In today’s #RandyTales, our hero finds comfort in a bald Scottish man… like you are surprised by that…
Not going to lie, dear reader, Oklahoma kicked my ass in every way imaginable. I’m talking forgetting the safe word with a German dominatrix levels of physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse. Yeah, I am working on #OkieTales, but I really wanted to not have that on my mind for a few days. So where does a depressed and overly emotional Santa go to recharge?
Into a zebra’s arms, of course.
Monday afternoon, I picked up my bootylicious art director, grabbed some lunch, and went back to her place to watch the latest Mark Day Burning Man video. Mark Day, for those who don’t know, is a YouTuber known for making videos of (and attending) Burning Man. Prior to becoming known for his Burning Man videos, he did a lot of comedic social commentary videos – which was how I first got into him in the first place. I loved watching him just talk in front of his yellow wall in his house, with his wit and his humor. If you want to look for who inspired me, search YouTube for “Mark Day Comedy” and lose a few hours of your day.
Mark Day is Burning Man famous, at least to me. Hell there are people who have no idea who Larry Harvey is and he “founded” the bloody thing. I had three experiences with Mr. Day at Burning Man last year. The first was a selfie my friend Tom took with him in Gerlach on Friday during build week, which Tom sent to Danielle when cell phone service kinda worked. This made me fucking hate Tom for about 43 seconds (really, how can anyone hate Tom for longer than that?). But maybe I, a lowly fanboy, would get to meet him… in a crowd of 80k other people. Stranger things have happened out there…
The second experience was on Sunday (opening) night when we went exploring art after an all day white out. After laying down and watching the spinny thing (it was a spinny thing with lights – I don’t remember the name), I got up. Danielle said “look behind you”, and as I do everything she tells me, I did. And there was my favorite YouTuber standing there. I was gently shoved in his direction, did the standard fanboy “Hi, big fan, yadda yadda yadda” bit. He was super nice and said “I am sure you are saying nice things but I am really fucked up right now”. As I was also fucked up, I smiled, thanking him again and we moved on to the next adventure, my fanboy achievement unlocked.
The third experience was on Wednesday, after I finished #CancerTales Live in Center Camp. I came off stage and heard someone say in a Scottish brough, “that was a nice speech”. And it was him. He was doing some video for the “Burning Man Archives” (the quotes are there for a reason) and would me and my party participate. Abso-fucking-lutely!
We recorded what we liked about Burning Man for him. While Krissy was giving her reasons, I made a quip about he was famous, but he was no Halycon (another YouTube famous Burner).
Yeah – meet people you idolize and then insult them… did you expect anything less?
So as we (Danielle and I, not Mark Day) curled into bed to watch his 2018 video in 2019, I began to relax for the first time in days. Seeing Burning Man again made me realize that Oklahoma was behind me. This place on the screen was my home… it has always been… it will always be. My friends I have made there out shine almost every person I have ever met in Oklahoma. And I saw things that shook off my doldrums. Art pieces I touched and things that I never saw. And there was my beautiful girl, on screen and laying next –
This isn’t the fucking Burning Man archives!!! Mark Day lied to us!!! He recorded us for his own personal gains!
Obviously those of you who have watched the video know my interview was cut in favor of my favorite zebra and Krissy, who is a bad ass as well. I am okay with that – the world isn’t ready for my level of crazy. It still tickled me to imagine somewhere in the background of one of Mark Day’s videos I was there. And it put the first genuine smile on my face in several days.
Danielle, of course, posted about the video and even sent him a friend request – which he accepted. And seeing her sweet words, he commented on her post. And of course, now was my time to say something about how he inspired me. I could suspend the snark for a couple of sentences.
Have you just met me?
He sent me a friend request, which absolutely made my week – as shitty a week as it has been. I look forward to running into him during Burning Man and try again to get into his Burning Man 2019 video. Maybe even break out my camera and record my own videos like I have been threatening to do for a while now. Inspired, renewed, and back on my bullshit – thank you Mark for helping me out of my funk.
And to quote him, with 24 days until I leave, let’s go do some Burning Man – right now!