the crew
Random - Wandered the earth until he was taken in by the ringling bros where he was trained in high wire acrobatics and trapeze. He always felt however that his true calling was to participate in the antics with the clowns. He then went on to hold the world record of being the 19th clown to pack himself into a VW bug. However, after disputes with upper management about his lack of being clownlike in his behaviorisms, not goofing off enough, and his constant serious attitude toward life, he was prematurely released from his contract. We found him in central park preaching to the pigeons about politics, religion, and the ways of the great pumpkin. We immediately knew he was the man for the tour.
Admiral Nowak - Formerly an animation, with small roles in many obscure cartoons, he underwent a strange scientific experiment in Northern Wyoming which landed him in the body of a Seattle doughnut shop employee. This job kept his attention for a little under 3 hours when he saw a 60 foot articulated Metro Transit bus pass in front of the shop. He quickly threw down his apron and did the classic Scooby Doo peel out complete with sound effects and chased after the bus for miles. He eventually arrived at the MANN bus storage facility and found a love he had never before experienced. He vowed to one day be the captain of a fleet of these massive beasts of the road, and lo and behold, he has somehow accomplished his mission and is eagerly awaiting the veggie conversion excited to burn the left over grease from doughnut shops around the country.
Temple of funk - All three members of the Temple of Funk grew up completely separate lives in completely separate houses with completely separate mothers and fathers, and yet they all met one another. This being such a freakish occurrence they decided it must be a sign from the great pulsating cosmic orb that is the sky to form a band and play music for others to listen to. Obviously this revolutionary concept caught the public's attention immediately and they enjoyed the experience so immensely many of these publics bought CD's and went home to memorize the words to sing along at the next performance. The crowds of singing public became so overwhelming in fact that the Temple of Funk was forced to take the show on the road. They have just returned from a tour of Venus and have been instructed by an interstellar divine force to return to California and perform on this tour to spread the cosmic love vibration to our planet.
Kyle aka Stridah - Conceived, born, and raised beneath a large mixing console at a recording studio at UC Santa Cruz. Stridah - whose name means drum machine in boom-chickenese, has been listening to music since day one. In the evenings he was lulled to sleep by the buzzing sound of ungrounded equipment and distortion coming through the cables. He now sits for 15 hours a day basking in the glow of his computer monitor making beats for the masses. We asked him if he wanted to come on tour and he nodded his approval.
Stimpy - First mate of the Santa Maria Stimpy has been heavily trained in the art of cake frosting, and holds a certification in fondu preparation. A connoisseur of connoisseurs he takes his wine with dinner and prefers a good marmalade to jam. He parks in the VIP area and the loveseat is his ride. A smooth talker and a walker of the walk, the mobile lounge is just his style.
Skipper Pat – Grew up on his step uncle’s father’s friend’s ranch in Northern Wyoming. The owner of the ranch had no idea this was the case, but the boy was always to work on time so he stayed on as a farmhand for many years. Late one night he heard a large explosion in a nearby canyon and left the barn to check it out. He walked and walked until he came upon a laboratory in the woods, where he witnessed a cartoon character writhing in pain until it suddenly vanished. As he wandered home he couldn’t help but wish he had had a video camera and wonder what other interesting things he could film if he got off the farm. So he hopped on a train later that day which didn’t stop until Salt Lake City where he found an Electronics store and purchased a video camera with the money he had earned working on the farm. He loved the feeling of traveling and was getting what he thought was quite good footage of the United States so he hopped on another train which went to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas the train picked up a man named Fat Finger who “taught Pat how to gamble”, meanwhile taking all of his money and convincing him to continue to play on borrowed money, Pat racked up a significant gambling debt and was forced to part with his soul and all of the clothing on his back. Fat Finger however did not like the concept of video and left him with nothing but his camera. Pat then hopped another train which appeared to be going in a North Easterly direction but quickly turned south and took him to Santa Fe where he met a girl named Jill who then turned out to be bunk, so he hopped a train that took him to Memphis, where he hopped a train bound for Georgia, and the story goes on much like this for quite some time eventually landing him at a rail road crossing in Missoula Montana sitting, naked, shivering and clutching his video camera, staring face to face with Mike and the Admiral driving the Santa Maria. Pat wanted to get off the train, Mike and the Admiral needed a videographer to document the conquests of the Santa Maria, so from that point on they where like brothers.
Mike the Captain – Mike made his debut with his enthralling depiction of Corky in the weekly sitcom All in the Family. After he finished working on the show he spent all of the money he had earned to purchase three of his friends souls down at the Crossroads Mini-Mart. These souls where, as you may have guessed, those of the Admiral Nowak, (part of the deal in Northern Wyoming) First Mate Stimpy, (the reason he was able to become the refined and debonair gentleman he has become), and Skipper Pat (a 3 for the price of 2 special running at the time due to overstock). As a result of this new found power over his friends, he has been entirely dependent on their care ever since.
Carly Q - Raised by ninjas in the foothills of the Takamoto Mountain Range Carly Q was trained from day one to develop and sharpen her stealth technique to the highest standards. At the age of six she was able to decapitate a man using nothing but her ninja stare. At the age of eight she abandoned all acts of violence, became a motorcycle mechanic and a raw foodist. At age 12 she abandoned all earthly desires and walked the earth barefoot singing songs of happiness and joy. Then she saw the bus roll by, jacked somebody's sneakers and chased it down. She's been with us ever since.
Maya - Rescued from a sweat shop in Southern Malaysia by a band of gypsies, she is eager to work and a wizard in the kitchen. We first encountered this incredible woman in a dust storm on the Black Rock City playa. After returning her safely to a small village in Canada, she quickly called back with a request to return to the dust storm. We immediately arranged for transport, and again we battled the elements until we were forced to leave. She has decided to join the bus on its many missions dust or no dust.
And an extra big hoo-ha goes out to...
Special thanks to welder dave for welding the roofrack, to Scott Elser and Ryan Middlekauff for the boomin hookups on the boomin sound system, Scott Mackey the carpet guru, Hali and David for the insane amounts of help, input, and dope ass etching. Would like to thank Titanium Tint for the stellar tint job. The residents of Hopkins Street for their patience and understanding for the unconventional antics that occured up and down the street. Dan the deisel repair 'canic, carpet, bed building, tarp structure hangin, burning man leading man for way more than can be mentioned or imagined or even comprehended. Joel for converting us away from fossil fuel. None of this could have been possible without the love, faith, and support of the great Paul and Mary Nowak.