Post #73227 by bigbrotiki on Wed, Jan 28, 2004 6:43 PM

On 2004-01-28 13:13, aquarj wrote:
Bigbro, how did you uncover that fact - did they tell you, or was it your own knowledge of Witco?

-Randy

The Alibi did not know who made the decor or who Witco was (until the BOT).

I went to Portland to specifically shoot the Alibi for the Witco book BECAUSE I remembered it as a Witco temple. But since I had increased my knowledge of Witco's oeuvre ten-fold since I had been to the Alibi last, I looked at it again and it felt a little off. I did not recognize any of the Tikis' designs. The exception was the framed triple face known as "The Conversation", which I knew (only with color on it) from the Witco catalogue. So the maker must have had Witco knowledge. In the back of the frame I found a business card "Artistry in Wood- by Frank Hart".

The next discovery was a small stamp imprint on the Easter Island heads by the kitchen entrance that read "Gordon". When I asked Bill Westenhaver about it, he remembered that one or two guys that had worked for him did leave and tried their hand at his style, never becoming as successful as Witco itself.

So at first I was bummed, thinking
"I can't put that in the book" and that the Portland expedition was a failure, even though The Alibi was such a great place.
But then it dawned on me: The Hala Kahiki was unmatched as a Witco shrine anyway, I didn't need another place. Way better was an example of the influence of the style and re-interpretation by somebody else.

So with the help of Maxton, who was working at the now defunct Will Vinton Studios then, I got some lights and shot the Faux Witco environs of the fabulous Alibi, as further proof of the creative genius of William Westenhaver.