R.I.P. XyloVan – 2010-2019
XyloVan began its life nearly 10 years ago as an idea: Let’s build a mutant vehicle so our young kids can ride around even after bedtime and we can all enjoy Burning Man safely together after dark.
The van’s full, rich and musical life ended last month – after so many adventures, mishaps and miracles that I never could have dreamed of – with me stripping off the xylophones and gongs and putting the vehicle up for sale.
It was like building it all over again – but in reverse. (see photos below after the jump)
Deeply bittersweet.
I peeled off the magic, wrenching the hand-made instruments from the 3/8-inch mounting bolts where they had ridden ever since 2010, when my wife and kids and I began transforming a 1985 Ford 350 ClubWagon XLT into the only musically-playable art car I’ve ever met.
I unwired the control pod carrying the digital-delay mixer and Arduino control box, and stowed the electronics and cables for future projects. I put the instruments into long-term storage against the day when I might bee foolish enough to build another musical mutant vehicle. And I turned the van over to …
Truan and Sydney – proud owners of a weird old 1985 Ford ClubWagon XLT.
Anyway, I don’t want to get too maudlin here, or I’ll start to cry.
I just want to say thank you for all your love and music and joy over the years – and (hoping it might be an inspiration or a warning to anyone else who wants to try such folly) to point you back to where XyloVan began and what happened next.
I’ll continue blogging here about my new musical-instrument projects.
And if I can offer any advice to makers and mutant vehicle lovers out there, it’s just to quote the early-arrival wristband for Burning Man 2014:
WORK HARD. HAVE FUN. DON’T DO STUPID SHIT.
Much love,
mack,
Brooklyn, NY
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- A little love note to the neighbors – before the end.
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- The doors where the gongs lived – surrounded by weathered, stick-battered paint from thousands of people drumming on them
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- Box full of scrap metal again (gongs) along with boxes of salt I used to do maker-demos to demonstrate how to find the nodes where holes should be drilled in xylophone keys.
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- I removed the xylophones, leaving only the mounting brackets.
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- Done. I left the backlit sign in case they wanted to slap in their own nameplate
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- I unwired the control pod, which contained the digital-delay mixer and the control box for the Arduino light display used on the “Light Fandango” mutation in 2014, 2017 and 2018.
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- Safely stored!
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- Stripped – gaps where the hood xylophones sheltered the paint.
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- Rear view – showing the tailgate that the amazing Matt Rogers repaired last year after somebody plowed into the parked van.
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- Mount points might need to be cut off – or they might be useful to the new owners.
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- A souvenir – our fundraising flyer from the 2014 engine-rebuild and makeover.
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- The guest log – lots of loving notes from XyloVanists.
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- The crew-and-supporters dedication plaque from the 2014 rebuild.
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- In the shop – it took the mechanics a good three hours to trace the van’s charging problem to a bad primary wire – fixed!
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- Sent from the road home to Sacramento – they made it!