Who was the first Tiki Central member you met face to face?

Bay Park Buzzy.

This guy in the middle, His name is Spike.

BABALU!!!!

I joined Tiki Central to PM him with some questions about making tiki mugs. Not only did he answer my questions, he invited me to his studio to show me how. That man has a HEART OF GOLD :)

PS - Bowana, I'm pretty sure you were the second one I met, right there in Babalu's studio.

"Some days its not even worth chewing through the restraints"

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2012-08-21 08:39 ]

Does your pre-being-on-TC count?

That would be Brad "Tiki Shark" Parker fer me... for a long time my "Tiki" friend, until the inevitable happened...

Then at Bali Hai in '07 (still pre-tiki fer us), we came out to support Brad for a Tiki Mag show... I talked to Kinny, Tiki Racer, Sam Gambino, Tiki Ray, Thor, and Derik Yaniger... all tiki greats! (and I'm sure none of them remember us from that event...)

It was a stellar night, and tiki has only gotten better!

That would be JOHN-O. Then he graciously introduced me to a bunch of other TC Ohana, one of the last ones being ATP...

... I still don't know if I should thank him for that one, but I guess I DID ask for it. :lol:

I first went to Hukilau in 04' (year of the Hurricane) and met many people in passing. I would have to say Benzart or Crazy-Al. Had good conversations with both!

The first tiki central organized event I attended was in May 2001, when Tiki Central was still a Yahoo Club. The southern california crawl was organized by Suicide Sam in Long Beach. The places were not exactly tiki, but did include the now closed Lava Lounge. It was mostly about the bands. they weren't exactly tiki, either, but it was the first crawl. I didn't know anybody. But, I did meet some tiki centralites. Fred "Suicide Sam", who organized the event was one of them. Tiki Farm has a table there and I did buy some mugs. So the first tiki central person I may may have been Holden. If it wasn't holden, it was Apple Venus, who had come down from Portland. Neither AppleVenus or Fred come around here anymore.

Here is a flyer I found from that first crawl.

It was my first Wednesday night at Tiki T, he was very nice and made me feel welcomed.

Ken Ruzic at last year's Tiki Highway, which was my first tiki event to ever attend. His art was a complete departure from anything I had seen before, except for stained glass windows. He was vending and we got into a government conspiracy discussion.

I believe the first was Bargoyle. The first SoCal TC member was JOHN-O.

On 2012-08-23 11:00, tikilongbeach wrote:
...and we got into a government conspiracy discussion.

Why does that not surprise me? :lol:

BigbroTiki.

October 2008 at the Tiki Ti on the way to catching a red-eye to Key West.

Almost missed the fight after a few rounds at the Tiki Ti and dinner at Damons.

Brad "Aloha Current" and Brenda "Brenda's Tiki Hut" at Trader Vic's Emmeryville and then Wendy "danlovestikis" and Dan "wendylovestikis" at a Sac Ohana First Tuesday dinner at the Mandarin . . . a boozy Emmeryville and fun Central Valley Royal Tiki welcome!

I think my first meeting was with the group that came to the VampTiki #1 party. Such wonderful Ohana in Sacramento and a couple of out of towners too. Good pictures on the last pages. Still hooking up with these friends when I can.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=22917&forum=17&start=0

Crazy Al, at a Tiki Tones(one of the 2 surf/tiki bands SHAG was in) show at the surf museum in Huntington Beach, Ca. this was oh 1997 or so,
and Crazy Al was selling tiki pendants that he had made of each band member.

Turns out I was the 1st person to buy one, and 6 or 7 years before I got on TC.
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

Bamboo Ben. The bastard hounded GROG to join Tiki Central for years. When GROG finally got cable instead of dial up, GROG finally join. It's been downhill ever since.

Tiki G ..... Gary from Bad Ass Tikis (the original one...no offense.....he left the forum some time ago) Great people. He and his chicka just disappeared from the scene.

McTiki

Baxdog, think it was at T.O. 3

Good question. I want to say Basement Kahuna. I think that's right.

BOSKO. Before I knew there was a Tikicentral.

Psycho Tiki D.

He came up to me while we were both at an antique faire in Modesto and introduced himself. I think he had just found a $10 Tyree velvet.

Oh Duane...our friendship was sealed forever from that day on!

This Coconut Boy here...

...it was the 80's

Joe is that Quentin Tarantino in that picture also?

Ya ATP. I was going to ask the same question. It looks like him. Mine would be Doug Dorr or Bamboo Ben. Cant quite remember which I met first. :)

It is Quentin. Sabu and I have known him since our film school days.

On my first Tiki trip which was to Trader Dicks in Sparks, I ran into a couple and started talking about Tiki and collecting. This was in early 2006. I met gigantalope and his wife. He told me about Tiki Central and Tiki Magazine (at the time he was writing for the magazine) and life hasn't been the same since. He even sent me a couple of copies!

And Sandra Dee met me in Lodi. She was with a friend and it had been raining all morning. We chatted for a minute and as I departed I mentioned the Tyree I found for $10.00. Again, another life changing encounter for the better.

Later,

PTD

Bong, Spike, Sven, poly pop, king kukulele and Big Al (who was making cocktails at the time). That was at the first tiki party I attended. Maybe 2003?

