Hukilau on NPR's Weekend Morning Edition radio program.

Just went out to get a cup of coffee this morning where it is thirty nine degrees in Mi. I was just about to get out of the car at home when a piece came on the radio about the Hukilau. A good segment that featured Swanky Talking about the Mai Kai and the Bum mixing a Zombie. A respectfully done segment about Polynesian pop culture and the things and people that keep it alive. Made me wish I was back at the Mai Kai again this weekend.

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/22/151125000/annual-hukilau-party-keeps-tiki-alive-in-south-fla

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2012-04-22 06:24 ]

Way cool!! Mahaloz for posting. :D

I have to say the interviewer was amazing. He was the epitome of a professional. I wish I could have talked to him longer, but the Molokai Girls took me away...

Added to the list.

Yeah, too bad the Molokai girls swept ya away!!! :lol:

On 2012-04-23 07:51, Swanky wrote:
I have to say the interviewer was amazing. He was the epitome of a professional...

I dunno....I talked to him for 20 minutes straight about Tiki: He had intelligent questions, and I had lots of things to say about Tiki style and history :) . Yet nothing ended up in the show :( . When you listen to the show, it's a lot of "Tiki this" and "Tiki that" but no actual mention about the Tiki as a symbol, what a Tiki is, and WHY the name is now used for all the things that are talked about in the report. I don't think that ever occurred to the guy. I thought NPR would be more interested in culture, not just the party aspect, but their big revelation was: "The heart of tiki, it turns out, is in its cocktails".

Well the report aired on a weekend show where there's considerable more light material. But given that, I think they actually did a good job. There was no "aren't these people silly" aspect to it. That's probably about the best we can expect. I don't think they were really interested in diving too deeply. But I did wonder why they quoted Stephen Remsberg, who is a rum expert and not a tiki expert, and not you. Guess you didn't give him that 8 second sound bite he was looking for. :)

Well, Steve deserves his airtime for sure, he said the right thing, as he always does :) And granted, the report rightfully was 1.) about the Hukilau, 2.) about the Mai Kai - and then, I must admit: What will get regular people to come and see the Mai Kai? The drinks! To get to much into the decor and style on the RADIO wouldn't be as effective...but a little bit of info about the iconic figurehead of the revival would have been appropriate.