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Burning Man LIVE

Burning Man Project

Meet those who make Burning Man happen, beyond the desert and out in the world. Artists, activists, and innovators. Builders and Burners, freaks and fools. Burning Man floats on a sea of stories, and the Burning Man LIVE podcast is a plucky little boat with a microphone.

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Avg 49 min
English

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#142
Yesterday · 42 min
Radical Hospitality - Yasmine El Baggari
What happens when we welcome strangers as family? Andie Grace talks with cultural entrepreneur, and 12-time Burner Yasmine El Baggari about opening hearts and overcoming barriers. From traveling all 50 US states, to launching a global community exchange platform, Yasmine designs human connection, one person at a time. Andie and Yasmine explore how Black Rock City acts as a “third space” for humanity to interweave without commerce or borders. The Overview Effect: What kind of shift happens w
#141
October 30 · 36 min
The 10 Principles and the Self - Brian Lowery
Stanford Professor and social psychologist Brian Lowery talked with Stuart in Black Rock City to reimagine the myth of the self-reliant individual. From the power of connection to the dangers of modern isolation, and the erasure of "third spaces" in the default world, Brian breaks down the social science of flourishing community. They explore how the friction-filled uniqueness of Burning Man amplifies how deeply we impact one another. · Radical Self-expression: How much is it just about you
#140
October 14 · 35 min
Solar Punks - Badasses of Climate Hope
Dystopia is compelling. What’s the opposite? Hope. Xtina Chu and Corey Johnson talk in Black Rock City about all things interesting with our solar future happening now! They share how in an age of cynicism, optimism is the ultimate punk rock rebellion. What started as a DIY experiment has evolved into a megawatt array gifting clean-energy to EV art cars and fuel-free theme camps. Meanwhile, back in California, they deploy rapid disaster-relief. They’re rewriting the rules of power, even large-
#139
September 30 · 36 min
Math Mysteries: The Art of Dr Diane Hoffoss
Watch this adventure (recorded in Black Rock City) about how art is built, and how it finds its people. Dr. Diane Hoffoss designs, crafts, and finds funding for interactive art in BRC and out in the wide world. See the art and the conversation with Andie Grace about unsolved problems, lasers, and joy. “Inspired positivity and joy, bringing all this happiness back. We need that.” They decode the depth between interactive art, interactive math, and the universe. They share stories about t
#138
August 30 · 1 hr 1 min
Jamie Wheal and the Burning Man Mystery School
Jamie Wheal, author of Stealing Fire and Recapture the Rapture, and the viral article The Man WILL Burn!, joins Stuart to unpack the cultural anthropology of peak states. They explore how Black Rock City serves as a crucible for thriving in the future. They deep dive into: • Hedonic Engineering: Inducing bliss without cravings, healing without the cringe, and communing without it becoming a cult. • The Culture of Culture: How movements morph, why BRC’s builders are like Navy SEALs, and rese
#137
August 7 · 52 min
Behind the Scenes: The Man Will Burn: Marian Goodell & Jehane Noujaim
No spoilers. This is the making of the docuseries The Man Will Burn. This is the context for what was filmed, who said what, and what got cut; the cameras and the chaos (and the quinoa). Burning Man Project’s CEO Marian Goodell talks with Jehane Noujaim Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and director. They share the creative challenge of assembling Burning Man’s story from a mosaic of a million people’s stories. They dive right into the interweaving 35 years of archival footage with the persona
#136
July 10 · 43 min
Substance Over Splash - Australia's Regional Burns
5 leaders from the 5 Regional Burns of Australia! They focus on collaboration more than contraptions, connection more than complexity. · Aurora, Tasmania: Lara, aka Squeaky Queen, on the logistics of being an island off an island. · Blazing Swan, Western Australia: Shaz on navigating extreme weather with 3,700 friends. · Burning Seed, New South Wales: Leanna, aka Mama, on restructuring into a member-owned organization. · Modifyre, Queensland: Chau on the bonds built with a 10% annual growt
#135
June 25 · 38 min
Long Live Community Art Spaces - Charlie Gadeken
For decades, Charlie has led some of Black Rock City's monumental works of art. He isn’t just the prolific mind behind iconic pieces like Elder Mother, an illuminated storytelling tree; he’s an architect of human connection. He co-created and develops: · Illumination Village - an early and long running home-within-a-home at Black Rock City · The Flaming Lotus Girls - the all-volunteer, women-led art collective · The Box Shop - a collaborative workspace and art studio of 23 years and cou
#134
June 4 · 43 min
OTHERWORLD - Vancouver Island's Regional Ripple Effect
What do you get when you mix 3,200 Burners, a lush Canadian forest, and a summer fire ban? Oh, and an event theme that is literally just the word... MOIST. Wander through the woods of Otherworld, one of British Columbia’s rapidly growing Regional Burns. Coordinators of creative chaos Jax and Zephyr share what it takes to conjure Burning Man culture in the Pacific Northwest. ⦿ How to acculturate festival consumers with sacred and profane initiations ⦿ How to land an epic effigy show using theatr
#133
May 15 · 55 min
Serious Play - Isabel Behncke
What happens when Burner behavior goes under the microscope? Sociologists, ecologists, and economists have been on this show. Now we’re looking at this culture through a new lens: primatology. Isabel Behncke is an evolutionary biologist and a Burning Man Project Board Member. From tracking bonobos in the jungle to observing humans on playa, she shares her groundbreaking research on ritual and play. In this mind-expanding conversation, she and Stuart explore: 🏕️ "Dunbar's number" and how camp
