2008 Event - Cheers and Jeers!

[Steel Kitty]

Opinions everyone?

Cheers --
1) Pancake camp, for serving everyone on the playa. Even those folks who didn't gift them anything.
2) The tarot readers in center camp, who, despite the whiteout, kept giving readings to people in line.
3) Soulicious for throwing down the best music and brunch on Saturday.
and so many more...

Jeers-
1) The RV'ers who just dumped their grey (and black, in one case) water on the playa. WTF happened to evap ponds if you can't afford the RV service, people?
2) Art cars who only picked up "friends" - every time.
3) Photographers who "forgot" to ask for permission to photograph my friends breasts.
4) The DPW folks for jeering and mocking the crowd at the temple burn. If you want to party and mock the temple burn, there are shitloads of other fun spots on the playa sunday night.

So, here's a forum to post your opinions and comments on the last event. Thanks.

[somekind]

The Department of Dreamland Security was the highlight of the performance art for me.

[vootman]

Huge jeers to Gate for railroading us into "D" lot while we were picking up a ticket from will call. Stuck us in there from 12:30am to 6am! Worst system ever, boo!!!

Cheers for literally everything else I encountered all week, especially the Disco Duck. Does anyone have any info on that thing?

[Yanners]

Jeers:
1.Having to sit in the stupid D lot forever while the people who arrived early were allowed to get into the city as I sat and waited. Not to mention the Gestapo assholes that were yelling at people in the will call lot to "stop fuckin playing" oh shit man....sorry to offend you with our merryment. Finally get to start moving outta the lot just before dawn, far from being in the highest of spirits and getting yelled at by about 6 other militant bitches to keep following the car in front of us....yeah thanks tips, good thing your yelling and cusing at us to do exactly what we are already doing.

2. Getting off the art bus because the people on there decided at the last minute to not let my friends on because of some split second decsion to turn the thing into some memorial party. I poliety ask the rather creepy old man at gate to get off the bus if I may exit and he decides that I can only get off if he spanks me. I firmly tell him not to and he swacks my ass so hard I can barely sit down the next day. I understand some people think spanking is cute and funny and whatnot, but alot of people dont like getting spanked by old men. To be honest, had the event taken place in my hometown, someone would be getting slapped with a sexual harrasment suit. Just because its fuckin burningman doesnt mean you can assume that everyone enjoys that kinda shit.

3. Shut up with the fuckin music already. Can we seriously organize to have all the bad dance/rave music plopped into a certain section of the city so that those of us that actually like music that is made by people playing instruments can enjoy a music scene too?

4. Stop preaching to a bunch of kids chewing their tongues off from eating to much E that somehow they are starting a revolution, while you pump 100s of gallons of fuel into your huge generators so that you can play shit music 20 hours of the day, bitch about the ominous "them" like its some force and not just fuckin people then drive away in you 1 mile a gallon converted bus and act like you actually did something to allay some suffering or made a change in the world. Why dont you just stay home and send a fraction of your money to a needy village in africa. What you spent on your switchboard alone would be enough to provide clean water to some poor village. Your not a reveloutionary, your just some self-indulgent chump that eats so much E you think the crap your spinning out is actually good.



Cheers:
After 5 years of being preoccupied with going to BM every year I finally realized that I could be doing alot more interesting and fullfilling things that sitting in some sweltering windy desert with sleep deprivation

2. As usual I met some awesome people

3. I got to see the Giant Redwoods on my way to the desert.


Phew...thats the end of that rant.....on with life.

[poisenloaf]

Well, I happen to really like all that electronic music being played and it is a big part of BM for me and many of my friends.. The playa is big enough for all of us though. One of my friends did comment that there was less art this year and the trend does seem to be shifting more towards sound camps now..

[falk]

Cheers: The willow tree. The pedal-powered articulated dragon. The iron horse. The temple. Bomb Squad for their classical music during the fireworks show. Live music. Small art projects in the deep playa. My campmates and the awesome communal dinners they made. National Playagraphic. The capital dome. Whatever that thing was with the glowing glyphs around Esplanade at around 4:30. Dust City Diner. EL-wire costumes. A beautiful girl with a green parasol. Kites. DreamYourTopia. Mythical creatures rising from the pyres of burned books. The poppies by day. The poppies by night.

