Nearly three decades after the inaugural Burning Man festival, the massive gathering in the desert is still tricky to explain. The event, which runs this year from Aug. 30-Sep. 7, now attracts politicians and pop stars—but what exactly is it and how did it start?
In 2000, TIME’s Joel Stein went straight to the source for an answer, interviewing Larry Harvey, the man who lit the spark:
Harvey, a San Francisco bohemian, started the tradition 14 years ago as a punk-pagan celebration on a San Francisco beach and moved it to a lifeless desert northeast of Reno in 1990 when the S.F. beach patrol kicked him off. Since then, he has nurtured his festival into a lengthy ritual that this Labor Day attracted 30,000 campers to its mix of art, raves, nudity and spirituality. In the process, much has changed. Harvey has driven out some of his original anarchy-loving partners, instituted streets and rules (no guns), and now controls much of the art through $250,000 in grants. He is the director of a limited-liability corporation that oversees the festival’s $4 million annual budget. He is the mayor of the wildest city the West has ever seen.
Larry Harvey may be the first truly pragmatic utopian. “The problem with utopias is that they are based on some theory of human nature,” he says, as he is joined on his couch by a topless woman, a punk called Chicken John and a transvestite glam rock star named Adrian Roberts. “Static utopias based on a priori notions are doomed to failure.” Surprisingly, utopias where you have to bring your own toilet paper work just fine.
As for the effigy after which the festival is named, which seems to get bigger every year? The size isn’t really the point. “That first man was just 8 ft. tall, and it was enough,” Harvey told TIME. “Something bigger than they are–that’s all people need. It’s at least enough to inspire a leap of faith.”
Great Music Festival Photography Through the Decades
American jazz vocalists Sarah Vaughan (1924 - 1990) (left) and Joe Williams (1918 - 1999) perform with the Count Basie Orchestra at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I., July 7, 1957. Bob Parent—Getty ImagesA young fan winks at the camera at the American Jazz Festival (later renamed the Newport Jazz Festival) in July 1958 in Newport, R.I.Michael Ochs Archive—Getty ImagesFolk singers Joan Baez and Bob Dylan perform at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, R.I. in 1963. AP PhotoGerman model and singer Nico (1939 - 1988), of the Velvet Underground, and British musician Brian Jones (1942 - 1969), of the Rolling Stones, sit in the audience at the Monterey International Pop Festival in Monterey, Calif., in 1967.Fotos International—Getty ImagesJimi Hendrix performing with The Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Monterey Pop Festival, in Monterey, Calif., on June 18, 1967.Bruce Fleming—AP PhotoFans traveling to the Monterey Pop Festival, 1967.GAB Archive—Redferns/Getty ImagesSinger Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who on stage at the Woodstock Festival in White Lake, N.Y., Aug. 16, 1969. Archive Photos—Getty ImagesView of the massive crowds at the Woodstock music festival in 1969Hulton Archive—Getty ImagesOn foot, in cars, atop cars, young people leave the the Woodstock Music Festival. Bettmann—CoribsMick Jagger sings at the Altamont Rock Festival at Livermore, Calif. on Dec. 6, 1969 while Hells Angels the cross stage during a melee.AP PhotoHells Angels, acting as security and sometimes hoodlums at the Altamont Speedway on Dec. 6, 1969, in Livermore, Calif. Robert Altman—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesSome of the 300,000 celebrants enjoy the early part of the day at the Altamont Speedway on Dec. 6, 1969, in Livermore, Calif. Robert Altman—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesSummer Jam at Watkins Glen, N.Y. with The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band performing. 600,000 rock buffs streamed in for a one-day concert inside a race track in 1973.Richard Corkery—NY Daily News via Getty ImagesThe Allman Brothers Band play for a multitude at the rock festival outside Watkins Glen, N.Y., July 29, 1973.AP PhotoSummer Jam at Watkins Glen, N.Y. in 1973.Richard Corkery—NY Daily News via Getty ImagesRun DMC performs for a sold out crowd at the Live Aid concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia on July 13, 1985. Frank Micelotta—ImageDirect/Getty ImagesCrowd shot during Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in London, July 13, 1985. Phil Dent—Redferns/Getty ImagesThe Prince and Princess of Wales with Bob Geldof at the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London, July 13, 1985. Popperfoto—Getty Images
