Plug 'n Play

03/10/2016

We've been repping the five elements of hip hop all along so here's our final bit of Knowledge. We're indebted to the leaders of Plug 'n Play, who inspired us, rallied us, fortified us, and brought Plug 'n Play into being.

From left to right, we start with Charles Raggio, embodying the DJing element, always making sure our tunes were in line and our beats were on time. Thank you Goat. And yo, Burning Man, music is an art.

Then there's John Parts Taylor, representing the Graffiti element. Our artist, builder, and leader at the beginning, middle, and end. Thank you Parts, for always reminding us of why we were there and what was important.

We've got Dave Marglin as our indomitable MC. A true master of ceremonies, connector of people, wordsmith, and amateur rapper. Thank you Bacchus for helping us dream big and reach new heights.

And lastly, Jael LaFemina is the Breakdancing element 'cuz he's Rock Steady. Back in the day, it wasn't a party until the b-boys showed their approval and we felt the same about Jael. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and holding us to a high standard.

Peace.

29/09/2016

Large scale art installations ain't easy. They take a village, and we're lucky our village includes superstars like fashion designer Tammi Wright; schwag-meister Greg Sumner; healing Dr. Cory's Party Pax; sexy inn-keeper Erin Mcpherson (the ladies, especially, thank you); Bridget Byrd who radiated peace and calm; and helping hands Tuffy Luffaguss and Charles Desrosiers. Thank you!

27/09/2016

Remember that time we undid all the work we did over the course of a summer and ripped it apart in one dusty day? We stripped all six of our structures of their artwork and electronics, and then disassembled each of the five Quad Boxes, and then stuffed all the pieces into the Plug? And then we burned it? That was great.

Thank you Michael Reese for leading our Strike Team and huge thanks to all who pitched in on Strike, including: John Ceccarelli, James Francis Corcoran, Christian Cummings, David Duroight, Lilie Chang Fine, Dan Groussman, Sledge Hamma, Marguerite Howell, Mikel Kovach-long, Sandi Kovach-Long, Jael LaFemina, Alton Brooks Parker, Charles Raggio, Cory Reddish, Brad Chili Roy, Antonio Sanchez, Matthew Simons, Sean Smith, Rodney Spiteri, Scott Southwick, Liz Stanton, Steve Stevens, John Parts Taylor, Nicholas VanderBorgh, Martine Wielath, Collin Williams, and Atousa Ziatabari.

Photo credit: Julie Covello

26/09/2016

Are you lucky enough to know Catie Magee and Lucia Stewart? If so, you know what we know. That they are magnificent. Tireless, skilled at what they do, filled with good humor, and pretty much indispensable. Welcome to the Plug family and thank you for taking us to the next level. 🔌❤️

Photo credit: Julie Covello

21/09/2016

Superheroes. Each one of our builders. A real life superhero.

From our superhuman leader, John Parts Taylor ("Wheee!"), to the core on-playa build crew that built and then rebuilt the Plug after a storm, to the weekend warriors in Hanford and Reno who framed out six quad boxes (that's not a typo), to all the folks who pitched in by swinging a hammer, wielding a paint sprayer, or handling a chop saw.

There'd be no Plug and certainly no Play without them.

Special thanks to Brad Chili Roy, Charles Raggio, Chris Stockton, Collin Williams, Dan Groussman, Davis Galligan, Derek Johnson, Federico Acconcia, Heath Knapp, Jael LaFemina, Jason Fine, Josh Zelenka, Lilie Chang Fine, Liz Stanton, Lucia Stewart, Mike Barker, Michael Reese, Rodney Spiteri, Steve Stevens, Paul Wierzbicki, and of course DPW Heavy Equipment and Transpo.

Also, much gratitude to Railroad Mike and company for hosting us at the warehouse in Reno; Dino Giacomazzi and Giacomazzi Dairy for our kick off weekend; and Nicole Mosa, Awesome Sauce Kitchen, and Voodoo Soup for feeding us during Build Week.

The soul of the Plug.

20/09/2016

2016 will go down as the year we blew up the Plug. And it was everything we dreamed about: beautiful, loud, safe, on-time, and fast. A Fine production that involved hundreds of people!

Thanks to Mikel Kovach-long, Sandi Kovach-Long (and helpers Atousa Ziatabari and Cory Reddish) for the snap, crackle, pop, and burn. Thanks to Dave Best and Black Rock FX (http://blackrockfx.com/) for the BOOM!

We had an incredibly strong Perimeter Crew under the leadership of Matthew Simons and Quad Managers Jason Fine, Alexandra West, Steve Stevens, and Trystan Davies (who also held it down overnight). Thanks also to Honeybadger and her peeps; Uncle Dave, Fuzzy, and their crew in khaki; and Penny Stone and ESD.

And we couldn't have done anything without the support of Dave X, Danielle Doxie Kaltz, FAST, ASS, and the ARTERY.

"I think we can have our plug and burn it too!" John Parts Taylor, January 9, 2016.

Photo credit: Phoebe Maria's Photography, Chali Tuna, and WriteHand.

19/09/2016

We cannot possibly thank Meanie Jones and her merry band of coal miners enough for helping Plug 'n Play leave no trace after a week of festivities and a burn. It's all about the green, yo. And we got it.

Huge thanks to: Alton Brooks Parker, April Grace, Brad Stearns, Charles Raggio, Derek Johnson, Jael LaFemina, James Francis Corcoran, Jenny Stearns, John Parts Taylor, Kat Applegarth Simons, Lucia Stewart, Marguerite Howell, Matthew Simons, Scott Southwick, and Trystan Davies.

Photo credits: G-Funk and Meanie

16/09/2016

We've got so many people to thank for the freshest music on the playa! Thanks to Charles Raggio for putting together a dope line-up including Julie Covello, Matthew Simons, Lexi Illexxandra Ferguson, Jim Dier, Manuel Muniz, Chali Tuna, and Peter Piper. More hip hop at Burning Man please! In the meantime, get inspired by DJ Shakey's Vinyl History.

16/09/2016

Huge thanks to Alton Brooks Parker for coordinating media for Plug 'n Play, as well as Phoebe Maria Montague-Warr (Phoebe Maria's Photography) for her beautiful photographs, and FireFLY (Paul Drucker) for this absolutely gorgeous footage!

15/09/2016

Big ups to the people who brought you the aural, oral, physical, visual, and spiritual programming of Plug 'n Play. Turntable classes by Manuel Muniz; self-serve vinyl stations with vinyl collected by Julie Covello; talks about the five elements of hip hop by Chali 2na; twerkshops and copywriting by Summer B; art by Ernie Fresh, Gabe Shaughnessy, and Dan Cohen; archival video from Alton Brooks Parker; and graphic design by Atousa Ziatabari.