Jeers:

2. ... I poliety ask the rather creepy old man at gate to get off the bus if I may exit and he decides that I can only get off if he spanks me. I firmly tell him not to and he swacks my ass so hard I can barely sit down the next day.

NOT cool. Totally not cool. I wish people like that could be Dealt With.

3. Shut up with the fuckin music already. Can we seriously organize to have all the bad dance/rave music plopped into a certain section of the city so that those of us that actually like music that is made by people playing instruments can enjoy a music scene too?

Amen. Every damn year, there's some bunch of jerks who think it's acceptable to lie to the ORG and smuggle a sound camp into the middle of the city.

"We're on the Esplanade so we can be as loud as we want. It's in the rules. You need to get in touch with your inner child". First of all, you're on Allante, not the Esplanade, second of all, the rules say just the opposite of what you claim, and third of all, I am in touch with my inner child and it's bloody cranky because it didn't get any fucking sleep for the last two nights. Douchebags.

[thirt33n]

cheers, again, to the potty cleaners.
cheers, again, to the black rock desert for being very respectable.
cheers, again, to every wonderful smiling waving loving person.
cheers, again, to the greeters and the rangers.
cheers, again, to my liver.
cheers, again, to my truck.
cheers! my respirator with dust cartridges!!!!!!!!!!!!

jeers to all the people who chose to load up the porta john floors with empty bottles and cans.
jeers to the ass who cased my shit on sunday afternoon and "borrowed" my very customized art bike when i left it for literally less than 1 minute.
(miraculously, i found it on my way out minus some el wire and saddle bags)

BIG JEER to almost every single DPW staffer i came across, with their "i'm so cool that i don't even have to acknowledge you or smile, i have lots of piercings, tattoos, i've lived a way harder life than you, my dreadlocks are black and red, i've been here for weeks and will be here for weeks after you so you are a piece of shit that doesn't deserve my attention even though you were trying to say something nice to me,...i'm with the DPW, I'm so "over it". I have a smart ass answer or a scowl for everyone who is not stupid enough to work in the desert for a month an ELECT TO WEAR BLACK!!!!!

If only you DPW snobs could take a fucking lesson from your leader, Cobra Commander, who is one of the nicest people i met this year.

I realize this is a generalization and some of you might actually not treat a cool feller like me like i'm a moron but man, I don't need to hear, "oh, they're just a close knit family." fuck that. eat a bag of dicks.

I live and work on a cattle ranch in north idaho.
tell me you work harder than me bitch.
come on over with your black shirts...oh wait, come this winter, it'll be snowy, you'll be wearing a bathing suit then.


how's that for a ranting jeer?

[oheric!]

Cheers:
1) To the cool mo-fo's at Baggage Check. I freakin' love you guys.
2) To the saxaphones across the way from Opulant Temple. You guys were fantastic.
3) Sitting on the top of an RV with a few friends and cocktails for the burn. The intimacy of it all made me appreciate the event in a new way.
4) Big latex balloons/balls installation.
5) The nice gal that gave me a chunk of turkey jerky. nom nom nom.
6) The very nice people that put the fun into fungus.

Jeers:
1) D Lot, srsly 10 fucking hours. Whoever was listed as responsible for that area should be beaten allowed to recover then beaten again. I am filled with complete hate for you guys.
2) Photographers/ Videographers: Fuck-you, yes all of you. Taking snapshots of your buddies and some of the art is cool but the SLR camera with 400mm lens is a bit much for taking pictures of boobs. What part of stop taking my fucking picture did you not understand. Next year I will break your camera(s).
3) Golf carts.

[d6]

Cheers:
red eye diner
grocery cart art car
sea turtle art car
robots
non-mystical experience @ temple
giant hand crushing things
apokiliptika (well done this year)
camp herring wires
ranger lady
amelie soundtrack post burn on playa
whiteouts!

