly. Aqua net extra super hold unscented....about 5 inches makes a good mohawk, thats easy to put up and won't break your neck in a cross wind.

[theCryptofishist]

Even if the shafts do hold--well, they break off tiny pieces of fluff that blow away. Maybe if you encase the feathers in lucite...

[flower_2011]

Thanks, everyone! That's what I thought the answers would be. I was 98% a no but some of my campmates were considering bringing them, so I figured I'd tap into the community for some outside feedback. For the record, I didn't break a single feather last year and cleaned up my fair share as well. Thanks to the eplaya - awesome to be able to collect others thoughts. Will be sure to read this thread to my campmates!

And BTW the 2007 video is a bit overwhelming. I'm opening we have mild weather this year! )'(

[trilobyte]

What fishy said - even if you take the time to carefully stitch the quill, the actual feathery bits will come off - somewhere between the climate and the altitude, it just plain does not work. Feathers have therefore been banned outright - bringing one anyways kind of says you don't respect the event, and would probably not make you look as cool to others as you think the strap-on hairstyle makes you look. As for real mohawks, total badassery.

[Eric]

And BTW the 2007 video is a bit overwhelming. I'm opening we have mild weather this year! )'(

It's actually looking like it will we an extremely dusty year out there- hardly any rain on the playa, the crust is soft, dust everywhere. We'll have more reports after next week, but I would plan for nightmare weather & hope we don't get it.

Personally I love the all-hells-broke-loose dust-storms, but I'm a little playafried in the brain...

[Eric]

One more note- don't take the "no" on feathers as a stop to the mohawk project, find a way to make them out of something that will work: leather, spikes, LED light-sprays, forks, rubber duckies... the only limits are your imagination and the MOOP factor. Whatever you make them out of needs to be able to survive that wind, other than that, go nuts.

[Drawingablank]

One more note- don't take the "no" on feathers as a stop to the mohawk project, find a way to make them out of something that will work: leather, spikes, LED light-sprays, forks, rubber duckies... the only limits are your imagination and the MOOP factor. Whatever you make them out of needs to be able to survive that wind, other than that, go nuts.

I agree 100%.

You could even use .... your hair!

[flower_2011]

Thanks!! I'm def going to craft an awesome (non feather) hawk of some type Thanks for the report on the conditions. Last year was my virgin year, so it's definitely intimidating!! But hey they say every year is it's own "person" and experience, right? (I'm still hoping for good conditions!!)

[motskyroonmatick]

Thanks!! I'm def going to craft an awesome (non feather) hawk of some type Thanks for the report on the conditions. Last year was my virgin year, so it's definitely intimidating!! But hey they say every year is it's own "person" and experience, right? (I'm still hoping for good conditions!!)

Right on flower!!!! Maybe use colors and materials that compliment your favorite playa wear.

[AntiM]

A spork mohawk... yes!

[junglesmacks]

He had me at "rubber duckies".

[lucky420]

and thanks for listening to the words of wisdom here flower_2011

[junglesmacks]

A spork mohawk... yes!

[theCryptofishist]

That thrilling John Ford movie, Thoughts Along the Mohawk...

[tattoogoddess]

Make them out of foam or duct tape if you really want to do it-

[Ratty]

Nice tophat!! Is that a mini or full size. Either way it's adorable. I was thinking Long fur and stiffen it with paint or glue for a mohawk.

[tattoogoddess]

I do not know. Just a image i found on line. Im going to say mini judging by the ruler looking thing next to it.

[Ugly Dougly]

One more note- don't take the "no" on feathers as a stop to the mohawk project, find a way to make them out of something that will work: leather, spikes, LED light-sprays, forks, rubber duckies... the only limits are your imagination and the MOOP factor. Whatever you make them out of needs to be able to survive that wind, other than that, go nuts.

I agree 100%.

You could even use .... your hair!

Uh, you mean shaving?

HOT

[TomServo]

Uh, you mean shaving?

HOT

HA!
That's a BiHawk. Looks great on girls...when it's up! Looks silly on anyone when it's down. My Ex-wife wore one, when I first met her.

[BBadger]

HA!
That's a BiHawk. Looks great on girls...when it's up! Looks silly on anyone when it's down. My Ex-wife wore one, when I first met her.

Isn't that a HawkMo?

[AntiM]

BiHawk? Just looks like a bad hair decision from here.

[TomServo]

Bi: meaning two Hawk: shortened "mohawk" ..BIHAWK: two mohawks.