TIKI OASIS 2008 Aug 14-17 Voodoo Zombie Island

First of all Whaaaaa!!! Tiki Oasis is over. Secondly, YAY! we had a blast at TO. A heartfelt thanks to Otto and Baby Doe for all of the work they put into this event every year...As always, it was wonderful and I can't wait for Surf City next year! I think I'll rest my liver for the remainder of this year. :)

Thank you Otto and Baby Doe. xoxo

Oh my oh my that was FUN. Mr. BonzoGal and I had a blast- sadly, he was pretty sick, but he was having too much fun to stay in our room. We have so many new mugs now, we're going to have to do a major re-arrangement of our display space.

The Zombie Drink seminar was incredible- entertaining and educational!

Sitting in my cubicle at work here this morning, I have a little "aloha spirit" buzzing around me... either that or I'm still hungover...

Tiki Oasis is one of those events i look forward to literally all year and keeps me stoked until the next year. Just the theme for next years Oasis gives me chicken skin. This last weekend was filled with so many great memories and a few that im sure i will never recapture until hopefully right before i die and my life flashes before my eyes and those intoxicating moments come flooding back. The aloha spirit was overflowing and the ohana was in full party mode. Mahalo to everyone that attended in making this a collective good time.

Mahalo nui loa to everyone who stopped by the Freaky Boutiki booth! It was great seeing old friends. (Thanks for letting us mess up your front yard Rugby!)



Bashing it's way into the coolest things in my life ever: Being a roadie for The Robert Drasnin Orch! A soft spoken thanks and a smile from the miestro too! Never would have believed we could have fit all those musicians onto a stage not much wider than a couple bowling lanes! (pics from afternoon soundcheck)

On 2008-08-19 09:38, Tai Won On wrote:
What a great weekend. Even though I'm home now I can't stop flashing back to the last few days.
Thanks to all who hosted and thanks to all that visited our Norcal Ohana room 1849. We had a blast and will start planning for next year soon.

Thank you to the honest person that got the camera I lost, in my drunken stupor, back to me. I don't remember too many of the room crawl parties, but I'm told I attended.

We did find a brown camera case in our room which no one claimed. We tried to find the owner but no one recognized it. Monday morning I turned it in to the hotel lost and found.

THANKS so much for turning that in...I just spoke to the hotel and they are shipping it to me. Speaking of turning things in, what is the deal with the stolen tikis? Are they back yet?

Some highlights from our trip, our first TO in San Diego, the second time we've had the honor of hosting the B Movie Nite. (Some asked why the advertised movie, "I Eat Your Skin" AKA "Voodoo Island" - not be confused with the Karloff flick from '57 of the same name - was actually shown as just plain "Zombies". Answer: B movie producers like Del Tenney, the genius also responsible for "Horror at Party Beach," re-released their artworks several times under different titles attempting to turn a profit on their original Buck Fifty investment.) The trailers were the best part anyway. Mahalo for the memories, aloha from Thrillville. ps love that Waitiki CD I bought....

is it me or is there just too many things going on at the same time at Tiki Oasis. I wonder if thats a good thing or a bad thing.
there was stuff I wanted to do/see.
but just could not squeeze it all in.
kinda a double edged sword I guess.

but definitely many choices for people to choose from.
and that is a good thing.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

What a blast to have been at Tiki Oasis! It was the first time for my wife and I. We spent the days hocking shlock in the indoor vending room, and had a great time at the shows, movies and room crawls at night.

It was great to see old friends and to meet new ones. Looking forward to next year!

Mel

What a great weekend! had a blast catching up with some familiar faces and putting names to new ones. I never stopped laughing with (or at) the boys from Ghouligan's Hut, Big Toe, Clydesdale, DavesNotHome and Holden both in the booth and out, and good times with our neighbors Nick and Tiki Magazine and Mad Matt Reese and the Finkniks boys.. Buzzy gave me a very intimate limited edition print and signed it to me in a most professional and endearing manner (i believe someone got nuber 31 of 30?). Ed & family mixed me up some great cocktails as did the other fantastic room hosts, as usual Woohoo and Soccertiki went the extra mile. Maid Marion gave us a hysterical rundown on Billy the C*$T's wiener(s) and Bamboo Ben threw two drinks at me! The Bands were great with the Creepy Creeps and Ghastly Ones taking Oasis to a whole new level of insanity. Only had a few people give me crap about the accent which made up for Ken Ruzic's absence......almost. Kirby and Polly told Sarah and I some great vomit stories and Rob Roy didn't knock my drinks off the balcony this time.. Saw more boobs than I ever expected which was nice....
Hope I can make it next year, I would sell a kidney but i have a feeling I'm gonna need it!

