If this Tiki thing is nothing more than escapism, what (in particular) are you escaping from?

It’s been asserted numerous times (especially in an excellent thread entitled “How much escapism is too much escapism?"), that the Tiki subculture constitutes pure escapism. Do you think this is true, and if so, is this true for you? If so, what (or who) are you trying to escape from? Why can’t you handle real life, that you feel you have to immerse yourself in fantasies about hula girls, plastic squid and puddles of flaming liquor in skull-shaped cereal bowls?

[ Edited by: White Devil 2009-06-30 14:44 ]

[ Edited by: White Devil 2009-06-30 16:01 ]

For me its escapism from.....ta da.....the daily routine of Monday thru Friday / 9 to 5 / concrete and asphalt / rush ruSH RUSH!!

Away from the things of man, my friend. Away from the things of man.

I'm just ah ...you know , looking for a place to abide....

Sanity? Sobriety? Everything, bro... escaping from everything.

On 2009-06-30 14:43, White Devil wrote:
Why can’t you handle real life, that you feel you have to immerse yourself in fantasies about hula girls, plastic squid and puddles of flaming liquor in skull-shaped cereal bowls?

You say that like it's a bad thing?

Just doing what the voices tell us to do.

I think I am just drawn to the era that it represents. Post War, late 1940's to mid 1960's. I like the cars better, the music better, the clothes better, the decor better. I was definitely born in the wrong generation.

It seemed like a genuine time, with better family values, people knew their neighbors, and not everybody carried a gun.

Now everything looks the same (neighborhoods), sells the same stuff (big box stores), sounds the same (have you listened to FM radio lately?!?), and kids wear the same stuff (anybody notice all of the clothing stores in the mall are basically the same thing?)

[ Edited by: dewey-surf 2009-06-30 20:25 ]

Dang, that was well stated. I'd sum it up as: Escape the beige.

With some exceptions most of us aren't really attempting an escape, we're just side stepping the ordinary and every day.

And despite our wonderful precious super coolness it's really not all that unique. The notion of "escape" is used to market pert near everything from yogurt to birth control.

Marketing has got us believing that we have something to escape from. And ha-ha-ha: The things we're escaping from are the things we most want: A good job, house, nice town to live in, spouse, kids, round the clock activities, TV, cell phones, sprawling blocks of beige cubes full of stuff to buy, predictability, and dependability.

Maybe the escape message works so well on us cuz a long time ago it was escape or be eaten. Maybe that's why people like the head hunter and cannibal mugs so much. "I have escaped and here's a poor bastard that didn't...Cheers!"

On 2009-06-30 14:43, White Devil wrote:
Why can’t you handle real life, that you feel you have to immerse yourself in fantasies about hula girls, plastic squid and puddles of flaming liquor in skull-shaped cereal bowls?

Wait a minute!
Hanford, it was understood that there would be no intelligent conversations in the "Bilge" forum?

it's easy to romanticize a period in time we were never from (or lived through)....in doing so we get to pick and choose the aspects of a particular time period we like , magnify them, make them our own and then eliminate or ignore the stuff we don't like from the same period.....anyone that has lived through the 40's,50's or 60's will tell you it wasn't as magical and cool as we seem to think it was....there were problems and stuff back then too. That's the difference between living it and imagining how it was lived.....Our perceptions of tiki are pure fantasy (aside from the actual historical facts -thank you sven). I grew up in the 70's and think that the 70's were the worst time in history for just about everything in our culture at that time....yet I see kids born in the 80's embracing 70's fashion and other cultural aspects from that time and think it was the greatest moment in pop culture....perception is everything and all things are relative. I personally don't really consider tiki an escape.....i find the whole thing relaxing in tone and creatively inspiring in style but also recognize it as a nostalgia (however imagined) for a time i never knew (except as a youg child on family vacations to florida and what not). These are tough times we face in this country at this moment and even tougher choices....the last thing i want to do is esacpe from it.

" In a perfect world...Elvis would still be alive ....and all the elvis impersonators would be dead!!"

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-07-01 05:28 ]

On 2009-07-01 05:25, Tipsy McStagger wrote:

it's easy to romanticize a period in time we were never from (or lived through)....in doing so we get to pick and choose the aspects of a particular time period we like , magnify them, make them our own and then eliminate or ignore the stuff we don't like from the same period.....anyone that has lived through the 40's,50's or 60's will tell you it wasn't as magical and cool as we seem to think it was....there were problems and stuff back then too. That's the difference between living it and imagining how it was lived.....Our perceptions of tiki are pure fantasy (aside from the actual historical facts -thank you sven). I grew up in the 70's and think that the 70's were the worst time in history for just about everything in our culture at that time....yet I see kids born in the 80's embracing 70's fashion and other cultural aspects from that time and think it was the greatest moment in pop culture....perception is everything and all things are relative. I personally don't really consider tiki an escape.....i find the whole thing relaxing in tone and creatively inspiring in style but also recognize it as a nostalgia (however imagined) for a time i never knew (except as a youg child on family vacations to florida and what not). These are tough times we face in this country at this moment and even tougher choices....the last thing i want to do is esacpe from it.

Tipsy, WELL WELL WELL WELL said! Yesteryear was never like we see it represented. Well written my friend.

I'm just hiding here in Bilge til the fuzz cools down
and the heat is off...

that was ONE botched heist!
:)

For me, it is not escapism at all. Just a love of 1950's culture in general. Plus, I like fake cantonese food with lots of MSG and sweet and sour sauce. I like the sounds of the vibraphone mixed with birdcalls. I like the way tikis look, and I like gardens and buildings that feature ornamental "tropical" foliage. I like new bands that pay homage to all the things I like, (Tikiyaki Orchestra) and I even like eyeballs driving hotrods! Spongebob? What's not to like about a cartoon that embraces many elements of tiki? The music alone is worth it. Spongebob is like the simpsons. Yes, both those shows are definately gonna stand the test of time, due to the fact that there are expert animators (Like Grog from this forum) who have been involved with them.

