Post #270805 by bigbrotiki on Wed, Dec 6, 2006 12:44 PM

That's why I was hoping my new book would come out this fall...it WILL be a shot in the arm, I promise. But then, maybe not in the same way, to everyone. The islands of Tiki have become charted to a larger degree, the first wave of discovery is over. Nothing is as sweet as the first moment of coming upon something completely new, and for all of us, Tiki was just that, at one point or another. It has become hard to imagine the rarity of the term, or image, nowadays.

But that goes only for a small amount of people, really, maybe call them the first TC generation. Outside of TC, there is a whole world of people still to be initiated into the cult, and everyday a few are, not necessarily here, or through the BOT, but they are. And for them, even though original Tiki places are still disappearing and getting fewer, even the little that remains is revelatory.

Because the loss of newness does not mean that the inherent qualities and reasons why we caught the Tiki fever initially are not still present: The artistry, the humor, the concepts, the fun, the archetypal power of Tiki are all a testament to the human spirit. There STILL is amazing stuff out there. I have concepts for 4 or 5 more books (not ALL BOT size!) that I would like to do, Tiki willing. If I could make a living at it, I would just do that. I am, for obvious reasons, a lifer.

I am eternally grateful to TC and its Ohana, and thus will stick around here more than anywhere else, mourn the passing of the elders, accept the ignorance of the newbies, and try to guide the flock that goes astray, appreciative or not.