Paul Addis, The Man Accused of Setting Fire to Burning Man
On Sunday our friends had a Labor Day Weekend BBQ at their home in San Francisco. They invited a special guest, Paul Addis, the man who has been accused of setting fire to Burning Man on Tuesday. The last time I saw Paul was at our Laughing Squid Paradise Lost event in July. Needless to say a lot has changed in his life since then. I shot a few photos of Paul, the first photos of him taken since his infamous mug shot.
I also offered Paul the chance to say something on video. Up until now, he has only spoken about the “incident” in print and on the radio. I did not ask any questions, I just turned the camera on and let Paul speak his mind. In the video, Paul talks about what he wants to do with the last 30 seconds of his 15 minutes of fame.
UPDATE: On Sunday, October 28th 2007 Paul Addis was arrested for allegedly planning to set fire to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.
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on Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 2:18 pm
WOW. Thanks for filming him and publishing it. That was a very impassioned and well spoken plea and I wasn’t expecting that.
on Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Speak the truth about the event!
on Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Amen. Start rattling the cages of your reps and senators regarding the VA system.
:Eric
on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
nice, the man willing to take lives because he’s miffed about how a party in the desert should be run now wants to convince people he actually gives a fuck about anyone besides himself? that’s like totally awesome.
on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Umh, HST is probably rolling over in his grave after that impression. Nice recovery … for a moron. Maybe next year, the theme for the event can be “Idiot Man”.
As I sit here sniffling and sneezing with the black rock funk and in reflection of the past week’s events, I hope that (Kitty) Genovese Syndrome is not contagious. Its disheartening to know that such seemingly enlightened people (burners) would simply sit back as someone torches the man or a friend hangs himself. Such as Boondock Saints calls it, this is the “indifference of good men”.
Its hard to find a path to peace though when the answers sought are bound to origins of destruction.
on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Looks like this fellow has been getting exactly what he wanted - attention - and much more of it than he can handle. He’s about to blow a fuse…..
on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
His action was unbelievably selfish (not to mention dangerous.) Along with help from a group of us, a friend of mine spent much time and money this summer to create what would have been a great part of this year’s man: he rigged up a heartbeat sensor at the perimeter of the man which transmitted its signal wirelessly to a neon heart in the man’s chest. People would have held the sensor and the heart would beat. This was ruined.
on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Have fun making friends in jail, tough guy.
on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
I find the impact of Paul’s last thirty seconds nothing short of tremendous. Risk is a of course part of that impact, real edge dwelling danger, and yet, this aspect of his action may well be the only means available for him of plugging into a deeper current of sentiment. I believe we each have exceptionally different roles to play and he has clearly fulfilled his, AND, he will now have to entertain the consequences.
If this short clip could go along with the rest of the media- it seems to me that the accusations of attention mongering and endangerment might find a good deal more perspective, while not being irrelevant, they may be seen as superficial criticisms. What community could possibly be more switched on and ready to carry forth the creative challenge ahead? What image could be/ is more memorable than the man being set on fire early, and in accord with an eclipse?
The war has escalated in a significant way since the surge, the number of civilian deaths are off the chart- what can be done and how? This is THE most pressing immediate challenge and it is as much a question of creativity as it is of ethics. I am sorry to those who have been endangered, but far more so to the Iraqi civilians who line the mass graves as we remain complacent with a lunatic policy.
on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
I find it utterley hypocritical of him to speak about the harm that war does to people when he lit a fire over the heads of innoccent bystanders.
By his own admission, the last time he went to Burning Man was in 98, but somehow he felt enlightened enough about Burning Man in 2007 to set fire to somebody elses work. Last I heard that was simply wrong.