The One and Only..... BAMBOO BEN :)

On 2012-09-05 12:33, Psycho Tiki D wrote:
Again, another life changing encounter for the better.

Aww, Duane, you lie so well!

xoxoxo

I was at a non-tiki party last year and introduced to a nice fellow who I was informed was also into Tiki.

I figured out later that this man was the elusive Hanford Lemoore.

Can't exactly recount the logic by which I came to that conclusion. Was it a strange and wonderous rum-induced dream? Quite possibly, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Oh, and I've also met Dr. Tiki from Tiki Bar TV. But he's not on this board.

[ Edited by: bamboo stu 2012-09-07 17:46 ]

humuhumuhmuhum
at tiki tis - with others like sabu...

Merely a few weeks ago the family and I were taking a break from a weekend at Disneyland by visiting Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar. While enjoying drinks at our table - and between distractions from the kids - I noticed a gentleman at the bar who looked strangely familiar, accompanied by two lovely ladies. A quick look up on this here web site via iPhone, and I leaned over to my wife - "does that guy over at the bar look like this guy from this web site?". Consensus was "yes", and that I should introduce myself.

But before I had a chance to say anything, said gentleman's bar stool started sinking (such things are known to happen...). Very shortly thereafter, the bartenders announced to one and all that the man about to hit the floor was the famous Bamboo Ben, confirming my suspicions!

After my family had departed and I waited for some boxed ceramics, the bamboo master happened to head over to my table to check out the decor and I introduced myself. We chatted briefly, and he did indeed prove himself a gentleman of the highest caliber, introducing his companions for the evening - the lovely Mrs. Bamboo and the glamorous proprietor of an upcoming venue on a certain tropical island.

Dogbytes, she found me.

Technically Humuhumu at FI but that was before I was really "TC aware".

Ojaitimo was the first TCer I met after I actively started posting. That was at Frankie's. What ever happened to that guy?

And I remember the first time I met the Bigbro. It wasn't in a Tiki bar, he was walking down an East Hollywood sidewalk chompin' on a burrito.

On 2012-09-11 15:49, JOHN-O wrote:
And I remember the first time I met the Bigbro. It wasn't in a Tiki bar, he was walking down an East Hollywood sidewalk chompin' on a burrito.

Hey that's not Tiki.
:o

well I guess he's so tiki the rest of the time,
he's granted a little non tiki time once in awhile,right?
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

Well, the Exotica list and the Tiki Central list kind of run together in my head. I'd guess it was either Vern or Otto at Tease-O-Rama 2001 in New Orleans. I can't recall if Vern was on the Tiki Central Yahoo group or not. That's too long ago to be clear any more...

On 2012-08-20 18:34, Bowana wrote:
Bay Park Buzzy.

Come to think of it, I don't think it was Buzzy after all. I think it was Tiki Magazine's own nicktiki!
(Blurry is my memory getting...)

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[ Edited by: Bowana 2012-10-07 18:57 ]

It was Swanky for me. I had been ravenously consuming Tiki lore from TC for about 6 months before I met he and the lovely Mrs. Swanky.

Curious circumstances... My uncle, from San Fran, purchased some cool dishes from the Mrs. via E-bay. My uncle calls me to ask if I could pick -up the dishes he bought from them. Weird, because I knew of the SwankPad from TC and had read some of his posts. Small world...

Cheers!

Russell S. Monkey...What happened to that guy??

On 2013-02-04 17:27, inkylouise wrote:
Russell S. Monkey...What happened to that guy??

Facebook land possibly?
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

had to think a while on this one, tried lurking on the old yahoo group, but never active, lurked for a few years before joining TC, met Sven at Tiki Ti before being a member, or it could have been Otto at his 40th birthday party at the Madonna Inn in 2001 or 2002, but the first time i recall actually going out to meet fellow TCers was at the Tonga Hut in 2003 or 2004, Hummuhummu had just moved here and it was her, Christiki295, pre Marty Lush Marty Lush, and Tiki Bird and his wife (forgot her name on TC). Don't get out to many events so have mainly met others at bars and art shows

I met Formikahini at a now-defunct semi-Tiki bar called the Hawaiian Breeze in Houston in 2002. I was deeply impressed with her. The bar, well...

Tell me more stories!
BUMPERS!

On 2014-04-23 12:23, Bowana wrote:
Tell me more stories!
BUMPERS!

Oh, Bowana...you are so needy!

I can say I remember when I met you at Tiki Oasis 2010. I was hungover and my feet hurt and you let me chill at your booth between Babalu and MP at the inside vending.

That was the year Babalu was at his booth for like 15 minutes, sold out of everything and then went and enjoyed himself...the jerk! :wink:

Good memories and seeing you at Oasis is always a highlight (even though now I see you more)!

TikiTomD @ The Molakai Lounge, a scholar & a gentleman

Kooche (Miles Thompson) at his island images show in 2001 held at Dion Gallery in Redondo Beach. Also where I met Sven, and a few other members in attendence.
I proeeded to lurk the forums a while longer before finally joining.

Wendy

dogbytes! In my earliest TC days, she came over to my house. She was the only TCer to see my original home tiki bar, the Humuhumu Room, where I get my name.