What was the very first Theme Camp?

[Teo del Fuego]

I had always heard that Christmas Camp in '93 was the first theme camp at Burning Man, but a little light reading on Laughing Squid turned up two possibly earlier camps: 1990's Fancy Camp by Vivian and Louise and 1991's Bolt Action Rifle Club.

Does anyone have any additional info on these early prehistoric days of Burning Man?

Wonder what the oldest theme camp was on the playa this year?

[gyre]

The one I heard of is called 'dress up camp' now.

One person in clean and formal dress through all weather.

[moonrise]

I know a gal who followed BM from the beach to BR Desert...she might know.

Problem is, it might take a while to find her...well worth it though, she has some great stories!

I'll try to find her but it could take months, she truly is "nomadic"

[Bob]

Ask DVD Burglar, wasn't he the original burner?

[ygmir]

Ask DVD Burglar, wasn't he the original burner?

+1 bob..........

that couch, pulls one off every once in a while

[Isotopia]

Christmas Camp in '93

My first year was in 92' and I don't remember anything resembling a theme camp.

Christmas Camp was the first one that caught my eye and i think it was the next year. That and McSatan's Bistro.

Ask DVD Burglar, wasn't he the original burner?

Someone please pass me the MonitorClean(TM).

[Shambala]

Ask DVD Burglar, wasn't he the original burner?

Someone please pass me the MonitorClean(TM).

Here is a roll that I keep handy just for such occasion!

[Captain Goddammit]

Christmas Camp was the first.

[Fire_Moose]

When did rave camp come along?

[Bob]

When did rave camp come along?

Somebody planted a drum circle, and it sprouted speaker stacks.

[theCryptofishist]

When did rave camp come along?

Somebody planted a drum circle, and it sprouted speaker stacks.

Too bad Weed-Whacker Camp hadn't been formed yet.

[Ugly Dougly]

Ask DVD Burglar, wasn't he the original burner?

Someone please pass me the MonitorClean(TM).

Here is a roll that I keep handy just for such occasion!

Which end did it come out of?

[Teo del Fuego]

Christmas Camp was the first.

Not according to what I read on Laughing Squid's thread which consisted of a bunch of posts by Cacophony members who attended the 1990 Zone Trip No. 4. They were saying that "Fancy Camp" (1990) and Bolt Action Rifle Club (1991) preceded Christmas Camp (1993). Just was curious if any ePlayans date back to that far back and could confirm or deny.

Second question, though, of EXISTING camps, which one is the oldest? Barbie Death Camp? Thunderdome? Disorient?

[Teo del Fuego]

I know Badger and Bob were at some of the earliest Burns. Wonder when they first attended BM?

[Bob]

Didn't go to Burning Man until '96, though friends had bugged me about it for years.

Re: Cacophony, they were a bit too conformist for my tastes.

[theCryptofishist]

Everything you read on Laughing Squid is gospel truth.

[Teo del Fuego]

Everything you read on Laughing Squid is gospel truth.

Sarcasm noted. My source on the early years is Kevin Evans.

[jkisha]

Here's a link to some pictures and recollections going back as 1993.

http://www.mudskippercafe.com/MemoryLane/1993.aspx

JK

[Dr. Pyro]

I can say for certain Thunderdome has been around longer than Barbie Death Camp. BDC&WB came into existance in 2000 and Thunderdome was there for sure in 1999.

[theCryptofishist]

Everything you read on Laughing Squid is gospel truth.

Sarcasm noted. My source on the early years is Kevin Evans.

Well, name dropping doesn't work when the audience has no bloody idea whom you're talking about.

(Wow, I'm cranky today.)

[Isotopia]

I think 92' was my first year.

Pretty sure of it at least. It was the year that the small Cessna flipped on the playa and everyone was running out to make sure that there weren't...casualties.

[Simon of the Playa]

When did rave camp come along?

Somebody planted a drum circle, and it sprouted speaker stacks.

Too bad Weed-Whacker Camp hadn't been formed yet.

96 was my first year and i remember rave camp being WAY THE FUCK OUT THERE...like 7 miles or so.


we were cruising in our jeep at about 110 mph and we hit a couple of ruts, i'm pretty sure, funny thing is the truck smelled like patchouli for DAYS afterwards and for some strange reason we found pot leaf fimo beads embedded in the grill.


anyway...

