Interview with Kern Mattei of the Mai Kai

OK, it's not really an interview.
The guy has become a good friend and delights in our appreciation of the Mai Kai.
I asked him several questions tonight and thought I'd share his responses.
I was a bit buzzed (it's always the last one) so my thoughts might be scattered.
Send your complaints to Katie Couric.

First, what about the repairs?

They have finally settled with the insurance company they've been battling with since Wilma hit a couple of years ago. The re-builds and repairs have just now begun. They've negotiated with the thatch company in the Miami area and gotten bids on the bamboo and everything necessary to doll it up again.

What about the rotting tikis?

Wood doesn't last forever. Especially outside. So back in the day, when Bob Thornton (or Jack) got these tikis from various parts of the world, there was a mold made of the garden tikis. Almost every tiki out there. One of the guys at the Mai Kai, I think it's the cigarette vendor, took an interest in carving and then struck up a conversation with Kern who allowed him into the warehouse where these molds were. Eureka. The guy started pouring concrete into the molds and re-creating long lasting replicas of the original tikis. The paint was done through photographs and the memories that people had of the tikis.

Now there are no less than a dozen of the replicas and perhaps 20 or so. The Jet Pilot and Mutiny scrambled the numbers for me.

When you go back to the Mai Kai, you'll see some of the newness of it and wonder, as I did, about the restoration of the gardens.

Tomorrow, we'll "probe" Kern for another Mai Kai insider's story and we'll interview Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse about their new collaboration "Zoned Out Rich Girls in Rehab. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah."

btw, if you have any questions for me to ask Kern - fire away.
Except questions about Kern's tailor. He'll never tell.

Ahhh, the Mai Kai. Truly a remarkable place.

Did anybody else have the same thought: That people (especially around here) would pay big bucks for Mai Kai tiki replicas??

Great thread, pablus.

question to ask him : "can you give me Louise's phone number, adress, mensuration, and naked pictures if there are any ?"

Yes it's true. To set the record straight I've done 34 of them for them so far.
I can't tell you how honored & pleased I am to do them.
Hope everyone enjoys them. I have worked very hard on them.
Here's the one I'm working on now. I will be delivering a match set for the entrance soon.
Will

Will, I'd love to meet you sometime this weekend.
You've done an outstanding job and just a very cool thing.
34 ehhh? Fantastic.

Don't you wish you could get your hands on a mold for the giant Barney West stuff?

I think my favorite in the garden is the one that is still actually the rubberized mold WITH the original tiki still inside of it.

It would be epic to see it unveiled. Or de-molded or whatever the term would be.

Will, do you have a thread in Creating or Carving that shows how you're doing these things? I'm certain if you haven't, that many would love to see the process. I know I would and I can't even carve a match into a toothpick. If you do have it please link it.

If you're there anytime this weekend in the evenings - I'm the enormous (fat) dude with the gorgeous wife and the uke.
In the lounge.
On a stool.
WIth a drink.
Or two.

Virani, The Amber Love Goddess is definitely in Lady Virani's corner on this one and has her fist ready to punch you next time she sees you. Better watch it. :wink:

Hey, I got one, Pablus! Do they have Rum Barrels in yet? I may be passing thru in January, and if I need to bring my own, I will!

Hey, I got one, Pablus! Do they have Rum Barrels in yet? I may be passing thru in January, and if I need to bring my own, I will!

Will, you are doing a great deed! To recast the original Tikis is a great way of preserving the authentic look of the Mai Kai.

But it is also a challenge. Please allow me to offer some advice. I believe I am in the position to do so because I am the author of the "Book of Tiki" which inspired much of the understanding and revived interest in Tiki culture today (there are some people here who get annoyed by me pointing this out repeatedly, but because the book [after it's 3rd printing had sold out] has been out of print for over a year now, I cannot assume that everyone has it, and I need to convey that I have some expertise in the matter).

