PTD's Tiki Atonement (or how I learned to love "tiki" (Don't Tase Me, Big Bro)!

Atonement.

One has to seek wisdom through asking questions and through the mentoring and wisdom of others. I am taking this opportunity to atone for my sins and beg for your forgiveness.

I did not purchase all of these items. Some were given to me because I collect tiki. :)

I have a big box hidden in my garage of my "tiki" *mistakes. Early on in my tiki collecting days, my exuberance superseded my knowledge of what was true "tiki" and what I assumed tiki is. I would like to share with you all my hidden *mistakes in the pictures I am posting below.

*Disclaimer: In the event some of you own the items I am going to show, let me first apologize if I have offended you, since this is not my intention. I am sure you have valid reasons why you think these items are true tiki and even I, at one time, thought they were too. No animals were harmed while these pictures were taken!

So, this is my atonement for now. Again, not true "tiki" to me, sitting in a box in my garage, so if you are compelled by something you have seen, PM me, I'm sure we can work something out!

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and I ask for your forgiveness)!

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2008-01-16 17:19 ]

Tiki is a state of mind!!! escapism at it's best. Much like Jimmy Buffett or Corona beer is.
Jimmy may not be the best singer or guitarist in the world and Corona may taste like monkey turds and dandruff shampoo. But it brings you to a state of mind.

Old school Tiki Freaks may see it different, but that's just the way Wildsville Man See's it!!!! DIG

An animal was hurt in the making of this product!!!!!!!

That took a lot of guts, PTD. I plead guilty to the $ Store tikis. But besides being made by the ChiComms, I don't see what's so bad about them. The style is more authentic than some CoCo Joes stuff. But I take your point; we've all got some skeletons in the tiki closet.

This was a helpful post to me PTD...you know how I go for the shiny, kitschy things. :D

The good news is that this year I will be buying my first full-size tiki from a TC carver...so there is hope for me yet.

(Shhhhhh...I have those lights!!!)

Do you feel cleaner now? Next step: Burning it all. :wink: (that TV tray is cool though!)

No, seriously: Even I must have one or two of those party city Tikis on my light string hanging over one of my mug shelves, I got them as a present. And those cheapo Mexican wood masks (Theroux: "Nameless pieces of hacked wood") could be acceptable if just one or two are hidden behind layers netting and foliage (..but how the heck did you get that many!?) It is all a matter of the right balance !
I had the advantage that what really got me into Tiki was discovering Oceanic Arts - I had the best teachers from the start, so those masks never tempted me. I understand that it is different in less Tiki-fertile areas.

Like you said, the more good stuff you accumulate the more cheapo stuff you can garage. That is Janet's plan, too. If later you decide to give the Tiki junk to a thrift store, others might pick it up as a lucky find, and the whole cycle begins again:

DISCOVERY -ELATION -GROWTH of Tiki awareness -DEVELOPMENT of discerning Tiki taste -RECOGNITION of Tiki masters (Guanko/West/Schmaltz )-HORROR at ones ignorant crimes of Tiki youth -ATONEMENT! ...beautiful..innit? :D

What happens if you have a colorfull Tiki Tattoo?

Off with your arm??

It is horrible! The creeping alienation from your arm eventually causes you to go into complete denial of the existence of your limb! it is the opposite of ghost pain: Your arm is there, but you don't see or feel it ! You might as well do away with it.

:lol: Torsos beware!!!

I am certainly in the DEVELOPMENT stage... and I'm lovin' it!

[Now, about tattoos-- the whole problem I have with them is that life is about growth. I'd kill myself if I thought five years from now I was going to be the same person I am today! So how could I make permanent marks on my body expressing who I am, when I KNOW I'm not going to be this person going forward. Heck, my prayer every morning is to not end the day without learning something.]

Very brave to step forward and show us your "sins" PTD! Most all of us do the same thing early on, unless you grew up surrounded by great mid-century tiki and knew what it was from the get-go. I did not. Growing up, I had no exposure to vintage tiki. I know I would have fallen in love with it early on if I had just been exposed to it, but being a military brat growing up, there was no tiki around. So my early purchases were much like yours until I read the BOT and then I jumped out of the kiddie pool and headed straight for the deep end!

Those masks remind me of a mask that I do have hanging behind my bar. It is more Chinese than tiki, but considering it came from the Chin Tiki in Detroit, it stays!

Not burning anything just yet and I have to admit that when this all was displayed among the rest of my collection, no one thing stood out as not belonging.

