Post #548998 by woofmutt on Tue, Aug 17, 2010 7:48 AM

"I think the key for the difference between classic Tiki and revival Tiki lies in the fact that the concept of "pop culture" did not exist in the 50s and early 60s -that's why Tiki style could not be recognized as such in its heyday. Pop culture, the lifting up of low art to high art, was introduced with the phenomenon of the Beatles and their generation...It took some time for the pop culture perspective to come around and discover Tiki culture anew. It is this new "pop culture" perspective that liberally allows the mingling of non-related, other pop facets. " -bigbrotiki-

I agree with the gist of your idea, but I see differences in terminologies. And as there's pert near no better fun that putting too fine a point on almost unknown cultural flotsam and jetsam...

Pop culture is short for popular culture which refers to music, movies, literature, trends, et cetera that are popular with the masses. The concept of popular culture definitely existed in the 50s and 60s and earlier.

Pop art, the idea of taking common and popular images and using them in "fine" art came about in the 50s and exploded in the 60s.

The concept of lowbrow culture is post 60s, as is retro culture.

What we call Tiki was part of the pop culture of the 50s and 60s. While it definitely wouldn't have been recognized in its heyday in the same way we do today it was a popular trend with elements most middle class Americans were familiar with to some degree and recognized as "Hawaiian" or "Polynesian" or "Island."

The lowbrow and retro movements of recent times are the blenders with which all past popular culture movements get mixed together and it seems anything goes into the blender.

Mr and Mrs White arriving at a backyard luau in Middlestatus, Oklahoma in 1959 wouldn't have been surprised to see torches, mugs and lights in the shape of island gods, people wearing clothes with garish tropical prints, and hearing Martin Denny playing on the record player. But they probably would have been more than a little confused if many of their friends were wearing Fezzes* and there were a couple of burlesque dancers performing off to the edge of the yard.

If most of us showed up at a Tiki party and people were running around in fezzes chasing burlesque dancers in pasties while Reverend Horton Heat blasted from the stereo we wouldn't be too surprised.

Tiki is part of the retro and lowbrow cultures but the tendency of those cultures to grab and mix all sorts of pop culture shouldn't define Tiki.

I don't mind the mixing of pop culture elements in retro culture, but I definitely will bluntly state: Burlesque isn't Tiki. Fezzes aren't Tiki. Hot rods aren't Tiki. Rockabilly isn't Tiki.

*All the White's friends belonged to the Moose Lodge.