Next time he feels like making a statement and burning something, he should set himself on fire.
on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
All Paul wants is attention as it “proves his point affective” and passively impowers him. People disagreeing with his POV only throws gas on the fire (in the mind of this kind of person)
…with that said, what a total sissy. All aboard the SS Paul Addis fail boat, learn to make a real fire. What a rockin Burn we had with him locked up.
on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
This guy is rridiculous. He comes to an event he hasn’t been a part of in ten years and proclaims to know what’s best for it and it’s community? He endangered innocent people’s lives and maintains that it was the right thing to do… isn’t that the same thing going on in Iraq that he is saying is wrong? Let’s forget this ignorant buffoon and hope he enjoys prison.
on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
First of all lets keep it simple.
He seems pretty wired in this video, so take it with a grain of salt.
Second, careful to be sure he is not building a sympathy defense by embedding war issues into his argument and justification for arson.
on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
The Actions of Paul Addis show nothing more than an attention seeking actor/”artist” who in the guise of a message took it upon himself to make a decision for 40,000 people to burn the man 4 days earlier than it was supposed to burn. Now I realize that the burning of the man is not the explicit point of us all being there, but we can all admit that it is a fairly central aspect to the festival. The video of him ranting about the war in Iraq is nothing more than a smoke screen to avoid actually discussing the accusations he is faced with. Was burning the man a protest against the war? I think not. ~”Hey lets make sure I look like a good guy with an operational moral compass and attempt to distract people form the topic at hand by making myself out to be some disenfranchised martyr that really only has the men and women in Iraq pressing on his mind 24/7.~” Give me a F-ing break. Heart felt!? I could talk more compassionately, and with more conviction about toilet paper than the facade he offered. The way I see it is that some out of work actor out of LA who apparently knows more about “what burning man is all about” decided to write his message in flames, endangering the people there to see the man and experience the burn. He also rendered a space useless which could have otherwise imparted upon its participants useful, and possibly revolutionary ideas and inspiration towards either adopting affective strategies to minimizing their footprint on the planet, or finding peace in the innovation of others who ingenuity could usher in real change and offer a less bleak outlook on the future. A self important megalomaniac lost in vision of grandeur over an act of arson, and got caught….wonder if he’ll still preach his message from and 8 by 8 cell.
on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Paul is abusing the concept of art . I supose he thinks what happened to La Contessa was appropriate. Listening to him speak about Art is like listening to Bush speak about peace. If he is found guilty, do you think he would refund my BM ticket, that was not the man I paid to see burn. Paul is a poster child for the destruction of honor in society. Support his behavior and we might as well bomb Iran. Forget the future?
on Friday, September 7th, 2007 at 1:42 am
I don’t condone the actions of whomever lit the match, be it Paul or whomever, because certainly, lives might have been lost. But last I checked we, as Americans, are innocent until proven guilty. Thus far, much of what I’ve heard through this forum are a bunch of whiny accusations, assumptions, and people who feel hurt or who didn’t get their money’s worth. Since when has Burning Man come to be about what one spent on their ticket? Or those who didn’t have their expectations met?
When Burning Man became a for-profit LLC, it sold its soul in many regards. Burning Man adopted a fiscal model that would produce revenue for the few (the shares of which fell into six people’s pocket). It welcomed in the media thus exposing an, up-until-then, word-of-mouth gathering, turning it into a popular holiday for people who wanted to escape their drab, everyday reality. It sold unlimited tickets to one-up the size and profits of the past year’s event. It adopted a political power structure that was elitist, exclusive, and undemocratic. All of these changes resulted in attracting the attention of different levels of authority who sought to profit from containing and arresting our free spirited nature while imposing an array of fees so we may enjoy ourselves on free and accessible public land.
When I was introduced to Burning Man in 1999, it was what many considered a Temporary Autonomous Zone: free from the restrictions imposed on us by a fear based society. It was about both expressing oneself and participating radically. It was about living on the edge and taking responsibility for oneself, even though you might be injured or die in the process. It was about creating a venue in which ideas may be exchanged. It was about provoking thought, presenting each other with new possibilities, and giving ourselves something to hope for, something better than a world filled with judgement, fear, hatred, ignorance, prejudice, intolerance, and an assortment of behavioral programming. It was about doing whatever one wished to do, as long as acting upon this wish doesn’t risk harm to others without their consent. And if you’re thinking you didn’t give consent, read the ticket. Once you pass through those dusty gates you, the attendee, voluntarily assume the risk of death and thus you’ve given consent to an array of potential misfortunes.