Jeers:
thanks for stealing from me! - love it! that record box you took only had my dead relatives gifts to me, but hey, you needed it more......(it wasnt next to me for 39 seconds, tops)
shit music on allante firing up @ 2am,
loud ass fuck party barges (not art cars-there is a diff.) - and turn it fucking down or off when you roll up to ________installation. shit was happening before you rolled up blasting classic rock jamborees and the lollipop song, club trance top 40 remixes or other awfulness.
(music is subjective, i know, but overdriven, distorted radio-friendly remixes are even worse)
****note to music lovers********
2 and 10 and a few sound exceptions, otherwise, leave the speakers at home.
me.

d6,
whaaaaaaaaaaa

[GageNdG]

Cheers-

- To being a virgin and still having a buzz from this 1st experience
- To ShadyVil for taking us in and running a kick-ass Theme Camp - Fully operational Kitchen, Shower, Camp Setup, Domes Galore, and the experience to tell us things and not tell us other things. We <3 u.
- To the kick-ass Theme Camps near us - Deep End, Slut Garden, Duck Pond, Tennis Camp and Cut-thru Camp (they actually had an alley cut thru their own camp from Dart to Edsel - fuckin brilliant!). Having so many cool people around us attracted more cool peeps
- To the DJ on the Rubber Ducky Art Car on Friday. I almost went gay that night... LOL - Seriously, best music on the playa...
- To any Art Car that didn't need a VIP pass to get on
- To whoever brought Tetris - Fun break on the walk home every night from Opulent
- To anyone who came up to us with gifts. We were simply overwhelmed and have embraced that spirit (even more than we did before)
- Exodus only taking any hour and a half
- To the huge dust storm while setting up for camp on Monday, instantly welcoming us... lol
- To the teachers over at Nectar Village for putting on a great Tantric Massage training class for 80+ nekkid couples!
- Lastly, Cheers for the event actually happening this year...

Jeers-

- BIG fucking jeers to all the buzz-killing, stalker LEO's who had nothing better to do than stare everyone down and make us feel like our parents chaperoning us at the formal. Just bring binoculars or night vision and STAY THE FUCK BACK!!
- To all the people who came to the event without the spirit of the event backing them. We felt the vibe change on Thursday night and get exponentially worse night after night... Less costumes, more middle-aged men with no lights/style/integrity, etc...
- to myself, for going to the event with some misconceptions... Thankfully that shit got flushed and I was able to embrace the unseen quickly!
- to not getting there with the pre-arrivals and enjoying the real event longer...
- and lastly, jeers to 11.5 months until I can walk on the open playa at night again!!

xO u guys/gals.

[yojessimac]

Cheers:
1. Tee Pee's near 'the end' of the playa with bridesmaids dresses (and a great bed for the night), and the disorient covered wagon "cowboys and indians" battle as we wondered home. How fucking random and movie like! You-had-to-be-there

2. no planned-spontaneous cafe dancing at center camp...at least not that I saw!

3. Swinging in robot heart <3

4. the giant playground

5. sharing alcoholic concoctions with my fabulous camp mates, and stripper pole barbie!

6.Tite-rope walking

7. Many many more...

JEERS:

1. BLM rangers with nothing better to do, and waaay too many of them this year. F-ers pulled us over just after the gate for out tail lights, expecting us to just fix em right there, then had their damn dog sniff out the car... argh!

2. Sand traps ALL OVER the playa...I did way more walking this year...not that I mind, it makes me more observant :)

3. frat boys, forever and always

4. people who jump on art cars and ask "where's the driver, when are we leaving"? it's not your own personal fucking taxi service, you assholes! chill, relax, sit, I'm sure they will leave, when THEY want!

really, that's it.

Jess

[gaminwench]

CHEERS - DOTA (Department of Tethered Aviation) for spectacular kite shows, again!!
- Chorus of Dreams @ Philadelphia Experiment - most moving, beautiful, thought-provoking performance on the playa
-Temple Crew for creating the first wind reactive temple - gorgeous!!

