Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Shadow Of The Man

In the mid to late 90's Yoms happened to see a piece of a strange video late at night of people in costumes on some odd bus in the desert before going to bed. It so transfixed him he had to wake up and watch all the way through the credits until he found what he was looking for. What is this Burning Man thing?

Yoms was working for the BBC and convinced them to send him to the playa for a fact finding reporting trip. This would begin his decades long love affair with Black Rock City. Yoms was a fixture volunteering at Media Mecca for many years.

In later years he decided to bring the lessons of the playa out into the default world. Yoms started a group called "We Are From Dust" to showcase Black Rock artists out in the wider world. They have created installations of burner art in various places. Their most ambitious attempt was renting of an island to showcase burner art during the Venice Binnale.

In more recent years Yoms has been working on some film projects including Breathe, Clockwork Watch, and his new project Age Of Quorum. This last project he is working on right now and he can use your help to complete it. Please help by contributing to the fundraising effort to help complete this film by going to https://gofund.me/ed6403ef and thank you for contributing!

This February we are celebrating black voices from the playa and our first guest is none other than Chef Juke (aka Patrice Mackey). Chef grew up on the east coast before moving west to the Bay Area and later Oregon. He has trained in the culinary arts and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the oldies (music), you can see where his playa name comes from. His playa experience goes back to the mid 90's. Currently he is in leadership of the DMV on the playa and is a staff member doing IT stuff. This is a great episode, Chef gets so animated talking about his "3 pillars" theory (what Burning Man is all about to him) he knocks his headphones off accidentally. This is a great episode please give it a listen and if you can please give the show a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this show. And please tell a friend, thank you.

Meet the September episode guest Tiya Coleman. She is a long time burner, Las Vegas Regional Contact, and member of the Metaregional Committee. Learn about her background, Burning Man experience, the change she has experienced, as well as a discussion about how BRC has changed over the last 13 years and diversity and Radical inclusion on the playa.

Today we are speaking with our first ever guest, the one and only George Paap. He is the first Regional Contact, he started the first Regional group, he started what is now the longest running Regional Burn, Flipside in Texas.

George tells us his story of growing up, meeting Burning Man, having it change him, and what it all has meant to him. Please give it a listen and enjoy.

This episode is all about your host, THAT Andi. You are taken from his beginnings in suburban New Jersey to Manhattan, Vermont, San Francisco, and then wind up in Hawaii. You will learn all about how he first went to Burning Man in 1996, started the Hawaii Regional group (Ka Pilina), started the Regional Information Center, started CORE, retired, and has been getting dragged back into the orbit of the playa. And all of this leads to his understanding of what he calls "The Connection", a lesson taught by the playa. All of this leads us to this podcast, what it is all about and why he is doing it.

What is life like after Burning Man? For that matter, what is Burning Man? If you have chosen to listen to this I am assuming you have a basic understanding of the event and movement.

This podcast explores the changes over time brought about by exposure to Burning Man to people, places, and things.

To start off these conversations it is important to ground ourselves. I want to set the stage so we are all on the same page contextually.

Burning Man is an event world renowned for its art, music, community, and slightly less publicly well known for it’s transformational nature. Almost everyone who attends reports not just an amazing experience but also a life changing event.

While most people are familiar with the party less attention has been paid to the effect Burning Man has had on individuals, communities, and in some ways the world. This transformative effect and the changes it causes are what this series will explore in all of its facets. Over time we will delve the depths of life after Burning Man and follow it wherever it takes us.

Topics discussed:

So who are we talking about?

How big is this phenomenon?

The event as inspiration 

Evolution of the Man

Old versus New

The other 51 weeks of the year

Why you are here

This podcast is all about exploring how Burning Man has changed people, places, and things. Everyone who participates has their own unique experience and take away. Yet the one bedrock commonality is everyone says Burning Man has changed their life.

In a series of interviews with notable burners you will be exposed to stories that can shed light on this transformational experience. You will learn the backstories and historical details that are not commonly known. I aim to put the human back into the legend and provide a platform for the many unsung heroes to tell their own tale as they see fit.

No two stories are the same yet they all contain the same magic. In the end everyone who has some experience with Burning Man is affected by it’s touch, this is their “Shadow of the Man”.

I hope you listen, enjoy, and subscribe,

Thank you,

Andi

Welcome to Episode 12 with Amy Bunker. After spending a couple of years being very Burning Man adjacent while living and studying in Northern California she finally made it out to BRC in 2001. Amy has worked and volunteered in many departments over the years. Her longest stint was as Regional Contact for New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine in the early 2000’s. She has been to many Regional events from Hawaii to Europe and has worked with some of them particularly Love burn in Miami. Amy is filled with great stories and inspirational anecdotes about how Burning Man has impacted her life and those close to her.