Please be assured that this is no critique of your personal talents, but intended as constructive and supportive advice:

The heyday of American Tiki culture lasted from the mid 50s to the mid 60s, and it survived relatively unphased into the 1970s. But when by the late 70s, and through the 80s, customers began to stay away from the Tiki Temples because of changing tastes, restaurateurs felt pressed to find ways to liven up their establishments. They thought that the happy face generation of the 70s might be turned off by the dark brooding idols that decorated their lounges. So not only did they sometimes re-name their establishments (for example from "TIKI TABOO" to "TIKI ALOHA"), but they turned to painting their Tikis in bright colors. Also, since the wood Tikis had to be varnished or painted to protect them from aging anyway, why not spruce them up with some color and make them look NEW and INVITING!? I coined the term "Tiki devolution" for this phase, because it hastened the downfall of mid-century American Tiki style. Most of the paint that you see on the Mai Kai Tikis today was applied during that period. (There is an exception to be made with all Papua New Guinea style carvings, which should have a limited, earth tone color palette).

The thing is, part of what is so cool about Tikis, is that they were intended to install awe and fear in the viewer, and that they represented man's creative urges back to the beginnings of time. They are NOT Mexican fiesta style folk art, and they do not have human features like red lipstick lips, white teeth, or pink tongues. Like much of primitive art, they are meant to look like of heavy age, and of darker times. That is what is wrong with the "Party City" look of many new Tikis today.

Terence Barrow, eminent scholar of Maori culture had this to say in 1969 about the practice of painting auhtentic Maori house carvings:
" Harsh colour detracts so much from the quality of a carving that a sensitive eye is offended."
....meaning that a well done carving does not need to embellish its lines with color, and that the color "masks" the sculptural quality of the piece. Tikis are amazing sculpture pieces in their own right, which do not need to be supported by bright color.

Now the challenge you face with Mai Kai Tiki recasts is that they are not of wood, which looks naturally dark and old, but of an artificial compound. You would need to apply some kind of texture and variation in tone to them to make them look less slick and monochrome, and maybe a semi gloss so they do not look either completely dull, but not too shiny or glossy either.

To get an idea of an authentic look, go and find photos in Oceanic Art books, that is how the original carvers of the Mai Kai's Tikis worked. Kern should have some books in the Mai Kai archive. Here are two examples from one, a Maori and a Rarotongan Tiki (imagine THESE painted, it would be as if painting rosy cheeks on the Mona Lisa!):

I am not saying that ALL color is ALWAYS wrong, either. The photo you are showing in your post above is a Tiki based on a Maori Tiki, very much like the one in this thread:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=24081&forum=1
With all of the above points mentioned, I also want to ad these tips specifically: Please note that Maori Tiki eyes were often inlaid with Mother of Pearl, which made them reflective and shiny and gave them life and mana. So white in the eyes would be OK, but opaque black makes them look dead. And the lines in the face (and on the body) are based on tatoos, which were usually drawn in dark blue/black ink, just like you did in the mid-section of the face.

To support the point I am trying to make here, here are some examples of post-Tiki period painted Tikis I photographed in the 90s:

Miniature golf Tikis. Obviously painted under the "we have to paint them anyway, so we might as well make'em colorful" motto.

Mobile home park Tiki. Already quite cartoony in its design, the paint really turns him into a clown face...(or Al Jolson "black face")

Michael Tsao with Kahiki entrance Tiki. This one hurts the most, because it is such an amazing Hawaiian Ku carving, which should not need one speck of color on it.

Now here is a Tiki at the Tropics Motel in Palm Springs. To preserve it against the elements it had to be painted, but it was kept in its original wood color. Together with the other Tikis that dot the grounds, it looks very regal and imposing!:

This is why Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily, when they made a Tiki Kids Coloring Book for visitors of their Miehana Exhibit, provided only one crayon color with it: Brown.

Humbly I agree with bigbrotiki. Dark wood tones all the way.

They do NOT have rum barrells yet.
Nor do they have Mara Amu mugs.

Don't know what the deal is there.
Drinks are fine but - the mugs help, imo.
No self-respecting sock monkey would be caught dead drinking a Rum Barrell out of a Mutiny chalice.

wow, svens insight always rules.....great to hear about the renovations too

WOW!

