Post #71000 by bigbrotiki on Mon, Jan 19, 2004 2:51 PM

On 2004-01-19 08:05, PolynesianPop wrote:

Bigbro, I've emailed Huell Howser's California's Gold website many times to try to get them to cover tiki as I believe he can give it the historic attention it deserves. Unfortunately, all I've been getting back have been "canned" email responses. I gave up about a year ago.

In this scenario, we can use old photos, postcards and such. I know you have a good amount as does Bob at OA. Postcards can come from TC members. I pictured Huell visiting OA and interviewing Bob and Leroy, visiting some TC'ers at a local hangout such as Sam's Seafood, etc.

I even asked Bob at OA about this a couple years ago. He said that Huell's group contacted them once about it but then never followed up on it and it eventually was forgotten.

Being in a somewhat related industry, you wouldn't happen to have a contact at KCET would you?

---

**Poly-Pop ***

If you remember, at the Tiki Oasis (II?) Huell showed up Sunday afternoon at the pool and talked to me and Otto for a while.
He also is a Tiki Ti regular. I also was book signing next to one of his producers, Phil Noyes, who co-wrote "Trailer Travel", a book on vintage trailers, and talked to him. Phil just said they have a list of possible subject matters to shoot that is 100 feet long, and Huell alone picks.

At first I was annoyed that California Gold was not doing anything on Tiki, because they had announced it for a while, but here is my take on why not:

The thing is a 100% one man show. If Huell gets a kick out of it, it's a go. BUT for Huell to be inspired it has to feel like it is HIS discovery (I am not saying this critically, just observing). He NEVER rehearses or scripts his appearences, and draws his energy from the surprise and awe his visit creates, preferring his subjects to be "the man from the street", real people that have a certain simple innocence. And he is really good then at unearthing their specialness.

Compared to his preferred subjects I think that people like me and Otto, although we have genuine enthusiasm for our obsession, seem like jaded hipsters. We are not authentic.
So he still could go to O.A. and the Tiki Ti, yes, but the type of thing he would really be looking for is if Danny Balsz would still live at The Tikis Park and it still would stand. (Huell did inquire about it when it was still around, but then didn't do anything and missed the boat on it.)

I still agree that a Tiki episode would be a given for the show, but it's Huell who has to feel like it is his kinda deal. The longer he waits though the more authentic places and people are gonna dissappear.

Still, all this would NOT encompass my vision of a full length in depth documentary...

PS: 8FT Tiki wrote:
"WHERE THE HELL IS THE RUM???? You have a guy mix one killer mai-tai right in front of you..."

That guy, by the way, (who, again, you saw only for a split second), was Trader Vic's SVEN KOCH, who has worked his way up from a bartender at the Duesseldorf T.V.'s to being the 2nd exec at that organization. A real nice guy and an experienced mixologist.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki on 2004-01-19 15:01 ]

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki on 2004-01-19 15:18 ]