Welcome to the first show of 2025 featuring Beth From the show Accuracy Third (https://accuracythird.com/). They are a podcast about Burning Man, or "an oral history of Black Rock City", and they first started their show about 9 years ago. It's a great show and I encourage you to check it out.

Learn about Beth and her journey to Black Rock City and how she volunteered, got involved, and met her co-hosts. Our conversation is wide ranging and shines a light on some little known facts about year-round operations and staff.

If you like the show please tell a friend (or share it by texting the link to 3 friends). And please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and Spotify, thank you and enjoy the show.

in 2025 Playa Pete will mark his 30th consecutive trip to BRC (minus 2020 and 2021, but he did go to the renegade burns). Over the years he has been one of the main screen printing suppliers to BMP and more recently he has held the position of First Cabin Boy on the Monaco.

Pete spins quite a few amazing tales, follow his story from growing up in Vancouver, joining the Air Force, becoming a male model, and meeting Danger Ranger who wanted him to make some of the first Ranger t-shirts. Pete has more tales than can fit into one episode we will have to have him back again.

Explore the impact Burning Man has had on its Superintendent Tony "Coyote" Perez. Burning since 1996 he quickly joined the ranks and together Will Roger formed what we all know today as the Department of Public Works or DPW. He has written an excellent book about his experience called "Built To Burn" where you can read all about his experiences in his first few years on the playa back in the wild west days.

Give this episode a listen and if you like the show text three friends and help spread the word. Thank you.

Welcome to Episode 8 with Jennie Kay. Learn about her start in Michigan in a very religious community before she left for the wild west. She learned about Burning Man after she moved to Monterey, CA and first hit the playa in 2002. After a few years of being one of the main organizers of her theme camp (Cypress Lounge Bingo) she became a Regional Contact for Monterey and started a very popular free and public beach gathering. Jennie became involved in The Seattle Regional group after moving there and also joined the advisory board for Burners Without Borders which she is still on.

This was a very interesting conversation with one of my best friends. Even I learned new things about Jennie.

Our guest today is the one and only Action Girl (aka Andie Grace). She has come a long way from growing up in St Louis, then moving to SF where she got involved with the Cacophony Society before going out to Black Rock City in 1997.

Andie quickly got involved and volunteered with Media Mecca when it was first forming. Andie has worn many hats as a Burning Man Project staffer, besides working with Media Mecca she she took over the Jack Rabbit Speaks (the BM newsletter for those who don't know) from Maid Marion. Andie was also one of the original leaders of the Regional Network when it was first forming around the turn of the millennium.

Over the years Andie has left the Project to pursue her own career and then come back again. Currently she is a Burning Man staffer working with the Philosophical Center collecting oral histories. 

This is an episode that is not to be missed. Learn all about how Burning Man has shaped Andie's life in Episode 7 of Shadow of the Man.

Special note: The image used for the episode cover art is a photo taken by Eleanor Preger

Today's guest is Nati Goldman, he is one of the Israeli Regional Contacts and has been part of Midburn (the Israeli Regional burn) since its early days. Nati has a rich background and years of project management experience yet he is more interested in talking about philosophy. We also touch on the changes undergoing Midburn in this eventful last year, and what the future might hold.

Meet the Norwegian-born viking, artist, and veteran of the US military and DPW, the one and only Otto Von Danger. He was a Marine, builder of the Man, and drive by shooting range "Range Master", this is not an episode to be missed.

Sorry it's a little late, but this episode was meant to be a bonus episode for the end of September. 

Otto's opinions are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or the show.

Meet Adriana Roberts. She is one of the longest attending burners who first hit Black Rock City in 1993. In 1995 she started one of the very first “papers” on the playa called Piss Clear which she and friends ran for years (until 2007). After taking a little time off from Piss Clear she started a new playa publication called the BRC Weekly in 2010 which ran for a number of years before recently ending in 2023. In 2008 Adriana started her “Bootie Mashup” DJ crew which she has been doing ever since. Please enjoy Episode 21 with Adriana Roberts.

You can find the episode and all the links at shadowoftheman.com

https://bootiemashup.com/

http://www.pissclear.org/

https://brcweekly.com/

#burningman #blackrockcity #burningmanpodcast #adrianaroberts #bootiemashup #pissclear #brcweekly

Meet Megs (aka Meghan Rutigliano) who grew up in the East Coast and Midwest and first went to Burning Man in 2005 from Chicago. She helped the late, great Burning Man legend Tom Laporte record BMIR commercials. In 2007 she moved to San Francisco and applied for a job on a whim with the Burning Man Project as a receptionist. In 2008 she was hired, not as a receptionist but to help out with the Regional Network. She helped to lead the Regional Network for 11 years travelling around the world to many Regional groups. She retired from working at Burning Man in 2019 and in 2020 started working with a nonprofit called Global Eclipse. Then COVID hit and she moved back to Detroit. She now works with a nonprofit called Advancing Macomb (advancingmacomb.com), a nonprofit accelerator. Please enjoy Episode 20 with Megs.

