Built to Burn

Tales of the Desert Carnies of Burning Man

By: Tony "Coyote" Perez

Narrated by: Tony "Coyote" Perez

Built to Burn tells the story of how Tony, a San Francisco blues musician, became Coyote, builder of Burning Man's legendary city in the desert and how he came to lead a ragtag band of circus runaways, freaks, and geeks that would become its Department of Public Works.

In 1996, Tony was making a decent living as a musician, but his creative juices had run dry: one night onstage, he realized he'd just played an entire sax solo while thinking about his laundry. So when a wild-at-heart friend invites him to something called "Burning Man", he grabs his backpack and hops in the car, unaware that the experience ahead will not only turn him inside out, but alter the course of his life.

An essential Burning Man origin story, Built to Burn chronicles the wild uncertainty and creative chaos of the early days in the desert, when the event's future was under constant threat and the organizers were making everything up as they went along. It's a tale of struggle and survival and of friends made and friends lost as Coyote and his misfit crew battle raging storms, crazed livestock, angry townsfolk, and each other, locking horns with the real-life cowboys, Indians, outlaws, and outcasts of Nevada's high-desert frontier.

Told with wry humor and a bit of cowboy philosophy, and narrated by author and storyteller Perez, Built to Burn invites the reader to experience Burning Man as it was before it got civilized, when it was as wild and untamed as anything out of the Old West.

©2020 Tony "Coyote" Perez (P)2021 Tony "Coyote" Perez

Gritty authentic relatable tales!

Felt like I was there alone against the elements escaping the city. Great to have what I am sure was an oral tradition of lore written for the ages.

Burning man origin story

Early years of burning man told from one guy’s humorous perspective. I hope he writes a sequel!

The Storyteller

Coyote is an incredible storyteller and I am so excited he did an audiobook. I hear his voice when I read the book and now I can listen. Now all I need is a campfire and a beer.

non stop adventure

you can't make this shit up. love listening to this book everytime I roadtrip

A must read for anyone who has or wants to visit Black Rock City.

A unique view into the world of Burning Man. The book is well written with stories about how the event came together and has grown. A must read for anyone who has or wants to visit Black Rock City.

Mandatory reading for all burners

This book completely changed my perspective on what goes into building our city in the dust. I've listened to it three times now and listen to it every night on my headphones while trying to sleep on playa. Thank you coyote, for this and everything you do.

Great story and great author!

Amazing to hear Coyote's story! What a legend! It's always nice to hear a story read by the author!

A fun one!

Great Story Telling. Good behind the scenes view of the early days of Burning Man.

strong start

The beginning of the book was very well written and perfectly captured the one of a kind magic that is burning man but the author does not keep up the pace and instead the rest of the book reads like a "this one time at burning man" story. It would have done wonders had he simply included a place and time for the settings he described but it isn't clear when exactly the story is taking place. he only mentions the year once so it's unclear if the whole book takes place in 96 or even if he is preparing for the burn or at the burn. He also never mentions his life outside of burning man which I would liked to have known about. I think with these small edits the book could be great.