Who hasn't read The Book of Tiki? (Not a poll)

On 2006-11-12 18:06, Basement Kahuna wrote:
It's a great party, but with any great party soon there are a lot of crashers.

I'm a party crasher. I admit it. I'm sure I haven't been into collecting Tiki or Polynesian Pop as long as a lot of others have. That's one of the reasons I was glad to find Tiki Central and the forums. I love seeing what other people are collecting. I love getting ideas for my Tiki room and bar. It's a great party!

Truthfully, I have no problem with Sven OR the fact that he did his "homework" per say and created the BOT for all of us to enjoy. It was a needed call to the collectors and for the newbies to get a quick lesson in postwar tropicalism that swept the mainland. I just felt that the use of "ignoranance" was out of line. There are quite a few people like myself who had discovered tiki without the BOT, and as many here, fully understand the whole cultural aspect of it. I'm a beach born California Native and still reside in South Bay. I've learned about the post war tropicalism from asking some of the gurus, just as Sven did, only he put it on paper. That is a great accomplishment & feat,and well welcomed, But calling people "ignorant" because they didnt read a book you put together doesn't score any brownie points. Personally speaking, I only asked for clarification FROM Sven just to see where he was coming from. Yes I have read "most"(not all) of the BOT from the beginning to a close end and it is a great resource when discovering roots of Tiki on the mainland. I however do not agree with calling people "ignorant" if they haven't yet read BOT. I know that it was alot of research and talking to people to discover facts and truths behind how it evolved. Still, you won't be winning "points" nor "Buyers" with statements like such. Thanks for the clarification.

On 2006-11-12 18:06, Basement Kahuna wrote:
A lot of the great old places are still closing.

This is probably thee single most important statement. We are losing valuable P.O.I.(places of interest)every year, here and abroad. Just look through Tiki Road Trip and see how outdated it is already. It is disturbing and frustrating, but I personally try to support the great establishments that are left by being a patron and not take them for granted. Thanks BK for bringing that up.

This is supposed to be fun, remember? :)

If you like Tiki, and Tiki Central, then you will like the Book of Tiki. It's full of great images and interesting stories. Whether you're an artist, a collector, or an urban archeologist you will find it to be a great resource.

Even if you're just here for humor and socializing, the BOT will help increase your understanding of what we're all about.

Most of us were new to tiki at some point, and we came to it from different directions and interests. If you are just now discovering Tiki, one of the smartest things you can do is read the Book of Tiki.

Mr Slick:

If you don't live it you can't give it !!!!!

If you choose to look for the worst, you're sure to find it. This discussion medium has its strengths, and it also has its disadvantages -- chief among them is that there is always the risk that someone will give an unintended sinister read to your statements (a concern that must be even more stark for those, like Sven, for whom English is not their primary language). The whole shebang works better for everyone involved if you're willing to give the benefit of the doubt; the same benefit you'd likely want to receive if someone was misconstruing you. Perhaps a better word could have been chosen, but it was certainly not an inapt word.

Regardless, this is looking a gift horse in the mouth -- as Ookoo so well pointed out, if tiki is your bag, you'll find a lot to love in the Book of Tiki. It, along with Tiki Central, changed my life, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. It may be only one piece of the Poly Pop puzzle, but it's a darned big one.

Aloha.

[ Edited by: makedamug 2006-11-13 00:49 ]

On 2006-11-12 15:06, bigbrotiki wrote:
I tried to make clear by putting ANYTHING in capitals that I did not mean to call people unfamiliar with the BOT "ignorant".

From the horse's mouth...so to speak.

Which ultimately means there was no intent whatsoever to degrade the intelligence of anyone here. In fact, if one examines one of the definitions of "ignorant" you will see that it simply means: Lacking information or knowledge. (according to Webster's dictionary) It was quite obvious to me that the "ignorance" referred to was the simple unfamiliarity that someone may possess of the actual content of the book; it's text and images. It is a fallacy to equate Sven's statement with the broader statement of "calling people ignorant." There is a difference—regardless of the subtlety.

As for the English/writing skills on this board, Sven's is equal if not superior to most I have seen for whom English IS their first language. (For Pete's sake people, there is a Spell Check function on here, you know! Please use it so I can understand what you are trying to communicate!)