And probably no suprise, but I have always loved SHAG. The colors he chooses, the imagery. I like it not because someone else says I should, but because with a few brushstrokes, artists like shag, squid, yaneger, horne, little lost tiki, big toe, cammo and so many others capture completely the essence of the 1950's lounge culture.

[ Edited by: Lucas Vigor 2009-07-01 13:28 ]

On 2009-06-30 14:43, White Devil wrote:
what (or who) are you trying to escape from?

In the movie "The Wild One", didn't a woman ask the character played by Marlon Brando the same question and his reply was "What have ya got?"?

On 2009-07-01 13:52, King Bushwich the 33rd wrote:

On 2009-06-30 14:43, White Devil wrote:
what (or who) are you trying to escape from?

In the movie "The Wild One", didn't a woman ask the character played by Marlon Brando the same question and his reply was "What have ya got?"?

I believe the line was "what is it you fellas are rebeling against?" -his reply "what have you got ?"

Tipsy, I totally agree with what you are saying.

My point was, to me the era of 1940's to 1960's had some cultural elements that is a shame are no longer around. That being said there was also some real crap happening during that time period as well. Korean War, Cold War, McCarthyism, JFK assasination, Civil Rights (or lack there of). So yes, all eras have their share of bad stuff, well noted.

Bring back the cars, music, fashion, and TIKI BARS from that era is all I'm saying. :)

How does one Escape Escapism?

How does one divide by Zero?

On 2009-07-02 09:29, little lost tiki wrote:
How does one divide by Zero?

Answer: Nature does it by creating a singularity. Man does it by creating a "Pink Chihuahua" mug and passing it off as Tiki.

I am escaping from my shiite job!

@@**#&!!

[ Edited by: rugbymatt 2009-07-02 11:04 ]

I'm trying to escape from having to answer questions like these!

"Handling" life to me is getting the most personal fulfillment out of life as possible (which is different for everyone), and a big part of that for me is seeking out old restaurants and bars, trying a large variety of booze and cocktails, travel, etc. This is all part of the classic tiki experience IMO.

On 2009-07-02 11:03, rugbymatt wrote:
"I am escaping from my shiite job!"

What job is that... an Ayatollah?

What a great question to ask. But nobody is really trying escape as in "Escape from New York". Escapism in this sense is more like children playing "dress-up" or building a tree-house.

It's also like role-play.

Setting a side the intellectual aspects of tiki, i.e the drinks, velvet nudes, screaming folic symbols, exotica music, etc. all of which can be enjoyed from a pure academic interest, the tiki culture that Don the Beachcomber dreamt up connects to man's desire to lay down his tools and vacation for a brief moment in an idyllic place where the drinks are strong, the room is dark, and the women have big tits.

Okay... that last part was put in there to emphasis that being PC is also something from which we also want to escape. Don't believe me, just recall the last Tiki Oasis and the hotel room where Thee Swank Bastards were playing.

Yah, I saw you all there... and it wasn't the musicians you were all staring at.

Absolutely...I think the darkened room aspect also helps tone down the cheesiness of some of the decor. There've been some great perspectives posted here re: escapism. I just wanted to note that my own take on it excludes the latter-day frantic party atmosphere that has come to prevail at many of the poolside party events. Tiki bars were founded by tired, weary middle-age guys like me who just wanted to mellow out on the delicious cocktails, gaze at the anatomy and not be bothered by all the stuff that folks have said they're trying to escape from. You like to dance and whoop it up? Great, kid. Go do that at the opposite end of the joint: my friend and I were enjoying a quiet meal and good conversation.
For me, I think a large part of the appeal of haunting places like the Atlanta Trader Vic's goes back to my lifelong habit of frequenting restaurants that are almost empty. In college I would study at the nearby buffet restaurant between lunch and dinner when no one but the staff was around. I was a regular like the employees and could've left my study materials on my table from day to day if I'd wanted, almost. I could leisurely sample whatever food was out, drink endless coffee and not be bothered by anyone I didn't want to be bothered by. To this day, I still have dreams about that restaurant (closed from the mall and relocated into a smaller space now), and in the dreams, the buffet line extends into infinity. Perhaps it's just my loner tendencies, but it's tough to reconcile the loud, obnoxious party atmosphere (something I associate with the Ugly American syndrome as depicted in the novel of the same name) with the dark, quiet refuge that a good Tiki bar should be.

On 2009-07-03 05:02, White Devil wrote:
Absolutely...I think the darkened room aspect also helps tone down the cheesiness of some of the decor. There've been some great perspectives posted here re: escapism. I just wanted to note that my own take on it excludes the latter-day frantic party atmosphere that has come to prevail at many of the poolside party events. Tiki bars were founded by tired, weary middle-age guys like me who just wanted to mellow out on the delicious cocktails, gaze at the anatomy and not be bothered by all the stuff that folks have said they're trying to escape from. You like to dance and whoop it up? Great, kid. Go do that at the opposite end of the joint: my friend and I were enjoying a quiet meal and good conversation.

I agree with you so much... except the reality of the situation is that many of the same people who went to Tiki Bars were also Shriners. Ever been to a Shriner's convention.

Better bring your ear plugs.

Alot of the time, it's more about what GROG escaping TO and not FROM.

On 2009-07-03 11:31, GROG wrote:
Alot of the time, it's more about what GROG escaping TO and not FROM.

Exactly,
I don't need a drink, I just want a drink.