VIEWS with David Dobrik & Jason Nash

Episode: The Truth About Burning Man
Date: September 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, David Dobrik and Jason Nash, joined by their friend John, pivot through a range of topics from bizarre North Korea facts to the peculiarities of "The Summer I Turned Pretty," but the headline is Jason and John's deep-dive into the gritty reality of Burning Man. With plenty of classic banter, playful insults, and meandering storytelling, the crew unpacks everything from podcast technical difficulties to awkward meet-and-greets, topped by an in-depth, brutally honest (and funny) behind-the-scenes look at what Burning Man is really like.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Wild Facts & Stories: North Korea and Russia

• North Korea’s “Three Generations of Punishment” [01:09]
  • Jason shares a TikTok fact about criminals' children and grandchildren inheriting punishment.
  • David, shocked: “That’s insane.” [01:24]
• Russian Asylum Story [01:44]
  • John recounts meeting a Russian guy who was forced to flee after tweeting pro-LGBTQ+ rights.
  • Discussion dives into the risks of dissent in Russia and social media’s real-world dangers.
  • Jason jokes, “You brought this guy up on, like, three different podcasts. How long was your interaction with this man for that you still have stories?” [02:29]

Throwback Corner: Beginnings of VIEWS

• Podcast reminiscing: John and Jason listen to their first episode, "YouTube Douchebags," marveling at how little has changed in their chemistry and antics.
• Jason reminds: “We started podcasts at the perfect... beginning of like influencer podcasting.” [09:40]
• Nostalgic stories about the early YouTube days, the show's rapid rise, and Jason’s “villain origin story.”
  • John: "You tell your villain origin story on the pilot. It's so fucking good." [10:24]

Meet-and-Greet Anxieties & Product Launches

• Jason shares his ongoing fear of meet-and-greets, recalling a surprise event at Costco for his snack brand "Waivers," only to face an unexpected line of fans in the refrigeration aisle.
• “I just get so freaked out. I mean, this is...from, like, Views podcast days.” [16:03]
• David and Jason riff on the awkwardness of public recognition.

The “Pervert” Running Joke

• Discussion about fans calling themselves “perverts” after a show gag, leading to awkward public encounters.
• John: “And a girl in a white BMW just, like, is rolling up. She, like, looks out the window and she goes, ‘I’m a pervert.’” [29:02]
• The group jokes about laminated “pervert cards” but ultimately rejects pervert-themed merch:
  • Jason: "Pervert merch."
  • David (deadpan): "Let’s not." [31:39]

Pop Culture Dive: TV and Movie Morality

• David brings up “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and its love triangle. They discuss whether media is getting more morally ambiguous or simply reflecting reality.
  • Jason: “Wouldn’t you rather read a book where like, that’s happening?” [14:24]
  • David: “It’s just funny that, like, the weird thing is glorified.” [14:27]

Main Event: The Truth About Burning Man

Jason’s Reluctance & John’s Wild Experience

• Burning Man comes up as Jason equates Hanukkah’s 8 days to “the Burning Man of holidays.” [34:56]
• Jason: “Probably a quarter of a million dollars” for me to go to Burning Man. [35:18]
• John reveals he’s attended — sent by Comedy Central for a shoot — and it was anything but glamorous.

Realities of the Burning Man Festival

• Living Conditions:
  • “We’re sleeping on the ground. It’s fucking hot.” [35:48]
  • “Comedy Central...doesn’t pay shit.” [36:05]
  • Vivid details of sleeping in tents, rough heat, and little comfort.
• Lack of Amenities:
  • “They don’t sell anything. You could buy water, coffee and ice. That’s the only things you can buy.” [39:05]
• Bartering Culture:
  • “Everything else, you have to barter.” [39:13]
  • Example: “Some guy...making pancakes for, like, 500 people. But, you know, it’s like the Depression.” [39:21]
• Bizarre Experiences:
  • John: “I saw 500 people showering and having sex...It’s 500 people fucking jerking each other off.” [40:28–41:24]
  • Jason, shocked: “It’s so crazy that you still have stories like this. And, like, this isn’t, like, at the top of your list.” [40:47]
• Drug Use:
  • Drugs are not technically legal (“There’s still federal law”), but culture is permissive.
  • Jason jokes, “There’s 200 people jerking each other off in a shower. I think a crack pipe is like the least of anybody’s life.” [42:59]

Burning the Man: What’s It All Mean?

• The symbolic “burning of the man” is for “letting go, transforming.” [45:48]
• John admits some find deep personal meaning, but for him, it was mostly misery: “We gotta stick around. They’re gonna burn the man on Sunday...I was like, we’re fucking leaving. We’re getting out of here. It was fucking awful.” [38:17]
• On cost: “I just looked it up and it was like $500 to $3,000.” [45:55]
• On accessibility: “It took us, like, nine hours to get there.” [46:29]
• David: “So we should go next year?” (Everyone laughs—it’s a hard pass.)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Russia & Social Media:
  John: “He goes, I had some friends who are gay, you know... I start tweeting. Next thing I know, two weeks later, government at my door. ...Now he works at Erwhon.”
• On Podcast Origins:
  John: “You tell your villain origin story on the pilot. It's so fucking good.” [10:24]
• On Burning Man’s Chaos:
  John: “I walk forever...the music’s getting louder...I see the stage. It’s one guy playing the music. No one dancing. He’s just going, oof. Oh, pumping his fist.” [36:01]
• On Not Fitting In at Burning Man:
  Jason: “It’s the exact opposite of where I ever want to be. Everything I’ve ever seen about it makes me not want to go.” [35:18]
• On the “Pervert” Fanbase:
  John: “A girl in a white BMW...rolls out the window and she goes, ‘I'm a pervert!’” [29:02] Jason: “Pervert adventures!” [30:11]
• On Barter System:
  Jason: “Somebody pulls up with a thousand dude wipes...the dude wipes guy.” [39:34]
• On Shower Orgies:
  John: "It's what I saw, Dave. I saw it with my damn eyes." [41:24]
• On All-Inclusivity:
  Jason: “Burning man is a little like country music, where, like, the people that like country music understand...they understand that there's other parts of the world.” [45:27]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Russian asylum & North Korea facts: [01:09–05:00]
• Podcast history & origin stories: [06:26–11:18]
• Meet-and-greet nerves at Costco / Waivers launch: [16:00–18:15]
• Awkward “pervert” fan interactions: [27:30–31:44]
• Pop culture morality (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”): [12:32–15:19]
• Burning Man deep dive: [35:05–47:06]

Overall Tone and Takeaways

The episode is classic VIEWS: conversational, frenetic, irreverent and occasionally profound. The tone is playful, self-deprecating, and a little chaotic—just as fans expect. Jason and John’s Burning Man tales are truly the highlight, painting a vivid, hilariously unglamorous portrait of what many imagine as a mystical, high-art event. The episode balances wild festival anecdotes with confessional humor and a uniquely millennial take on community, fame, and the weirdness of internet culture.

Fans will walk away equal parts educated, entertained, and wary of any event that promises “radical self-expression” in the middle of the Nevada desert.