I'm in agreement with Sven's post. While I am thrilled that the Mai-Kai garden tikis are getting some much-needed attention, I'm concerned about the overall effect 30+ painted concrete tikis will have on the vintage and authentic appearance (authentic from both a true sense and a Polynesian Pop sense) of the Mai-Kai. I mean no offense at all to the gentleman making these repros. You obviously have skills a-plenty that I envy. I just hope you will take Sven's advice about researching the way these tikis should look. Personally, concrete doesn't thrill me much unless you're making a Moai tiki. But I understand carved wooden tikis are very expensive and difficult to maintain in an outdoor environment, especially hot and humid Florida. But then again, take a look at this spectacular guy from the Hawaiiana Hotel in Honolulu:

When I examined him, he was sporting a thick layer of varnish to protect him from the elements. I don't know how old he is, or his brothers and sisters on the hotel grounds, but I suspect they're vintage.

So a question I have for Kern is, why not protect the wood tikis you have? Why let them rot away? I would dearly love to see the large Barney West tiki out front lose his coat of many colors. Tiki Central is loaded with incredibly talented carvers. Basement Kahuna's tiki in the indoor garden is worthy of standing alongside the best of the Mai-Kai tikis. I'm sure there are a number of talented and experienced carvers here who would jump at the chance to help the Mai-Kai preserve their treasures. (Rumor has it that a certain talented individual might someday do just that. But that's just a rumor. And one heard after a couple of Cobra Kisses and a Black Magic.)

And while we're at it, Pablus, I'm curious to know if the thatch hut that sat near the water gardens in the front that was demolished by Hurricane Jeanne will be rebuilt. And did he indicate any time frame for the repairs? I'll be back in October and, well, I'd like it to look all pretty and all for my guests. I'm sure they'll expedite the repairs for us. :wink:

(edited to correct a dumb fat-finger spelling mistake)

[ Edited by: gatorrob 2007-09-01 06:46 ]

I agree with Sven on this for the most part. And all authentic tiki should be earth tones but I like some white and red in my tikis once in awhile. Some of our favorite tikis in the Poly Pop era have color

Wouldn't look half as cool without this color. Nor the Munktiki mug based off it. Red tongues on some tiki is a YES, red lips on tikis is a NO.

really like this one too. Hope that isn't a bad thing. I have two sides to everything. Natural at times and colors too.

I am sure that, as always, it is a question of cost. I assume that Will invested more enthusiasm into casting these than what he got paid, the currency probably being more appreciation than cash (not saying there was none, but work time-to-dollar ratio wise).

Cost is why Trader Vic's is having their Tikis carved in Asia, resulting in nice dark wood idols...yet these turning out with an unfortunate twist towards Balinese temple carvings.

I rather have re-cast Poly pop originals (embellished tastefully) than Pier 1 Import store garden statuary. It's a fine balance...

Oh, TK, that does not pass. That is a fabulous Barney West Moai which should NEVER have been painted! Have you ever seen any on Easter Island like that? And then in these Miami colors...ouuch. Tiki devolution for sure.

I have been helping to motivate Will in his Tiki endeavor (by drinking beer and talking tikis after work), and have to say that he has more invested in this project than you can ever imagine. However "authentic" the tikis may or may not appear you have to applaud him for his dedication. The story of how the molds came into existance and back into use is pretty interesting, especially to us "tiki geeks" that roam these posts. To Will's credit, painting is not his thing and he has progressively gotten better the more tikis he produces. he has some new ones that VERY cool. Not only does Will have the molded tikis there - he has several of his own wood carved creations there - as well as being the creator of the Mai Kai mug in the garden.

Here's the new game. Each of the "new" tikis were molded from an original. Take your drink, walk around and see if you can find each of the originals. Its not easy and there are some that have not been found!! You will look crazy as you walk around peeking in every nook and cranny. Its alot of fun and you will notice alot of tikis that you may not have seen in the past.

Thanks again to wplugger/Will - the official, unofficial keeper of the Mai Kai tikis!!

Does Kern measure the bar gals each night or each week or each month? :wink:

OK, the tikis that Will is casting look horrible in the pictures. The colors are garish and the presentation is less than expected for the Mighty Mai-Kai....

But, seeing them in the garden... surrounded by everything in the garden, the fifty year old orchids, the waterfall, in a word magical.

The first time I saw the new tikis I thought F....ing great, more painted tikis getting closer and closer to something Disney-esque and less Mai-Kai-esque. Well, then I looked again and realized they aren't bad. They are casts of the 'original' tikis, some of which are still there and looking good. And then I realized that they only look bad because they look so new. They have no patina of age and look out of place against everything else. In four or five more months when the Florida sun has dulled the shine, the Florida rain has softened the edges... they are going to be fantastic!