I may implement the masks outside in a garden area similar to the suggestion Big Bro made? Most of the items were purged to make room for more authentic and aesthetic items I found as time has gone on. I really have only been a serious collector for the 1 1/2 years and began dabbling with collecting tiki in mid 2005. Most of what I posted in the pictures was from the dabbling period. Along the way I skipped over a Don the Beachcomber mug and a Suffering Bastard decanter because I wasn't up to speed on what these items were. Don looked like Colonel Sanders and the Suffering Bastard looked Mayan to me.

It probably goes without saying that two of my greatest early educational resources, aside from Tiki Central, were The Book Of Tiki and Tiki Quest. In fact, my Tiki Quest book has been so abused that pages are falling out of it. Tiki Modern is another outstanding contribution to the tiki community and another strong recommendation from me for learning about tiki culture.

Not having attended a large tiki event, I would say my greatest one-on-one exposure to collections in person happened when I went to our Sacramento tiki event over a year ago. Bo and kingstiedye have outstanding collections. It is one thing to see a picture of any item, but seeing all of the different collectibles in person is literally amazing.

Visiting fellow collector's homes is amazing; tikicleen and the drunken hat have an incredible presentation; their entire home is a showplace of the most amazing array of items (including their backyard). There are others I have visited and I always see some really cool stuff. Moondog 426, VampiressRN, Tiki Hula and Alohacurrent, I've been to their homes and they all represent tiki well!

Tiki Hula, with his amazing Witco fountain, inspired me to ask Jungle Trader to carve me my own fountain and I still go out and worship it daily. Alohacurrent, in addition to tiki, has some a very nice Polysesian collection as well, which is another area I collect. Mr and Mrs Alohacurrent and my buddy Kevin, my wife and I did a mini crawl in December to the bay area and hit Trader Vic's Emeryville, FI, The Kona Club and Conga Lounge all in one evening. Learned even more going to these places and we had a fantastic time.

I could go on, but this seems like enough for now.

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and I'm gettin worse)!

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2008-01-17 07:37 ]

I'm standing by my Dollar Store Tikis damnit!

Since most of those masks don't have much detail, do you think you could give them to some of the TC tiki carvers and have them give 'em the "once over" and resurrect them as tiki masks?

On 2008-01-17 11:18, GROG wrote:
Since most of those masks don't have much detail, do you think you could give them to some of the TC tiki carvers and have them give 'em the "once over" and resurrect them as tiki masks?

Absolutely! Any takers??

PTD

Seems like it would be a nice challenge for carvers.

On 2008-01-16 21:16, RevBambooBen wrote:
What happens if you have a colorfull Tiki Tattoo?

Off with your arm??

Only if it's Budweiser related. :D

Which ones are the Dollar Store tikis? Are they the little guys that have two tikis in one piece? I've started seeing those suckers all over the vintage shop circuit for $6-10 per.

On 2008-01-17 15:31, BrickHorn wrote:
Which ones are the Dollar Store tikis? Are they the little guys that have two tikis in one piece? I've started seeing those suckers all over the vintage shop circuit for $6-10 per.

Yep, basically the ones in the second and third pictures...they are o.k. but with all the other stuff out there, why bother?

I call this fashion of tiki the "jumping on the bandwagon" series of tiki style, which really isn't any style, because basically it is from a large sweat shop manufacturer trying to cash in on the latest "In" trend. Take the masks for example, they are vintage in my definition and imitate tiki design but were made in haste at a cheap cost to cash in around the first time tiki was popular.

Not surprised you are seeing them at vintage shops, fake imitation stuff will be vintage (depending on whose definition you subscribe to) in the not too distant future! Vintage and antique dealers think tiki is really hot right now hence the $6.00-$10.00 range.

I recently found two Harvey's Lake Tahoe small hula bowls at an antique shop. Asking price-$40.00 each! I have never paid more than $5.00 for one, so this really threw me. They are still there!

Pyscho Tiki D (I know I am and tiki is as tiki does)! DIG?!?

Psycho Tiki D, that was really inspiring for you to share that box of stuff. I too have a box full and I have to ask myself." Why do I still have that stuff?" Remember George Carlin's routine on Stuff? Maybe thats why we all keep our stuff.
Grog's idea good. Make Tiki from crap. I will donate a few items to this worthy cause. Maybe we can have a auction at some future date. Give a share to say the Clown Doctor's? I also have another secret to share here.
When we were in Vegas we went to Las Vegas Trader Vic's to have mai tai's on the patio.