Meet Athena Demos who started her Burning Man career in 1999 by immediately stripping naked and running off on a mobile viking ship that went off to go help raise the Man. She didn’t remember where her camp was so over the next few days the playa provided for her until she was able to find and return to her friend who brought her there. A few years later she helped organize the first LA Decompressions then became one of the first Regional Contacts for Los Angeles. She also helped to organize the LA League of Arts. In 2020 she helped create the first virtual reality Burning Man experience with the creation of BRCVR. When COVID cancelled BRC on the playa BRCVR helped burners globally connect and share. She has retired from being an active Regional Contact but she is very active in creating the next generation of Burning Man virtual reality experiences with a project you can find at burnersphere.com. They are planning on a June 2025 launch and if you visit the site you can sign up for the alpha version. Please enjoy Episode 19 with Athena Demos.

Meet Dan Miller, Larry Harvey’s roommate and the longest participating burner. Dan was part of everything from before the beginning. Dan and Larry lived together from 1981 - 2000, and only after they moved in did the realization occur that they had met earlier in 1978 at a raku (a kind of pottery that involves “burning” pottery in fires) multi-day campout at Pescadero beach. This campout would become the earliest inspiration for Larry Harvey which would eventually culminate in Black Rock City. Dan has participated in every incarnation of Burning Man. He has helped build the Man, it’s base, and pretty much done it all. These days (since 2018) he has a project called “The Brain of the Man” where he constructs out of leftover pieces from construction of the Man a brain that can fit into the Man’s head. He tours the brain around the playa and invites participants to write down thoughts which they insert into the brain. The brain gets burned with the Man each year. This is one of the best episodes so far, it is filled with amazing stories, some of which have not been told many times or at all. Enjoy EP 18 with Dan Miller.

Episode photo is by David Silverman

The Burning Man Journal article about the Man’s Brain:

https://journal.burningman.org/2022/08/black-rock-city/building-brc/participate/

Meet Inani Schroedinger one of the geniuses and instigators behind the Burning Man Philosophical Center on Facebook and on the playa. He first hit Black Rock City in 1998 and started off by volunteering with Pepe Ozan and did many things on the playa including helping to build the Man base. He has quite the interesting story and journey to Burning Man. He has a lot of stories to share, we only covered a fraction of them, he will have to come back on again for more. Be sure to stick around until the end for our very first musical number as sung by the guest.

Episode note: Inani is not a staff member of the Burning Man Project, and the Burning Man Philosophical Center is also the name of a Burning Man Project department that was started in 2015 (which precedes Inani's Facebook group).

Check out episode 16 with Xina Ocasio. She is a trans woman from Austin, Texas who first encountered the world of Burning Man by getting involved with Burning Flipside. After volunteering with this pioneering Texas Regional event she later made it to the playa, and in her first trip to Black Rock City she organized one of the first villages! She is an amazing woman with an incredible story. She is also part of a band you should check out called Sheverb. Enjoy!

Join us today for a conversation with the one and only Nurse (aka Jess Bobier). She has been burning since Andie Grace and her first hit the playa together in 1997. Nurse has been to BRC around 25 times and has been a fixture as a volunteer at Media Mecca for many years. She has a lot of interesting insights into the inner workings of the "Project" and a lot of great stories. And if you hadn't noticed she is a very good friends of Yoms (EP 14), that is who is in the episode art picture with her.

If you enjoy the show please share it with someone and help to spread the word. Also if you can, would you please give the show a rating and review on Apple podcasts and/or wherever you listen to this show, it helps to make the show visible.

Thank you and enjoy the show!

Episode 27 the Season Premiere is out now. Meet Michael Mikel (aka Danger Ranger) one of the earliest founding members of Burning Man. He first encountered the Cacophany Society in 1986 and got hooked. In 1988 he showed up at Baker beach at Larry Harvey’s beach burn. In 1990 when the park police shut down the Baker beach “Man burns” Michael helped to convince Larry to bring the Man to the Black Rock Desert for the Cacophany Society’s “Zone Trip”. Michael becomes “Danger Ranger” when he forms the first iteration of the Black Rock Rangers (which formed to aid participants who got lost in the desert). Over the years he is one of the driving forces behind the growth and evolution of Burning Man as one of the main founders. He is still a beloved if sometimes controversial figure in the burner community to this day. The shadow is very long on Michael and he describes the strong influence Burning Man has had on him over a considerable part of his life and why he is compelled to come back again and again.

