Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #253766 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

The GENUINE story of Black Rock City
Forget all the hype from those arty documentary films and the pretty picture books that feature naked titties a little too often; this is the real story of the Burning Man Festival. Piss Clear was never afraid to speak the truth, never cowed down to King Larry Harvey, and always wrote about what you wanted to learn: will I hook up on the playa? will I get busted? will my cats respect me when I get home? In its quest for legitimacy (and cash) The Burning Man Festival has towed the straight line for far too long. Piss Clear never saw that line, couldn't tow it if they could, and furthermore would have snorted it before breakfast!!! This book is entertaining enough to let you skip the whole messy event that takes place way out in the Nevada desert every August. Just stay home in comfort and laugh your butt off in your Lazy Boy.

Piss Clear is the REAL Burning Man!
Snarky, sexy, and always *spot on*, Piss Clear was the only thing at Burning Man worth reading - if you were in any state to read, that is! Nobody told the real behind-the-scenes stories like they did (the real cost of art on the playa? ahem), and no other publication - well, wait? Were there any other publications? The Black Rock Gazette doesn't count (that's like reading your church bulletin) and neither does the What/Where/When guide... so, I guess that means that Piss Clear can really be said to be the ONLY publication on the playa! Too bad they're kaput! Boo hooooooooo. But no crying yet, because this book has ALL the sex, drugs, and rock & roll (er, thumping techno beats) that 13 years of Piss Clear produced. Plus, more! Articles that never made it to the playa are included! Censored bars over naked girl parts are included! Adrian and the rest of the Piss Clear crew did a stellar job producing this year after year after year.

Long live Piss Clear!!

It's a peak behind the curtain and an echo from the past
Apparently I'm the only non-staff member who purchased this book so far, and that is a DAMN shame!

My first year at Burning Man was 2004 and I was handed a Piss Clear issue from a prior year by one of the Greeters. I read it while waiting in line and was instantly hooked. I found the issue to be way more useful as a Burning Man survival guide then anything doled out in the 'official' welcome pack. I was a virgin mind, who knew little of the history of the Piss Clear project, or Burning Man, or anything. Piss Clear oriented me with humor and style. (an aside - I instantly thought this Adrian person, whomever he (she? wtf?!) was, was a hottie!)

Since 2004, through attending, participating in the BM community at the playa and at home, I've become significantly more acquainted with the history of of the event - its watersheds, evolution and permutations. I can say with confidence that this book is quintessential Burning Man! It's a live, sometimes raunchy, always hilarious, chronicle of an event that defies simple categorization or description through some of it's earliest and most tumultuous years. Piss Clear serves as an invaluable snapshot of what Burning Man must've been like in each of it's incarnations between 1994 and 2007. But the real treat is that Piss Clear didn't tow the party line or tell you what the organizers wanted you to know. The newspaper went out of it's way to tell the (biased) truth about Burner Culture, what was happening on the ground, warts and all. You'd never get this info from the Burning Man Organization, and they probably wouldn't want you reading it!

The book itself is gorgeous, printed in black and white and looks just like it did when printed on the Playa. It's laid out in sequential order with an agreeable editors note by Adrian for each year. I do wish these snippets would've been fleshed out a little to provide more insight about the mores, general impressions, and hot button issues of that particular year on the playa, but what's provided is adequate and fun to read none the less.

When I got my copy I went out onto my apartment's oppressively hot and sunny deck, sprinkled a little playa dust all over myself and started reading. It was just like being back on the playa. That alone is worth the price!