Judge them all you want, paint or not.... until you get to 'see' them in the gardens first hand, they are just horrible pictures of not so horrible tikis.

More news.

The Mai Kai has been sold.

To Dave Levy. He is the natural progression of this place and has good plans for it.
Also, we've talked with Kern and Pia and the Crazed Mugs will be doing a video there sometime in the next few months. We'll make an event of it, for sure.

As far as the tikis go, I hope Will will take this thread as a plug for his work and take the direction as a boost to his efforts because that's what everyone's intentions are. Not a slam or a doubt, just a nudge in the direction that the most vociferous fans of the Mai Kai (and the most 'in the know') would like to see the venerable establishment go.

I have more news that I'll post when I'm not so loaded.
Dang that Kern and his late night drink pushing.

[ Edited by: pablus 2007-09-01 10:07 ]

You guys are a tuff crowd, but it's cool.
Since I aim to please, I'm gonna step up to the plate
& try to impress even the most discriminating authorities here.
This has been a labor of love & I want to get it right.
Yo Bro, thanks for the input. I need all the help I can get.
Painting isn't really my thing, but I do have an extra brush
for you & one for Grob.
Chip & Andy, love you guys. Make MY-TAI a double.
AlohaStation, You did tell me not to go with red lips & white teeth didn't you.
Pablus, I'll try to make happy hour today.
They still have the original wood tiki this last one was cast
from. I felt as if I was following the painting ques from it.
I will go to the Mai-Kai today & look closer, Ill take a pic.
Lets see if I can come up with something better this wknd.

Mai Kai Rocks!

On 2007-08-31 22:14, pablus wrote:
The Mai Kai has been sold.

To Dave Levy. He is the natural progression of this place and has good plans for it.

That brings up something I've wondered. Did you ask whether Mrs. Thornton will continue to choreograph the show? If she is planning to retire from it, I hope that she finds a worthy successor who will continue to keep the dances and the costumes traditional and authentic.

What implications does the sale of the Mai Kai to Dave have in terms of the operation? Will Kern, Pia, and the rest of the team stay on in the same capacities? Does Dave have any changes in mind?

Yeah, are Ma and Kulani still running the place with Dave? I can't imagine the Mai Kai without Mirielle.

Did that bottle of wine get uncorked? You know the one I mean...

"You guys are a tuff crowd, but it's cool.
Since I aim to please, I'm gonna step up to the plate
& try to impress even the most discriminating authorities here.
This has been a labor of love & I want to get it right."

Way to go Wplugger. Keep going....and let me know if I can provide you with any pics of old pieces for you to work from. Just holla.

-G

Yeah, Will deserves a Lot of credit for unearthing these molds and learning how to get quality casts from them. I Know for a fact that he had a difficult time in the beginning trying to figure out the best method to use to get the proper tiki out of the mold without it crumbling. HE put many hours into it and all with NO financial agreement or production specs.

Will, I think you have done an excellent job with your plan and the tikis are starting to look great, but I must agree with Big Bro though on the coloring. The people who make the final decision however, may want the garish colors, since they have been around for so long.

It seems it would be much easier to stain the cement or Dye it in the mix and then highlight the details with darker/lighter browns and blacks. Show Kern this thread and show him a few samples of Tiki "Done Right" and maybe he will give the go-ahead. I believe You can pull it off. Thanks for all the time and effort you have put into this already. Somehow I think it is only a drop in the bucket compared to what is in the future for the whole deal.

Big Bro, thank You too for chiming in and bringing some saneness to us again. I have been going to the Mai Kai for over 40 years and have watched many changes take place. It will be great to see some of the garden splendor return.

Long conversation with WIll tonight.
I think he is going to not worry so much about anything other than making the tikis look the way they were at the Mai Kai when they were originally done. Mostly by Leroy Schmaltz.

If they were painted then, they'll be painted now. If they were "authentic" then they'll be that way now.

The story is actually quite fascinating. Seems Bob Thornton had an employee there who took it on himself to have these tikis cast as he saw what time was going to do to them eventually. The molds were placed in a warehouse and just waited.

