Post #562300 by tiki mick on Fri, Oct 29, 2010 7:47 AM

I am not sure what the "Tiki" everyone here is talking about even is any more...

For example, very few people from this forum ever come and see the Smokin' Menehunes play, because we are considered to be "Hawaiiana" and not "tiki"? (Yeah, I was PMed that one time) YET, we play exactly the type of music you would have heard had you stepped into a real Tiki bar or polynesian style restaraunt back in the day....after all, how many 1950's era tiki bars or polynesian restaraunts had surf bands, punk bands or even exotica bands playing? I say "Exotica" because I feel it was really rare to hear one of those bands outside Hawaii (Denny and Lyman). Most Polynesian restaraunts here on the mainland would have had the full Luau feel, with the hapa haole band, dancers, and all the mugs and fake cantonese food some of us talk about today.

The Smokin' menehunes will never be allowed to play Tiki Oasis, because we are not "Tiki" YET, they have bands like the Ghastly Ones and Creepy Creeps headlining the same event (No offense to the Ghastly Ones or Creepy Creeps, but are they really Tiki Bands?)

The emphasis on this forum seems to be the extinction of Tiki, or the glorification of the extinction of Tiki...the collection of artifacts. Rarely anything new being created is in the mid-century poly pop style...it all seems to be geared more towards low-brow art, tattoo and hot rod culture, surf, ex-punkers, etc, with only a passing nod to the original polypop foundation...

While most of that new stuff is very cool, and very well made and created...I have to ask? Is it Tiki?

I am by no means a Tiki purist. I like everything from the mid century, and in my mind I actually lump most of it together. Space age? Love it. Googie architecture has the same tropical foliage found outside as the "tiki" bars do, or "tropical backyards" do.

Les Baxter can cite Africa or space exploration as quickly as he can some quasi polynesian style.

My problem is with the addition of the modern elements into Tiki. Oh, I understand why of course: Few people here are of an age where jazz based music was popular. That's why there are so many hippies, rockers and punkers are on this forum (god bless 'em!) but it is also why only a small circle of Die Hards come and watch the Smokin' menehunes play...ever! Yet, we pack the place with older people (60 plus) who had a closer chronological relationship to the original polypop movement.

If you happen to make it to a menehunes gig, take a look around you at the audience. Ex vegas showgirls, ex flight attendants, ex hawaiian "beach boys". That's our target audience...and it never has been "tiki" central people...and I think that is a shame!

After all, had you gone into a Trader Vics or Don the Beachcombers back in the day, do you really think you would have seen a surf-rock-punk band wearing fezzes entertaining a heavily tatted out crowd? Because that's what you see nowadays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYNJ4rTtoGE

http://www.myspace.com/lucasvigor

"yer jus not tuned into the series of tubes yet, let it soak in".

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2010-10-29 07:54 ]