Post #608615 by bigbrotiki on Sat, Oct 1, 2011 2:04 AM

On 2011-09-30 17:14, JOHN-O wrote:
I have two major Tiki regrets in life. The first is I didn't make an immediate Tiki pilgrimage to the Kahiki when I first read about it in the Book of Tiki. I blame the Bigbro for getting BOT published so late. ( :D )....

On that point, blame American publishers for not picking up the project for 8 years. After all, it took only a little over a year after getting the green light from Benedikt Taschen to have it come out. But still, not soon enough, as MY two major regrets are illuminated by this ironic tragedy:

When Otto planned his grand "Farewell Kahiki" event after the fate of the Kahiki had become evident, I held ONE printer's advance copy of the book in my hand, but the first batch was on its way from China. It arrived at the Taschen Cologne offices in time so that I could arrange to have 100 copies air-freighted to Columbus, Ohio, just barely on schedule for the event.

I was working on a B-movie in LA at the time, and as a D.P. I could not leave the set until Friday, flying to Columbus late Fri Eve. When I got to the Kahiki, neither Michael Tsao nor Otto knew of no book shipment. I frantically traced the shipment: Turned out it was held at Columbus customs - and they were closed on Saturdays! The books were in fact IN Columbus....but there was no way to get to them!

So my big book signing was canceled, and for the rest of the weekend I proceeded to get VERY drunk, only being able to show folks the copy I had in hand, mumbling " so this izz the book I have been talking about for yearz....

The other regret is that Ray Buhen had passed away before the book became a reality, after having heard tall tales of it at his bar counter for so many years.