Bill Burroughs - designer - model maker (CLOSED) (CLOSED)

Bill Burroughs - designer - model maker

I wouldn't usually share such personal things but Bill is an understated artist designer and model maker.

Yesterday I got the late and sad news one of my best friends died a few months ago. Bill was an incredible talent and responsible for building possibly the most famous stage on the planet. The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. He also designed the Origin as well as what we call the G2 and G3 stages.

He was a real master model maker designing and building huge structures with amazing precision. The cad drawings are so complex yet perfect .

He also personally constructed his stages and I had the pleasure of working closely with him building many events over many years. I will never forget our time together at gstages constructing the origin stage as well as the g2 and g3.  
Trust me when your hanging 30 or 40 metres in the air precision design is crucial and there's no room for mistakes. He would lift the structure into place and my job was to climb and secure the pins. I trust this man wholeheartedly and we worked so closely a look would be enough to communicate. 

He had an amazing sense of humor that complimented my own silly sense of play so we had so much fun at work.  Our kids played together at festivals as we watched them growing up.  I remember sneaking under the stage for a secret rum and a smoke for the opening of Underworld.  Getting told off by digger Dave at 4am for resampling a child's toy with the Easterners theme tune  into drum n bass.  Designing our super stage  with lime's left over from the rum drinking.

He was the sort of bloke that collected the only the left of leftover shoes and boots from festivals to make a leftover shoe piece of art for outside his caravan. Best of all parked sideways on a hill his caravan legs on one side were propped up with gas bottles and an upside down frying pan. Being the structural engineer it was also safe an functional. A genius engineer and prankster till the end.

I was wondering why I hadn't heard from him in a while. He knew it was coming and didnt want me to see him slipping away.  I'm pretty gutted right now. His ashes are scattered under the big Oak tree in front of the Pyramid Stage. I will go pay my respects in the autumn when it's quiet and leave a travel can of WD40 and bottle of rum (maybe empty by the time I leave).

Join me in a toast to a legend. 











New Pyramid Stage

The galvanised steel structure stands 100 ft high; for those of a metric persuasion, the footprint is approx 40m x 40m.
The new structure has been designed and built by Pilton villager; Bill Burroughs based on The Great Pyramid at Giza,
Eygpt.

This will be the third pyramid stage and it will be four times larger than its previous incarnation. The last Pyramid
stage burnt down in 1994.
The new structure ready in 2000 Uses 4kms of steel tubing Covers 430 square feet Weighs over 40 tonnes (unlaiden).

I am sorry for your loss, Bonj. Good friends cannot be replaced, so whatever I say will not fill the hollow he must have left behind. My heart goes out to you, and his family!

The kind words and fond memories you dedicated to your friend demonstrate how much you loved them. I join in the toast in his honor. Hugs.

I have one more funny memory to share that I just remembered that made me laugh out loud. 

It was about 5am. We ran out of everything except spiced rum and malted milk biscuits...  We were both a little hungry but still had some rum left.

Munty milks were invented  XD  malted milk biscuits soaked in spiced rum are actually quite nice. Another contribution to the world from Bilbo!

Damn i can't stop smiling at the first picture ahah, your smile is contagious and heartwarming. Let's toast to your friend ! ♥