It was also about participation. If Burning Man didn’t live up to your expectations, that was tough. It’s no one person or group’s responsibility to make it a special occasion for you. Each individual and group needs to take it upon themselves to be open to spontaneity, seek out one’s own personal and collective experience, and be thrilled by unexpected moments of enlightenment. Personal transformation and spiritual epiphanies aren’t only scheduled at 9pm on the Saturday of the burn. In fact, if I may be so bold as to presume, I imagine that as the Man burst into flame early that Tuesday morning, thousands of people walked toward him, in awe, or watched from afar as electricity and conversation filled the air.
As for Paul, he’s a pretty unique character. Though I didn’t know him well, and I haven’t seen him in about five years, I’ve met him on several occasions and asked myself, is this guy hopped-up on crystal? Then I asked Paul the same question. And guess what… at the time he told me that he had never taken drugs. As unlikely as it seemed, I believed him. I believe he’s just one of those people who’s ideas are too big for his brain, so it pours out his mouth. And though much of what I’ve listened to was presented with a flare for eccentricity and at a mile-a-minute, sometimes with a loss of interest on my part, I think perhaps, just perhaps, he is brilliant. And perhaps this over abundance of intelligence is perceived as a threat to a society that no longer asks questions or considers other paradigms. Because, let’s be honest with ourselves, many of us assume we have the answer, or at least we believe the answers presented to us by the overabundance of media is correct.
By the same token, however, it wouldn’t surprise me if he were the incendiary culprit. But the flip side of that token could be that he’s taking the heat (no pun intended) for someone else, because he’s that kind of guy. Or perhaps he’s taking pleasure in becoming the focal point for this incident so that he can garner an audience to consider what many so-called subculture, counter-culture, and anti-establishmentarians have become… cliquish hipsters and freaks for a week. His views about what has, in many regards, simply become another event to dose, drink, gawk at boobs, spectate, and get laid is, in many ways, true.
At one time, Burning Man was a social phenomenon that enabled personal transformation through presenting oneself in the context of something so alien that it provided the opportunity to bust out of one’s own and/or societally-imposed conception of self. Burners lived in tents, converted school buses, and makeshift structures. Both lowbrow and complex art cars served the city as a de-facto public transportation system. Fire was everywhere, and almost everything burned. Burners didn’t only come together expecting to be entertained, many also left weary and broken, to rise from the ashes like the Phoenix, and bring their special qualities home with them to share and create new realities within the matrix. Burning Man was collectively what each participant brought to it. Not a set of pre-scheduled events and restrictive themes.
Though the physical environment is unmistakably profound, when I left Burning Man, in 2003, it wasn’t a stretch of the imagination to consider it something akin to Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street, Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale, or a DJ performance at Cochella. So, for those of you who cannot see beyond your own limited experience and expectations, consider the value of what Paul is giving to you: the opportunity to be thoughtful, ask questions, and perhaps consider other ways of being that don’t find their inspiration in or mirror the approached of the systems and institutions that have failed us once and again.
—
For those of you who wish to know who is speaking, my name is Craig Morse. I am a fine art and documentary photographer who was a participant of Burning Man from 1999 to 2003. Though I photographed avidly for all five years, I was the official documentary photographer for the DPW (Burning Man’s Department of Public Works) in 2001 and 2002. As I became closer to the inner circle and decision makers, my hopes for a potentially new societal paradigm dissolved as philosophical contradictions and politics-as-usual became apparent. It was then that I realized, whether we consider ourselves mainstream or underground, we’re all human beings, and as such, even those of us with the best of intentions are fallible.
