Brace Yourselves, Beheading Man is Coming.

9 11 2014

braceyourselves

Larry Harvey, the Unburnt, First of the Burners, King of the Black Rock, Master of RVs, Father of Dust Storms, has decreed, in conjunction with HBORG, that the 2015 theme will be Game of Thrones, and that the 2015 festival will henceforth be known as Beheading Man.

George R.R. Martin will be the honorary mayor of Black Rock City and promises an array of GoT art “you will spend the entire week falling in love with. The Beheading Man festival will end with a resplendent, celebratory wedding and then, The Man will be lovingly and carefully taken to Reno, where it will stand alive and untouched for all time.”

Said one excited burner, who would only give their name as The Red Viper, “This is amazing! My favorite festival and my favorite show combined!”

Said another, “Oh, god. We’re all really just a bunch of drugged out, oversexed, Dungeons & Dragons geeks in pseudo-spiritual clothing, aren’t we?”





BORG Caves, Issues More Tickets

25 04 2012

By Veruca Salt

San Francisco, CA – In a stunning reversal, the BORG decided to issue tickets to the multitudes left out in the cold as a result of the callous lottery system.  Taking a page from the playbook of the Federal Reserve, the BORG just printed up more tickets when they ran out. When asked about the change of heart, Marian Goodell responded by saying that “We heard all the bitching and moaning reasoned debate from the community and decided that we just couldn’t take it anymore owed something to the people who have supported the event over the years.”

There will be some restrictions with the newly minted tickets, however. “Because we can’t really stomach seeing you accept another 20,000 adults into the event, we can only issue the tickets with the stipulation that all recipients will reside in Kidsville for the week,” said Will Chase. “So we’ll be putting you in timeout expanding Kidsville and placing it in its own corner of the city.”

Burning Man founder (and shape-shifting vampire), Larry Harvey, will personally be gifting binkies blinkies to all the new ticket holders just to show that there’s no hard feelings.





BORG Lottery Conspiracy Just the Tip

17 04 2012

Image

Black Rock City, NV – Unless you’ve been living under a pile of MOOP all year you know by now that this year’s ticketing situation makes The Great Sellout of 2011 seem like the good ol’ days. At first we were like most, willing to buy the story of excess demand, poor judgment, and plain bad luck as the reasons for getting shafted this year.

However, the folks at another blog dedicated to all things Burning Man, and we shan’t name names, suggest that the BORG have engineered the whole thing. They have patched together a conspiracy theory that would make Oliver Stone blush.

What the disenfranchised don’t know is that the BORG’s plan to rob people of a trip to the playa this year is just the tip. As other misdeeds come to light, burners will feel like they got the whole nine inches.  Well-placed Shroom operatives have uncovered a trove of old cocktail napkins on which are written some of the BORG’s most pernicious plans.

Among the shocking revelations:

  • It was Maid Marian, not Yoko Ono, who broke up The Beatles.
  • Larry Harvey, who is a shape-shifting vampire, perpetrated the Inquisition as Torquemada.
  • Danger Ranger was the second gunman on the grassy knoll.
  • Andie Grace started the rumor that the works of William Shakespeare were really written by a woman.
  • Will Chase is a government plant, and registered republican, secretly keeping files on everyone.




Burning Man Expands Lottery

8 02 2012

by Shirley Jackson

The events of the past year, from the now infamous online ticketing system crash of 2011, to the Great Sell Out only months later, have precipitated wholesale changes to the way Burners acquire tickets to Burning Man. Gone are the days when people could comfortably drag their feet in procrastination until early August, hoping to score a tier one ticket. Also extinct is the never-ending vacillation between joining friends in the dust or ‘taking a year off’’ to do something else because one could purchase a ticket up until the last minute without fear.

Alas, the BORG’s lottery solution to ticketing has been an unmitigated success story. In fact, it’s been so well received by Burners the world over that it’s being expanded to include other areas of this year’s Burn. The lottery will be used for many attractions and services within the city including porta-potties, ice vending, the Center Camp Café, and entering the Temple as well as the city itself.

“If there’s one thing we learned from this process, it’s that randomly selecting winners is the most efficient method of operation possible in situations like these,” said Burning Man founder (and shape-shifting vampire) Larry Harvey.  “As with ticket sales, rewarding people with the opportunity to buy ice or leave letters in the temple in the order they showed up just didn’t seem fair in our eyes, so we’re eliminating the first come, first served (FCFS) system…for everything.”

