Post #366865 by tiki mick on Fri, Mar 14, 2008 8:40 AM

I could not agree more. Coming from the background of being in a near Buffett tribute band in high school, I tried to like his music, but alas, "warmed up country music with some steel drums" is an absolutely correct desciption. It's pleasant sounding, and I am sure Jimmy is a nice guy with a lot of good stories, but Tiki it aint. Not by a long shot. And yes, parrot heads are basically jam band refugees who found a new nitch.
Doesn't make me hate him, or the music, though. Just not my cup of tea. There is plenty of real country out there, and lots of real tiki that I think just does the job better.

The fact is, just because you have some bamboo on your album cover, or vague tropical themes, it is not quite tiki. Tiki is and always has been exotica, some Hawaiian, some surf. But mainly exotica, which is a form of pop jazz. And that has nothing to do with fins, cheesburgers or margaritas. It has everything to do with vibes, fake cantonese food and mai-tais!

So, do I dislike parrot heads and other parrot related trends? Not really, but being someone into "tiki" makes me seek out those things that relate to our tiki culture, and it does bother me a bit when people consider anything dimly related to be "the same" as Tiki.