And for the record, yes, I too was well aware of Poly Pop culture early on since my family would go to Polynesian restaurants with floor shows in the 70s, I grew up on classic movies of the 30s-60s depicting Poly Pop, and my friends were collecting exotica and lounge records in the 80s for 10 cents a piece from the used bins of local record stores. (My own parents were more into the lounge culture evidenced by the beautiful black vintage Naugahyde and Formica bar we had in our dining room and the Dean Martin records in Dad's collection.) But the bottom line is that I did not spend nearly a decade of my life as Sven did compiling, researching and writing a book that would define it all for the masses. Maybe there are some that came close to doing so, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

I know my questioning Sven about using the word ignorant was straight to the point. It was to get clarification from him, by what he meant exactly, he explained it and nothing more. I did not knock the BOT or criticize his research whatsoever. I just wanted a simple explaination from him what he meant by ignorant. Its the people who jump in a topic head first when they are not even the parties being addressed try to answer for the individual, who make the topics go south here at TC. Let people answer questions themselves and never assume what he/she meant. I read it as it was posted, period, and I only commented on this thread due to the loose use of the word "ignorant". I read it as an undeserved insult(insult to the knowledge of polypop) to everyone on TC who hadn't read BOT. Also presenting the fact that not everyone who hasn't read BOT is ignorant to "polypop". No hard feelings on my end, as I hope none on his. The BOT like I already said in the previous post is a great resource and field guide for us all, and I'm glad he wrote it....Now about the rum.....lol

On 2006-11-12 19:40, ookoo lady wrote:
If you are just now discovering Tiki, one of the smartest things you can do is read the Book of Tiki.

And that, dear friends, is the only reason I started this thread. It was not directed at those people who have been into tiki since before BOT even came out. It was directed at the new people who come on and start posting left and right without first educating themselves on the roots of Poly Pop. I spent a long time lurking on TC, soaking up a lot of the old threads, and reading BOT before I felt that my posts could add any real value to the discussions here. It was only then that I really started participating. And I'm no expert. I'm still learning all the time and it's great fun to learn!

BK, your post was spot on. It's great to see new people joining TC, but it's not so great to watch the whole thing get diluted because many posters are ignorant (there's that word, doh!) of tiki history.

I read the BOT from cover-to-cover, but not right away- I spent weeks just digging the pics first. I, too, was into tiki before BOT, but did not realize that anything tiki was readily available, so I just enjoyed it on those rare occasions when I could find a tiki bar.

One happy day I was browsing through an outdoor used and out of print book booth in Central Park and happened upon the BOT. I immediately bought it and it inspired me to start doing web searches for tiki, which lead me here. It wasn't long before I was stocking my apartment full of tiki items. I'm sure this experience is not unique to me. Bottom line is that the BOT did not give birth to my interest in tiki, but it made it grow into a significant part of my life.

Thanks Sven!

...get yourself a copy and read it. Then read it again.

Going back to the first post, I'd heartily echo its intent which was to recommend reading the BOT, for anyone who hasn't. Periodically recommending the books (and periodicals!) that function as definitive sourcebooks for the focus of TC serves a good purpose for newcomers who might not be aware of some of the things that have become common knowledge here.

I think some great philosopher said, "Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is a lot of work." Maybe so, but if it's knowledge of something that interests you, then at least you have a tailwind.

And fear not free thinkers! You will still be able to think freely after reading it (with only rare exceptions).

-Randy

After months of waiting for BOT I finally got a copy just before we headed out to Caliente Tropic in Palm Springs this past weekend. I started reading it and found the Caliente Tropic in it so I shared it with the manager when we were settling the bill. He had heard of BOT it but wasn't aware they were in it. He was so pleased that he gave us a 20% discount for a three night stay. Sweet!
Ross also assured me they were attempting to return the Tropic to its former Tiki glory when I pointed out the that in BOT the Reef bar was remodeled in a "Mexican motiff" Spreading the word, one place at a time, now with BOT in hand.
I have pictures of Caliente Tropic that I will post in locating Tiki soon.
Thanks Sven.

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2006-11-14 11:25 ]

Hey...Besides reading the Book of Tiki...How about if someone starts a website for those who would like to pay homage to and learn about Tiki past and present??? And maybe even have get-togethers every so often in different areas around the country so people can raise a mug full of mai-tai in toast to those glorious days of beachcombing and trading... Just a thought.

After reading all these posts, I guess I was one of the lucky ones that although I'm pretty new to this.. was able to get my BOT from Amazon, I believe it was from a private seller that had new ones stored. I also picked up TikiQuest from it's creator, who autographed it and sent me Tiki swizzles as a gift. It is a wealth of information and the pictures transport you back in time to when "TIKI" was king.