Marian Goodell, the BORG’s Director of Bidness and Communication, has informed seven people about the new voucher system for getting through the gate. It’s up to all participants to find one of those seven people and ask them how it works. According to Space Man, who heard it from Disco Underpants, who heard it from some guy he met on the Magic Carpet art car, who knows because his playa girlfriend from last year, who is in Ashram Galactica, hooked up with someone who thinks they remember having an IM chat with Goodell about it, explains that 25,000 vouchers will be awarded through a lottery system. Each vehicle can purchase two at an additional cost of $49.95 each. Any vehicle without a voucher will be denied entry into the city whether or not they have tickets.

“Parties with surplus vouchers may use the STEP (Stop Taking Everything Personally) system to circulate them back to Burners in need of one to have their vehicle enter the city,” said Goodell. “We feel it will work just fine because when you’ve got a scarce commodity, hoarding and price gouging are the last things on anyone’s mind.”

“There are people who are obviously going to game the system and increase their chances to buy ice or take a dump while there’s still toilet paper available,” said Will Chase. “But we are going to also expand the STEP system to cover the additional lottery services. People can resell their leftover ice to lottery losers through Center Camp,” he explains. “In the end, we’re confident that everyone will get the ice they need.”

Stacey Pinkus, who relies on ice runs for her camp’s daily happy hour bar, The Eager Beaver, said the effects of the new changes on her camp are negligible. “I see this as a non-issue. Only two people in my camp of thirty got tickets this year, so we aren’t doing the bar anyway.”

Shirley Jackson is an expert lotterologist who has written extensively on the subject. The Shroom retains the right to have Ms. Jackson continue the expose on BRC’s Lottery Fiasco. 





Shroom Exclusive! 2012 Burning Man Theme: “Jumping the Shark”

13 10 2011

Artist's awesome rendering by Eric Stilan

The Shroom has learned through a reliable source* that the BORG will announce the 2012 Burning Man theme is ‘Jumping the Shark’.

Henry Winkler – whose beloved (and gay) son Halcyon is a longtime Burner – has agreed to attend his very first Burning Man in character as The Fonz and will be the very first grand marshall for the festival.

Ron Howard’s directorial schedule will prevent him from attending, but he will be sending his brother Clint in his stead. As of press time, it was unknown if Potsie, Ralph Malph and Chachi  would also be attending.

* One of our staffer’s sister’s ex-girlfriend’s frenemy’s dog’s acupuncturist, who also treats Larry Harvey’s werewolves.





Hunting Man!

21 09 2011

BLM to permit hunting of Burners to thin an overpopulated herd.

Said one eager hunter, “Be vewy vewy quiet. Weah hunting shuhtcwockuhs! Huuuuhuuu huuuuuhuuuuuuuh.”

Photo by Nightshade at TheBlight.net

GERLACH, NV—In a move applauded by the NRA, the BLM has issued permits to allow limited hunting and bagging of humans in the Black Rock Desert. “Given this year’s sell out, massive scalping and a population well over 50,000, we agreed that this was the best way to start limiting future attendance,” the BORG announced in a press release.

“Yeeeeeeehaaaawwwww,” stated an NRA spokesperson. “Shit is on!”

Big game hunters are allowed to stalk ‘game’ throughout Black Rock City and the Deep Playa. Burning Man, previously a temporary nature pre- serve of hippies, techies, swingers, druggies, and a few artists, now permits the lethal, but humane, ‘thinning’ of any part of the adult herd. Burners previously had no natural predators other than their own stupidity and Larry Harvey, who is a shape-shifting vampire.

“We’re allowing this for the good of the tribe,” said BLM spokesperson Ted Nugent. “Done correctly, this will eliminate the sick and the weak while scaring off the spectators and the yahoos, leaving behind only the strongest, most hardcore Burners.”

One advocate thought the permits didn’t go far enough. “Kill them all! Shoot every last ‘til they can never walk the face of the earth or light a match! Execute every last single one of them!” said The Man.

Another hunter was practicing a Burning Man call – “Bacon! Get your free bacon!” He said, “We want to get our hunt in this year – we heard next year Hunting Man will be too commercial.” Terms and conditions were amended to include ‘possibility of death, dismemberment, being shot with rifle or bow, stepping in a bear trap and/or hurting of mouth via fish hook.’

While glow-stick fishermen have long roamed the playa, and swingers have long searched and high and low for new meat, this is the first time that killing has been permitted. The BORG, initially resistant to the idea, passed the motion with the approval of their Google overlords. The hunting of DPW workers is banned, but it’s not as if anyone would want to eat their desiccated, alcohol-pickled meat anyway.