One day, when the opportunity makes itself apparent, I will publish three distinctly themed photographic coffee table books. Until then, I invite you to enjoy what I have posted online, alongside my current visual documentary about post-Katrina New Orleans, at http://www.culturesubculture.com
on Friday, September 7th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Do you guys really listen to an idiot like this???? He needs medication! What a f$#%@ing MORON! Little Dick Syndrone is obviously one of his issues. This guy has no passion. He shows signs of paranoia. He is a time bomb who wil do something really stupid soon.
I hope he doesn’t hurt someone.
on Sunday, September 9th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Mike… are you listening to yourself?
on Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Weee! I tend to agree that bringing the Kid’s home from Iraq would be a good thing. Other than that… I feel that the desision to incinerate an art project , city, country or goverment. Should be left up to the folks that built it.
on Friday, September 21st, 2007 at 7:53 pm
When friends and I arrived at this year’s burn around 5AM on Monday night, the nice young lady at will-call told me that the man had already been burned- “No Shit- some guy ran up there during the lunar eclipse and torched him.†She seemed convincing and I saw no man so I more or less believed it. My friends, on the other hand, instantly recoiled and insisted that it must be a rumor. But regardless of the “truth,†I was delighted because we hadn’t even gotten in the gate and already were dealing with a dose of the very ambiguity that brings me to the middle of nowhere.
With the exception of shifting my orientation from center to periphery for a few days, the early burn didn’t really affect my experience out there at all. I’m sure the same could be said for many, thus leading to the conclusion that the act of vandalism was a dud- a fruitless affair. But when one considers the event in a mythic and historical perspective, one has to admit that Paul Addis- whether he is in fact the culprit or not- has fundamentally altered the identity of Burning Man.
I love to hear non-burner’s reactions when I tell them that someone set fire to the man early and that he was arrested for arson. They almost always reply with something like, “Arson… out there? Isn’t that why you guys go there?â€
The identity of the self is determined when it makes the distinction of other. And by prosecuting and banishing Paul Addis, the identity of Burning Man, as it currently exists, has manifest in contradistinction to Addis’s actions and his identity. The problem is that Paul Addis does represent what Burning Man was in 1997. He helped build the man then, and he even went so far as to put large balls on it. If one listens carefully to his rants with an unbiased ear, then a very interesting sense of irreverence, humor, ambiguity, courage, one-upmanship and even peaceful good-will emerges. That’s what Burning Man was at one point, and every act that the organization takes to distance themselves from Addis articulates the organization as “NOT THAT.â€
Since I was not there, I do not know to what extent the actions of the “Black Rock Intelligence Agency,†as Addis refers to the willful culprit, recklessly endangered the lives of others or not. Likewise, I make no claim to whether or not the actions of the “Black Rock Intelligence Agency†were right or wrong. But in the mythological reality of Burning Man, Addis plays the role of Hermes the trickster- that avatar of pranks and tomfoolery that forces what is hidden into the public space. And Jungian psychologists know that when it is the repressed shadow that is exposed, the trickster will always appear as a devil (insert Paul’s mug-shot here).
The scary thing is that Burning Man has really been a celebration of Hermes the trickster all along- a place where the repressed shadows of modern life can come to light in as healthy a manner as we can manage. Cultural historian and philosopher William Irwin Thompson has said that, “Only the complex dynamics of humor can send us from ideology into compassion.†If we lose our sense of humor and are left with no mechanism to dissolve the boundaries between light and dark into a balanced whole, then the remaining fragments of our selves and our culture will fall into rigid literalism that is destined to lead to contradiction and conflict.
So when I read the blog responses to Addis’s interviews and manifesto and see things like “Is this guy for real?†I get a bit concerned. The trickster is always a paradoxical figure- a king dressed in peasant’s clothing. Hero or villain, Paul Addis is a messenger of ambiguity and a mirror for the identity of the organization.
Is it possible that the organization was so upset because they were ‘attached’ to their dream of an ecological world’s fair below the man? Could they have felt beholden to the CEO’s of renewable energy companies who spent big bucks to come out to the middle of nowhere only to have their items inaccessible to view on the first night?