#132
April 28 · 44 min
The Borderland: Trust Creates Worlds
This culture started in dust and ephemerality. We build metropolises of art and fire, then we leave no trace. How do we translate that inspiration into a rhythm for everyday life? What happens when a temporary autonomous zone puts down roots? The Borderland is Scandinavia's largest and longest running Burning Man Regional event. It’s "working out loud" culture fosters radical trust, allowing the community to create its own world where no one is in charge. The community also crowd-funded land t
#131
April 1 · 1 hr 5 min
Camp Symposium Highlights: Let's Build it Together
Most people in Black Rock City live together in placed camps (theme camps), the most unique aspect of this unique event. BRC has 1400 camps. Theme Camps = Communal Effort + Intimacy + Self-Expression Theme campers gift a uniquely decommodified ‘third place’ of offerings and ambiance. At this annual symposium, staff and volunteers share how they gift their interactive camps to the participants. It’s an art. It’s a science. · Andie Grace: Senior Producer in the Philosophical Center · Andrew
#130
March 12 · 46 min
Burners in Space! Meet Spaceman Sam
Remember that whiteout in deep playa? That prepared you for a NASA mission to space, maybe. Andie Grace talks with Samuel M. Coniglio, aka Ranger Cosmonaut, and Spaceman Sam. He isn't just a ten-year Black Rock Ranger and a veteran of the legendary Neverwas Haul (that three-story Victorian house on wheels)... He’s a writer, inventor, and futurist who worked on the Space Shuttle and the ISS. From his Zero-G cocktail glass, to his book about making offworld living worth living, he studies creatu
#129
February 25 · 1 hr 2 min
From Flipside to the Future - George Paap
George Paap, a pioneer of the Burning Man Regional network, talks with Andie Grace. He founded Burning Flipside in Texas, the first-ever Burning Man sanctioned event beyond the desert. What inspired him? Black Rock City 1997. He found freedom there, and it sparked a lifelong mission. Hear his adventures of building a culture from scratch, and why, as a futurist, he believes Burners are steady & ready to handle the societal shifts ahead. · Collaborating to create local community without a blu
#128
January 28 · 42 min
Open Source Innovation
There’s a world of civic hacking where "making cool stuff" meets "making useful stuff." Hear tinkerers, gearheads and other makers share about the inventions that won them Burners Without Borders Civic Ignition Grants. These grants are little sparks that fire up the next level of open-source technology for all of our community, and for all the world. Colin Jemmott and MJ Brovold of YOUtopia, the San Diego Regional event, share about their low maintenance light source that’s sturdy, solar-power
#127
January 15 · 1 hr 3 min
Mark Day - 10,000 Hours at Burning Man
Insightful. World-Building. Spit-take inducing. Mark Day’s videos serve as a digital gateway for many thousands of Burners, capturing that blurry edge where the default world ends and the playa begins. From his early days building tripper trappers and doing stand up comedy, to his controversial tinkering with AI art (think Dalmatians made of donuts), Mark has put 10,000 hours into his “24 Hours at Burning Man” videos. Andie Grace talks with this unique content creator to explore thresholds a
#126
Dec 23, 2025 · 1 hr 14 min
Holiday Special - SantaCon at Home - 5th Anniversary
It's absurd. It perturbs. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (And boy has it been a year!) Following in the footsteps of show-biz luminaries like Stephen Colbert, Jon Stuart, and the cast of Star Wars, we hosted a (non-denominational) holiday show in front of a live online pseudo-studio audience in 2020. Broadcasting from their snowed-in virtual holiday cabins, Stuart and Andie entertained guests: · Santa Zero - originator of the now-infamous SantaCon phenomenon · Mrs. Claus - founde
#125
Dec 10, 2025 · 56 min
Zen and the Art of Art Making
His huge steel sculptures have graced Black Rock City for decades, then found forever homes in cities, festivals, and private collections around the world. Hear veteran structural sculptor Michael Christian go deep and wide about his Burning Man art, from a tree of bones to a 65-foot tall tower. He shares about his installation "Down the Drain," a commentary on human alignment, or misalignment... or maybe it’s about toilets blowing kisses at each other! He talks with Stuart about the shift
#124
Nov 26, 2025 · 45 min
Composting in Paradise - RootHub
RootHub (aka Aloha) weaves the core values and shared struggle of building Black Rock City and his work in Hawai‘i. He draws inspiration from the Hawaiian people’s concept of kuleana (responsibility to the land and community). When he’s not building BRC with DPW, or playing music to amplify people’s stories, he’s diverting food waste from landfills and incinerators into much needed, nutrient-dense soil for growing food. He does this through his companies. The names say it all: · Full Circle S
#123
Nov 13, 2025 · 44 min
Art is the How - From BRC to Public Policy
He brought theme camps and art installations to Black Rock City, and yes, he DJed! Now he brings the spirit of kindness and collaboration (and Do-ocracy) into creating public policy. He co-founded a Burning Man Regional nonprofit. He directed a cultural arts center. He collaborated on cultural policy for racial equity, social justice, and creative sustainability. He ran the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. He now creates affordable housing through community development projects. He says t

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