On 2008-08-19 14:08, AquaZombie wrote:
Some highlights from our trip, our first TO in San Diego, the second time we've had the honor of hosting the B Movie Nite. (Some asked why the advertised movie, "I Eat Your Skin" AKA "Voodoo Island" - not be confused with the Karloff flick from '57 of the same name - was actually shown as just plain "Zombies". Answer: B movie producers like Del Tenney, the genius also responsible for "Horror at Party Beach," re-released their artworks several times under different titles attempting to turn a profit on their original Buck Fifty investment.) The trailers were the best part anyway. Mahalo for the memories, aloha from Thrillville. ps love that Waitiki CD I bought....

I loved the B Movie Nite...it was a brilliant way to wear off the 5-7 mai tais of the day gradually. I was new to the Thrillville trivia contest stylings, but once I figured it out (by naming my favorite overlooked Elvis film) I was even able to take home a magazine door prize!

My favorite scenes of ZOMBIES/I EAT YOUR SKIN were the bookends at the beginning and end featuring the "Swinging Writer Guy" protagonist doing his thing by the poolside in Miami Beach (and this was definitely the second best film ever filmed at the Fountainbleu Hotel...though a distant second to #1: Jerry Lewis' THE BELLBOY).

Here's a few we took.
The brood we brought along.

My wife and her sister.

Setting up the paintings

How they looked at night

My sweetpea got to dance on stage

Hanging with the kids

Gecko opening the mug he had me paint. A real honor for me.

The kids had a ball

We danced like crazy

What a great time. See you all at Tiki Surf City next year!

Matt, you got a better pic of that Gecko/Matt mug. Wow, how cool is that. Your painting for a guy who can sell HIS done up versions for BiG bucks.

On 2008-08-19 18:46, teaKEY wrote:
Matt, you got a better pic of that Gecko/Matt mug. Wow, how cool is that. Your painting for a guy who can sell HIS done up versions for BiG bucks.

Go to my Myspace page, and I have a few.

Here are a couple stolen from Billy's page. Thanks again Billy. I appreciate the shots.

He sent it to me unglazed so I would paint it.

It has a rubber brain wedged into it's mouth.
I gotta say, Gecko is one of those rare people that makes this whole tiki subculture work. He is a great guy and I am thrilled to have been able to do something like that mug.
Just a solid person.

424 Oasis photos, thanks Billy, that's what I'm talking about.

My favorite scenes of ZOMBIES/I EAT YOUR SKIN were the bookends at the beginning and end featuring the "Swinging Writer Guy" protagonist doing his thing by the poolside in Miami Beach (and this was definitely the second best film ever filmed at the Fountainbleu Hotel...though a distant second to #1: Jerry Lewis' THE BELLBOY).

Wow, you stayed to the end - congrats! It's actually a fun movie, perfect for T08 because of its madcap mix of cheesy voodoo, semi-sexy dance rituals, non flesh-eating (despite the title) but suitably creepy zombies, 60s-era "exotica," lurid pulp ambience, unspecified tropical setting, and best of all, the Jonny Quest-style soundtrack music! For the 80% of the audience who drifted out after the trailers, or for those who stayed and actually may want to watch it again, its now available on RetroMedia DVD as part of "Morella's Blood Vision," which also contains "Blood Seekers (AKA "Blood Thirst") another "prize" someone took off my hands. Here's a review with more info:
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/08/04/225851.php
Cheers!

What a great week-end. This was our first Oasis & all I can say is WOW!! My wife & I would like to thank everyone involved. The bands, the vendors, & symposiums were all superb. Holden, thanks for always taking the time to talk to my wife & I. Clysdalle, thanks for signing a print for our daughter. Badlands Beads & Happy Chi, the wife always buys something from you. We are already planing for next year. Here are a few pics.

On 2008-08-19 19:37, Matt Reese wrote:
Here are a couple stolen from Billy's page. Thanks again Billy. I appreciate the shots.

He sent it to me unglazed so I would paint it.

It has a rubber brain wedged into it's mouth.
I gotta say, Gecko is one of those rare people that makes this whole tiki subculture work. He is a great guy and I am thrilled to have been able to do something like that mug.
Just a solid person.

Aloha Matt! Nice to have met you and connect the name to the person....Some picts for your collection....






