Peter Hartlaub wrote an East Bay Tiki Bar tour guide appearing in today's (July 24 2009) SF Chronicle, featuring all the stops on the East Bay Tiki Crawl (Forbidden Island, Conga Lounge, Tiki Tom's, Trader Vic's):
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/24/DD8818T9RO.DTL&type=food

And here is Peter's related interview with Conga Lounge/Forbidden Island co-founder Molokai Mike:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/24/DD8818T9S4.DTL&type=entertainment

Not sure if this means Carolyn Jones' separate article on the Mai Tai campaign/anniversary got bumped, she's on vacation, I'll find out next week. Meantime, Tiki News in the mainstream media is Good News. Aloha, Will the Thrill

Interesting stuff! Very nice articles Will. I especially like the one on Michael.

Congratulations Micheal!

sigh

From the article:

Forbidden Island (Alameda)

Coolest-sounding cocktail: Suffering Bastard

Be sure not to miss ... the television set

Yeah, that's what I think about when I think FI.

Articles like this in mainstream media are mostly meant for people who think Greg Brady invented the tiki. As a PR guy, I concur, it can be frustrating, but we can't assume everyone out there has a high Tiki IQ with a collection of Martin Denny albums to prove it (even in Hawaii, few of the locals I talked to know who that is!). The article (and layout) is fantastic, and the interview with Michael (Molokai Mike) is right on the money. Of course it if were Tiki Magazine, it would have a very different focus. We all need to be ambassadors of the Tiki Lifestyle. Forbidden Island is such a success because, while it remains true to its retro but timeless identity as an old school tiki bar, it attracts people of all tastes (as the music booker, I work on this, but it's already the way it is). I know, since I sit at the door Friday and Saturday nights, checking IDs. A lot of these young patrons can't tell you who Jack Lord is, and even some of the old timers wonder why we're ripping off Disneyland, but they LOVE the decor, the jukebox, and most all, the cocktails. That's all that matters. Tiki is for everyone! Aloha, Will

Jeez Will, chill out.

No need to be so defensive.

I hate the TV at FI. Always have, always will. I make very little secret of that. It makes me sad that of all the things he could have picked, he choses the TV as the one thing in FI "not to miss".

Yeah, I get it.

On one hand, it's great that FI and the other bars are getting coverage. It's important to get people in for any establishment. And any press is always good. And it keeps the venues we like open, because lord knows no single person can support a business establishment.

Sadly though, as a tiki snob and original Forbidden Island adventurer, I am always disappointed when people don't get the "tikiness" and look at all the wonderful details it offers. Knowing the details and background is the frustrating part that occurs when someone only looks at the superficial (ie. Elvis TV) which to them is probably totally unique.

But we can't expect from those that which they are not capable of.

Interestingly, along this theme, when we were all there Weds, there was a guy from Samoa or somewhere in the South Pacific. He spoke with an accent. He insisted on telling me all of the stories behind the war clubs on the walls and the stories of the paintings from his culture. It was really interesting for about the first 20 minutes, but then I got fidgety. I asked him if he was enjoying Forbidden Island and he said no. I asked him why. He said people just didn't get the history of the items that were so prominently displayed everywhere. This disappointed him.

Wow. He was coming at it from an even deeper level. I was the one who wasn't interested and didn't care enough. So that being said, I think it's great that FI is getting press. I will always appreciate FI for what I know it to be regardless of someone else's perception. I think FI is wonderful. :)

Group hug and kisses. xoxo

And OMG this is my 666 post!!!! I will not be posting for a while and instead basking in my 666idness!!!!

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2009-07-24 17:01 ]

I LOVE THE TV AT FI!It's one of my favorite aspects of the bar (no sports!!)
I help Michael pick a lot of the shows and movies!
To each their own. All good from my perspective.
aloha, Will the Chill (admittedly not a "tiki snob")

[ Edited by: AquaZombie 2009-07-24 16:54 ]

The tv is pleasant enough when the mind takes a break and drifts off in a cloud of rum and juices before returning with a "uh... what were we talking about, again?".

As the old saying goes: "You can't please everyone."

On 2009-07-23 18:30, hanford_lemoore wrote:
d) Explain how the inauthenticity of mid-century Tiki style is somehow more authentic than the South Seas mythology which inspired it.

