Post #625170 by KokoKele on Wed, Feb 15, 2012 6:46 PM

Thank you!

Hey, Chuck, I was born in '55, so although I got some exposure to the tiki scene through my dad, who LOVED it, I really wasn't old enough to explore the tiki establishments myself until it was pretty much too late. Truthfully, I wasn't very aware of tiki as more than a passing interest back then. I just remember seeing all the stuff my dad used to bring home (most of it is probably collectible now; too bad I didn't keep it)and he used to take us to themed restaurants. I lived in Anaheim from '55 through '63 or so, and the thing on everyone's mind at the time was Disneyland, which opened the year I was born. My dad was a stucco salesman and actually had some very good years supplying the Magic Kingdom with finishing materials during construction. Due to his success I had a pretty rich nightlife for a little kid.

My larger interest in tiki actually didn't develop until fairly recently, partially by hanging with my pop during his waning years, partially by falling in love with the Hawaiian islands in the 90's, and partially from coming across the books and this site. Seeing the pics and reading the various posts relating to those earlier times really gives me a sense of nostalgia, even though I was a young and fringe observer. My dad thought all that stuff was magical, and I'm lucky enough to remember a lot of the more sensual aspects of the times: the way it felt to travel in the heavily upholstered back seat of a giant car, the rustle of the fabric of my mom's "big" dresses, the way food smelled and tasted, the way it was presented visually, the trappings of the restaurants and, of course, going out into those beautiful, colorful California evenings (do they still have those down there?). Tiki was always around somewhere in that mix, along with televised images of exotic places and ads for things like "Chevron Island, near to where you are, a friendly kind of island (something) for your car" (or something like that, sung to music from "South Pacific").

I can certainly respect and appreciate the feeling my elder friends have toward those times. It was as much fun as America has ever been, I think. Right now I can't come up with a really succinct way to express the zeitgeist of the era, but I think I know, at least a little, how you feel.

Tiki on, brother!