Tiki!

somebody wake me up when we get there.

On 2010-10-29 07:47, lucas vigor wrote:
I am not sure what the "Tiki" everyone here is talking about even is any more...

For example, very few people from this forum ever come and see the Smokin' Menehunes play, because we are considered to be "Hawaiiana" and not "tiki"? (Yeah, I was PMed that one time) YET, we play exactly the type of music you would have heard had you stepped into a real Tiki bar or polynesian style restaraunt back in the day....after all, how many 1950's era tiki bars or polynesian restaraunts had surf bands, punk bands or even exotica bands playing? I say "Exotica" because I feel it was really rare to hear one of those bands outside Hawaii (Denny and Lyman). Most Polynesian restaraunts here on the mainland would have had the full Luau feel, with the hapa haole band, dancers, and all the mugs and fake cantonese food some of us talk about today.

The Smokin' menehunes will never be allowed to play Tiki Oasis, because we are not "Tiki" YET, they have bands like the Ghastly Ones and Creepy Creeps headlining the same event (No offense to the Ghastly Ones or Creepy Creeps, but are they really Tiki Bands?)

The emphasis on this forum seems to be the extinction of Tiki, or the glorification of the extinction of Tiki...the collection of artifacts. Rarely anything new being created is in the mid-century poly pop style...it all seems to be geared more towards low-brow art, tattoo and hot rod culture, surf, ex-punkers, etc, with only a passing nod to the original polypop foundation...

While most of that new stuff is very cool, and very well made and created...I have to ask? Is it Tiki?

I am by no means a Tiki purist. I like everything from the mid century, and in my mind I actually lump most of it together. Space age? Love it. Googie architecture has the same tropical foliage found outside as the "tiki" bars do, or "tropical backyards" do.

Les Baxter can cite Africa or space exploration as quickly as he can some quasi polynesian style.

My problem is with the addition of the modern elements into Tiki. Oh, I understand why of course: Few people here are of an age where jazz based music was popular. That's why there are so many hippies, rockers and punkers are on this forum (god bless 'em!) but it is also why only a small circle of Die Hards come and watch the Smokin' menehunes play...ever! Yet, we pack the place with older people (60 plus) who had a closer chronological relationship to the original polypop movement.

If you happen to make it to a menehunes gig, take a look around you at the audience. Ex vegas showgirls, ex flight attendants, ex hawaiian "beach boys". That's our target audience...and it never has been "tiki" central people...and I think that is a shame!

After all, had you gone into a Trader Vics or Don the Beachcombers back in the day, do you really think you would have seen a surf-rock-punk band wearing fezzes entertaining a heavily tatted out crowd? Because that's what you see nowadays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYNJ4rTtoGE

---

http://www.myspace.com/lucasvigor

"yer jus not tuned into the series of tubes yet, let it soak in".

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2010-10-29 07:54 ]

Lucas, We (by we you know who I mean)love you guys and try to make every show!

On 2010-10-29 12:10, bigtikidude wrote:
somebody wake me up when we get there.

I thought we were headed here:

dammit pull the car over, I want out!!

or at least give a guy a choice where he is going.

On 2010-10-29 12:21, Hinano_Paul wrote:

Lucas, We (by we you know who I mean)love you guys and try to make every show!

You are one of the "die hards" I mentioned, and your support over the years has meant a LOT to us!

But, I always am bothered by the fact that with the exception of you and a few others, there is little love for the smokin' menehunes on this forum. To me, it is the ideal tiki bar music....but lets face facts here, a self proclaimed "Garage band" playing at Don's will draw a much larger crowd of tiki centralites then will a good hapa haole band. Why is that? Isn't hapa haole really what a tiki bar should have in the background? Back in the day, would any kind of rock musicians have been caught dead in a tiki bar?

And don't get me wrong, I practically love ALL the bands on this forum, surf, rock, rockabilly, exotica, and the low brow art created by some of the artists here is top notch, and I really dig it and would be proud to own it (if I could afford it) but classic "Tiki" it is not. At least 90 percent of it only has Tiki in it's name.

I honestly believe there are only a handful of "exotica" bands that could have stepped into the shell bar in Waikiki in 1962 or whatever, and have fitted in perfectly. (tikiyaki, Exotiki, Waitiki).an aside from the Mai Kai Gents, the Sweet Hollywaiians and the Smokin' Menehunes...what other bands are there really that could also time travel to the good old days and fir right in?

And that is NOT to say that other bands that "dabble" with the exotica sound are not totally excellent...I believe they are...but I would be happy if bands like my band, the Smokin' Menehunes, were a bit more popular. or at least ackowledged...but that is the devolution of "Tiki" that I am alluding to. It would be nice if you were throwing a tiki event, that a hapa haole band would be among your first choices...

The day the smokin menehunes are playing a poolside performance at Tiki Oasis, will be the day I regain my faith in this scene...

oops! This was supposed to be a PM. :)

GROG miss Tiki-Kate

[ Edited by: GROG 2010-10-29 13:11 ]

This thread has it AND them, ALL...just like the video...hahaha :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4-spBDcJyk

So who wants to make Tom Slick & Leleliz etc. official experts on "Tiki"?
who wants to give them the power to kill any thread they deem not worthy?

come on show of hands!

Tom has made it quite clear (while denying it the whole time) that this is a personal attack on me.
just read his posts, it's all there for you to judge yourself?

Leleliz has been attacking me since the "whole food thread war" so is it a surprise she's screaming for blood?

I know that by defending myself, it is just feeding this ridiculous attempt to kill the thread.

so here is a compromise! I thought that this thread would be a different approach to help define what is Tiki to other members
and not my own ideas or opinions i.e. (not about me)

Sven and I have had some back and forth at Times, he even came down on me pretty hard on the food thread
but at no time did I feel his motives were personal, So I think he could settle this here & now

Let's let Sven decide if this thread should stay or go, I will make no arguments or comments whatsoever if he deems it not worthy
to be on Tiki Central.

But if he thinks we should keep it, then that is the end of all arguments, period!
So Sven can you helps us out here? this is one of those times your opinion is requested, I am not asking you to define "Tiki"
just if this thread has any purpose here?