Adrian's First Ever Rant

Adrian's First Ever Rant - 1995

Let it be known that the only time I ever do a ‰zine is when I come out to the Black Rock Desert. It is my annual ritual for the Burning Man festival. Last year, I produced Dreaming Burning Man, a small collection of dreams that I had had about the Man. This year, I decided to do something different.

Piss Clear was originally meant as a sort of irreverent survival guide to the Black Rock Desert. Its title is derived from the single most important survival tip I could think of:

Drink enough water so that you piss clear.

But over the past few months, the ‰zine mutated. Oh sure, there are still a few tips and tricks scattered throughout these pages. But it‰s now mostly just a myriad of lists, blurbs, and rants to sift through. It just sort of happened that way.

Part of the reason I do a ‰zine every year is so I can meet people. You know, the whole ‹icebreakerŠ thing. Yes, it may be shameless, but it‰s also a lot of fun.

Besides, Piss Clear gives myself and a few friends the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinionsÖan opportunity that we, perhaps, would not otherwise be privy to. Penetrating the established old-school boys‰ club oligarchy that runs most of Black Rock‰s media outlets is something I have neither the money nor resources to do.

Practically all of Black Rock‰s radio stations are owned and operated by the same multi-national conglomerate. And with the increasing amount of ‹fluff-journalismŠ that the officially-sanctioned, Burning Man-approved Black Rock Gazette tries to pass off as ‹news,Š it becomes obvious that alternative media outlets are sorely needed. Piss Clear, among other things, is one of those outlets.

Where to find us
If you would like more copies of this ‰zine, or if you just want to stop by and say hi, look for us on the outskirts of camp. Follow the Burning Man‰s left arm out past the last porta-potty, and there you will find the tiny suburb of Xanadu. Look for the Xanadu Tree, a bright, reflective, eight-foot tall, spindly metal structure growing out of the playa. Standing nearby is the Flaming Man, which you can read more about on page 6. Oh yeah, there should also be a blue dining tarp set up. If you end up in ShantyTownœ (details also on page 6), then you‰ve gone too far.

But look for me. I‰m the cute, short, grrrlish freak with the shaved wedge orange hair, and I‰ll probably be wearing a black dress and Hollywood-starlet sunglasses. And I‰m not nearly as pretentious as that must sound. Really! So enjoy!