I’ve learned over the years not to make too many plans at BM, so I only had one person I knew I was going to try and have on the podcast, the legendary Playa Pete. I knew where he was camping so I just had to catch him when he was home. He was making breakfast the second time I went over. He’s a brilliant storyteller so I knew I’d just have to press record and off he’d go, and he didn’t disappoint. He spoke about how he first heard about BM, his first trip out there and nearly leaving the next morning, starting the first Airport, what he learned about dealing with rude hecklers, a spontaneous art performance that nearly had him calling an ambulance, Larry’s T-Shirt and bringing his Mom to BM.

The other 3 people I bumped into were pure BM, “what are the chances” One was Stewart Harvey, who is Larry Harvey’s brother. Larry Harvey for those who don’t know, started BM, Stewart had amazing stories about Larry and the beginnings of Center Camp, The Man, Coffee, Costumes, laundering money and so much more.

After I’d talked to Stewart, I thought, you know it would be good to talk to some artists and I had two in particular in mind, Michael Garlington @michaelgarlington1 who brought Chapel Of Babel this year and Christopher Schardt @christopher.schardt who brought Mariposa.

But then the rain came and all plans of getting anyone else on the podcast went out the window. But when I went for a walk in the mud, on the Sunday, the day I should have been flying back to Ireland, but couldn’t because no-one was allowed to leave until the mud dried up, I bumped into Victoria Rose Enanoff, who had previously been in our camp, while she was helping to take down her new camp, Pink Heart. While we were chatting about Pink Heart, she spotted Christopher Schardt,

introduced us and he talked to me, there and then. Christopher talked about his previous Art pieces including everyone's favourite, Parluna and his current masterpiece, Mariposa.

The next day, Monday, the rain stopped and it finally dried up, so I went for a spin on my bike and headed over to Chapel of Babel for one last look before they burned it later that night and I spotted Michael Garlington, busy getting it ready to burn. I asked him if I could talk to him sometime about his art and he said, let’s do it now. He spoke about how he started his art journey at BM, his earlier large scale pieces, Photo Chapel, Totem of Confession and of course Chapel of Babel.

After hearing Stewart and Pete talk about the exact same thing that happened 30 years ago, from completely different viewpoints, I thought rather than have each guest on, one after the other, I’d mix it up a little and go back and forward in the timeline.

Thank you for listening and please subscribe (it's free) so you'll be first to get all the new episodes.

To see all the images we've talked about during the pod, please have a look on 6 Photographs page here

My Website is marknixon.com

Contact: studio@marknixon.com

Follow me on Instagram @marknixonstudio

Or for my Burning Man photos on Instagram @burningmarknixon

Facebook @marknixonstudio

My guest today is the writer, director and TV producer, Bill Hughes. Since 1985, he has made more than a thousand hours of music, arts, entertainment, performance, and documentary programming for R T E , I T V,  B B C,  P B S,  C B C, and ABC in Australia. Many of his films have focused on social exclusion and sexuality, and he has been a leading advocate in the LGBTQ+ community.

Bill kindly invited me over to his beautiful apartment beside the Phoenix Park in Dublin for my very first location podcast, and it made for a very relaxed environment and luckily not too much background noise apart from the occasional siren and somebody cutting their grass. As you'll hear, Bill is a natural storyteller and is a voice you could listen to all day long.

We spoke about his parents and growing up with his 13 brothers and sisters above his mother's drapery shop in Athy. A surprise ending to his psychiatrist visit to cure him of being gay, Louis Walsh, pulling the poor mouth and making Boyzone's first five music videos for no money. Praying for a miracle with Martin Sheen, How he met his husband, Gary, and their intimate wedding day. The fun times he had with his late sister Eithne, his friendship and weekly phone calls with Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Upstaging the competition at the Provincetown Carnival and so much more. I usually have quite a bit of work to do, editing each podcast afterwards, but with Bill, everything just flowed and there was nothing to edit at all.

So please sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy the wonderful Bill Hughes.

Thank you for listening and please subscribe (it's free) so you'll be first to get all the new episodes.

To see all the images we've talked about during the pod, please have a look on 6 Photographs page here

My Website is marknixon.com

Contact: studio@marknixon.com

Follow me on Instagram @marknixonstudio

Or for my Burning Man photos on Instagram @burningmarknixon

Facebook @marknixonstudio

Imagine stepping into the world of iconic Hollywood photoshoots, capturing the essence of legendary stars like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio - sounds unreal, right? Well, that's the reality for my guest, Art Streiber, a top editorial, celebrity, and portrait photographer whose work has been featured in all the "V"'s,  Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Variety amongst countless magazines. In this fascinating conversation, Art shares his captivating journey into photography, starting from his grandfather's darkroom and his self-taught path that led him to become the Go-To photographer in Los Angeles and beyond.

We dive into the behind-the-scenes action of some of Art's most memorable photoshoots, such as the publicity campaign for 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' featuring Pitt and DiCaprio. Art uncovers the challenges he faces on set, his approach to composition, and how he captures the perfect lighting and mood for each photograph. Plus, we explore his experiences with the "Morning After Oscar" franchise, including the inspiration for it, the famous Terry O'Neill photograph of Faye Dunaway at the Beverly Hills Hotel Pool.

But it's not just about the glitz and glamour - Art opens up about the responsibilities that come with being a director when shooting portraits, the importance of treating everyone with professionalism, and his process for working with both celebrities and everyday people. We also discuss the impact of imposter syndrome and Art's love for behind-the-scenes content, which he shares on his Instagram page as a way to document lighting setups and tell stories. So come along on this inspiring and insightful journey with Art Streiber and discover the magic of capturing the perfect moment.

Art's Website

Art's Instagram

Thank you for listening and please subscribe (it's free) so you'll be first to get all the new episodes.

To see all the images we've talked about during the pod, please have a look on 6 Photographs page here

My Website is marknixon.com

Contact: studio@marknixon.com

Follow me on Instagram @marknixonstudio

Or for my Burning Man photos on Instagram @burningmarknixon

Facebook @marknixonstudio