Draft:Rusty Blazenhoff

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Draft:Rusty Blazenhoff
  • Comment: Inappropriate inline external links, use of MOS:TM trademark or registered trademark symbols. Birthdate is unsupported by citation. Bobby Cohn 🍁 (talk) 20:24, 26 May 2026 (UTC)
Rusty Blazenhoff
Blazenhoff in 2021
Bornc. 1970
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Alma materBridgewater State University
Years active1994–present
Websitepop-cultish.com

Rusty Blazenhoff (BLAY-zən-hawf; born c. 1970) is an American blogger, writer, visual artist, and cultural commentator. A contributing editor at Boing Boing and formerly managing editor of Laughing Squid, she co-founded Bigrig Industries, served as Editor-in-Chief of the Black Rock Gazette at Burning Man, and contributed photographs and stories to Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society (Last Gasp, 2013).[1][2][3][4] She collaborated with Paul Reubens on the Pee-wee Herman brand from 2013 until his death in 2023, receiving a Special Thanks credit in the HBO documentary Pee-wee as Himself (2025).[5][6][7] A friend of GRAMMY® Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter Allee Willis from 2011 until Willis's death in 2019, she subsequently served as artist-in-residence at Willis Wonderland and now serves as Director of Cultural Strategy for the Willis Wonderland Foundation.[8][9][10] She has described herself as a "Professional Free Spirit," a term she traces to her time in the San Francisco Cacophony Society and at Burning Man.[11] She publishes Rusty's Electric Dreams, an email newsletter she coined as an "inbox zine."[1][12]

Early Life and Education

Blazenhoff grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and attended Bridgewater State University before moving to San Francisco in the mid-1990s.[1]

Career

San Francisco Cacophony Society

Blazenhoff became a member of the San Francisco Cacophony Society, which describes itself as "a randomly gathered network of free spirits in the pursuit of experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society."[13] The Society influenced the development of Burning Man, flash mobs, urban exploration, and culture jamming, and inspired Chuck Palahniuk's novel Fight Club. KQED described Blazenhoff as a "long-time Cacophonist" in a 2020 tribute to fellow Society member Michael "Mikl-em" McElligott, and credited her photography at the book launch of Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society.[14] Cacophony co-founder John Law has also used her photographs on his personal website to document Society events, crediting her by name.[15]

Blazenhoff contributed photographs and firsthand accounts to Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society (Last Gasp, 2013), the definitive history of the organization co-authored by John Law, Kevin Evans, and Carrie Galbraith with a foreword by Chuck Palahniuk. She is acknowledged by name in the book's acknowledgements and credited as photographer on pages 38, 134, 139, 162, 171, 178, and 192. The book also reproduces the cover of the Bigrig Industries Manifesto, Issue 81 (Summer 1996), which she co-created.[4] She served as a guest designer of Rough Draft, the Society's official newsletter (1987–2001), now archived at the Internet Archive.[16]

Bigrig Industries

Blazenhoff co-founded Bigrig Industries, a satirical San Francisco Bay Area organization that published the Bigrig Industries Manifesto zine and produced underground events in close connection with the Cacophony Society and Burning Man communities.[2][17] SF Weekly profiled her and co-founder Brody Culpepper in a December 1998 feature, describing Bigrig as "a lifestyle and a zine that is pro-gun, pro-alcohol (though, not together), and devoutly anti-kitchen appliance," and photographing them together.[17] Their webzine work was also covered by the Baltimore City Paper in 1999.[18] Blazenhoff and Culpepper appeared as guests on the San Francisco television program But Seriously.[19]

Burning Man

Blazenhoff began attending Burning Man in 1995 and served as a graphic designer for the organization.[12][2] She served as Editor-in-Chief of the Black Rock Gazette, Burning Man's Official Onsite Daily Newspaper, as documented in the masthead of its inaugural Issue No. 1 (August 27/28, 1997), where she is also credited for layout, design, photography, and writing.[3] From 2017 to 2019, she worked with the Burning Man Project's internal communications team on Project Citizenship, an initiative to reinforce the event's core ethos of participation and personal responsibility. The Burning Man organization's 2017 AfterBurn report states that "Rusty Blazenhoff was brought on board to craft the voice" of the flagship email series "From the Desk of Charlie Dolman," and that she "was also the lead on" the Burner Express acculturation collateral.[20] She has also written for the Burning Man Journal.[3]

