I could take them or leave them... They're just people... Although I would love to have a playa romance and torrid sexual affair with Gwyneth Paltrow.... yummie!

i could swear i ran into jason lee- twice. but who knows? maybe it was just his stand-in.

My reaction is (and this goes for anyone that goes to burningman) …if you are cool enough to go with an open mind and an open heart to burningman and you are not there to ridicule, belittle or berate anybody…well then enjoy! And if you happen to be famous … or almost famous…or famous in your own mind…or whatever…and you “sneak in” to be anonymous and are there to experience the BRC community and leave that “Do you know who I am?” attitude somewhere around Reno…well then I greet you with open arms and I consider you one of my dust covered brethren just looking to share an incredible experience.

And I have to say that if somebody like sting, bono or even britney spears is willing to leave all of the glam behind…then I would even have to say that is pretty fucking cool.

-peas out!

I don't count musicians who are performing at BM as celebrities. Unless they just go, not because they are performing.

Last year, Heather Graham was eating dinner at my camp. An acquaintence spotted her and mistook her for someone else she knew, and started reminiscing about old times. Sghe felt like an idiot when she found out who it was.

I heard Larry Harvey was there.

Sting is confirmed.

Am I the only totally clueless person that would not recognize someone famous? I doubt even my favorite movie stars would register as who they are in person... I guess I am just not looking, hoping to bumb into someone famous... i prefer to take each person as an individual and go- wow- then find out who they think they are... give me a dready boy or a playa angel any day... and if they happen to be an artist or performer or life-lover to any degree, yay for them and yay for me.

Um,
Matt Gonzales isn't really a celebrity. Gavin Newsom is barely a celebrity.
Nobody outside of the bay area would recognize either of them, unless they were serious newshounds, or really paid attention during Newsom's wonderful Gay Mariage moment.

Larry Hagman is less of a celebrity than Gary Coleman.

None of the "Confirmed" people are big enough deals to be even remotely distracting. It's not like the Queen showed up, or Brad Pitt or something.

On the playa, Dicky is more famous than all of them.

My reaction: indifference. I will be indifferent until some hot shot shows up and recieves special treatment.

As for well known musicians playing sets at Burning Man: Yes please! They're well known because they're good, usually.

At any given moment on the Playa every single one of us is a Celebrity. I know I was a rock star 5 of 7 nights. I bet those people that are famous in the default world realize that they are blessed to be surrounded by us. It may even be some of the only times they get to tap into being equal with the community.

I saw lots of celebrities this year. I don't know your names, but I saw it in your eyes.

Rock on!

celebrities rock...especially the biggest of them all...ronzo. my favorite burner celeb is paris who everone loves to wine about. can't we all just get-a-long and burn together...dicky rocks...

The more , the merrier. We are transforming the WORLD. Celebs are people too.

Madonna was there too - yes- true story ...my friend saw her on Sunday - or rather...Monday morning - early at around 2am or so - she waved and Madonna winked back.

Hey - I'd be going every year too - celebrity or not...there is no place on earth ....

I was there this year - a top tier celebrity in my altered universe!

...or his dead ringer double at the Angel of the Apocalypse on Thursday night...

**SWOON**

I walked right past him and couldn't even speak - I should've said "hi" and found out if it was him or not (if not then dragged him off to Newt's Bar or something -- I understand Michael Franti is not available and standard married)

If you care about "celebrities" then as far as I'm concerned you really don't understand Burning Man.

JR

I would definetly prefer to have a torrid playa affair with heather, gwyynie would be all right too i suppose---but i think she would look better with black hair...

"Celebrity"?? Maybe, but it was the second year in a row that I camped next to ben from Ben & Jerry's. I keep telling him to bring the ice cream to the desert and THEN i'll be impressed!

For the second year in a row I saw a celeb of the highest caliber at BM - Beavis. I also saw Joan Baez which caused me to run away as quickly as possible.

I saw the Energizer Bunny's older brother at the Temple!!

a few years back someone did a schtick called DJ Christ Superstar. i didn't see it, but in the years since, that's sort of the term i've come to associate with the whole buzz around who's playing what stage at what time, etc.

a friend of mine who'd never been to burning man was telling me about bassnectar and i said i'd never heard of him. he said he was "the most popular dj at burning man." i was very amused. a friend who'd never been is telling me who the most popular dj is even though i'd been out there for, oh, six years at the time. (this was my seventh.)

well, whatever... truth of the matter is, i hadn't heard of lorin's music, but now own his cd and really love bassnectar and have booked him for our halloween party in vegas this year. but the point wasn't to dis lorin or even my friend, but, rather, the whole thing about the "most famous dj at burning man."

i admit i'm clueless where electronic music is concerned. i don't know all the hip bay area djs and all the hip new styles that come down the pike. i go to the burn, i stumble around, sometimes altered, sometimes just playafied, and i seek out the cool freaky shit. sometimes it's music, sometimes it's not.

the whole buzz around the dj line-ups was very pronounced this year and seems to be part of a growing trend... get to the hip camp at the hip hour for the hip set with the new sound and then hop on your bike and roll to the other end of the universe so as not to mix the next "not to be missed" set...

quite silly to me in some respects, but, then again, if i heard that bowie was playing a set on one end of the playa and pete townshend was playing a set on the opposite end right after that, i'd have my bike in good working order and be at both sets fer sure...

the djs add a lot to our experience out there, to be sure. and they have to put up with the dust as much as the rest of us... more, really, because they have to tweak with finnicky equipment in harsh desert conditions. so provided they aren't demanding that they have an army of knaves to remove their green m&ms, i guess it's just part of the whole experience.

i just get a bit, uh, glossed over when i hear the sort of dj superstar cultism.

and, fuck it, i'm also a hypocrite. i'll probably go to lorin's cd release party in brooklyn tomorrow 'cos i'm now totally digging his music and loving supporting him.