Re: RAT Fwd: CALL FOR DIRECTORS, ACTORS, DRAMATURGS

[nick <nick@ratconference.com>]

At 09:28 PM 9/14/00 EDT, C.P. Hughes wrote:

>  I've done this sort 
>of thing back in Albuquerque, many times.  Its fun and a good stretch!
>

I was in Albuquerque for about 8-12 hours sometime in the mid '70's.  

I remember meeting Debbie and Phil late night Saturday at a titty bar.
Debbie had just finished her week's gig there.  We had planned a road trip
next morning in Phil's beat-to-shit Econoline van to some friends' place in
Santa Fe.

As we drove back to the house we were crashing at that night this truly
awesome rainstorm moved in.  Phil had to stop driving.  It was as if
buckets of water were being thrown on the van's windshield.  The deluge
couldn't have lasted more than ten minutes but the water in the street rose
as high as the van's bumper.  Just as quickly all the rainwater on the
street disappeared and we drove to the house.  

Amazing how storms and such stick to the memory.

After the Seattle Rat Conference Gaby and I drove our Reno rental car back
the scenic route down the pacific coastline into the Redwoods of northern
California then east.  Burning Man takes place on Labor Day weekend in the
Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada miles from anywhere.  

All the veterans say that 1995 was the Man's magic year.

I think it was Saturday afternoon when the storm approached.  A big black
angry thing full of lightning and thunder walking straight at the camp.  

At their usual home most of the people gathered here would have sought out
shelter.  But here at this Temporary Autonomous Zone known as Burning Man
it seemed as if all ten thousand fools stripped off their clothing and
walked out into the desert to greet the Weather Phenomenon and its bad ass
performance.  

Within ten minutes everything went from bright desert sun into total
darkness.  Ten minutes later the sun was back.

For ten minutes afterwards if you raised and waved your arms above your
head you could hear the static electric energy charges crackle.  Looking
back from the perimeter you could see all these naked people waving their
arms above their heads.  The camp itself was perfectly arched by a
brilliant double rainbow.  

Ten minutes is more than enough time for a phenomenal experience.  And 8-12
hours in Albuquerque can be a goodly stretch.

--nick