This week’s episode features El Diabla by Iron Monkey Arts in Seattle, WA.
Ahoy Reader!
New year! New chapter! This week’s episode is the title page for Chapter 12, and so here are a few thoughts about the title, to go along with the title page…
The original title of this comic was MagmaVOX, which was the name of the Seattle-based fire troupe that inspired many of these stories. MagmaVOX performed in the Great Circle for the Burn in 1999, 200, and 2001. The troupe retired from BRC in 2002 and was reborn as Garnish, or the Official Black Rock City Garnish; a fabulous fire collective out of Portland, OR who are still active to this day, more than 20 years later.
Eventually the title of the story was changed to DRINK WATER!, which has several meanings and inspirations. The phrase is often heard in Black Rock City being barked out of megaphones on especially hot days, a neighborly reminder for everyone to stay hydrated. But it can also carry negative connotations, similar to saying ‘you look tired’, ‘bless your heart’, or ‘meet me at the trash fence at 3am for a daft punk set.’
The phrase is also partially a response to the Black Rock City newspaper, PISS CLEAR. Specifically a megaphone call-and-response chant from Center Camp in the 90’s that went, “When I say drink water, you say piss clear! Drink Water! Piss Clear! Drink Water! Piss Clear!”
DRINK WATER! became an official campaign slogan when Neptune ran for Mayor of Black Rock City in 2004 & 2008. A public service announcement from an aspiring political representative, running on a platform of radical hydration. It started out with stickers and buttons, and eventually led to four years of Center Camp murals. A PSA, personal mantra, and daily reminder, that eventually turned into a rallying cry for the thirsty masses.
And finally, the title is a nod to the phrase Don’t Panic, written on the cover of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Addams. He describes the term as the one thing you need to remember when you find yourself lost in the galaxy, and so the phrase DRINK WATER! is the one thing you need to remember when you find yourself lost in Black Rock City.
New episodes are on the way for 2023. Chapter 12 will bring more fire and action, as the sun sets on a dusty Wednesday evening in Black Rock City, and we head into the climactic finale of Book 2.
Stay hydrated out there! More to come. Yar!
Neptune
. . . )'( . . .
