Post #516960 by bigbrotiki on Fri, Mar 12, 2010 11:48 PM

I was really hoping this would stay on the Mai Kai track, but allow me to respond to this post, one last time, because it illustrates the problem some folks seem to be having with my posts so well: They read my claims about the dearth of Tiki (or mixology) in the world before the BOT came out as if I am denying their own, personal, individual lifelong experiences with Tiki (or whatever they called it back then). Hell, they react so violently it seems as if I would be negating their whole existence outright. I am not some kind of Voodoo priest who can do that. It's all their own, and it always will be.

But if you are a grown up person who can look beyond your own personal world, and put it in perspective to the big wide world out there and the myriads of different people in it, you realize that not only is this Tiki world on Tiki Central rather small but that, compared to that, the group of people that were into Tiki (combined from around the U.S.) in the 90s was even much smaller. I can say so, because I was an active part of it. Again, I am not denying that others were too. I am stating my early Tiki history to show that I have the benefit of both perspectives, the Tiki subculture and the Tiki pop culture, not to boast "I was there first".

This allows me to voice my educated opinion that other than on a level of personal, individual experience, but in the bigger world out there, the concepts of "Tiki" and "mixology" were practically non-existent before 2000. And I am not saying that with the BOT a flash of lightning happened, and the world saw the light. Just that that many more people did, on a scale where it mattered in the big picture. And again, with that I am certainly not denying the importance of Jeff's work, and and Shag's talent, and Holden industriousness, and Otto's love for Tiki, and all the others', in making it take off further.

But I can say whatever I want, for some folks the needle is stuck in one groove, and they will always hear me as saying " I am the greatest and there is none before me or after!", which is unfortunate, but nothing I can change, so I rest my case.