Will's story is interesting too. I like the part where he talked about riding down to the Mai Kai on his bike as a kid and jumping in the fountains there until he was chased out by the chefs. Now he can go in them any time he wants. Call it "research."

I hope he takes the time to post his story more detailed than I can. I just wanted to get across that he has a long history there.

Now some perhaps grave news. I don't know what I'd do if I were in the same situation but here goes.
Seems that the place has been zoned for a 10 story building. Taxes go up even if you didn't do anything. Also, there is a developer in the area who wants to make that block into a city within a city kind of thing with apartments and shops and all of that. Now, what would you do if someone came along and offered you a bazillion bucks for your prime piece of real estate?

I've got some ideas of my own, but not worth posting about. The thing is... what will Dave do?
I think he really wants it to stay the way it is and even improve on it. But there are certain economic factors involved that I can't begin to understand the magnitude of.

I didn't get a chance to talk to Kern but I will about the involvement of Mirielle in the artistic direction.

Big mahalos to Chip and Andy for having us over tonight. Great place and of course, perfect Mai Tais.

[ Edited by: pablus 2007-09-02 05:27 ]

Holly Cow this is scary news....

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I think Dave is pretty solid there unless the place starts to cannabalize itself business-wise.
But that's just my opinon.

It's almost a good thing that the surrounding area is kind-of "lower scale" adult clubs and cheap motels, etc. Perhaps it will be left alone for that reason. There is a lot of cash in this city. Incredible amounts. I would think that some of that money would be interested in an icon like the Mai Kai and keeping it stable. There's enough cash here to helicopter the Mai Kai in its entirety, down to the beach front every night.

Anyway, big kudos to Will for doing what he's doing without any money involved or at best, very little.
Mahalo, Will.

Considering the above info, a few splashes of paint seem inconsequential in the big picture. But, not knowing what the future will bring, we might as well plug away at improving the present.

Kudos to Will for being such a good sport. He understands that we all love the Mai Kai, and that, it being the last authentic Tiki temple and prime example of the heyday of the style, we are all very concerned about it retaining its unique and rare character.

On 2007-08-31 20:16, Chip and Andy wrote:
And then I realized that they only look bad because they look so new. They have no patina of age and look out of place against everything else. In four or five more months when the Florida sun has dulled the shine, the Florida rain has softened the edges... they are going to be fantastic!

I considered that also, but please look again at the Mobile Home and the Mini Golf Tikis that I posted earlier, and the Barney West Moai that Teakey put up: Their paint jobs are all well weathered, but...they still simply look wrong.

On 2007-09-01 19:07, pablus wrote:
Long conversation with WIll tonight. I think he is going to not worry so much about anything other than making the tikis look the way they were at the Mai Kai when they were originally done. Mostly by Leroy Schmaltz. If they were painted then, they'll be painted now. If they were "authentic" then they'll be that way now.

That all sounds very easy. But it's a little more complicated. When was "then"? That Moai paint job, and some of the other Tikis like that giant Maori by the sign were clearly applied after the 60s, and are wrong. Does that mean these mistakes will be repeated?

And the fact that Leroy is a Tiki veteran does not necessarily make him infallible. He, like all veterans that had to survive the 80s, adjusted to "what the public expected", too. Just like some of the old mixologists who lost their incentive and care in making the original cocktails. As a matter of fact, brightly painted Tikis are the equivalent of too much grenadine-red, overly syrupy Mai Tais in the history of Tiki culture, both occurring at the same period, marking the devolution of Tiki.
(And I am not suggesting the slightest bit here that Leroy lost his touch, he just did what was commercially viable at the time!)

Here is an example, an early Oceanic Arts carving, with tastefully restrained "naive" paint accents that have a limited palette (white/black/and an earthy red) in an aged look:

(I realize the eyes are black, the lips are red :) ...but this is a different carving here!)

...and the same carving, overly decorated by Leroy for an art show:

Leroy did this to "personalize" the otherwise lathe-carved pieces for the show. Did that make them his own art? Perhaps. Would he have done them like that 30 years ago for a restaurant? Never.
(Unfortunately, the show and the book that followed it failed to trust in the fact that O.A.'s carvings, though mass-produced, were art in their own right, namely pop art/Polynesian pop, which had its OWN history and context which gave the carvings their meaning and value. Like the restaurant owners in the olden days that felt embarrassed about admitting that the decor was NOT from the islands, the exhibits curators tried to make the O.A. pieces "special"...which totally missed the point that mid-century Tiki was already cool enough by itself.)