Her mixed media artwork Eat Fuck Kill: The Playa's First Meme (1997–2017), which originated when she distributed novelty buttons at Burning Man through Bigrig Industries, was included as Lot 119 in Sotheby's 2021 auction "Boundless Space… The Possibilities of Burning Man."[21][22]A 1996 photograph of her playing Piano Bell — a large-scale piano installation at that year's festival — appears as a primary source in a Wesleyan University master's thesis on piano destruction as artistic practice.[23]

Laughing Squid and Boing Boing

In July 2011, Blazenhoff joined Laughing Squid as a contributing editor, welcomed personally by founder Scott Beale, who had known her from the Burning Man and Cacophony Society communities.[2] She served as managing editor from March 2012 to October 2013.[2] She has contributed to Boing Boing since June 2017, and has also written for CNET, Neatorama, GeekDad, Dangerous Minds, Adobe, Fest300, General Motors, and the Alameda Post.[24][1][25]In 2015, Fast Company quoted her as a "culture blogger" and expert voice on the greatest moment in geek history.[26] The TV Show Show podcast described her as "The Zine Queen Rusty Blazenhoff of Boing Boing and Rusty's Electric Dreams" when featuring her as a guest in 2020.[27]

Paul Reubens and Pee-wee Herman

Blazenhoff worked with Paul Reubens on the Pee-wee Herman brand from 2013 until his death in July 2023, and continued working on the brand through 2025.[1][5] In January 2015, the official Pee-wee Herman website called her "my pal Rusty Blazenhoff, aka 'The Punk Rock June Cleaver.'"[6] She conceived Pee-wee Herman-themed postcards for his 2023 celebration of life; a photograph of them by Blazenhoff appeared in People magazine's coverage of the memorial, attended by Conan O'Brien, Maya Rudolph, Tony Hawk, and Alfred "Weird Al" Yankovic.[5] She received a Special Thanks credit in Pee-wee as Himself (2025), the two-part HBO documentary directed by Matt Wolf that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.[7] The Willis Wonderland Foundation's official website describes her as having "collaborated closely with Paul Reubens to steward the world of Pee-wee Herman."[10]

Allee Willis and the Willis Wonderland Foundation

Blazenhoff first met songwriter Allee Willis in February 2011, later describing her as "my dear friend-in-kitsch" in a 2017 Boing Boing piece.[8][9]Willis featured Blazenhoff on her blog in September 2011, calling her an "aKitschionado" and photographing them together at the Fluff Festival.[28] Following Willis's death on December 24, 2019, Blazenhoff wrote her obituary for Boing Boing.[8] She subsequently served as artist-in-residence at Willis Wonderland, Willis's Streamline Moderne home in North Hollywood, California.[29]

Blazenhoff served as lead producer of the Ba-De-Yard Sale, a three-weekend estate sale at Willis Wonderland that included a VIP event, completed in October 2025. The Willis Wonderland Foundation's official Substack credited her by name as "lead producer of the VIP event and the estate sale."[30] She is currently working with Julien's Auctions on a planned 2026 online auction of additional Willis estate items.[30] She serves as Director of Cultural Strategy for the Willis Wonderland Foundation, where she is described as preserving and activating "the creative legacy of songwriter Allee Willis," and contributes to the Foundation's Musical Wonders music education program.[10]

