TM
Joined: May 12, 2004
Posts: 4105
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TM
What is Tiki?
At this point, I don’t know any more.
I discovered this forum around 2003. From the first, I was amazed that there was a whole community of people that were talking about something I had only known about in my youth, the tiki craze which had swept America in the 50’s and was the reason there were so many cool old motels in Anaheim California with fanciful, pacific-island themed names. I was hooked. Instantly. Around the same time, my sister found the Book of Tiki and got it for me for my birthday. Reading the pages, I was amazed and blown away by what I was seeing! This man, Sven Kirsten, had documented a long gone phase of American culture that I had only ever seen glimpses of. In that book was codified the whole thing!
Forgotten drinks. Mugs. Exotica music! Tiki “temples”. Fake Polynesian food, heavy on the MSG and food coloring. Middle aged business men and their June Cleaver-esqe wives acting like crazed natives after a hard day’s work on wall street or in the manhattan ad agencies. This was all something I had thought of before, but never seen to the extent that was now displayed in the pages of this marvelous tome!
And the music! On this forum, people were talking about long gone names from the past! Denny, Lyman, Baxter, Esquivel!
Then I started attending tiki events. Seeing bands like the Mai-Kai gents, which were such a great throwback to a different time and place! It was exhilarating and refreshing, to say the least!
I have remained steadfast in my appreciation of this forum, and tiki culture in general, but as of late, have also found myself getting dismayed and saddened by what I see occurring here.
I believe the focus of this forum has changed and degenerated into a mere shadow of what Hanford once had as a beautiful vision of a glorious time in American history.
Newcomers constantly post threads which have nothing to do with poly-pop. And pointing it out, only points the finger back at you. Nobody seems to care any more. Now we talk about rock music and hippy stuff, and call it tiki. Few seem to really disagree. Seems the whole concept is slowly dying. I find it sad, but also, an increasing waste of time. The parrot heads and grateful dead fans are taking over. The focus in the music section has been reduced to rock music, punk music and other things of that nature.
True, I have made a few friends here, and had some good times, but I find myself alone in my defense and appreciation of the true nature of poly-pop.
Therefore, I think it is time I made my exit. Maybe I will return one day, maybe not.
I feel few would miss me anyway.
So for now, adios, Tiki central! I want to thank Hanford for creating this forum, for the numerous people who have created tiki events, for Sven Kirsten and his excellent work and books.
I am not going to abandon my love for tiki. I believe the original tiki craze was cool enough to archive, preserve and enjoy for a long time to come. Hopefully one day, the direction will return back to what tiki is and was, but for now, I am tired of explaining and defending it.
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