In the same book, THESE two Tikis, which I fortunately had been able to admire in their natural brown color at the entrance to the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel Don The Beachcomber, were pictured as examples of Tiki style :( Ouch!:

After the Beachcomber closed, the inventory was taken over by O.A., where they were painted in this way in the early 90s, because that was what the party rental business customers went for. I sincerely believe that since then, Tiki awareness has grown in leaps and bounds, making such drastic measures unneccessary.

Just like with the cocktails, the time and effort spent on what O.A. used to call "polychroming" (used mostly for their New Guinea style carvings) seemed not worth it anymore in the 80s and 90s...nobody seemed to notice the difference. Here is an example of a unique Oceanic arts piece that shows their old, lovingly applied "polychromed" paint style:

The paint is distressed, bleached and dirtyied up which makes the carving look like straight from the jungle. Plus the paint scheme is tasteful and somewhat in keeping with traditional Oceanic art, not a coloring book free-for-all. I can only re-emphasize the importance of looking at Oceanic art books for reference. The original native artists had very specific reasons why and where they chose which paints, and to neglect that completely makes the Tikis look wrong even to the un-educated viewer, not so much on a conscious, but on an instinctive level.

Sorry about being so seemingly anal about this, but it's my job. Being supportive and complimenting on TC is all good and fine, but when it comes to preserving the quality of mid-century Tiki culture, I prefer to make a clear point without skirting around the issue. :) I know there are some folks out there who understand me and who appreciate this.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-09-02 00:29 ]

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-09-02 00:36 ]

On 2007-09-01 22:28, pablus wrote:
... There is a lot of cash in this city.
Incredible amounts...

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-condobust2707aug27,0,2001796.story?page=1

Let's hope that the condo bust talked about above (have to cut and paste the url) has a positive impact on the Oakland Park area as in "left alone."

No matter. The riverfront residents of Ft. Lauderdale have the combined cash of many nations and can weather any kind of financial storm. They're above it all already.

Back to Big Bro.
I get it. I'd be willing to bet rum to soda water that Will will accept any help from anyone who wants to do polychroming or any other technique to finish up the tikis. As it is, the ones I've seen fit well out there in the garden and most have very slight touches of white or very subdued color. They are very brown. I wish I had a still camera with me to take some photos tonight. Maybe I'll buy one. Maybe I'll drink up all of the money I would have spent on a still camera.

Freaking Mai Kai is brutal. The booze gauntlet continues tonight.

On 2007-09-02 05:40, pablus wrote:
I'd be willing to bet rum to soda water that Will will accept any help from anyone who wants to do polychroming or any other technique to finish up the tikis.

Gawd, I would if I only had the talent and skills for it. I've spent considerable hours helping the Mai-Kai with their music selections in the Molokai and in the back dining rooms, following on the heels of Swanky's wonderful contributions. I did it not for a penny, but simply as an act of love for the place, wanting it to stay true to its mid-century Poly pop roots. Kern was gracious in allowing me to work on the project, as I'm sure he is with Will. I think that's the point of this whole conversation thread: we all just want to see the Mai-Kai, last of the greats, remain true to its roots as long as possible and as long as the owners (owner?) and management are receptive.

Big mahalo to pablus for providing all these updates and sacrificing his liver in the process.

Yes, thanks to Pablus for holding the "missionary of classic Tiki" post in this last Poly pop refuge, while the natives are trying to subdue his resolve with voodoo potions designed to knock the strongest believer of his high bar stool! Hold on to the bamboo, big guy, the spirit(s) of Tiki is protecting you.:D

Though I doubt that Will is up to re-casting what he has already done, but I believe that Benzart is an elder here that has seen the Tiki generations come and go and would be totally happy and qualified to lend his experienced eye and advice to the proceedings.

I myself would gladly volunteer to find the equivalent original carvings to the Tikis in my vast Oceanic Art book library, if Will wants to post them.

