Post #416317 by Mongoloid on Thu, Oct 30, 2008 8:19 AM

Patrons of tiki bars do not instantly get that it’s a subculture and lifestyle. They can show up enjoy the ambiance and cocktails then return to their home filled with buddha hands, paisley shirts, refrigerator full of Zimas and carry on with their lives. The transition from buddha hands to Bosko masks is an evolutionary process that requires an appreciation of Poly Pop and observing those that know the history and are plugged into the pulse of all things that are truly tiki. Knowing the art, music, mixology, carvers and characters of the scene are something that requires a passion and not a casual annual pilgrimage to the local tiki bar in a Tommy Bahama shirt will allow you that window to look in. But if they take home that mug they kept from the local tiki joint, that may eventually turn into 2 or 3 then they find out about a guy named Squid that designed it and become interested in his freakish abilities, and from that they find out he’s in this group called the Tikiyaki Orchestra, then discovers exotica and realizes this is something that has always been embedded in him and is awakened. He will soon ditch the Tommy Bahama and bust out the barkcloth, take down his Ikea print of a ladybug and put up a Shag or a Ken Ruzik. It will all begin to click and eventually he/she may end up on Tiki Central starting his own thread enlightening me on some arctichetutal tiki discovery. The tiki culture/lifestyle is a commitment and although people on the outside looking in have an inclination sometimes they just don’t necessarily “get it”. Even though the translation is a pretty simple universal desire. Tiki is all about fun and transporting yourself into a unpenatrateable bubble of paradise. Everything is cyclical and we are by no means the forefathers of this movement, but through our appreciation and perpetuation it will continue to flourish. I hope that tiki becomes all the rage again and there is a tiki bar on every corner, because you and I will still appreciate them when the hype and fad fades. Tiki will never become extinct as long as I can help it, but it will poke its head in and out of the mainstream on a regular basis. Enjoy the ride!