I don’t really know. But if so, then fuck them. The playa belongs to everyone and is participatory- it is beyond anyone’s control and is a place where ’shit happens.’ It is not a place for presentation, ideology, expectation or attachment- even if the values expounded are ‘globally conscious.’ I have no problem with CEO’s coming to Burning Man, there have always been CEO’s at Burning Man. But I certainly don’t owe anyone anything. And if the organization has made that Faustian bargain and sold their identity by making a ‘deal’ in which there was a certain expectation involved in our civic space, then they’ve really lost themselves.
Like the joker in a deck of cards, Paul Addis is looking the organization straight in the eyes- and what he’s saying is “WHO ARE YOU?†Since the organization has done some pretty amazing stuff in the past and since growth is impossible without opportunity, I’m going to leave open the possibility that Burning Man adapts to this challenge and realizes itself in a higher evolutionary order. But we shall see…
on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 1:29 am
When we arrived at camp around midnight, two of my good friends and I decided to walk out to the man, a tradition of many years, regardless of the time of day. By the time we had gotten ourselves together, it was probably 2:30 am local time…and as we walked, we enjoyed reminiscing about the past decade of our camp’s evolution, our friendships, new members, and, of course, the man.
As we stood at about 3:30 at the illuminated perimeter, looking at this year’s structure, we put arm around each other, glad to be together, and then watched as someone - almost certainly addis, from the reports I’ve been hearing - on the man’s right leg, right at the base. I don’t recall whether he slid down the fabric or used some sort of rappel setup, but he left the area just as flames became visible at the exact location this person had been.
I don’t care about whatever “statements” he thought he was making - of anyplace on the planet, BRC offers the greatest variety of ways to make statements - but I do care about the fact that the efforts of many, many people that were wasted, the money spent by on one man’s actions with the consent of the rest of us, the lives that were put at risk, and the experience people had knowing that this had happened, whether they were witnesses or not.
If, as it appears, addis is guilty of causing this event, then I hope he enjoys his time behind bars. Because that’s all that will come of this silly, tragic, stupid, self-absorbed attempt at garnering attention.
on Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 at 11:25 am
Paul Addis has mental illness and drug addiction issues.
He’s a f*cking moron with little to contribute to the planet. If he really wants to impress everyone, he should set himself on fire.
on Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
get over yourself. Paul Addis spoke brought back the TRUTH. fuck whatever else is happening to the commercialized black rock city. How about supporting Californians and keep the money in California.
on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 9:02 am
Dude, Addis got arrested for trying to burn down Grace Cathedral a few days ago.
on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Manic? Hypomanic?
on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
I went to law school with Paul, who failed the bar and did not practice law. He was always wrapped pretty tight, very serious guy. I used to believe he meant well, heart in the right place etc. Not sure now that he’s accused of trying to burn up a church. Could’ve killed somebody. I watched the clip and he seemed unhinged, different than I remember him. He was always a kind guy to his friends. Now he seems agitated and clenched.
on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
When somebody starts telling me how I should enjoy Burning Man, I really have a hard time listening, and staying awake.
And the very act of telling me how I should enjoy Burning Man seems to go against “what Burning Man stands for,” as if that’s a huge, important thing for me.
I don’t know how those sheep do it, all that following. It’s tough to follow blowhards, but, I mean, hats off to those who can. For me, that’s real work.
If you can’t go to Burning Man and have a great time doing whatever you want to do, creating whatever you want to create, then stay home. If “doing whatever you want to do” involves fucking up other people’s property, or maybe punching someone, or shooting off guns, well, then — I don’t really know. They do similar stuff in inner city gangs, maybe you could join one. There’s some performance art for ya, eh? Eh? EH? MEH -heheh??? (Irony)
If “creating whatever you want to create” is telling people how to think and act, it’s, well, I mean, it’s, it’s — YAWN. That act is waay older than vaudeville. It’s been done to death for CENTURIES, it’s happening right now. It’s dull dull DULL.
