Post #199170 by Brad 'The Beachcomber' Owens on Sun, Nov 20, 2005 6:41 PM

Aloha All,

I have been away fro TC for many months but since I have been in New Orleans working I have had more time to surf the net (mostly due to the fact that wireless is here in the “rue de la course” coffee house where I do my work on the computer).

This thread was e-mailed to me and I read the entire post. First off, let me say I have known Dave (BK) for many years. After reading his post and knowing him so well I can say that I know where he is coming from. I disagree with most of it but I know where he is coming from.

Dave IS a tiki snob, but not for the reason that most people are snobs about things. Every since I have known Dave he has been passionately collecting one thing or another. When we first met he collected toys and had the best antique and vintage collectable toy collection I have ever seen. He got out of that and was into General Store collectables. He collected World War Two U.S. military patches and at one time had several of almost every type worn by our military forces in the war. He sold that collection for several thousand dollars and started collecting coffee cans. Then there was tiki.

The one thing I will say about Dave is that whenever he gets into something his goes all the way (actually way over the top always). Tiki has been no different for him. He is the one who got me into tiki. He gave me his old copy of the Book of Tiki when he got a second copy. He carved over half of the carvings that hang on the walls of Hale Tiki (I look forward to the day that I can travel to the South Pacific and collect originals to put with Dave’s exact replicas) and was part of the “Beach Comber’s Crew” that built Hale Tiki. Dave KNOWS Tiki. He has studied the real thing from the islands and the copies from everyone else that came about in the 50’s and 60’s. He has carved many amazing pieces. But that is not all there is to Tiki. Nor does that make him right about art or what tiki is (no matter how many books he may have read or names he remembers and drops).

Dave also expects everyone (even those with full time jobs and kids) to take this hobby to the same level he does. I can honestly say that he really means no real harm but he does think that negative reinforcement works. It doesn’t, especially with artists.

Just as I’m sure General Patton had honest intentions of making a shell-shocked soldier do his duty by slapping him repeatedly in a field hospital, you can be sure that Dave doesn’t want any of you to not like him, just respect his view of “proper” tiki culture. But just as Patton had to apologize for his miscalculation (and subsequent misunderstanding of what battle fatigue was) on how to properly motivate a soldier Dave obviously needs to do the same here. Not by sugar coated patronizing but by HONEST admission that art, just like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Also, when you assail someone’s art it is a personal insult. Art comes from within the artist. I do not play and instrument, paint, sculpt, or carve but I appreciate those who do and have the tact to never insult the artist no matter how bad or in poor taste their art may be.

A crucifix upside down in a jar of urine is not appealing to me, but it is art just the same.

Now, here is my two cents worth on tiki and tradition. My bar, Hale Tiki, is as close to an original Eisenhower Era tiki bar as you can get. Complete with ONLY exotica period music, mugs, strong cocktails, and décor second to none. That should be a statement about my dedication to preserving the old and introducing the new Polynesian pop tradition to a new generation.

However, I support the evolution of tiki as well. To all of you who aspire to carve exact replicas/copies of originals (like Dave) I say ‘go for it’. For all of you, who want to absorb tiki, let it cook, and then create your own vision of tiki I say ‘go for it’!

In closing I would remind all of you “experts” and “purist” out there that once upon a time you didn’t know shit about tiki. And just because you are an aficionado now about what tiki WAS doesn’t make you right about where it is, or should be going. Just keep that in mind before you go casting stones around these forums.

Tiki is supposed to be fun, RIGHT?

Mahalo,

Brad Owens
Hale Tiki