In 1986, Harvey and a few friends went to San Francisco's Baker Beach and burned an 8-foot wooden man. Eleven years later, the symbolic event has grown into a giant spectacle in northern Nevada's Black Rock desert. Last year, over 10,000 people -- including hundreds of members of the media -- watched a 40-foot man burn in the desert. More are expected at this year's festival, planned from Sept. 1 through Sept. 7.
One of the more remarkable aspects of this paganish celebration is its close connection with the high-tech community around the San Francisco Bay. The festival's rise in popularity coincided with, and was aided by, the rise of the Net. Oddly, Harvey himself had never been online until last year.
Malcolm Maclachlan got together with Harvey back in March to talk about Burning Man, the media, and how his roots would naturally lead him to build a man of wood and invite others into the wilderness to celebrate it. He began by asking him about the media attention that Burning Man receives, and how it has changed.
Editor's note: Since conducting this interview last March, the reporter has accepted a volunteer position in media relations with Larry Harvey's Burning Man organization.
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The First Burning Man
The first man was not an effigy of his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, as one common rumor goes. Rather, it was merely a cleansing ritual to heal a sick heart.
The same goes for the festival that grew up around that act. The festival has been called everything from Satan worship to a hippie love-fest. "We’ve been paying hippie dues for years," Harvey says.
Founder, Burning Man festival
San Francisco, Calif.
Son, Tristan, 16
50
Larry Harvey burned the first Burning Man in 1986. He’s been trying to set the record straight on his motives ever since.