For those who claim Burning Man Is Dead — english translation: No One Listens to Me, Boo Hoo — then stop going and stop talking about it. C’mon, try and stop talking about it. Give it a shot. Stop — now. Ready - set — stop. No? Can’t do it? Then you’re not really over it , correct? (psych 101, early chapters)
on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
So, Paul’s actions prove him to be a certified nut job. I was concerned when you gave him “air time” before, after his antics at Burning Man. I hope you’ll be more discriminating in the future.
on Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 at 4:28 pm
This is all so fascinating! What people have to say about this guy and what he did is far more interesting than the guy himself and what he did. Some burners actually think it’s okay to destroy somebody else’s creation? It’s somehow okay because it’s really a “prank” performed by a “trickster” representative of a suppressed Jungian archetype, or the devil? We should all thank the “trickster” for reminding us not to become emotionally attached to this or that? Or, as some who ride the fence are saying: “Burning the man early is okay as long as you don’t endanger lives, or: it’s wrong only because people could have been hurt.” Bullsh*t!! This is nothing but utter nonsense! All of it! These attitudes, masquerading as “enlightened”, have nothing but seething anger and hatred underneath. To me, this is what Burning Man is about: burning down the false, dishonest, calloused, egotistical, dispassionate, disconnected self and revealing the tender soul within. Sound sappy? Then prepare to meet Paul Addis down the road you’re on.
on Sunday, November 18th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
I have been fascinated by the Burning Man gathering since day one. Never yet have I had the privilege to attend. This dude, to me seems like he’s trying to redeem himself by expounding on an issue we all already are aware of, that of our vets, and their shabby treatment. This does not in any way salve the wound he inflicted on the Burning Man festival by igniting the Man prematurely, theyby nearly ruining the whole thing for all involved. To me, he has all the characteristic of a sociopath, and I find it hard to take him seriously as far as his seeming compassion is concerned. My opinon , he is a master of deception. Those of you have ever had the displeasure of knowing a sociopatic personality on a personal level know what I am saying.
on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Anybody who still goes year after year to that faux-artistic drug-fest has no right to call anybody else a ‘nut-job.’ Clearly he has a few things going on in his head or nobody would still give a shit about him. You can like burningman if you want, but don’t get all sanctimonious about it as if it is an infallible religion. Checks and balances people - don’t get carried away. This isn’t the crips or the bloods, the muslims vs. the christians or ‘good’ vs. ‘crazy bald guy.’ Nothing is so simple… we should be above this.
on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Furthermore, ‘attention seeking’ is the biggest cop-out excuse for his actions anybody could possibly come up with. Remember what we are talking about - burningman… the world’s biggest congregation of attention whores. There is nothing wrong with that in it’s own right, but that does not negate any further social or political statements he was trying to make. If somebody creates a costumed dance performance that makes a statement about war, do you negate the message simply because people went nude? Do you say ‘they’re just nude attention whores?’ I am not condoning destruction of somebody else’s creation necessarily because that is not something I would do myself, but the statement is pretty strong and well heard. I commend him for that.
on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 9:07 am
My impression is that he was using recreational drugs when this video was shot as he comes off paranoid and agitated. That he lit the burning man prematurely and then tried to burn down a church make me think he is desperate for attention. I don’t find his little talk either persuasive or well-reasoned.
Nice camera work, though.
on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Ok, so burning the man prematurely was inevitable and so the limelight is on somebody for doing it and they say “end the war”. Idiot beginning should have an idiot ending. Since it is illogical in the first place, why use logic at all? I do agree we are going to have a big problem with the returning people. We already have serial killers so what place they will fill in society is a good question. Of course “the people” will be the ones to pay for everything not the pigs whose greed created the war: Haliburton, Oil Corporations, Hellco….okay, I’ll look at the sunset and be optimistic now.
on Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
This guys a fucking moron and i hope he gets his shit packed for 4 years straight while he’s doing time for the stunts he’s pulled this past year.