JEERS - Entheon - huge camp, much traffic, NO Signage - causing confused Burners to wander thru every camp within 2 blocks looking for you

[Kenny Z]

Cheers:

The man burning! Wow, so much better when it collapses all at once.

My neighbors. We can be a noisy camp but they were very cool and we enjoyed them very much.

Larry/Quasar at the greeters camp. We heard he had a welder and asked for him at his camp. He wasn't there but the next thing I know, he shows up at our camp and welds the axle on our mutant vehicle. Great guy!

The weather. Just the right amount of sunshine with a good dose of dust at the end of the week which makes a great yahoo filter.

Our patriotic sunset runs in our mutant vehicle. Instead of the oontz oontz at sunset, we would cruise through the streets playing the National Anthem, Amazing Grace, Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World, etc. People of all ages seemed to love it and it put a smile on all our faces.



Jeers:

The dunes on the playa! People we just picked up on my mutant vehicle would have to get right back off and help push us out of the dune. Rather embarrassing!

Losing the wheel on my mutant vehicle twice because we loaded up to many people on the mutant vehicle and broke the axle. (I'm a sucker and have trouble passing up people who look like they need a break from walking on the playa).

People who treated me like a taxi driver after I offered them a ride on my mutant vehicle. I love to let burners hop on and rest their legs while enjoying the sites, however, I can't believe how many people wanted me turn around and take them to their camp or other special destination.

The lighted furry bus with the modified tuba air horn. It was my new favorite mutant vehicle and I was very impressed with the horn. After a couple days, it got really old and I was very disappointed. Even the man would get boring if you saw it burn every day.

Holier than thou people. The "moop assault team". We leave no trace when we leave, however, every so often a can or something is on the ground. There is always that annoying person who scolds you for it as they walk by. Message to those people: If you act above people it usually only pisses them off and you will probably get an opposite reaction. Shoot, if I didn't love the playa so much, I would have probably left the can there to spite them. If you want people to follow your lead, set a positive example and treat people with respect and you will have more effective results.


That's it for now. I'm sure I have more cheers and jeers but you get the drift.

[ZaphodBurner]

we would cruise through the streets playing the National Anthem, Amazing Grace, Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World, etc.

Thank you.

-zb
(I love all the techno/trance and tribal stuff, too, but, thanks for mixing it up.)

[Kenny Z]

we would cruise through the streets playing the National Anthem, Amazing Grace, Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World, etc.

Thank you.

-zb
(I love all the techno/trance and tribal stuff, too, but, thanks for mixing it up.)

You welcome!

Actually most of my playlist was electronica and industrial, such as The Crystal Method and Front 242 but for that hour at sunset, people of all generations seem to really like the change for a bit. It was sort of beautiful (trying not to sound too sappy).

[kelly16]

Cheers - inspired temple, pink pussycat's duck car, native american healing circle installation, eclectic/trippy music off 2'oclock spoke, friendly duckpond camp, cougar melon camp (loved the melon served by the cougar), the folks at "my way" camp who allowed the group of vagabonds I was with camp with them, the deep end, saturday afternoon whiteout, bunny sitting under the "tree" in mid-playa explaining how animal control had made sure he had his "shots", friendly rangers, laser lighting at entheon village, bronze statue of woman with expressive open arms and small head connecting into larger body and enormous feet at center camp, psychic taxi, the census that made me think about why my choices and values in my "real" life are different from those in my BRC one, my campmates who understood that it isn't solely or even mostly about the party, great man and temple burns (loved when you could hear the sound of the crackling), the burners who always stimulate, entertain, and enrich me, incredible, glorious weather finishing with an eerie sunday night dust storm on way back from temple burn that turned into RAIN.

jeers - the assholes at the temple burn who wouldn't (a) be quiet, (b) sit down, (c) stop yelling at people to shut up and sit down, (d) stop the loud rumbling engine on their art bus, (e) stop partying, hooting and hollering while everyone around them was quiet, with many presumably lost in thoughts about mortality, death, renewal, or loss of a loved one; crappy music on saturday night, no space cowboys, terrible biking conditions, absence of more major art installations, day trippers there to see breasts and drink too much, over-the-top police presence, having to lock our bikes this year because 2 were stolen last year.