Just to make one more thing clear (again), I am NOT promoting slavish copying of the original artifact color schemes. The creative re-interpretation of original primitive art was what made American Polynesian pop unique. But mid-century carvers like Leroy and Barney West and designers like George Nakashima and Gabe did so with the originals as a guide, preserving their character and style and while adding their own touch. It is all a matter of balance, and of how far does one go. Nowadays, many new Poly pop Tikis are simply based on 50s Poly pop Tikis to the degree of loosing all resemblence to the original source, which makes for a much less compelling effect.

So please Will, don't let all this " elder guidance" spoil your fun and creative impetus, paint away with gusto, but with care, too.

Regarding the possibility of the Mai Kai getting sold to make room for Condos.....

Wouldn't this be a good time to get some sort of petition going to render the Mai Kai to "Historic Landmark" status ? Is there any sort of Historic Landmark laws in Ft Lauderdale ? If so, why wait until it's in danger to protest and petition ?

I say, get it going now. Maybe a nice essay on the importance of this establishment written by Sven, and a signature drive to get this place listed under Historical Preservation. Print it up, present it to the city Historical Landmark division.

Better to nip that issue at the bud, than wait until that "big money offer that can't be refused" to come in and claim the last standing Temple of Tiki from the original heyday.

I say, why wait ?

Any thought on this ?

BTW...I also concur with Sven about the coloring, but's that's neither here nor there.

I never made it to the original Trader Vic's in Hollywood, but I certainly understood the preservation efforts of the TCers. They did what they could to try and bring the preservation of a historic landmark to the attention of TPTB, but unfortunately progress and the holy grail (money) won out.

Sad now to hear that the Mai Kai (where I have also not been) might be suffering from the same march against time.

Quote from Pablus..."Now some perhaps grave news. I don't know what I'd do if I were in the same situation but here goes. Seems that the place has been zoned for a 10 story building. Taxes go up even if you didn't do anything. Also, there is a developer in the area who wants to make that block into a city within a city kind of thing with apartments and shops and all of that. Now, what would you do if someone came along and offered you a bazillion bucks for your prime piece of real estate?"

Definitely see the writing on the wall here too. :( You can't blame the owner of these fabulous tiki treasures, I would be hard-pressed to turn down a multi-figured offer. Only hope if progress sweeps over the Mai Kai, that all the decorum can be auctioned off to tikiphiles that truly appreciate every item within. Let the picture taking begin!!! Once again, I will have to appreciate the famous lounge through pictures. Someone get me a drink menu please. :D

On 2007-09-02 11:37, tikiyaki wrote:
Regarding the possibility of the Mai Kai getting sold to make room for Condos.....

Wouldn't this be a good time to get some sort of petition going to render the Mai Kai to "Historic Landmark" status ? Is there any sort of Historic Landmark laws in Ft Lauderdale ? If so, why wait until it's in danger to protest and petition ?

I say, get it going now. Maybe a nice essay on the importance of this establishment written by Sven, and a signature drive to get this place listed under Historical Preservation. Print it up, present it to the city Historical Landmark division.

Better to nip that issue at the bud, than wait until that "big money offer that can't be refused" to come in and claim the last standing Temple of Tiki from the original heyday.

I say, why wait ?

Any thought on this ?

BTW...I also concur with Sven about the coloring, but's that's neither here nor there.

The owners of the Mai Kai are against any such designation. They are very much better at keeping the place as their family has for 50 years than a bunch of freakin politicians.

Trust Dave and the family.

They have friends and I am sure, as long as they have the business to keep the place going strong in its perfect style, they will. If things come along to screw that up politically, I hope they have the right friends to keep that off their backs.

I have spent a bit of time with Dave and I see the twinkle in his eye as he talks about the place. He is a hard businessman, but has a heart of gold. His love of the Mai Kai and what it meant to his father and means to his family and history, is very deep.

There are no better hands for the Mai Kai to be in than those it is in now.

I can't wait to see the place again, regardless, but to see it back as it was before the damage will be a great great joy!

That is encouraging indeed...might make it there some day after all. :tiki:

As far as the dancers go, they will probably be entrusted to Lani ( I think that's her name).
She's been there long enough to know how it goes and what to do.

I think that's the girl that Crazy Al says "ALL TIME!!" about.

