The Burning Man on the 'Wish You Were Here' Cover: A Stunt Gone Right?

That cover—two businessmen shaking hands, one of them on fire—wasn’t a metaphor about the music industry that Pink Floyd had in mind. It was literally a stuntman in a flameproof suit. Hipgnosis designer Storm Thorgerson hired a guy named Danny Rogers, put him in a suit with a wig and hat drenched in lighter fluid, then ignited him. The shot was taken at a film studio in California with a wind machine to make the flames look dramatic. Rogers reportedly got paid a few hundred dollars and only agreed because he needed the cash.

The fire lasted maybe 20 seconds, but they only got a few frames before the heat got dangerous. Rogers had to stop, drop, and roll after each take. The other businessman, Ronnie Rondell, was a professional stuntman too—he just had to stand there looking cool. The whole thing was filmed in one afternoon, and the image became one of rock’s most iconic covers. Pink Floyd had nothing to do with the concept; they just approved it. The band was mostly absent from the album’s artwork process, which Thorgerson said made them easier to work with.