Where are the first TCers today? - Tiki Central Ohana

WD White Devil Member The Interior, Deep South Pacific Joined: Jun 26, 2009 Posts: 766	WD White Devil Posted posted on Fri, Dec 28, 2012 7:19 AM I think we should consider the possibility that the fault lies with people who are drawn to tiki/vintage for the wrong reasons. I think most of us who are interested for the right reasons will, sooner or later, have a moment where it becomes unavoidably clear that there are bums on the bandwagon. For me it was the Robert Drasnin performance at Hukilau 2005, where the music's quieter passages were drowned out by the chatter of the ill-mannered drunkards in attendance. (We don't know if they were ALL F.O.M. members, but chances are there were more than a few. It's a certainty that they were all yankees.) It became obvious, then & there, that the tiki revival had attracted some number (we don't know the size of the number, but hopefully it's a minority) of people who were more interested in hearing themselves talk than in hearing the musical resurrection of rare genius. They were there for the party, not for the art. They were under the misguided opinion that what they had to say was more relevant than what Drasnin's talent and orchestra had to say. They were wrong, and should've been somewhere else. Anyone who's seen the TLC show "Housewives with Beehives" has had a glimpse of the same phenomenon. The cattiness and utter commonality of the vintage lifestylers robs their good taste of whatever virtue it ever had. Just because someone has the same taste in decor as you, that doesn't mean they're someone you'd ever want inside your home. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but it's a good lesson to learn because it reflects the larger reality of human nature. Drasnin was too much of a gentleman to stop his performance until the noise dissipated, but I'm not sure the drunken dolts learned anything from his courtesy. If we don't tell the louts to shut the fuck up, how else are they ever going to learn that they should? The important thing, of course, is not to cede the party to the tacky and misguided: that's probably what did in the original Tiki movement in the first place. We should all be grateful that Sven, Swank, et al still grace us with their company. If we can manage to keep our mouths shut long enough to learn something from those who came before, there's always hope for our little flagging campfire. [ Edited by: White Devil 2012-12-28 08:07 ]

I think we should consider the possibility that the fault lies with people who are drawn to tiki/vintage for the wrong reasons. I think most of us who are interested for the right reasons will, sooner or later, have a moment where it becomes unavoidably clear that there are bums on the bandwagon. For me it was the Robert Drasnin performance at Hukilau 2005, where the music's quieter passages were drowned out by the chatter of the ill-mannered drunkards in attendance. (We don't know if they were ALL F.O.M. members, but chances are there were more than a few. It's a certainty that they were all yankees.)

It became obvious, then & there, that the tiki revival had attracted some number (we don't know the size of the number, but hopefully it's a minority) of people who were more interested in hearing themselves talk than in hearing the musical resurrection of rare genius. They were there for the party, not for the art. They were under the misguided opinion that what they had to say was more relevant than what Drasnin's talent and orchestra had to say. They were wrong, and should've been somewhere else.

Anyone who's seen the TLC show "Housewives with Beehives" has had a glimpse of the same phenomenon. The cattiness and utter commonality of the vintage lifestylers robs their good taste of whatever virtue it ever had. Just because someone has the same taste in decor as you, that doesn't mean they're someone you'd ever want inside your home. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but it's a good lesson to learn because it reflects the larger reality of human nature.

Drasnin was too much of a gentleman to stop his performance until the noise dissipated, but I'm not sure the drunken dolts learned anything from his courtesy. If we don't tell the louts to shut the fuck up, how else are they ever going to learn that they should? The important thing, of course, is not to cede the party to the tacky and misguided: that's probably what did in the original Tiki movement in the first place. We should all be grateful that Sven, Swank, et al still grace us with their company. If we can manage to keep our mouths shut long enough to learn something from those who came before, there's always hope for our little flagging campfire.

[ Edited by: White Devil 2012-12-28 08:07 ]

Post #662503 by White Devil on Fri, Dec 28, 2012 7:19 AM