While trolling the NPR audio archives, I came a across a number of stories and interviews that I'm sure will appeal to many of you. Some of these have already been posted on TC, but I thought I'd gather together all the ones I could find. We already have a couple of "tiki in the movies/TV/Youtube" threads, so let's call this the tiki spoken word thread. Not all are strictly tiki, but are at least related. If you know of others, please add them here. Enjoy!
Tiki Bar Closes Down
LISTEN
NPR, Morning Edition, August 23, 2000 - Host Renee Montagne talks to Michael Tsao, owner of the Kahiki Tiki Bar in Columbus, Ohio about the closing of the Tiki bar, which is on the National Historic Registry.
Tacky? No, Tiki
LISTEN
NPR, All Things Considered, May 10, 2003 - The kitschy, Americanized "tiki" adaptation of island life includes everything from Hawaiian shirts to Hula girls... and don't forget tropical drinks garnished with paper umbrellas. Hundreds of people are gathering under bamboo torches in Palm Springs, Calif., for a third-annual celebration of tiki culture known as the Tiki Oasis. Alex Cohen of member station KQED reports. [ROB'S NOTE: Features sound bites from Sven Kirsten and Otto von Stroheim.]
Hawaiian Lounge Music
LISTEN
NPR, Morning Edition, January 10, 2000 - Host Bob Edwards talks to Martin Denny about Hawaiian lounge music.
Martin Denny, Creator of 'Exotica' Music
LISTEN
NPR, Weekend Edition Saturday, March 5, 2005 - We reflect on the career of the creator of "exotica" music. Martin Denny, known to many as the grandfather of lounge music, died this week at the age of 93.
Meaning of the Cocktail
LISTEN
NPR, All Things Considered, March 31, 1997 - Robert talks with Joseph Lanza, the author of The Cocktail: The Influence of Spirits on the American Psyche. [ROB'S NOTE: This one is going along fine until about 5 minutes into it, the record they play starts to skip, which goes on for several minutes. Hilarious.]
Swing Culture
LISTEN
NPR, Talk of the Nation, February 13, 1997 - Premium cigars, martini bars, supper clubs, swing dancing - all have resurged in American popular culture. Join Ray and his guests to explore why these extravagant trends have become the new symbols of excess and success for Americans...on the next Talk of the Nation, from NPR News. Guests: Mechele Flaum (President, Brain Reserve), Dale De Groff (Head Bartender and Beverage Manager, Rainbow Room), Gordon Mott (Managing Editor, Cigar Aficionado magazine), Brad Benedict (Producer, Capitol Records).
Juan Garcia Esquivel and Yvonne de Bourbon
LISTEN
NPR, Fresh Air from WHYY, January 11, 2002 - Juan Garcia Esquivel was the icon of space age bachelor music, producing innovative recordings of pop music in the 1950s and sixties. He died in his home in Mexico on January 3rd at the age of 83. In 1994 his work was re-issued on the CD, Esquivel!: Space Age Bachelor Pad Music (Bar/None). Yvonne de Bourbon, one of Esquivel's ex-wives, and a former performer in his live show.
A Tribute to Juan Garcia Esquivel
LISTEN
NPR, Weekend Edition Sunday, January 13, 2002 - Juan Garcia Esquivel, the composer of "Space Age Bachelor Pad" music, has died. Liane Hansen presents a rebroadcast of a 1994 interview with Irwin Chusid, the producer responsible for remastering Esquivel records to compact disc.
Having a Ball with Juan Garcia Esquivel
LISTEN
NPR, All Things Considered, October 29, 2005 - Have a cocktail. Why? Because Juan Garcia Esquivel is back... after a fashion. True, he died in 2002. But the man who practically invented 1950s lounge music -- then led a resurgence in the 1990s -- is being rediscovered on a CD called The Sights and Sounds of Esquivel!.
Norwegian Explorer
LISTEN
NPR, All Things Considered, April 18, 2002 - Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl has died at the age of 87. In 1947, Heyerdahl sailed from South America to Polynesia on a balsa-wood raft called the Kon-Tiki, winning an international reputation for his demonstration of how prehistoric peoples could have traveled.
Thor Heyerdahl
LISTEN
NPR, Morning Edition, April 19, 2002 - NPR's Alex Chadwick reports on the death of a great explorer: Norweigan adventurer and anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl. His 1947 voyage from South America to Polynesia on a raft made of balsa wood made him famous. The resulting book, Kon-Tiki, sold 25 million copies worldwide. Heyerdahl was 87.
[ Edited by: GatorRob 2006-11-02 13:50 ]
[ Edited by: GatorRob 2007-05-31 09:16 ]
[ Edited by: GatorRob 2011-01-16 16:17 ]
[ Edited by: GatorRob 2012-04-23 09:05 ]