Pyramid Lake Native Americans Paiutes are, of course, banned from hunting on their historic tribal lands, but the BORG and BLM have graciously permitted them to sell Indian tacos to the hunters.

The Walt Disney Company was eager to begin filming an animated feature about an orphaned Burner child to be called Bacchus the Alcoholic Orphan Bear. Said one burner in favor of hunting named EZ, “What could be more radically self-reliant than having to run for your very survival?”

Don’t look now, but there’s a red laser dot on your forehead.

For permit applications, information on the point system, and helpful hunting tips, please contact the NRA or visit http://www.HuntingMan.com.





Advice Column – Ask a Honey Badger

14 09 2011

By a Honey Badger – The Most Fearless Creature in the Animal Kingdom.

Dear Honey Badger,

Lately I can’t help but hear the rumors that Larry Harvey, the founder of Burning Man, is a shape-shifting vampire. Are the rumors true? Am I in any mortal danger?

Signed,
FangHater

 

Dear FH:

 Awwww, look. Honey Badger knows Larry Harvey is an immortal vampire for sure. He even took a big bite out of us once, sucking our blood with his fangs. But Honey Badger don’t give a shit! Honey Badger just took a disco nap, got back up and took a big bite out of Larry’s cobra (THAT IS SO DISGUSTING! EW! LOOK AT THAT! HONEY BADGER’S EATING OLD MAN BALLS! SICK! BUT HONEY BADGER DON’T CARE. HONEY BADGER EATS EANYTHING!).

 So, no, you’re not in any mortal danger, but if Larry Harvey does suck your blood, you may want to get checked for Hep C and geriatric ball fungus. Better yet, don’t give a shit!

 

 

Dear Honey Badger,

I’m a first time Burner and a DJ. Should I be worried about playing in a dust storm?

Signed,
DJ Pauly D.

 

Dear Douchebag:

 While it’s important to keep your equipment safe – I recommend Ziplock bags, but honestly, HONEY BADGER DON’T CARE IF THERE’S A DUST STORM! DJ HONEY BADGER JUST CRAY-ZAY ANYWAY!

 

 

Dear Honey Badger,

My boyfriend wants to perform a sex move he heard about called the Playa Shocker. I’m not sure what it is, but Burning Man’s all about experimentation, right?

Signed,
PlayaTryerShockinglyDeep

 

Dear PTSD,

 Honey Badger’s an admitted nasty-ass nocturnal beast. And Honey Badger really doesn’t give a shit EXCEPT WHEN SHE DOES COMPLETELY GIVE A SHIT!  Because the Playa Shocker? That’s disgusting and really nasty-ass (Ed – It’s *really* disgusting and I’m gay.) It’s a variation on fingerbanging (ew – ed.) Where the two top fingers go in the deep playa and the pinkie goes in the trash fence. And for Honey Badger, things ONLY EXIT her Trash Fence; never enter!!!

 

 

Dear HoneyBadger,

It’s hard to get proper nutrition at Burning Man. Do you have any suggestions?

Signed,
Magellan

 

Dear Magellan,

 Aw, food is easy to find if you know where to look and you just don’t care. I love eating cobras but they’re hard to find. But you can find food anywhere if you just don’t give a fuck. Like RV-black water tanks – they’re full of larva. And if you dig under the Playa, there’s black widows, too (Ed. Ick.) And in most cuddle puddles you can find bedbugs. But you know where Honey Badger really finds the best meals – in the Honey Pots. There’s always something there. (Ewwww – GROSS! THAT’S DISGUSTING!)

 Honey Badger is a board-certified nutritionist and DJ that just don’t give a shit.

 





Uprising!

12 09 2011

Black Rock City, NV – The fallout following the Burning Man ticket sell out for the first time in the event’s 25 year history is now a full blown crisis. Burners, outraged by these developments, abandoned their tents, cuddle puddles, art cars and even a few RVs, to come together in solidarity at the base of the Man.

Multitudes are protesting a corrupt regime they feel is responsible for rampant ticket scalping and the emergence of extravagant tourist packages for the wealthy that wish to avoid self-reliance. Compounding the rage was the announcement from Larry Jong-Il in which he named Larry Il-Sung as his successor, torpedoing any talks of the community taking over the event. The dusty masses surrounded Center Camp and demanded resignations and reforms. The Black Rock Rangers stood close by, but refused to interfere. “We’re curious to see what happens,” said Ranger Sweet Tart. “Besides, we don’t have a health plan.”

