Cross-posted from Tribe.net
from Kalamitee
Mon, February 6, 2006 - 5:19 PM

Entertaining yes.....

Pure truth....well, no, not in my eyes.

There was a lot of pure opinion coming from Media Man who was obviously going into our city with preconceived ideas.

"Money can buy you ice, coffee and drugs."

You're right. I was slightly insulted by Media Man's overtly-conscious ideas of how to "fit in". He didn't understand at ALL that to fit in, he just had to be himself and go with the flow. A mohawk and a tie wrapped around your head don't make you cool without the attitude behind the choice!

However, I did enjoy the moment he gave Larry Harvey his pants. And then was equally pissed that he seemed to be a little condescending towards Larry.

This is the perfect example of how the media takes our sacred space and turns it into something that they can balk at, creating an even bigger wall built between us and them. It seems to invite more yahoos to "come on down and stay wasted for days". (did anyone count how many times Media Man said "wasted"?)

Egging the man??? He didn't even get the idea that someone was going to have to clean up his eggshells.....did he not listen to the greeters pleas to "pack it in, pack it out"..."leave no trace"?

Bottom line: he didn't get it.

Maybe if he had left the camera at home and experienced it real time without the need to report or judge, he may have had a chance......???

I'm tired of defending the one place I feel most at home....I'm even more tired of hearing "isn't that where naked hippies run around doing a bunch of drugs"....and disgusted by any publication/television outlet that supports that opinion....on any level!

Whew!

Thanks for letting me share my $0.02.

As posted on Eplaya
from Bay Bridge Sue
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:47 am

I finally got to see part of it this morning...

It reminded me like the book "the man burns tonight". Why, you ask? Because it was a good chronicle of ONE person's experience at ONE burn.

What wasn't put forth was that Charlie's experience was soley his own, that to everyone BRC is (and should be) a different experience.

Some of the stuff was definite frat-boy stuff - maybe that's what he expected out of BRC, so that was what he got. If so, cool. I sure hope that others saw it and got their own impression of it, rather than accept the one person's canned (and staged) view of what he experienced.

Do in that light, it was pretty good. I liked the scenery, and seeing the faces of people I knew... Amazing, that in a city of 35,000, you recognize faces... Voices... smiles... moustaches...

And, speaking of... Loved watching the Kernul out there. Just way TOO kewl. (This message brought to you by the Peoples Ministry of Toady Affairs. >giggles<)

Finally, it *was* Charlie that I met out there... and I really don't think he "got it" (at least like like most people I know out there do). Then again... maybe because of his job, je's too jaded. I can see that - that line of work does it to you... and in that vein, I feel kinda bad for him. Maybe if he went not as an assignment but a participant... he might walk away with a different perspective. Who knows...

As posted on Eplaya
from bedyewoo
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:12 am

I too had mixeed views on the whole program. As i watched I thought it wa great, but made the comment that it could be the worst peice in the world and I'd love it because of the images. the second time I watched I actually concentrated on charlie and his experiences.

I had a few problems with it. I thought he could have done more background. Were i to never have been I would think that the Temple was a Faux budist temple every year. I thought at the very least he could have gone into the theme and how the theme itself shapes in its own way our event each year. This piece also would have cemented in my mind all the "crap" that most believe to be true out on the playa; that drugs are what you do out there and everyone does them and act like a bunch of weirdo's.

For selfish reasons I did not like the filming of the virgin bell ring, I did not know about it my first year and i have never told anyone about it that had not attended. For me the suprise of being welcomed home and alerting everyone on the playa that I arrived was...............magical and not something i would want any newcomer to have advance notice of but it a rather petty thing on my end.

I was suprised/proud of the host willingness to try to shed normal social contraints even if mostly he was tounge and cheek about it. The shaved head and fire breathing, the gold face and the eggs it was great. I thought he was a character but the entire time I had to wonder if it all was over his head and his "comedy" was more that of uncomfortablenes that true humor. I did not like the intro or outro specifically his postulation that it was all just a lame party but he is entitled to that opinion.

I was happy with it for the most part, but it did do one thing for me that i'm thankfull. For an hour last night I was right back on the playa with all my friends and all those whom i'd like to meet.

As posted on Eplaya
from Bob A
Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:30 pm

I didn't think it was bad, but I don't think the guy actually got it. He started to act a few times like he got it then just went back to its a big party. I thought he brought drugs up a few to many times, I for one was happy without them and knew many others who didn't get trashed.

He also made things up to make a cute story. When he went to throw eggs at the man and pretended the rangers wouldn't let him. It was easy to see it was Sat. and they were putting the fireworks into the man. No one was allowed near the man once the fire team started. But saying the rangers were meanies and that even here there are limits, fit better with his vision, what ever that was.

I couldn't really tell where he was coming from, he didn't bad mouth the event really, but wouldn't commit to it being much more than a big party either.

But still it was nice to see footage from a year I was there, and all and all no worse than other treatments I've seen.

As posted on Eplaya
from Das Bus
Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:21 pm

Hey Doc!

The did do a quick pan of your sign and some barbies! (I yelled "Hi Doc" at the tv - Did you hear me?)

I agree with your opinion of the show. I didn't think it was possible to make Burning Man look boring! It seemed to me that most of filming was of Charlie. But it's his show, so he can do what he wants.