[Ugly Dougly]

I can say for certain Thunderdome has been around longer than Barbie Death Camp. BDC&WB came into existance in 2000 and Thunderdome was there for sure in 1999.

Somebody was doing the Barbie-Que in what? 1998?

[Teo del Fuego]

name dropping doesn't work when the audience has no bloody idea whom you're talking about.

Crypto, you weren't the target audience for my post, which was directed to people who actually know something about BM's early days. But since you jumped in, Kevin Evans, along with John Law, was the man behind Zone Trip #4 in 1990, which brought the Burning Man to the Black Rock Desert. I'm mildly amazed that after 18,000 posts on this Burning Man list, you don't know who Kevin Evans is.

[mdmf007]

Thunderdome / Death Guild claims to be the oldest continuous theme camp.

[Eric]

Crypto, you weren't the target audience for my post, which was directed to people who actually know something about BM's early days. But since you jumped in, Kevin Evans, along with John Law, was the man behind Zone Trip #4 in 1990, which brought the Burning Man to the Black Rock Desert. I'm mildly amazed that after 18,000 posts on this Burning Man list, you don't know who Kevin Evans is.

Get over the past- I've never heard of him either, and I'm fairly well versed on the event & camp with 18 year Burners. He is a "was", not an "is" with the Event. Great knowledge if you want to play historian, useless knowledge in the real world.

He may have been important with Cacophony, but as the Burning Man aspect took over (quickly) he got lost to the dustbins of history as even John Law is now getting lost for younger Burners. Hell, I bet you could walk up to random Burners on the Esplanade and ask them the names of the Current Active Board Members other than Larry Himself and they probably wouldn't know who they are or what they do (or did). And that's fine- it's the way the world works

We all have knowledge that we think is or should be more common. It's not the fault of another person they don't know it.

Personally I'd like to know why the Compton Cafeteria riots are forgotten outside of SF, but Stonewall, which came later, is remembered. But I don't get pissy at someone I don't know for not having that knowledge.

[Teo del Fuego]

Great knowledge if you want to play historian, useless knowledge in the real world.

two operative words: "play" and "historian." The thread was for folks who think it's fun to dig into BM's past. On a board that routinely features such useless threads as "My Mind Begins to Hum," Stop posting so much," and "the person below me..." there seems to be little requirement that a thread deal with information useful in the real world.

Yeah, Kevin Evans is a BM has-been and I never suggested that any Burner was remiss for not knowing who he was. I was just expressing surprise that Crypto hadn't heard of him given her prodigious number of posts and length of time here.

[Eric]

Yeah, Kevin Evans is a BM has-been and I never suggested that any Burner was remiss for not knowing who he was. I was just expressing surprise that Crypto hadn't heard of him given her prodigious number of posts and length of time here.

Sorry TdF, the joys of the written word. I (mis)interpreted your response as talking down to her instead of just explaining who he is and why he's relevant to your original question.

I think if it had been answered in a "oh, he's....." manner I would have reacted differently. I love hearing about the early years- as I've said elsewhere on this board the first year I attempted to go was '91 (though it took me until '03 to actually make it), and I know, and camp with, people who've been going since at least '94.

[jkisha]

Great knowledge if you want to play historian, useless knowledge in the real world.

two operative words: "play" and "historian." The thread was for folks who think it's fun to dig into BM's past. On a board that routinely features such useless threads as "My Mind Begins to Hum," Stop posting so much," and "the person below me..." there seems to be little requirement that a thread deal with information useful in the real world.

Yeah, Kevin Evans is a BM has-been and I never suggested that any Burner was remiss for not knowing who he was. I was just expressing surprise that Crypto hadn't heard of him given her prodigious number of posts and length of time here.

LOL that is one thread that, no matter how much I try, I just don't understand. At all.

JK

[theCryptofishist]

Great knowledge if you want to play historian, useless knowledge in the real world.

two operative words: "play" and "historian." The thread was for folks who think it's fun to dig into BM's past. On a board that routinely features such useless threads as "My Mind Begins to Hum," Stop posting so much," and "the person below me..." there seems to be little requirement that a thread deal with information useful in the real world.

Yeah, Kevin Evans is a BM has-been and I never suggested that any Burner was remiss for not knowing who he was. I was just expressing surprise that Crypto hadn't heard of him given her prodigious number of posts and length of time here.

LOL that is one thread that, no matter how much I try, I just don't understand. At all. :shock:

JK

It's a great excuse to use the "Mark All Threads Read" button.