<<We celebrate his victory>>

Step 1: Start fire
Step 2: Get caught
Step 3: Declare victory

Brilliant plan. Which one came up with that, Cheech or Chong?

Found it:

"A bunch of the students at the prep school had been leaving garbage on Paul's motorcycle (he lived next door to the school). He found them leaning on it one day and told them if they didn't knock it off, he'd "Call in the Pac 10 on their asses." A restraining order was issued, but later rescinded by the judge when he heard the whole story."

bm.tribe.net/thread/25d0...66e5bc96e0cc

>>So... just take everything you read in the papers with a grain of salt.<<

Actually I confirm before I believe anything in the papers or network/cable news anymore.

<<Is everyone *really* determined to fall on "either" side of the totally absurd stupid-fence?>>

That there even is a "fence" is the appalling part. This whole "debate" went off the rails when it mutated from being about the success or failure of what Addis did (interesting and useful) into a generic online shitstorm between long entrenched enemies with agendas. which is about as edifying as watching flies fuck.

If Addis is a "clown" (agreed), then he needs to be judged as such by his red-nosed fellows. The "justice" "system" will have its will of him, whatever we say or don't say.

Btw, Bill Hicks and Andy Kaufman were clowns and great ones.

<<The all-too-real-life of his personal nightmare of mental instability is nothing more than a throwaway chuckle for the rest of us>>

If he *is* mentally unstable then, for one freakish moment, his crazy ass upstaged a lunar eclipse and shocked the world outside. It's the character of his achievement that's the real issue and pro/anti ideology doesn't even begin to address it.

>>Mistaken Addis-boosting issuists: breakin' my heart. Laugh this dumb crap off, already. Remember what you liked about the early burn? You're killing it. <<

Spot "fucking " on. Thank you.

"Look: this here Addis feller is a *clown*. That's it. He ain't Karl Marx, he ain't Albert Camus, he ain't Bill Hicks nor Andy Kauffman. Addis is a pro-wrestler. Addis is Tammy Faye Baker, Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse."

I agree, but would amend:
clown, absolutely - nobody whos seen that mugshot could possibly disagree. a more perfect expression of pure demented childlike glee -in evil wrestler-klown-darthmaul makeup even- has never been caught on film-

and thats unlike Tammy Faye. she was the straight man. she was serious about her makeup.

Paul Addis is the Borat of Burning Man, an intentional shit-disturber. Klowns like him bring out the bigotry so we can all laugh at it.
(maybe laugh it out of existence, or at least into retreat..)

Sascha Baron Cohen, Andy Kaufman, Bill Hicks, Hunter S Thompson, all klowns. Addis is not of their reknown (nor has he claimed to be), but he is of their breed.. (does nobody else here remember Kaufman's disastrous -but hilarious- bout as pro-wrestler? or Thompson's many arrests, getting stomped by the Hell's Angels? The Borat-related lawsuits? The boundary between life and art/message/thegoof blurs with this crew - and that was the point of Zone Trip #4)

Larry Harvey, now... He *is* Tammy Faye Baker, Paris Hilton - famous for being famous (and an increasingly dubious claim that he started Burning Man), he believes his own bullshit, takes himself -and encourages others to do so- *way* too seriously.

Burning Man doesn't need any more Karl Marxs, but its in desperate need of more Borats.

>>Mistaken Addis-boosting issuists: breakin' my heart. Laugh this dumb crap off, already. Remember what you liked about the early burn? You're killing it. <<

aye, we should def laugh off - and *keep* laughing off - the thugs and their dumb crap. and laugh at ourselves too, at all the klowns and fuckos.

thats why this tribe.

come on, Mayor of BRC? We all know Larry and Marian would never allow a real mayoral election (although the god of absurdity knows some kind of democratic counterweight to the Bmorg would be a HUGE improvement - way more fun- can you imagine the elections? just might save Burning Man's soul, if anything still can) ... and we all know that even if ever there was a mayoral election, Paul would not win - probably wouldn't even run, on principle. I certainly didn't consult him before -or even after- starting this tribe. No need, as its obviously not really about him, I just shamelessly stole his name - to which I'm sure he tips his hat..

A vote for PA for Mayor is like a vote for Emperor Norton for Emperor.. redundant, but fun.
an excuse to tweak the powermongers.

what *is* shitty (call it unfair, if you believe in fair-y tales) is Bmorg's massive, humor-challenged over-reaction to the early burn, and we should continue to take any and every opportunity to keep poking them -as Paul has done for ten years- until they rediscover their sense of humor, or at least admit they don't have one.. (or until it becomes obvious to everyone whos ever been to Burning Man that they don't have one..the Emperor's New Clothes treatment) .. and that in losing touch with their sense of absurdist humor they have lost touch with that which created and earned the Burning Man legend.

But don't take my word for it..
All the other founders of Burning Man feel the same way.
But don't take their word for it either.
Don't take anybody's word for it. That is the 'true spirit' of Burning Man.

"Addis doesn't determine the meaning of the early burn: you do. Translate this essential truth to your daily life and note that meaning is a contrivance at all times: meaning is a tool for you to assign and employ as you see fit."

exactly. season to taste.

don't forget to laugh.. if its not fun, it won't work.

Loki- I for some reason just joined this tribe- YOU are so true. Clown/ Trickster/ Chaos ...
indeed.