

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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 12, 2026 • 47min
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 creature comforts in extreme environments.
Stuart Mangrum opens the show with a look at the Lunar Codex, an ambitious project placing the art of 50,000 Earthlings (including Burners!) into permanent archives on the Moon.
Then, Sam and Andie spacewalk into why "civilizing a barbaric situation" is a human need, whether its serving fancy tea in a mud storm, or grilling chicken on a space station.
Hear about radical self-reliance, orbital infrastructure, and why—if we’re going to Mars—we’d better bring decent coffee… and a bucket.
"Burning Man is just like going to Las Vegas on Mars. You have to learn how to live on Mars first before you enjoy the parties. It’s survival first, party second… The Burning Man org learned we have to have toilets, roads, and support systems. NASA probably should learn from you guys."
retro-futurist.com
spacemansam.substack.com
obtainiumworks.net
nss.org/book-review-creature-comforts-in-space
youtube.com/@spaceman.sam.coniglio
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Feb 25, 2026 • 1h 2min
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 blueprint
Celebrating Burning Man culture is a backstop for a polarized world
Finding resilience under pressure in the art of radical integrity
"Don't wait. You have to jump in and do it. You can't wait for something to happen. You’ve gotta provide the motivation... the inspiration... the vision, and bring people along." — George Paap
BURNING MAN LIVE ON YOUTUBE
www.burningflipside.com
burningman.org/global-events-groups
www.trippingly.net/burning-man-musings/tag/George+Paap
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Jan 28, 2026 • 42min
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-powered, and buildable by anyone. They're also building a huge steel pop-up book! Sam Smith and Squirtle of SOAK, the Portland Regional event, share about their deployable solar shade pavilion made of star-shapes and scissor linkages. Trash eating robots are involved, and 3D printed ‘precious plastic’ art.This is not about the party. This is about practicing for a future where we won't need to poison the planet to self-express. These stories are a recipe:One part ‘for the love of it’ spiritOne part skills we already haveBlend until smooth.Enjoy what new ideas can happen when we all put our heads together.burnerswithoutborders.org/2025-regional-event-grantwww.luxcapacitor.artsdyoutopia.comsdcolab.orgwww.precipitationnw.org/burnonsoakpdx.com
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13 snips
Jan 15, 2026 • 1h 4min
Mark Day - 10,000 Hours at Burning Man
Mark Day, a longtime Burning Man videographer and AI art experimenter, joins Andie Grace to share his unique insights on the festival. He reflects on his transformative journey since 1997, highlighting his pioneering '24 Hours at Burning Man' videos. The conversation dives into the ethics of documentation and consent, the role of Greeters in shaping experiences, and balancing artistic expression with community norms. With humor and Scottish wit, Mark emphasizes the importance of storytelling and how his videos serve as gateways for new Burners.

Dec 23, 2025 • 1h 15min
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 - founder of Burning Man’s first theme camp, Christmas Camp· Tubatron and his Flaming Tuba playing a Hanukkah song (David Silverman)· Reverend Billy and Savitri D of the Stop Shopping ChoirAnd it wouldn’t be the holiday season without Caveat Magister selling us on Decommodification.Join us for · how Krampus cramps us· how COVID is an 8-foot-tall dominatrix· how “Gifting” is so close to “Grifting” · how the Cacophony Society is sooo Kumbayain the 5th anniversary of our Holiday Special that is indeed SPECIAL. Portland SantaCon 1996 / “You’d Better Watch Out”santarchy.com/youd-better-watch-out-portland-santacon-96Cacophony Society: Santasm, Santacon, Santarchy, ad nauseumtalesofsfcacophony.com/santasm-santacon-santarchy-kringle-klot-etc-ad-nauseum/Tubatron (aka David Silverman)burningman.org/podcast/david-silverman-so-thats-how-that-startedReverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverend_Billy_and_the_Church_of_Stop_Shopping
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Dec 10, 2025 • 56min
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 from a "lone artist" mindset to community collaboration, and how to get everything done despite a storm or a lost box of bolts.They tinker with the qualities of hubris and humility. They get real about why they keep returning to the collective happening in the dust.How does Michael follow intuition more than a thesis?How does he discover the meaning of his art only after he has built it?How did ‘out of the box’ thinking become a 30 year career?These questions are answered with more questions in this episode right here.https://www.michaelchristian.com
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Nov 26, 2025 • 46min
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 Solutions Hawaii· Leftover Love Company ("We love your leftovers")Hear how ingenuity learned on the playa—along with a sense of humor—allows him to overcome hurdles and create meaningful change in BRC and in Hawai’i, even with the naive tourists.Through sweet story and song, he shares how to combine innovation with tradition, to lift the stone without lifting the weight of the stone.roothub.comleftoverloveco.comfullcirclesolutionshi.comburningman.org/black-rock-city/infrastructure/dept-of-public-works
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Nov 13, 2025 • 45min
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 that nonprofit and public sector work is open source, “so take it, learn from it, use it, adaptively reuse it.”Hear Andie Grace ask him how we can make it work where we live.“When you go to the playa and you're in this decommodified environment, all you have is how you show up... I've learned how to approach community-building through collaboration and kindness, and a real spirit of genuine curiosity. As long as you stay curious, a lot can be possible.”thirdwaycreative.com/teamwatershedcommunity.org
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Oct 30, 2025 • 46min
Architecture as Poetry
“I think therefore I am.” ~DescartesJohn Jennifer adds: I care therefore we are… and you cannot think your way to ‘we’He is a poet, an architect, and a cultural instigator. He helped create The Museum of No Spectators which includes Burning Man art of snark and social justice, but no velvet ropes.He’s a paradox embracer. In a world of binaries, he asserts that between black and white is not a gradient of gray; between black and white is all the conceivable colors.Hear him philosophize about different styles of art and artists, from avant garde to architecture, from Salvador Dalí to Frank Lloyd Wright.He and Stuart explore how a glittery clothespin alligator and a museum-grade sculpture both share the humanity of the giver.They explore playa art — genre-defying, genre-defining — and the value of both fine art and participatory art at Burning Man.They explore how creative expression went from being seen as a hobby to a human need, and how creative community proliferates.Listen in on their profound and playful chat. 🎙️🔥form4inc.com/person/johnmarxmuseumofnospectators.com
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Oct 16, 2025 • 59min
Ranger Keeper - Frontier Principal
She’s a longtime senior leader of the Black Rock Rangers and the principal of the Gerlach K-12 School. Keeper lives year-round in Gerlach, one of the smallest and most remote towns in the US, and the closest community to Black Rock City.In this storytelling episode, she shares her unique perspective on blending the worlds of Burning Man and rural life.She tells the tales of keeping the town’s school open after the local mine closed, transforming it into an all-ages institution of families. She shares about how locals offer a year-round outpost for helping townsfolk and visitors stay safe and thrive.Keeper’s dual roles—Ranger and Principal—are deeply informed by the principles of Gifting, Civic Responsibility, and Radical Inclusion. Woven in is the philosophy of building supportive environments where everyone feels they “belong here.” How? And how does a school that is barely on the map support its kids to be local ambassadors and worldly humans?Hear how now! And in the words of Ranger Keeper (and Bill & Ted), be excellent to each other!Black Rock RangersIf you’re curious about Ranger learnings, check out the publicly available Ranger Conflict Resolution and De-escalation Training on Burning Man Hive.gerlach.washoeschools.netRanger Takes Gerlach School from Remote Town to National Stage (Burning Man Journal)Class Trip to Black Rock City (Burning Man Journal)burningman.org Gerlach Black Rock Station
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