See you next year! Freddie

On 2008-08-19 07:59, Jeff Central wrote:

On 2008-08-18 22:39, tikiyaki wrote:

Esquivel is definitely more Space Age bachelor pad music than Exotica. He did have a few tracks that border on Exotica though.
Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Amazon Paddle Boat is amazing and totally exotica. Give it a listen sometime. Email me at [email protected] if you want the mp3.

Note: I corrected "Amazon Jungle Boat" from the original post to "Amazon Paddle Boat" which is the correct title. TB

[ Edited by: tikibob 2008-08-20 08:19 ]

WOW! Great pictures, everyone.. thanks for posting them. So many events and happenings, and so little time to hit them all. (Especially when you lose 1.5 hours hugging the toilet after Friday's room crawls & Rum tasting and not eating lunch.)

Huge thanks to Otto & Baby Doe for another jam-packed Tiki Oasis. Friday's musical line-up was absolutely fantastic - Waitiki, Martini Kings, and (especially) Robert Drasnin. Though Saturday's music fit the Voodoo Zombie theme of TO this year, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Special thanks to Maikai Gents for keeping the music at a manageable level by playing in the hotel hallways, elevator, and crawl rooms. Those guys know how to work the crowd!

Martin's symposium on the Zombie was the highlight of TO for me this year! Way to go, Martin!! Nice touch with the tear-away suit. :)

The room crawl hosts went out of their way to make TO a really special event. I wasn't able to visit them all, but my thanks go out to WooHoo & Soccer, CheekyGirl, and the NorCal group for their contributions. Kahuna Kent created a really cool mug for the event too. Loud, live music from rooms were a little over the top, as they are hotel SLEEPING rooms and places for guests to escape and relax.

My special thanks to the FOM room hosts, croe67 (Caroline) and skitiki (Stacy), for letting me go wild with my decorating skills to create the Old Hawaiiana room to keep the "Polynesian" aspect of Tiki alive for this year's event, and to compliment us pouring the 1934 version Zombie. (I will have to re-think pouring a really strong drink so early in the day!) Also, my sincerest thanks to Buzzy (carved Tikis), Tiki-Kate (vintage shirts and fishnet floats), and Cammo (leis) for helping us with those special touches to our room.

It was really cool to see old friends and make some new ones. I finally got to meet Formikahiki (Alice with that magical voice), Mieko, Grog, Susie, and so many others I forgot to mention.

Many mahalos to everyone who bought my TWB Fishnet Float earrings and pendants. And to Suzanne who sold them in her vending booth while I was running around being crazy. If you missed out on them, contact me at the upcoming Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale, or PM me!

PS Thanks for the Golden Mug Award, Cammo!! I just dropped the check in the mail for you! :)

Aloha!!!
Myke

On 2008-08-20 06:55, tikibob wrote:

On 2008-08-19 07:59, Jeff Central wrote:

On 2008-08-18 22:39, tikiyaki wrote:

Esquivel is definitely more Space Age bachelor pad music than Exotica. He did have a few tracks that border on Exotica though.
Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Amazon Paddle Boat is amazing and totally exotica. Give it a listen sometime. Email me at [email protected] if you want the mp3.

Note: I corrected "Amazon Jungle Boat" from the original post to "Amazon Paddle Boat" which is the correct title. TB

[ Edited by: tikibob 2008-08-20 08:19 ]

Yep!! That was a track from an album that was found in the vaults by Brother Cleve. I used it at the Bon Voyage Kahiki party.

Definitely Exotica!!!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Way to go Matt!

I wanted to give a big shout out to all that attended Tiki Oasis. Thanks again to Otto, Mark and all that make this such a tremendous event. We had such a great time seeing old and new friends, we will look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

Greg

"PS Thanks for the Golden Mug Award, Cammo!! I just dropped the check in the mail for you!"

Thanks, bro. That $12,382.00 is gonna come in pretty handy.

Man! What a party! It was so great to see all you tiki pals who I only get to see once a year (not often enough!) and a lot of new faces at this year's event too. Thanks to everyone who came by the booth for your warm reception of my velvet work--I am SO INSPIRED to go home and paint now! Kudos to Otto & Doe on a job well done again this year. Hopefully I'll make it back to California again before next August. If you're in the LA area you can still catch me Friday night at La Luz de Jesus where Bob Drasnin will be signing picture discs & playing a few tunes. Then it's back to Canada for me.