Went again tonight, after a fun and delicious afternoon at the Jetsetter, (another post altogether), and just hung around with the Amber Love Goddess and sipped a few Floridita Daquiris.

It really is an amazing place. My favorite table is the back of the Molokai in the high room with an open falls behind it and over looking the inside tiki gardens behind the stage.

One other thing I learned last night that I forgot later because of...uhhhh.... something I drank.
A lot of the fixtures, like corner braces that look like they were salvaged off of pirate ships and things like that, are plaster. There are molds for these things too.

Thanks to Will for the lessons and good luck with your task.
See you soon when we record there. Can't wait for that. We'll get those tikis dancing.

Back to the Rusty Key.

On 2007-09-02 11:37, tikiyaki wrote:
... "Historic Landmark" status ? ...

An excellent idea and one that would benefit many a building here in south florida.

BUT! And this is a big but...

Historic Designation is the WORST thing that could happen to the Mai Kai. Well, to any business really.

The designation is more appropriate for examples of archetecture, or a home that someone famous lived in, that kind of thing. If the Mai-Kai were to be listed as Historic, an oversight board run by the local goverment would have to be consulted for every little thing that was done in/to/around the place. It would mean calling a meeting with the review board and applying for a permit to do anything down to changing a bathroom faucet that was dripping. And that is only a slight exageration. I know because I work for said local government and I know most of the people on the Historic Board (most of them are idiots, by the way).

The only way to 'Save' places like the Mai Kai is to GO to places like the Mai Kai. Filling the seats in the bar, bringing as many friends to do the same as often as possible, that is how you save places likes this. As long as we keep going to the Mai Kai and enjoying the Mai Kai, and more importantly recommending the Mai Kai to anyone and everyone who even thinks about going to South Florida (this means you to everyone not already in South Florida), the place will be there for us.

Long story short (too late) If you are not going to the Mai Kai regularly, or regularly recommending it to others, you are not helping. Go there, tell others, it is the only way to keep places like this open. This is true of any tiki establishment, not just the Mai Kai.

OK, I will step off of my soap box and return this thread to it regularly scheduled broadcast.....

Pablus, it was great seeing you at the Jetsetter. Glad you got to see it, wish there could have been more ohana there to share the heat.

Chip & Andy, thank you for the clear posting.

You're right of course, both about Historic Mamoth status, and also about the better way to keep the rum flowing on a proper a tiki ship: show up and appreciate.

As with any kind of voting, early and often gets the job done best.

Count on us fanatical Tikifornians to get get ourselves into Mai Kai seats as often as our exchequers allow us.

As for the rest of you Tikiphiles sprinkled across the states: we've all got to do our part, there's some serious eatin' and drinkin' to be done at the Mai Kai!

Folks...remember that the Mai Kai is not a museum, it is a restaurant that entertains us with dance, music, art, and poly-pop kitch. Some of that art is really old and full of culture and some is poly-pop at its finest. Say a tiki was put in place 50 years ago with paint on it. It then became part of the landscape of the Mai Kai and part of its history as a painted tiki. You want to see original Oceanic art, go visit the Smithsonian...or ready your copy of Oceanic Art.

Realize that we tikiphiles represent an incredibly small percentage of patrons. Its full of birthday partys, anniversary gatherings, and tourists that vist the Ft. Lauderdale area. We are quick to judge change and love to argue about what tiki is and how it should look. To the masses that visit the Mai Kai everyday and fill the seats, the tikis are only a part of the experience. I truely believe most visitors enjoy the Mai Kai for what it is...differnt, fun, flashy, exotic, etc...I visit often and I watch the tourists faces when they walk through the gardens, and I listen to their comments. I have never heard someone bitch about the color of a tiki. I have never seen a family not take a photo of their kids next to a tiki because it had colors on it. When I see the tikis that have been painted, it only adds to what the original vision of the place was...sure, they may not be decked out in original livery, but they have been there longer than I've been around, and that makes them part of the original landscape.

To echo what Chip and Andy said...visit the place and/or promote the hell out of it. Believe me, I visit often and I will live with it no matter what direction it goes. I'm in for the long haul.

Just a thought from the Northeast: Can't support the Mai Kai because you can't GET to the Mai Kai? Call and order some t-shirts, mugs, mousepads, pens and a Mystery Bowl.