I lived in dread that my poor mother would one day see me cavorting around Burning Man on the news. I did my best to convince her that no, it was not some Satanic drug-fueled orgy in the desert, but if for whatever reason, she had decided to come, my efforts would have been wasted the second she was approached by Jesus, shouldering his cross, and asked to change his extremely dirty diaper. (True story)
Bryant Boesen (a.k.a. Spry Bry) not only went to Burning Man with his 60-year-old parents, Charles and Lilice Boesen, he shot a documentary about their experience. I recently spoke with Spry to learn more about his incredibly weird family vacation and upcoming doc, Taking My Parents To Burning Man:
Q: What made you say to yourself, "I know, I'm going to take my parents to Burning Man!" How did the plan come about?
A: In 2010, I went to my first Burning Man. I didn't tell my parents where I was going. I figured that it would be easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission in this scenario due to its debaucherous reputation.
My sister, Mari, gave away my whereabouts halfway through the week and my parents looked up the event online. At a glance, they thought that I had joined a cult, but after a little more research, their interest was suddenly sparked. I came back and told them about my experience and showed them a three-minute film that I had shot along the way, “The Year I Went to Burning Man and Didn't Tell My Parents”. They were curious to say the least.
In the end, my parents actually made the decision to attend Burning Man on their own. I already wanted to shoot a documentary about the event and asked them if I could follow them on their adventure with a camera. At first, they were hesitant, as they thought that I wanted to make a reality TV show out of this. I promised them that at the bare minimum it would be the best family home video of all time, so they hopped on board.
Q: For a lot of people the idea of taking their parents to Burning Man is the stuff of nightmares. Was it?
A: We ended up driving down and camping together, and I really got to spend a week with my parents as true “friends”. As a group, we didn't filter our judgement at all, regardless of the fact that we there as a family and on camera for most of it. It was a life-changing experience for everyone involved with the project and it definitely shifted the overall dynamic of my family's interactions.
Q: Burning Man is generally a mixed bag for everyone who goes, full of ups and downs. How did they manage?
A: With the time spent preparing for the adventure, driving to Nevada, and making your way back, the overall experience ends up being well over two weeks. Over the course of that period one can expect to have some ups and downs, especially on a road trip, let alone to the craziest city on Earth in the middle of a desert. From awe to agony, we saw it all, and the final product is definitely going to be infused with drama, comedy and tragedy... and even a little action.
Q: Was there any one thing they loved/hated?
A: They both loved the synchronous, and often miraculous, occurrences that happen at Burning Man; the concept of “Playa magic,” that so many people experience on their trip to the Black Rock Desert. My mother mentioned that at Burning Man “when you needed something it often magically appeared – whether social, emotional or physical. Feeling the need for fresh veggies? One block down – Organics Camp – all you can eat.“ My Dad agreed saying: “Often things would just show up magically at exactly the time they were needed. I had heard ahead of time the adage that 'The Playa provides' but I didn't think much about it until it happened over and over again”.
He also “loved that everyone was so open and friendly. Nobody seemed like a stranger and it was so easy to have a conversation that went beyond 'Hi, how are you?' People were willing to talk about what was meaningful to them and things that had affected them or influenced their life's direction. And he loved the fantastic art installations and the other worldly art cars. Instead of an individual's expression, these projects were the result of a combined effort, often requiring the talents of an engineer, artist, electrician, welder, mechanic, pyro-technician, and that could be just one project.
They both hated the noise level at night and the harsh climate. “If sleep was the goal, techno doesn't exactly lull you off to dreamland,” said my father. We weren't exactly as prepared as we had hoped to be. It was fifteen first-timers and only two previous attendees in a thirty five foot school bus. Our infrastructure was pretty ramshackle, but we got by. “Fortunately, many other camps offered places of respite; one with a tent that had a steady mist coming from overhead, others with shady places to sit and relax or to contemplate the complexity of this event called Burning Man” he mentions.
Q: Burning Man is a maelstrom of music, much of it electronic. How did this work out for them?
A: At a regular festival, a production company sets up a few main stages that are the primary attractions of the event. At Burning Man, the stages are put together by participants. These stages then act as Black Rock City's nightclubs. I told my parents ahead of time that, like in Vancouver, there is nightlife at Burning Man; clubs, bars, raves, and parties in general; and that they didn't need to dive into that side of the event if they didn't want to. However, they definitely got their toes wet, even though they weren't impressed by the selection of music and noise level after the sun went down.
My mother said “At night there seemed to be little variety, electronic music was predominant. When the decibels were lower it was possible to discern different styles and their general direction. I tried to gravitate to the styles that appealed to me: jazz, and the mandolin and dulcimer duo at the portapotties. In the evenings I acquired a new appreciation for hip-hop as an alternative to dubstep. The lesser of two evils?”
My dad liked that during the day “There were other music alternatives including classic rock, jazz, Frank Sinatra/Rat Pack, acoustic guitar,” but agreed that at night there wasn't much to choose from.
Q: When do you anticipate the doc's completion?
A: We want to have a rough cut together by late December and we'll be doing a big test-screening of that in the Vancouver area. After that, our official release depends on a lot of factors.
Watch the trailer for Taking My Parents to Burning Man:
Related:
Taking My Parents to Burning Man's fund-raising page