On 2006-11-14 09:58, SoccerTiki wrote:
Hey...Besides reading the Book of Tiki...How about if someone starts a website for those who would like to pay homage to and learn about Tiki past and present??? And maybe even have get-togethers every so often in different areas around the country so people can raise a mug full of mai-tai in toast to those glorious days of beachcombing and trading... Just a thought.

And Hey you could call that website Tiki Central or Tiki Jungle or Tiki Circus or something like that hey hey.

Jungle Boy

Look, the Book of Tiki is an amazing thing and it's almost impossible to find some aspect of Tiki that it doesn't discuss, but Sven had a lot of hard editorial decisions to make and had to leave some stuff out. I think it was always intended to get people interested, not be an end in itself, right, Bro?

Some of the things it doesn't really deal with, not much anyway;

• Exotica Music
• Hawaiian Tourism and Statehood
• Elvis!
• African influences (Trader Horn probably originated the term, masks, etc.)
• Early movies like Tabu, Hurricane, etc.
• Hey, there's only 3 drink recipes in the whole thing!

Also, my most prized possesion when I was 12 was a skull mug ($2.99) from Disneyworld. In the summer we'd make Kool-Aid punch (mix Blueberry and Cherry) and drink it all day from ice-filled brandy snifters & my skull mug. Was that Tiki enough, or just Freaky enough?

And - I asked my parents last year if they had ever been to a Tiki bar, you know folks, one of those Tropical bars, back in the day. They had no idea what I was talking about; then a slow glimmer of recognition grew over my mom's face, and she described this tropical bar they used to go to back in '55 in Mexico that was overlooking a beach and served rum and fruit drinks, and endless bottles of Mexican beer in the moonlight under the swaying palms.

I suddenly realized that she was talking about a REAL tropical bar...

Thank you. The above proves very well what I was trying to explain in my first post on this thread:
Tiki is now considered common pop culture knowledge, like Elvis and Hollywood Hawaii, ...as if it always has been there.

Oh yeah, I forgot the most obvious omission from the BOT; photos of authentic Islander-carved Tikis!

Too many posts... most are unnecessary and unwarranted. Nobody ever bag on Sven again or I will grow gorilla arms and pummle you into a pulp-like comatose submission (plus, Ben, that means I'll grow some more hair, too!).
Mahaloz,
Holden

When I was in college back in the mid 80's, a sociology professor of mine commented that in her opinion "The Preppy Handbook" was the most important piece of American sociological research in the second half of the 20th century. She was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek of course, but her point was a good one -- a ground-breaking work by a savvy "insider" that took a massive, but practically invisible, American cultural phenomenon and unveiled it to the world. In turn, the book's influence was enormous (50 zillion IZOD shirts sold!).

After reading BOT from cover to cover not long ago (hardcover copy purchased for $26 on eBay), and being of an age where I was just able to have some real life associations to make the context somewhat personal, I have to say that "The Preppy Handbook" may just be the SECOND most important piece of American sociological research in the 2nd half of the 20th century! (thanks Sven)

Have faith TC old-timers -- at least some of us newbies get it (maybe the ones who don't post so much :)

I have probably read about 5 books from cover to cover in my lifetime. I am obviously not fond of reading. However....I love books and have many that I use as references (like what we did in college).....LOL. I much prefer to watch the movie.

Obviously the assignment here is to get the BOT and read it...should you accept this assignment....Mr. Phelps....the promise of improved posts and closer friendships will abound and your life will be forever filled with lust for Tikis. OK....I'm on it!!!!

On 2006-11-27 17:06, VampiressRN wrote:
OK....I'm on it!!!!

Good timing! Check out this:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=21927&forum=12&0

Amazingly enough I HAVE the book. Whether I can find it in a timely fashion is another issue. I moved from my home of 25 years to a new house in 2005. I am what most people call a pack-rat....I refer to myself as a collector of really neat stuff!!! Anyway, I have a 3-car garage and one of the sections is completely stacked from floor to ceiling with boxes of goodies and some things that probably need to go into the circular file. I have quite a few cocktail table books with BOT being one of them. Having taken up residence in this forum...I now see that my BOT is relegated to a place of extremely high importance (similar to that of "knighthood" in the mother country on the other side of the pond). I hate to think of such a treasure buried in a dark cardboard box at the bottom of a pile in the garage. Unfortunately you will all need to put up with my lack of Tiki knowledge, blending of cultures, and references to tropical thingys until I find my ultimate guide....but then again, I gave up being a purist years ago....so maybe there is no hope for me afterall. :)

On 2006-11-27 18:59, VampiressRN wrote:
....but then again, I gave up being a purist years ago....so maybe there is no hope for me afterall. :)

Being a purist and expanding one's education are two different things. So there is still hope.