One thing I'd like to know is what DPW worker had to pick up his MOOP after the egg was smashed on his head?

As posted on Eplaya
from Dr. Pyro
Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:08 pm

I watched it several hours ago, and for what I missed, I TiVo'ed it to see again. But from my perspective, they mostly centered on the weirdos and malcontents, and that includes the narrator. Maybe I'm a big baby because they never came by Barbie Death Camp & Wine Bistro, and any of the other really cool smaller camps off of the Esplanade. Hell, I could have gotten all of this off of Current or any old KRON newsreel.

I watcht the segment on Discovery Times on Burning Man '05. For the most part I did find it to be fair. However, I did notice they focused on drugs too much and not enought about with maked Burning Man Burning Man.

Yes there is drugs at Burning Man. but I felt that Discovery Times made a point to say it was all about drugs at BM. As we know it is not nessary true. I most of the people they interviewed where high.

I also feel that Discovery Times should of talked more about Katrina. The good people of BRC opened thier hearts and gave money just by work of mouth. Also Discovery Times did mention Katrina... It was more liked no one knew about it and we just partied on. NOT TRUE.

Discovery Times should of shown BM 05 map not BM 04. You know... the planets.

I also feel that Discovery Times should show less of the reported tring to act like a burner and more of BM!!! The shold showed more art and camps.

As posted on E-playa
from: chromatest
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 4:34 pm

...this guy goes to Burningman with some cameras. He does some stuff. He talks to some people. He breathes some fire and looks at some naked people. He parties and does his job. Oh, and he interviews Larry Harvey who talks about the non-commercial aspects of the event... and then they cut for a 4 minute commercial break.

That's a great new ab-flex machine they got there... Hopefully everybody will buy one so next year, we can all walk around and show off our hot abs.

As posted on Eplaya
from Mister Jellyfish Mister
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 5:58 pm

Charlie was OK in some regards. I just felt like he was constantly reaching or striving and never hit the wall as we do in that transformational way. After all, we all left with something special, but all he got was something in a flat silver can.

A great firespinner put it well for me last night, "When you are having the worst time, that's when you must press on becuase you are about to have the best night of your burn when you feel connected to 40,000 people as they well up through you and your performance."

Lastly, MiniMan is now available for children's birthday parties. Charlie can handle his bookings on the Discovery Kids website.

______________________________________

It started off good enough, it even started off kind of funny and seemed like he kind of got it, UNTIL about the 50th time he mentioned drugs!! WTF??? At some point you could even swear he was high!!

He went to an art festival where he only mentioned art about 5 times and then about 50 or more times mentions drugs and orgies!

You could've made a drinking game out of this it was so ridiculous

Hey Ted-War how many times did it take for him to get the fire breathing right? The terror in his eyes was priceless!!! AND we kow it took a few times because when they showed his one good shot they didn't edit the part where you said, "that one was much better"

Hilights though, him trying to interview people and shouting he was mainstream media!

The guy with the motorized porch swing setting it in reverse and jumping off leaving the interviewer in it not knowing what to do!

Larry Harvey avoiding his question about Media and Larry Harvey putting the guys pants on!!

I hate to say it though, The Malcolm in the Middle episode was a more accurate portrayal then what this guy did!!

That is my opinion, what about yours???

As posted on Eplaya
from lurker
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:48 am

Yeah, that infomercial was annoying.

That brief pan of the Death Camp made me hope that they might've given it a bit of time...but no.

I was a bit perplexed at the repeated references to 'white', and 'blonde'

The 'faux' buddhist temple?

Meditating at the temple but they've never been to Asia? Is going to Asia a prerequisite for being a Buddhist? Or for meditating?

A lot of references to a type of rebellion that he seemed to see as juvenile

The notion that the whole thing means nothing(which seemed to put him into the category he created of people who want to be told what it is--a category he spoke about with no small didain)

It was a shame because at first, I thought he got it. I even expected him to. But it wasn't long before it became evident that he couldn't get it. He expected it to be something that it wasn't and thereby, in his disappointment, assigned to it a lesser place.

Sad to see someone walk in eager and walk out a yahoo.

Still it was nice to see the scenery.

As posted on Eplaya
from Kinetic IV
Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:30 pm

I watched.

I have mixed reactions. I worry that this event, this event that I love will be overrun by yahoos and fratboys who won't care one damn bit about what it takes to bring something like this together. Will this video inspire some to make the trip to Black Rock City? I say yes. And that worries me.

But I also see hope. I also saw things in there that after 4 years of attending enlightened me. I saw the same fear I expressed above shown on screen by others. I disagree with the 10% creativity, 90% spectator comment because many of us in our own ways bring something special to this wonderful place...that is much more than some fucking camping trip.

Being critical, parts were staged, bravo to whomever it was that egged him back, yet bravo for the gold paint and the hair cut and discarding the trappings of Camp Reality. Bravo for recognizing the plight of New Orleans post Katrina.

In short, I wish there had been more art, more night shots, it offered a teaser of what is really out there. Will I show others or point them to this when they seek to understand my obsession? Absolutely.

In short, well done Charlie. But last and certainly not the least, the Kernul got the point across. And out of all the images I saw on screen between the Angels of the Apocalypse and his visage that's what stands out the most. Kernul, thank you for not shunning him and telling him how it is.