Great big aloohaaaas to Otto and Baby Doe for putting on YET ANOTHER fantastic Tiki Oasis. And I want to thank everyone who stopped in at my first (but not last!) room party on Saturday night. The "HOly Altar of HO" (Don Ho, that is) seemed to be appreciated, along with the "Bubbly Ho" cocktail creation. Thank you, Rebecca & Dave, for looking after me that Oasis night years ago, and ALSO last Saturday night! Thank you, Tiki Pugs for your grand sense of always knowing how to have a good time (and keeping the unwanted, strange, drunk guy away from the party). Thank you, Nick Camara, for giving me a creative (and legal) place to express my love of Tiki since Issue #2... and thank you to all the artists who honored me by showing up at my soiree. Doug Horne, Hassan Patterson, Squid, Thor... I bow to your greatness!

I just wish I had taken more photos! I've discovered it's really hard to hold a camera while your whipping up cocktails. Maybe I can build some Rube Goldberg-type device that will allow me to do both at the same time...and that will match my dress.

I already have figured out my theme for my next Oasis room party. (Oh, I do love a theme.) And you're all invited!

Until we meet again (which, the way this year has been going, will probably be sooner than later...)

Much Aloha,

Kari Hendler

The strange, unwanted, drunk guy was one of the homeless guys that hang around down by the Sports Arena and lives in a motorhome. I went to help Eric the Red out with some things in the front lot and that guy was falling all over the bushes, then wandered out towards the street. I really do hope he was ok, even though he was annoying. I've met the guy before and he's actually kind of cool, in a strange, gross, sort of way.

My buddy Dave works at the Hanalei and the tikis have been returned. There is no more information coming from the hotel and they are just happy to have them back and be able to retain the parts of the hotel that they, themselves have not already destroyed.

First ever Tiki Oasis was a great success.....I have picture blogs on my myspace
go here

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=134477960

I forgot to mention Ernie Keen (aka: "Grog")! Thank you, Ernie, for coming to my party, too! You rock! And I'm craving a steak at Damons! So...?

On 2008-08-20 21:55, Billy the Crud wrote:

   My buddy Dave works at the Hanalei and the tikis have been returned.  

Nice!

We would like to thank everyone involved for making this event happen. It was so much fun as always. We have attended all but the first Oasis. It just keeps getting better and better throughout the years. Thank YOU!!!!!

On 2008-08-20 21:55, Billy the Crud wrote:
The strange, unwanted, drunk guy was one of the homeless guys that hang around down by the Sports Arena and lives in a motorhome. I went to help Eric the Red out with some things in the front lot and that guy was falling all over the bushes, then wandered out towards the street. I really do hope he was ok, even though he was annoying. I've met the guy before and he's actually kind of cool, in a strange, gross, sort of way.

   My buddy Dave works at the Hanalei and the tikis have been returned. There is no more information coming from the hotel and they are just happy to have them back and be able to retain the parts of the hotel that they, themselves have not already destroyed.  

WHOO !!!

I'm still unpacking, winding down and doing laundry! I had a blast! It was great seeing everyone old and new.

The rum tasting was fun and informative -- this should most definitely be a recurring event.
The NorCal Ohana are the best. I wear my FI t-shirt like a badge of honor!

Martin's symposium was the absolutely the highlight of the Oasis for me...Martin you are the master and my god.

And to those that stopped by my room for the Crawl, thanks for trying my new drink and to Fire Monkey Glass -- for my new VooDoo Kitty blown glass pendant.

Thanks to Otto, Baby Doe, and the entertainers, musicians, DJ's, so many people to thank...and everyone behind the scenes that had a part in engineering this event.

That is awesome.

Took me a few days to recover (that and a panicked trip to LA because my Dad went into the hospital on Sunday morning!). Finally I got my pictures posted today. Looks like I was not sober enough to take very many but since i only took one last year (on my phone) I did better.

flickr pool here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/catmomma/sets/72157606879231045/

This is me and my hubby on Saturday night.

This was our second Tiki Oasis. Last year we came alone, this year we talked 5 others into joining us. I think they are all hooked! We all had the best weekend

On 2008-08-19 14:08, AquaZombie wrote:

My Goodness! A picture of an awake Ben!

Naw, he's not awake. They're just carrying him around Weekend At Bernie's style.

On 2008-08-19 21:14, TikiPops wrote:

Maynard?

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=21942435&albumId=2835571

200 pics of TO8 - however, a lot of the pics are of the Hanalais' courtyard and surroundings. There are pics of random folks in and out of the pool so if you don't want your pics up please let me know and I'll remove them.