Other work

In April 2026, Blazenhoff appeared as a panelist at the inaugural Taos Film Festival in Taos, New Mexico, on a panel titled "The Resilient Creator," moderated by Maggie Duval, about unconventional career paths and following one's interests.[31] She has served as Brand Storyteller for Children's Fairyland, the historic Oakland children's park, where she also exhibited as an artist in Drawn Together, the park's live-art event and auction, in 2022, with her work sold at auction.[12][32][33] Archie McPhee, the Seattle novelty company, produced a finger puppet in her likeness and featured her on Episode 54 of its podcast in 2019, stating she has "made a huge impact on popular culture."[32] She wrote liner notes for the Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra's album Balance a Checkbook, noted by the San Diego Reader.[34] She served as a member of the production staff for the EG Conference, an annual creative conference held in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, which ran from 2006 until going on hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[35] She operates Pop Cultish, a culture consultancy. She publishes Rusty's Electric Dreams, an email newsletter named one of the most anticipated newsletters by CreativeMornings, along with a companion publication, (Big in Japan).[24][12]

Visual art and collecting

Alameda Magazine called Blazenhoff the "Queen of Kitsch," describing her collection of mid-century furniture, black velvet paintings, and pop kitsch curio cabinets.[1] Her artwork has been exhibited and sold at Sotheby's, and her documentary photography of 1990s San Francisco underground culture is credited in Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society, a KQED tribute article, and preserved in the Internet Archive.[4][14][16][21]

Personal life

Blazenhoff legally changed her name on January 23, 2015, describing it as "her real name because I've named myself, and it's who I get to be in the world."[1][36] In a 2018 Boing Boing piece she wrote that her immersion in the Cacophony Society and Burning Man communities in 1995 was "when I was reborn as 'Rusty Blazenhoff.'"[11] She grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, lived for many years in Alameda, California, and subsequently relocated to Los Angeles. She has a daughter and is a member of the Los Angeles Breakfast Club.[31]

She is a well-documented superfan of Marshmallow Fluff; her origin story as a superfan is documented in Fluff: The Sticky Sweet Story of an American Icon by Mimi Graney (Rowman & Littlefield).[37] Allee Willis photographed Blazenhoff and her daughter at the Fluff Festival in 2011 and featured them on her personal blog.[28]

Filmography

Television

2011 – Clean House – "The Waldorf Family" (as Self)

2012 – Toy Hunter – "West Coast Wonders" (as Self)

2025 – Pee-wee as Himself – Special Thanks (TV Mini Series, HBO/Max, dir. Matt Wolf; premiered Sundance Film Festival 2025)