Ha! That's funny! And now, oh so soon, the BOT itself is propelled into being a subject of Urban Archeology, it's evolution/devolution mirroring the decline of so many pop cultures:

1st Phase: Publication, spreading enlightenment. 2nd Phase: Unavailability, and subsequent ignorance of it. General/generic Tiki popularity takes over. 3rd Phase: Digging it up again out of the jetsam and flotsam of consumer culture (Vampiress' garage). :)

How soon until the second Tiki revival?
Or has it already begun? When viewing Ojaitimo's post at the very top of this page, it might appear so. He is not only one of the most enthusiastic new members of TC, but has also greatly contributed to its visual library with his mother's Tradewinds files http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=19144&forum=1

Yet as a newcomer he is completely unaware of the prolonged, intricate history of the Palm Springs Tropics Motel, closely tied to Tiki Central, and the BOT.

A very brief, incomplete re-cap (the dates might be off a little):
In the mid 90s I take the first photographs of the well preserved Tikis on the grounds of the Tropics (which subsequently make it into the BOT), and lead a small tour of it's grounds on the occasion of Joey Cheezey's Palm Springs Lounge Bus Tour.
In 2000, Otto von Stroheim organizes the first Tiki Oasis on the grounds with big success.
In the winter of 2000, after hearing about renovation plans, Pete Moruzzi, chair of the Palm Springs Modcom, brings the BOT to the new owners/managers Casey and Charly. The book convinces them to drop their Spanish colonial renovation concept (CALIENTE Tropics), and go for preservation and embellishment of the Tiki theme (which marks the BOT's first preservation success).
Subsequent yearly Tiki Oases grow in scope and popularity. Tiki Centralites have bonding experiences in room parties (like #105), making the Tropics THE Mecca for the Tiki Revival experience. Bosko, Crazy Al and Bamboo Ben get to ad their touches to the place.
In 2005(?), our loving patron of the Tiki arts, Tropics manager/part owner Casey Jones is ousted by the bigger shareholder/owner, much to the frustration and anger of Tiki Centralites, who have relied on his gracious hospitality throughout the years.
2006: Because of this and other incompatibility with the new management, Otto decides to move the Tiki Oasis to San Diego

And now Ojaitimo, obviously unaware of all this, shows the current manager the BOT, who has never seen the Tropics in it. Can we blame them for not having been "with it" before? No, because Tim, just like the Americans in the 1950s, comes from an approach of genuine love for the theme, and this is what counts. It might make it hard for old TC Ohana to feel like a whole part of the Tiki revival history is already forgotten...but it is not, is is here, deep in the files of TC..and on video, somewhere. We can only hope that it will be considered, but not EXPECT everybody to to know everything. It is still supposed to be fun, not work, to be into Tiki...just like reading/viewing the BOT is.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2006-11-28 03:07 ]

Excellent post bigbrotiki. Thanks ever so for the link to Ojaitimo's post on the Tradewinds....it was a great read and demonstrates true compassion for tiki research. I would definitely say that the revival is here. Seems like most peeps on this board are the tail-end of the baby-boomer era. Maybe this will be our claim to fame..."Baby Boomers bring Tiki to the forefront of urban and suburban living, ousting the garden gnome and relegating the cocktail ala' Polynesian decor to mandatory status....bla bla bla...and save the world from inevitable bordom and poor taste!!!"

On 2006-11-27 23:03, bigbrotiki wrote:
How soon until the second Tiki revival?

Just as soon as your next book is published! :) The first tiki revival brought awareness to many people, such as myself, of how influential all things Polynesian was to American popular culture of the mid-20th century. And it brought many long time tiki lovers together to join with the new converts. It drew attention to the few remaining tiki temples in our cities and it spawned quite a number of new tiki establishments, some of which are thriving (Forbidden Island) and some of which had great promise, but couldn't survive for one reason or the other (Hale Tiki, Kahiki Moon). The first tiki revival also spawned a great number of cheap knock-offs with the sole purpose of cashing in on the emerging tiki craze. But that's okay and to be expected.