Sorry guys, not too many pics of the burlesque shows (or the nearly-nude shots from Room 1803) as MySpace doesn't allow "nudity."

Again - thanks to everyone who put this shindig together and those who sold me great stuff!

[ Edited by: beadtiki 2008-08-21 19:39 ]

On 2008-08-21 18:13, freddiefreelance wrote:

On 2008-08-19 14:08, AquaZombie wrote:

My Goodness! A picture of an awake Ben!

Reminds me more of Weekend At Bernie's - he's not really awake!

On 2008-08-21 18:17, freddiefreelance wrote:

On 2008-08-19 21:14, TikiPops wrote:

Maynard?

Yes it is. I talked to him last year. He was working at the hotel. I didn't see him this year though.

[ Edited by: Rob Roy 2008-08-21 22:27 ]

I just posted a ton of photos on my Flickr page:

http://flickr.com/photos/dinamarie/sets/72157606879623237/

Probably many duplicates of what others have taken, but ehhh what the hell!

:)

Tiki Oasis 8 was awesome! I want to give a big thanks to Otto and Baby doe, and all the volunteers and the entertainers!
So here were the Trophies I made this year…

Best room was (I belive) Rum Shaker?
Best Booth was Holdens, “Gooligans Hut”

Dr. Tiki Mojo got best dressed Kane
Best Dressed Wahine ?
Best Dressed Keiki ?
Best Dressed couple?
Thanks to all who entered, and Congrats to all who won!
Cheers!
Tiki King

On 2008-08-22 08:59, Tiki King wrote:
Tiki Oasis 8 was awesome! I want to give a big thanks to Otto and Baby doe, and all the volunteers and the entertainers!
So here were the Trophies I made this year…

Best room was (I belive) Rum Shaker?
Best Booth was Holdens, “Gooligans Hut”
Thanks to all who entered, and Congrats to all who won!
Cheers!
Tiki King

MAhalos for the fantastic trophies Tiki King!!!

I think this photo better displays the jubilation of our win: clockwise from the charming Kim, Deuce, Tiki Trav, BigToe, D-Lo and Da Tiki Farma. Look for our signed and DNA sampled trophy in the TC marketplace soon!

btw, MY vote for best booth went to Tiki Tony.

On 2008-08-22 08:59, Tiki King wrote:

Best Dressed couple?
Thanks to all who entered, and Congrats to all who won!

We just LOVE our trophy! I'll search everyone elses pictures to see if I can find a shot of us in costume holding it. The trophy holds the place of honor high on a shelf in our Tiki room (so the cat doesn't chew on the voodoo doll or shrunken head).

On 2008-08-22 08:59, Tiki King wrote:

Best Dressed couple?
Thanks to all who entered, and Congrats to all who won!

We just LOVE our trophy! I'll search everyone elses pictures to see if I can find a shot of us in costume holding it. The trophy holds the place of honor high on a shelf in our Tiki room (so the cat doesn't chew on the voodoo doll or shrunken head).

A few shots of Oasis for your viewing pleasure....

i'd like to give thanks to all those i met at oasis. it was my first time and the spirit of the people there was amazing.

i'm simply amazed at the scope of talent that exists in the tiki world.

thanks especially to kingstiedye for picking me up at the airport. jonesey for being there and being a super nice guy. that's a great first impression of the event.

woohoo and soccer for hosting a great room that was super spooky. shelley for putting all that time into setting things up and putting in so much spirit to make sure people enjoyed themselves.

the nocal crew for having such a great room and making me the unofficial bouncer. happy to oblige.

the waitikis in their que hats were great. don't touch the que!

billy the crud, what a nice guy you are. thanks.

tikilee's, thanks again for the hospitality.

crazy al, thanks for the necklace.

hank and rita, you guys are great. i love the boar's tooth.

heather and mike, you are the best that canada has to offer.

buzzy, zaya . . you continue to make me smile with your joy.

all the san diego crew . . . you guys could keep the tiki vibe even through an earthquake.

otto, you're pretty cool. thanks for putting all this together. you did a good thing.

sven, it was a pleasure to put a real life personality with an online personality. it was a pleasant surprise. you have a beautiful family.

gecko and freddy, what a joy to meet two island guys that take the whole aloha experience with them wherever they go.

the staff was also great.

i'm sorry if i didn't mention anyone personally. no slight intended at all. i enjoyed all my time and everyone i met and talked with. i have no bad memories at all.

oh, and if anyone finds hoodoo ape skull #25. that's mine. i misplaced it.

thanks again, to everyone.

perry