Beach Burn and Others....

My colleagues at Reason are sponsoring a little ol' fashioned Beach Burn to help celebrate the book Thursday, Oct. 14, starting at 6 pm and going on til the sun and/or fire are gone. More about conviviality than a big show, much like the original Burning Man on the beach itself. It's at Dockweiler---traditional spot for L.A. Cacophony beach madness--Dockweiler State Beach, in Playa del Rey, at the west end of LAX. Take the 105/Imperial Hwy west until you hit the ocean, then go straight into the parking area. Fire rings are down the hill and to the right. Any and all are welcome.

I will be back in San Francisco to read from and talk about the book on Thursday Nov. 4 at 7 pm at The Lab, 2948 16th Street. I'll remind you about that more later as the event approaches. An acoustic set by Burning Man favorite band F-Space (featuring my old pal Ethan Port of Savage Republic fame) will follow my talking to, with, at, and among those of you who show up, who I trust will be all of you.

I don't think I ever remembered to mention here the wonderful L.A. Press Club-sponsored party for, simultaneously, my book and the new Nick Gillespie edited Reason choice anthology on Sept. 29. Well, it was lovely, met new friends, was treated to amazingly great slide shows of BM 2004 photos taken by first timers. Thanks especially to Cathy Seipp and Emmanuelle Richard for wrangling the event on the Press Clubs part. A couple of charming attendees blogged that event here (L.A. Guy) and here (Luke Y. Thompson).

And while I'm blogging, here's a couple more random shout-outs about the book and readings:

*My long-time Reason colleage Jesse Walker, author of the excellent history of alternative radio Rebels in the Air (now out in paperback!) says nice things on his blog. An excerpt:

...a colorful, entertaining story about a bunch of colorful, entertaining characters, the sort of book that should hold the attention of even those readers who don't really care about Burning Man....
Most important, it's a book about bohemian America. When you trace Burning Man's roots and follow its branches, you find secret societies of surrealists spelunking through hidden urban caverns, strange theatrical experiences that began as goofy pranks, utopian dreams of a new society in the desert, dystopian realities of infighting and rivalries and petty hatreds. It's a compelling story, and it resonates far beyond one temporary city in Nevada.

This belongs on the short list of important books about American culture and counterculture, along with Frances FitzGerald's Cities on a Hill, Luc Sante's Low Life, Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and Bob Black's Beneath the Underground. I recommend it highly.

*Mark of the blog Joygantic, who was wonderfully gracious at the Seattle readings and post-reading film showing (thanks for the beer!) wrote some great things about the book, the Seattle events, and Burning Man itself (I especially recommend checking out this last link).