It's authentic to the culture's roots: something born from the minds of Hollywood set dressers. This is the culture we celebrate here, and the actual South Seas mythology takes a back seat. But it's no different that enjoying Star Trek more than actual space exploration; some people simply prefer fake spaceships over real ones. It's okay to like South Seas mythology more than Tiki (I believe there are many here that do), but it's just not the focus of this site.
~Hanford

On 2009-07-24 16:52, Coco Loco wrote:
Interestingly, along this theme, when we were all there Weds, there was a guy from Samoa or somewhere in the South Pacific. He spoke with an accent. He insisted on telling me all of the stories behind the war clubs on the walls and the stories of the paintings from his culture. It was really interesting for about the first 20 minutes, but then I got fidgety. I asked him if he was enjoying Forbidden Island and he said no. I asked him why. He said people just didn't get the history of the items that were so prominently displayed everywhere. This disappointed him.

Wow. He was coming at it from an even deeper level. I was the one who wasn't interested and didn't care enough.

On 2009-07-24 16:20, TofuJoe wrote:
I hate the TV at FI. Always have, always will. I make very little secret of that. It makes me sad that of all the things he could have picked, he choses the TV as the one thing in FI "not to miss".

On 2009-07-24 16:54, AquaZombie wrote:
I LOVE THE TV AT FI!It's one of my favorite aspects of the bar (no sports!!)
I help Michael pick a lot of the shows and movies!
To each their own. All good from my perspective.
aloha, Will the Chill (admittedly not a "tiki snob")

It does sadden me a little that people are so up in arms about Forbidden Isand and it's new or current management and ownership, and what makes it tiki vs. not tiki, and other differences whether observed or perceived, and all other manner of drama over the most minutia of detail. And believe me, I hear it all the time - way more in private than here on TC. To some degree, people are even dividing their friendships up over whether they are going to continue to support this place or not. In my opinion, that's a lot of drama over something that is supposed to be about fun and escapism in a lifestyle that is totally made up.

Granted, having an opinion, and being able to express that opinion is what makes this site, this community and this country, great. And when you group together various levels of interest, from the casual observer to the most devoted urban archeologist who makes a living doing this, those differing levels of opinion are bound to surface at some point. And it is evident that people are very passionate about tiki and their opinions of it. But unless it is your primary source of income, let's not let that passion suck the fun, and the life, out of the escapism experience.

Anyways, that's my opinion, for what it's worth. I think I've done enough to derail this thread. I suggest that if people want to continue discussing what they like or don't like about tiki, Tiki Central, or Forbidden Island, then they do it on another thread. I'm going to indulge in some escapism, and head over to Forbidden Island. Join me if you like. :drink:

Thanks for the support, Mai Tai, even though this was supposed to be an innocuous FYI thread, not a discussion per se (I try to avoid those, unless they're in person). I've been official FI/Conga PR guy for only a few months (after being their unofficial PR guy for years!) and I gotta say, I'm totally above this fray! Maybe I'm sticking my head in the sand but I hear nothing but love for this place and the Conga Lounge, too! But I don't hang out online all that much, I'm posting here now mostly because it's part of my job. I prefer direct conversation and my "office hours" are Fridays and Saturdays, 8-midnite at the FI door, so you got something to say about FI, lay it on me, cats! (Mostly all people want to talk about with me is the Parkway!) I don't feel this negative vibe supposedly lurking around, but then I stay out of that loop. ALL the TCers I've met, on the Crawl and at Oasis, at tiki bar openings and elsewhere, are very cool and friendly people. To me, Tiki is all about a Live and Let Live Lifestyle. There's plenty of Tiki to go around for everybody, whether you own a aloha shirt or not! I love FI, I love Conga, I love Kona Club, I love Trader Vic's, I love all the Bar Area tiki joints and I'm looking forward to checking out Smuggler's Cove, too. Maybe it's just me, but if there was really that much drama to deal with, I'd bail - I just left a nasty situation with the folding of Speakeasy Theaters and believe me, drama is the last thing I need. To me, wasting time arguing about what is Tiki and what ain't is so, well, un-Tiki. I'm sure some native Polynesians just laugh at us for turning an authentic pagan religion into a pop subculture, but so what? The Aloha Spirit is all about Love, folks. Everyone is entitled to the expression of their opinions over a socially neutral scorpion bowl. That may sound like hippy-dippy koom bi ya b.s. but that's my honest opinion. Now how about a group lei!
Cheers, Will

Molokai Mike, ya' nailed that interview. Nice.

On 2009-07-25 14:56, Jungle Trader wrote:
Molokai Mike, ya' nailed that interview. Nice.

I agree with this totally. In fact, Mike, I meant to tell you the same on Friday when I was at Rustica with my fellow longshoremen, but I forgot. Anyway, it was great publicity.

On 2009-07-24 15:31, AquaZombie wrote:
Greg Brady invented the tiki.

I knew it!

I like the TV.