Intergalactic Arcosanti

by Mr. Bad

1999-07-14 20:20:39

Special Ideas

So, I first heard of this Arcosanti on "Real People" back in, like, 1978 or something. I think they sent that weird guy named "Skip" out to Arizona to harass these poor hippies who were building a new, ecologically sound and self-sustaining city. It came on right after the dog with three legs.

Arcosanti is REAL WEIRD. I guess the deal is these freako hippy folk decided to make a big ol' crazy desert house (kinda like Burning Man, but all year) out in the deep shithole evil desert of Arizona. It was crazed and hot and bad there, and there were giant poison reptiles the size of a ICE CREAM TRUCK, with big FANGS dripping fiery venom, but that didn't stop these people, because they were on a MISSION.

At least, this is what I gleaned from Skip, the blond guy from "Real People."

Anyways, they had this super-crazy meth-thin Italian guy with a real bad desert burn like a prospector who would keep them all going by regaling them with crazed ideas about architecture and ecology and apocalyptic fervor and adobe and cactus and stuff. I guess he got them moving pretty well, because by 1978 (only a few years after they'd started) they'd built a few good buildings and were able to play host to smarmy talk show guys like Skip.

So, I figured that these Arcosanti people were all dead now or on crazy sand drugs sleeping on the streets of Phoenix, and their building would be destroyed, and some bad rednecks would be selling fireworks and T-shirts out of a trailer on the spot. Hell, it just goes to figger, doesn't it?

But NO! They are still around, alive and kicking! And their crazy city, too. I can't believe it! Apparently they have made a FORTUNE selling those crazy windchime bells that your weird New-Agey aunt has a ton of on her back porch, with little coyotes and cactuses and stuff on them. So they could keep their CRAZED VISION in the desert ALIVE. You have to give them credit, man.

Check it out yourself

oarsman@pigdog.org