But now the source of the first tiki revival (BOT) is growing quiet due to its unavailability to newcomers. So I'm hopeful that your next book will be as influential as the first (no pressure!) in bringing a larger audience back to the roots of Poly Pop. I'm not trying to glorify the past because it's been said before that the BOT compiled the best Poly Pop imagery and in doing so created the false impression that all mid-century Polynesian bars and restaurants were a haven where everything was of top quality and all the customers "got it" as we "get it". But I'm hopeful that the first tiki revival put us in first gear and the next revival will put us in second gear. Because even though tiki has re-entered the popular culture, it hasn't done so nearly on the scale as the original craze. And it probably never will. We now have some quality tiki bars scattered here and there, but I'm waiting to see if there will be a return of the full-blown Polynesian restaurant/bar, done in a grand scale, ala Kon Tiki and Kona Kai. Trader Vic's and the Mai-Kai survived. I think new ones, if done right with an eye to quality and in the right location, can thrive as well. BRING ON THE SECOND TIKI REVIVAL!!

On 2006-11-12 18:31, RevBambooBen wrote:

We need MORE TIKI books!!!

I am sure that Sven, myself, Otto, and other scribes agree with you - I have been trying to get Big Stone Head published for a few years now. It is done and ready to go, especially since Sven, Otto, and a few others gave me some great constructive feedback at Hukilau that I've worked into the latest revision...

On 2006-11-10 14:48, Humuhumu wrote:
Tiki Road Trip, by James Teitelbaum (a handy guide to tiki bars for the tiki traveler).

Thaks for the mention, Humuhumu.

And if I may (not to hijack a thread about Sven's hard work), I only have a handful of copies left, which are best aquired here:

http://www.tikibars.net/tiki/tikiroadtrip.html

I am slightly off topic here, but thinking out loud about how Tiki affects the masses, and how revival for the masses needs to be supported by the masses (or those with money). I just read an article in the Sacramento Bee today about how Los Angeles is sinking buku bucks into preserving the multiple (and somewhat famous) Mexican Murals in that city, that are being eeked out by grafiti, new building, and just the ravages of time. Some quotes here...

"The City of Angels claims to have more that 3,000 murals."
"David Alfaro Siqueiros.....unveiled his LA mural in 1932."
"American Tropical, a famous mural is currently under restoration thanks to a $7.8 million restoration program financed by the city and the Getty Foundation."

Now that is a hefty wad of change. Maybe bringing the attention of local/national philanthropists to the cause of Tiki preservation would be the key to avoid demolition of Tiki landmarks by unworthy investors. Rebuilding a lost Tiki lounge, apartment complex, etc., as part of our heritage may interest some worthy investors. There are so many arts attached to Tiki, maybe bringing them into the public schools would also be a way to improve awareness. Imagine your kid coming home from school and handing you a Tiki mug they made in workshop!!!

How about a DVD version of BOT? There is always a huge portion of the public that does not get exposure via reading, but a DVD might gain a good following of newbies to support Polynesian Pop. I love Sophista-tiki's museum project....it would be great to see that rollout in reality.

OK.....back to our regularly scheduled program here. :)

Guess I should have read up on Callente Tropic's before we headed out there. No wonder I couldn't find past Tiki Oasis reference anywhere. Still hope for the future of the place if we all encourage them.

For anybody who is looking there is a softcover BOT up for auction now on E-Bay. Starting bid is $24.00. Currently there are no bids. Ends December 27th. This is not my auction but thought it might save some detective work in tracking it down..........

Item number: 320064627472

Karbora

i got this today for xmas! i'm very excited to read it!

My BOT is still hiding in the garage....but I am reading "TIKI STYLE" presently and it is very good. My old eyes do have a hard time reading the small print on the darkly colored pages....pastels with black larger font is best for us old geezers. If I make it through Tiki Style and have not found my BOT, may have to fork up the mula to purchase a new one.

No matter what you think or what opinions we all have, it is delightful to have Tiki reference books, arts, carvers, and parties celebrating something we all love. :)

I wanted to say, when I am not reading my copy of BOT, I seal it inside a plastic bag, kind of like a comic book or other sort of collectible publication. I try to keep it away from dust and direct sunlight.

as I just stated above, I got this for christmas..I asked my mom where she got it, she said she got it on Shagmart..no problems or backorders...so if you don't have one, I suggest checking out shagmart.com

I looked around online and found a used hardcover copy that was in very good condition about two weeks ago at powells for $19.99, keep looking!