[All credits: IMDb nm6107583][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Tracey, Julia Park (December 2, 2014). "Rusty Blazenhoff is the Queen of Kitsch". Alameda Magazine.
  2. ^ a b c d e Blazenhoff, Rusty (2011-07-29). "Welcome Rusty Blazenhoff, New Contributing Editor at Laughing Squid". Laughing Squid.
  3. ^ a b c "Masthead: Editor-in-Chief: Rusty Blazenhoff". Black Rock Gazette, Issue No. 1. August 27, 1997.
  4. ^ a b c Law, John; Evans, Kevin; Galbraith, Carrie (2013). Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society. Foreword by Chuck Palahniuk. Last Gasp. pp. 38, 134, 139, 162, 171, 178, 192, Bigrig Industries Manifesto cover reproduced p. 134.
  5. ^ a b c Wenger, Stephanie; Kang, Esther (August 28, 2023). "Paul Reubens' Friends, Family Members and Loved Ones Celebrate His Life". People. [Photo credit: Courtesy Rusty Blazenhoff.]
  6. ^ a b Herman, Pee-wee (2015-01-13). "Rusty's Electric Dreams: an inbox zine..." Pee-wee's blog.
  7. ^ a b c "Rusty Blazenhoff IMDb nm6107583 [Credits: Clean House (2011), Toy Hunter (2012), Pee-wee as Himself (2025, Special Thanks).]". www.imdb.com.
  8. ^ a b c Blazenhoff, Rusty (2019-12-27). "Rest in Power, Allee Willis — Queen of Kitsch". Boing Boing.
  9. ^ a b Blazenhoff, Rusty (2017-09-21). "Ba-de-ya, the 21st of September will always be special to songwriter Allee Willis".
  10. ^ a b c "Our Team: Rusty Blazenhoff, Director of Cultural Strategy". Musical Wonders. Willis Wonderland.
  11. ^ a b Blazenhoff, Rusty (2018-04-28). "RIP Larry Harvey, Burning Man founder". Boing Boing.
  12. ^ a b c d "Rusty Blazenhoff, Social artist – Cool Tools". kk.org. Cool Tools Show, Episode 280. May 28, 2021.
  13. ^ "Telling Tales: The SF Cacophony Society | KQED". www.kqed.org. 2013-06-13.
  14. ^ a b Gluckstern, Nicole (2020-09-01). "Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die: A Tribute to Michael 'Mikl-em' McElligott | KQED". www.kqed.org.
  15. ^ Law, John (2013-09-16). "Chaos, Cacophony and the Commonwealth Club of California". John Law. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  16. ^ a b Blazenhoff, Rusty (2013-05-16). "Internet Archive Now Home to San Francisco Cacophony Society 'Rough Draft' & Suicide Club Newsletters (1986-2001)". Laughing Squid.
  17. ^ a b Tudor, Silke. "SF Weekly | Night Crawler: A .40-Caliber Christmas | December 16 - 22, 1998". sfweekly.com.
  18. ^ Jackston, Joab (August 4, 1999). "New Weird Order". www.charm.net. Baltimore City Paper.
  19. ^ "butseriously.com: Previous Guests [Lists "Dr. Brody Culpepper and Rusty Blazenhoff of BigRig Industries."]". www.butseriously.com. Archived from the original on 2000-06-07.
  20. ^ "2017 AfterBurn". Burning Man Journal.
  21. ^ a b "Rusty Blazenhoff | Boundless Space… The Possibilities of Burning Man". Sotheby's.
  22. ^ "Eat Fuck Kill by Rusty Blazenhoff". Burning Man Photo Gallery. Burning Man Organization.
  23. ^ Turpin Haruta, Devanney. "Splinters, Ashes, Dirt: Piano Destruction and Creative Opportunity". Master's thesis, Wesleyan University. Faculty advisor: Eric Charry. [Figure 4: "Rusty Blazenhoff plays Piano Bell. Photo courtesy of Rusty Blazenhoff."].
  24. ^ a b Blazenhoff, Rusty (April 23, 2025). "Your essential guide to not screwing up in Japan". Boing Boing.
  25. ^ "Rusty Blazenhoff Archives". Alameda Post.
  26. ^ Terdiman, Daniel (March 9, 2015). "What Is The Greatest Moment In Geek History?". Fast Company.
  27. ^ "The Real World (S1 E1) with Rusty Blazenhoff". Apple Podcasts. The TV Show Show.
  28. ^ a b Willis, Allee (September 26, 2011). "Allee Willis' Kitsch 'O The Day – Slightly Fluffy".
  29. ^ Blazenhoff, Rusty (2025-04-18). "How the Willis Wonderland pop-up book actually popped". Boing Boing.
  30. ^ a b "Phew! That was really something (special)". These Walls Can Talk. Willis Wonderland. 2025-10-10.
  31. ^ a b Blazenhoff, Rusty (2026-04-20). "A whole new dimension". Rusty’s Electric Dreams ⚡.
  32. ^ a b "Podcast Ep 54: Rusty Blazenhoff Episode! Marshmallow Fluff, Children's". Archie McPhee.
  33. ^ Blazenhoff, Rusty (2022-11-10). "Bigger is better: Artist Ari Bird supersizes ordinary objects to fantastic effect". Boing Boing.
  34. ^ "Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra | San Diego Reader". www.sandiegoreader.com.
  35. ^ "What is EG?" EG Conference. egconf.com. [Production Staff listing includes Rusty Blazenhoff.] https://www.egconf.com/what-eg
  36. ^ Alameda County Superior Court records. Name change filed January 23, 2015.
  37. ^ Graney, Mimi (2017-03-01). Fluff: The Sticky Sweet Story of an American Icon. Union Park Press. ISBN 978-1-934598-19-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

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