Tiki Central / General Tiki / Zen Tiki Lounge Podcast
Post #624763 by Sunshine Tiki on Sun, Feb 12, 2012 2:01 PM
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Sunshine Tiki
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Sun, Feb 12, 2012 2:01 PM
Aloha, and welcome to the Zen Tiki Lounge. The Tiki Bar that lives in your head. For some time now I said I would start an info and discussion thread about ZTL. Finally put the mai tai down long enough to type a few words. For anyone not already a podcast listener, probably good to know what a podcast is. The official definition is "A multimedia digital file made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player, computer, etc." But I like to tell people that podcasts are Tivo for online music and talk shows. You can listen whenever you want, subscribe to a feed so you don't miss any of the episodes, and get to them whenever you want. Sometimes I save up a few episodes of my favorite shows for long car trips or jetting across the country to one of the many tiki shindigs. But all you need to know is that there is a podcast for everyone. If you can imagine a subject, someone is doing a podcast about it. Listen or subscribe in iTunes, or the RSS feed of your choice Join us on Facebook Our first ZTL podcast logo Back in February of 2006 I decided to start a tiki themed podcast because my home bar just didn't get used enough. A good friend of mine, known as Pumpkin on the show, sat down with me each week and we filled up our cocktail glasses and babbled about whatever we felt like going on about. In the early days we had a few dozen listeners. And not knowing where this would go we didn't really care who was listening, as long as somebody was. About a year into recording we were pleasantly surprised that Sunshine Tiki and Pumpkin had actually gained a little bit of a following. Our tiki journey had really just begun. My thoughts and "advice" about matters of pop culture and kitsch were certainly in their infancy. As time goes on I become more and more of a true tikiphile. The rum collection is also growing quite nicely. You really can't have too many bottles. You just need to keep expanding the shelving behind the tiki bar. An early version of the Zen Tiki Lounge. A little corner bar in what was supposed to be a formal dining room. By Summer of 2008 Sunshine and Pumpkin could no longer keep all the shenanigans to themselves. Starshine joined us next, and by 2009 Kalani had become a regular co hostess as well. From left to right: Kalani, Starshine, Pumpkin, Sunshine At first Sunshine and Pumpkin (obviously not our legal names) created personas because they simply never referred to each other by name. Pet names were the norm. It stuck. As the other ladies joined us we gave everyone the opportunity to choose a character that would develop over time. Over the years we have put a lot of effort into being as sincere in our ramblings as you may expect inebriated talk show hosts would be. We say what we think and pander to no one. If we talk about something not the show, you better believe we really feel the way we speak. I think its this reason that ZTL is a very niche endeavor. Your gonna love us or never tune in again. There isn't much room for middle ground with four long time friends who could care less about offending others who don't agree with us. But, we certainly appreciate all of you out there that have come to know us over the years and all the great times we have had. Speaking of good times! In 2008 we started hosting room parties at Tiki Oasis, Tiki Caliente and the like. The chance to invite people into the Zen Tiki Lounge, which we literally pack up and take with us. Sunshine fancies up a couple of his tasty cocktails, the music sets an exotic mood and the ladies make sure everyone is comfortable and taken care of. Let it b said that the ladies do routinely accuse Sunshine of being a slave driver with skewering garnishes and applying ample decor to the room before the guests arrive. Just ask Pumpkin about the "raffia incident" should you meet her at a party. Throwing a party in a hotel room is challenging, but the fact that someone else cleans up is an amazing plus. Meeting our listeners and fans is one of the highlights of recording a podcast and being able to open dialogue with hip cats all over the world. At the big tiki weekend events we invite fans into our room to record a "live" podcast. Drinks, appetizers, games, prizes and the usual shenanigans are all stirred up and become some of our favorite episodes. As far as we're concerned we have only just begun. Everyone should turn a hobby into a way to have fun with friends. Of course, choosing a hobby that involves tropical cocktails and frequent parties does make it easier to reach people. But, spreading the Aloha spirit and joy of all that is tiki, kitsch, mid century modern and the exotic melodies we all love is what were all about. We hope you will join us by posting your own pictures and thoughts about the tiki community we all love so much. Got pic of one of our room parties? Please post them on this thread. Questions for us on the podcast? Just ask! The shenanigans has just begun......... [ Edited by: Sunshine Tiki 2013-04-04 14:18 ] |