Please visit shadowoftheman.com for all of the details and links.

Email shadowofthemanpodcast@gmail.com if you want to be a guest or if you have any concerns about the show.

Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, it REALLY helps the show to even appear in search results.

Episode 26 the Season One Recap is out now. The inaugural season of the Shadow of The Man show is now over, next week Season 2 will launch with the Season Premiere EP 27 with none other than Danger Ranger! Learn about what happened behind the scenes in Season 1 and get a sneak peek at Season 2

This episode recounts the wobbly but promising beginning of this show and all of the startup problems the show faced. Over time these issues were ironed out and the show started to get more regular and professional. The issue of equity in the show is discussed as one of the show’s guiding principles. The future of the show is discussed including a ramp up to even more regularly scheduled episodes. The Shadow Shorts project is introduced with details about how it will unfold on the playa in 2025 and eventually another stream of episodes. There is also a short discussion of a blind spot in developing the show, the fact that some people have come to think of the show as dark (usually just making an assumption off of the name). There is also some discussion of technical issues about the show and the ongoing attempt to improve the quality of the show. This show is a gift to the Burning Man community and there are no plans to monetize it. The show ends with a preview of episodes to come in season 2.

Please visit shadowoftheman.com for all of the details and links.

Email shadowofthemanpodcast@gmail.com if you want to be a guest or if you have any concerns about the show.

Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, it REALLY helps the show to even appear in search results.

Episode 25 with Caveat Magister is out now! Learn all about Burning Man’s philosopher laureate and his backstory. He first got involved in Regionals before moving to San Francisco where he first went to Black Rock City in 2006. From the beginning he volunteered with Media Mecca eventually becoming staff (which he did for 5 years, over time becoming their volunteer coordinator). In 2010-11 he started to write for the Burning Man Journal where he has written many articles over the years. After avoiding him for a few years Caveat first met Larry Harvey in 2013 and started a great friendship. In 2015 Larry brought together Caveat, Stuart Mangrum, and himself to found the Burning Man Philosophical Center. Since then Caveat has written a number of Burning Man Journal articles and written two books (The Scene That Became Cities and Turn Your Life Into Art) while also helping to ghost write a few other books. Caveat is a very knowledgeable and thoughtful writer whose books and articles about the world of Burning Man and beyond has been a touchstone for at least a generation or two (and perhaps more into the future). He is truly one of the gems of the community and a wonderful person, please give this episode a listen and learn all about Burning Man’s own Caveat Magister.

Please visit shadowoftheman.com for all of the details and links.

Books by Caveat:

The Scene That Became Cities: What Burning Man Philosophy Can Teach Us about Building Better Communities

Turn Your Life Into Art: Lessons in Psychomagic from the San Francisco Underground

https://fascinatingstranger.com/

https://journal.burningman.org/author/cmagister/

Caveat's Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/join/BenjaminWachs

Episode 24 with Katy Tahja is out now! Katy first went to Black Rock City in 2012 following her daughter who had been going for 10 years. She thought it would be a one and done trip especially as she uses crutches and it was difficult for her to get around. She found Mobility Camp and got hooked, she has since returned year after year helping to organize the camp. Katy also writes articles about BRC for the Anderson Valley Advertiser. Some of her articles over the years include stories about Mobility Camp, the oldest person on the playa, medical services at BRC, lost and found, Playa Pops orchestra, and more.

https://mobilitycamp.org/

https://theava.com/ (Anderson Valley Advertiser)

Episode 23 with Lisa Scheinkopf (AKA Sassy Cat) is out now!. She first went to Black Rock City from her home base in Arizona in 2011 where she caught the bug for burning. Later on she helped to run the themecamp “Cat World” and later another called “Ignited States”. She has been a part of the Arizona Burn (Seguaro Man, 4th weekend of April each year) since 2015. Lisa helped to organize “Ignite” in Phoenix in 2019 and became a Burning Man Regional Contact in 2020.

You can reach her at arizona@burningman.org

azburners.org

Meet Torria Lee (AKA Luscious Blue). She is a veteran black burner from Portland who’s first experience with the Burning Man world was SOAK in 2005. A year later she first hit the playa, camping at Snuggletown at Black Rock City in 2006. In later years she was part of a mutant vehicle group called the Pipes Of Passion as well as volunteering with the Post Office. I first met Luscious Blue in 2006 when she camped across the street from the last iteration of my first themecamp, the Cult Of Distraction. This is a great conversation about past playa and Regional adventures, as well as a discussion about the experience of being a black burner over many years.

Please visit shadowoftheman.com for all of the details and links.

#burningman #blackrockcity #burningmanpodcast #torrialee #lusciousblue #soak