My girlfriend thought it would be funny to wear this hat there.

She also put this sticker on her car.

Since it was the Las Vegas Trader Vic's, it didn't matter to me.

Oh Dear, is that really what it looks like all over? They should be ashamed to call that Vics.

On 2008-01-17 16:03, Psycho Tiki D wrote:

On 2008-01-17 15:31, BrickHorn wrote:
Which ones are the Dollar Store tikis? Are they the little guys that have two tikis in one piece? I've started seeing those suckers all over the vintage shop circuit for $6-10 per.

Yep, basically the ones in the second and third pictures...they are o.k. but with all the other stuff out there, why bother?

I call this fashion of tiki the "jumping on the bandwagon" series of tiki style, which really isn't any style, because basically it is from a large sweat shop manufacturer trying to cash in on the latest "In" trend. Take the masks for example, they are vintage in my definition and imitate tiki design but were made in haste at a cheap cost to cash in around the first time tiki was popular.

Not surprised you are seeing them at vintage shops, fake imitation stuff will be vintage (depending on whose definition you subscribe to) in the not too distant future! Vintage and antique dealers think tiki is really hot right now hence the $6.00-$10.00 range.

I recently found two Harvey's Lake Tahoe small hula bowls at an antique shop. Asking price-$40.00 each! I have never paid more than $5.00 for one, so this really threw me. They are still there!

Pyscho Tiki D (I know I am and tiki is as tiki does)! DIG?!?

The prices have been rising. In the past few weeks, I've seen: Trader Vic's S&P set for $24; dollar store tikis for $6-10; several common Orchids mugs for $12-14; a newer Mai Kai mug for $20; and many other tiki items that are too overpriced to justify buying.

On the other hand, I managed to buy two Kono Hawaii mugs and a Kahiki Hoffman mug for a total of $24. So, what's basically going on is that the dealers have no understanding of the value. I guess it's better that way, because there are deals to be had and one can simply avoid the rip-offs.

On 2008-01-18 01:18, cheekytiki wrote:
Oh Dear, is that really what it looks like all over? They should be ashamed to call that Vics.

Yes Dear, but it's called Vegas... No shame here, unless your shit your drawers at the crap table !!!!

On 2008-01-17 18:20, Ojaitimo wrote:

Dear Lord, no jungle, no tikis, no dark no dirt? That's clean and sterile and disgusting. OH THE HORROR!

LET'S RIDE! - Hopper

[ Edited by: Jungle Trader 2008-01-18 15:38 ]

On 2008-01-18 12:30, Jungle Trader wrote:

On 2008-01-17 18:20, Ojaitimo wrote:

Dear Lord, no jungle, no tikis, no dark no dirt? That's clean and sterile and disgusting. OH THE HORROR!

---

LET'S RIDE! - Hopper

[ Edited by: Jungle Trader 2008-01-18 15:38 ]

Hey JT,

If you look at the pic, it ain't all that bad. I see a wrinkle in the bulster around 3 O'clock. It's kinda tiki.

AHA! Yes, I see it too. There IS hope.

That place needs a band of wild monkeys to charge thru it.

[ Edited by: Jungle Trader 2008-01-19 11:17 ]

On 2008-01-16 16:43, Psycho Tiki D wrote:
Atonement.

One has to seek wisdom through asking questions and through the mentoring and wisdom of others.

Most of the locations of Trader Vic's followed Vic's ethos. Las Vegas Trader Vic's? .... Not so much!

*On 2008-01-18 18:58, RevBambooBen wrote:*I see a wrinkle in the bulster around 3 O'clock. It's kinda tiki.

:lol:

Thanks for directing me here, Psycho Tiki D. I, too, seek atonement. I had no idea until I bought Tiki Style (the abridged version of BOT, which it looks like I'll never be able to own...) and found this group how bad some of my tiki decisions were. I've overpaid for things I didn't know about ($24 for a Libbey moai mug :(), passed on things I should have bought, and proudly posted photos of stuff like this:

But, I won't apologize for the cheap dollar/party store stuff because I keep it hidden away and it's good for parties (parties where I'm the only tikiphile, that is). I also have plastic tiki lanterns on my balcony and that same Big Al, Lenny et al. Mug set, which I bought second hand for $5.99. The rest is too embarrassing. I now avoid most of that junk, and I think I have enough monkeypod stuff from the Philipines. I will continue to look to the TC Ohana for guidance.
Mahalo!
Brandomoai