[gyre]

I guess you brought chairs for everyone this year?
Otherwise, how is it anyone's fucking business whether someone wants to sit or not?

I avoid the temple burns.
Too many assholes.

[kelly16]

Ah....one more jeer:

People who contribute nothing but loudly piss on others' contributions....

Adios American Dream, viva la Evolution!!

[couglite]

This, my virgin year, was astounding.

Cheers:
- roasted pig cheeks from Playa Q
- tying balloons in knots
- getting a private tour of the city with all sorts of inside information
- being rescued from A and 4:30 by the Velvet Soul Mine crowd
- the Opal's djs
- helping that really drunk guy find his way to the temple to deposit the hat he had received
- cirque berzerk
- the silver man with the sheild who protected us from the yahoos at the temple burn
- skirts on men
- the desert sky
- thump ss thump ss thump ss
- my playa love
- flaming lotus blossom
- THE CHIROPRACTOR on the Esplanade and 8:30 (bless him!)
- receiving a random slice of cold melon at dawn on Saturday
- my goggles
- the temple
- cold margaritas at that zappa place with the blown out speakers
- the comfortable chair in front of the wild west installation
- becoming acclimatised to the dust storms
- the pimp your ride people

Jeers:
- Monday's dust storm
- what that shit does to your hair

[mk-ultra]

Cheers: The willow tree. The pedal-powered articulated dragon...

I'll second that one. The dragon was one of the coolest things I've seen at BM.

[Playaface]

The Cheers!

-The awesome 8 at red eye diner on early sat morning.
-The hug deli I took over for 4 hours on Wensday morning.
-The big rubber duckie art car with the mohawk that was spouting out some sweet chunky dark house.
-Fries from the large Ketchup bottle.
-My neighbor with the kick ass hot shower! Love you Waren!
-The sweet irish lass at the red eye I cant remember her name for the life of me.
-Smoochdome!

The Jeers!

-DUST PUDDLES!
-Smiling at possible virgins and them breaking contact. (fuck you and your insecuritys!)
-BLM, Fuck off and catch some real criminals!
-Douche bag regular joe frat boy types that never get into spirit and fuck the event up with your GHB and lack of imagination.
-DPW for thinking you owe them something because they "been out here for weeks before you showed up" Well assholes. I was in pre event also! I just have a real job at home that doesnt allow me to take 2 months off and I have responsibilities as well. If us "normal" folk didnt pay for the fucking tickets instead of leeching off BMORG then there would be a fucking event. Get over yourself, I work harder then you ever will 10 hrs a day 6 days a week doing construction.
-The idiots that complain about sound at BM. God you fucking people annoy the shit outta me, Go camp at Lake Tahoe if you need your fucking beauty sleep. Quit fucking whinning, its only one fucking week a year. Go camp out in walk up camp, Fuck.
-The stupid fucking selective BS from art car operators. Is it because I do have fake tits and El wire on??

Besides that it was a ok burn, Ive gone for 10 yrs and it seems to evolve every year into something else rather its good or bad. BLM was really fucking bad this year and need to chill out. I really enjoyed the true burners and their spirit, For that, I will return!

[Clar-i-ty]

Cheers:
*Jazz Cafe for providing shelter and drinks ;) during the storm on Saturday
*Space Bus - For being the best art car ever and dropping us off at our camp
*Pimp your bike camp for being so fun
*The folks who dropped off the cliff bars at kidsville
*Puzzle for being such a great neighbor
*The stoner who offered me his stash after he lost my kid's bike
*The folks who put out all the safe sex stuff in Center Camp
*The folks who organized the light saber battle
*Media Mecca for the Rocket Sauce!

Jeers:
Moopers
Potty Seat Wetters
Everyone who stole stuff - so not cool!!!!

