The Burning Man in Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here Promo: Stuntman Ron Rude's Fiery Story

The most unforgettable image from Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here campaign isn’t on the album cover—it’s the promotional film where a businessman in a suit walks into a desert, takes off his jacket, and bursts into flames. That man was stuntman Ron Rude, who performed the trick in a single take for director Adrian Maben. Rude wore a full-body asbestos suit underneath his clothes, with a breathing tube hidden under his wig. His shirt was soaked in gasoline, and once ignited, he had about 20 seconds before the heat became unbearable.

To keep Ron safe, the crew positioned fire extinguishers and a medical team just off-camera. The shot ends with the burning man shaking hands with another actor—who was also a stuntman, wearing a fireproof glove. Rude later said he felt no pain during the take, only intense warmth, and that the hardest part was not panicking. The footage later inspired the album’s inner sleeve photo of two businessmen shaking hands, one on fire. It remains one of rock’s most unnerving promotional films.