One of the rebellion’s fringe agitators, Chicken John, has been running around without a head calling for the election of representatives to form a Congress (because that’s working so fucking well right now) that will decide who may attend. On the second day of protests, the BORG unleashed its cavalry of Robocops riding unicorns to quell the demonstrations. The Brotherhood of the DPW was able to thwart this heavy-handed tactic by using social media to mobilize camps out in the suburbs to join the fracas. When the BORG cut Internet service BMIR stepped up to broadcast protest times and places citywide.

A peace envoy from the BLM offered full amnesty to the protesters in exchange for putting down their glow sticks and swearing allegiance to Larry, but was told to go to Coachella. Angrily, he yelled, “This is madness!”

“THIS. IS. BURNING MAN!” bellowed Lupo, an enraged protester, before kicking him into a cuddle puddle. A phalanx of 300 Shirtcockers then bravely marched to Gerlach to head off a BLM horde of reinforcements en route from Reno.

During the fourth night of the demonstrations, Daft Punk finally showed up to play a set, temporarily becalming all parties by becoming the party. While performing their hit Around the World, Harvey was spirited out of the city and onto his private jet, ‘Burning Man One’, where he fled to StubHubistan with untold billions in embezzled Burning Man funds.

Dr. Dre returned triumphantly on Friday, restoring order to the Playa. Dre, who owns 51% of Burning Man LLC after discovering the ill-run festival while shooting the California Love video in the Black Rock Desert in 1995, was a popular choice with Burners who overwhelmingly favor a benevolent dictatorship. Said Dre: “Sorry I was delayed, I was trying to get this motherfucking label off. I’m so glad, with my pen and my pad, that nobody forgot about Dre.”





Top 10 Stories of 2010

28 12 2010

In what has been The Shroom’s only most successful year yet, we felt obliged to give you readers a year-end list of those stories which confused captivated you most.

10.   City of Irvine to LIB: We will not be your Gerlach!

Despite a movement to rename Orange County, Pornj County, Irvine Mayor Nick Bishop railed against LIB and its participants warning them not to expect Irvine to roll out the red carpet and be as accommodating as those hicks folks up in Nevada.

 

 

 

9.   World’s Largest Shrew Files World’s Largest Harassment Suit

One uptight woman is all it took to get spankings at the greeter’s station 86’d.

 

 

 

 

 

8.   Incestuous Camp Sex Actually Incest

The Shroom’s report of two siblings who unknowingly knock playa boots hits it hard.

 

 

 

 

7.   Editorial: You NEED Me on That Trash Fence!

Can you handle the truth about the trash fence?

 

 

 

 

6.   Growing Fundamentalist Movement Threatens Burning Man

Not even Black Rock City is immune to fundamentalist ideologies and terrorist activity anymore. This expose informs Burners of the radicals in their midst.

 

 

 

 

5.   Bacon Without Borders Suffers Camp Wide Heart Attack

This was the only surviving member of Bacon Without Borders.

Wait, you mean you can’t eat bacon for every meal? Who knew?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.   Editorial: Mercury Won’t Always Be in Retrograde, but You’ll Always Be Crazy

One burner waxes philosophic about his tryst with a woman who was ruled by neurosis the stars.

 

 

 

 

 

3.   Editorial: I Went to Bed With a Fuck Buddy and Woke Up With a Fucktard

Ms. Hot Tamale vents her frustrations with the pussification of Burning men.

 

 

 

 

2.   Larry Harvey Responds to WikiLeaks

Larry Harvey explains what he thinks of the secret documents uncovered by WikiLeaks to the peons people of Black Rock City.

 

 

 

 

1.   WikiLeaks Releases BORG Documents

The Burning Man Organization is caught with their pants down. And no, they were nowhere near Jiffy Lube.





Larry Harvey Responds to WikiLeaks

21 12 2010

Burning Man One

Last week’s release of internal memos and emails pertaining to the inner workings and plans of the Burning Man Organization sparked heated debate and outrage within the Burner community. Among the revelations were a secret partnership with Starbucks, which actually runs Center Camp Café, a plan for a Burning Religion and a conspiracy with NASA to keep Mercury permanently in retrograde.

There were many failed attempts to contact the BORG offices, and then several refusals to comment on the subject.  When we finally did reach Mr. Harvey for comment he was aboard his new Gulfstream G-VI, code-named ‘Burning Man One’, heading to a summit meeting for festival organizers held on a private island in the Indian Ocean. Unapologetic about the Starbucks sponsorship he said he’d do it again in a heartbeat. When asked if he had anything to say to the thousands of Burners who felt betrayed by the truth about Burning Man he flatly replied “Blow me.”