[stickysunset]

cheers:
*peeps who didn't mind and even loved the whiteouts
*last bar standing in sunday's sun (k/4)
*barbie death camp and wine bistro - a camp full of beautiful people
*that guy who came to bdcawb and did charades
*the paper or plastic art car
*captain abercrombie and da boyz
*rocky horror w/ bounce who knew every line
*mutaytor on thurs nite
*the big cock...must be hotternhell in that get up...but i love it every year!
*breakfasts w/ sass and ghostrider
*my pre-lit christmas tree
*oppulent temple and dancing to near dawn
*magical center camp at night
*mustang's squeaky bike horn announcing her arrival in camp
*transmorphagon and dancing under those stars on fire
*deep end-drinkin'/dancin' in the heat....love it!
*all you glorious burners who made me laugh and giggle...love y'all

jeers:
*dpw/blm/event carts constantly driving WAY over 5 mph on 5:30 (slow the fuck down - what's good enuf for us is good enuf for you)


sticky

[Dork]

Cheers:
-The DPW! Yeah, you heard me. Many of them hung out at our camp at night before the festival started and always livened things up. When we miscalculated and ran out of some important materials they scrambled to help us out. 12 tubes of painters caulk and 5 gallons of primer - both to us in a few hours. What ass they pulled those out of I have no idea! Considering the stunt one of our crew members pulled early on it was huge that they even talked to us.
-Special thanks to Vaughn, Singapore, and Ali Pato (sp) for going above and beyond the call of duty to help us finish the Bummer and being all around badasses.

Jeers:
-The guy who thought it would be funny to write "POOP!" on the side of the Bummer Saturday night before it was planned to burn, as well as putting shaving cream on the handrail. Not cool.
-The fucker who keyed my car, I believe on burn night. $1600 in damage that wasn't appreciated a few days before I need to sell the thing.
-The team member who bailed on us on day 4 of construction and is now threatening the project leader because we didn't deliver his abandoned gear on our way home.

[misfit]

JEERS:
to the guy working at the gate pre-event saturday afternoon,,, who thought it was funny to take a vaccuum and spray playa at and into cars as they stoped at the ticket gate. any info on this guy would be appreciated.....

[douche douchington]

[quote="misfit"]JEERS:
to the guy working at the gate pre-event saturday afternoon,,, who thought it was funny to take a vaccuum and spray playa at and into cars as they stoped at the ticket gate. any info on this guy would be appreciated.....[/quote]

I thought the the guy vacuuming the playa was some funny ass shit. I got my fair share of being "playaized" by him and I loved it. It's all about having a sense of humor. Do you really think you are going to come out to the desert and not get a ton of playa in you're vehicle. Even if you don't open you car once, you would never no it when you do get back into it. I thought what he was doing out in the lanes of the gate was fucking hilarious. Almost everyone I saw getting pelted by the vacuum propelled playa were having a grand time, laughing there ass off in most cases. It was also probably a moral boost for the volunteers working out there. Besides was it really any worse than the naturally made white out. It was all in go,od fun. If you can't handle fun, you went to the wrong place.

[misfit]

>>>>Almost everyone I saw getting pelted by the vacuum propelled playa were having a grand time, laughing there ass off in most cases.<<<<

your soo fuck'n rite, how could i be such a dick. problem is the young girl that showed up at my station with sand grinding her eyes from a gate worker spraying playa into her car. but like you said almost everyone, and in most cases, people enjoyed it.

[Dork]

I would have been seriously pissed off if that had happened to me. Why don't they rip my shoes and socks off and put a belt sander to my feet as well? My feet are going to get messed up before long anyway right?

[gyre]

If someone did that to me, they would have been detailing my car by the gate until they were done, however long it took.
I bet people coming through the gate would have found that hysterical too.

[douche douchington]

I think having you're car detailed at the gate would have been funny. From the looks of things he probably would have used the same vacuum. Also the thought of getting you're car detailed on the way into the event is pretty funny indeed.