The Dead Thread

sounds suspicious to me .....

It was probably autoerotic asphyxiation gone too far. Oopsy.

R.I.P. The Ventures' Bob Bogle
Bob Bogle - the co-founder of legendary Tacoma garage-rock band, the Ventures, and the architect behind the distinctive guitar sound of early hits “Walk, Don’t Run” and “Perfidia” – has died.

Bogle, a resident of Vancouver, Wash., was 75 when he died on Sunday. He suffered from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and became too frail to play with the Ventures in his waning years. But he lived long enough to see his band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2008.
(more...)

(Edit: I see someone all ready posted about this in Tiki Music)

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-06-16 17:12 ]

RIP: Magic Fingers bed shaker creator dies at 92

His Magic Fingers Moved the Motel Set

By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 22, 2009

John Houghtaling, who put a little buzz in America's motel rooms with his invention of Magic Fingers, a once-ubiquitous device that caused beds to vibrate in a gentle rocking motion, died June 17 after a fall at his home in Fort Pierce, Fla. He was 92.

Mr. Houghtaling (pronounced huff-tail-ing) had been a successful salesman of vitamins and cookware when he began working for a manufacturer of vibrating beds in the 1950s. Because the beds were expensive and unreliable, Mr. Houghtaling decided that there had to be a cheaper and more effective way to make them.

He had always been a handyman and tinkerer, and in the basement of his home in Glen Rock, N.J., he experimented with 300 motors before finding the right formula in 1958. If the motor was too slow or too fast, he learned, it could either toss someone off the bed or not move at all.

He patented a small, hand-size device that clipped onto a bed frame and produced a vibrating effect. The motor didn't shake the whole bed, son Paul Houghtaling said in a telephone interview, but created a gentle vibrating sensation through the resonance of sound waves among the motor, bed frame and springs.

Mr. Houghtaling traveled to motels throughout the country to demonstrate his invention, which was marketed under the slogan, "It quickly takes you into the land of tingling and relaxation and ease."

It cost 25 cents for 15 minutes, and the quarters quickly added up. At the peak of its popularity, Magic Fingers could be found in 250,000 motel rooms and Mr. Houghtaling's company was taking in $2 million a month. Magic Fingers became a part of pop culture, with mentions in a song by Jimmy Buffett, on the TV show "Roseanne" and in the Doonesbury comic strip.

By the 1970s, however, vandals were breaking into the Magic Fingers coin boxes, and motel owners found it increasingly costly to keep replacing them. Not to be deterred, in 1976 Mr. Houghtaling patented a device that would read a magnetic strip on a card, thus eliminating the need to put money into a metered box.

It was the same principle as the modern debit card, and Mr. Houghtaling demonstrated his apparatus in a presentation to authorities of the D.C. Metro system. But in the era before the SmarTrip card, Metro officials decided to go with farecards instead, and Mr. Houghtaling's invention proved to be ahead of its time.

"He never made any money off it," his son said.

John Joseph Houghtaling was born Nov. 14, 1916, in Kansas City, Mo., and grew up in Bloomington, Ill. He was a hotel bellman in Florida before he joined the Army Air Forces. He flew 20 missions as a gunner on B-17 bombers during World War II.

During the Korean War, he ran the officers' club at an Air Force base in Roswell, N.M. In all the time he was there, his son said, Mr. Houghtaling never heard anyone talk about UFOs or aliens in Roswell.

Mr. Houghtaling then moved to New Jersey, where he sold vitamins, sewing machines and cookware. Borrowing a page from Tupperware, he became a top seller of pots and pans by conducting dinner parties in private homes.

In 1968, a decade after his invention of Magic Fingers, he moved his company from New Jersey to Coral Gables, Fla. He sold the business in 1980, but Magic Fingers is still operating, with a focus on home consumers.

Mr. Houghtaling dabbled in other enterprises and lived aboard a yacht, called Magic Fingers, in Fort Pierce. In 2004, Hurricane Frances destroyed his boat, which was never found.

His marriage to Ruth Houghtaling ended in divorce. His second wife, Rita Breier Houghtaling, died in 2002.

Survivors include five children from his first marriage, John Houghtaling of Franklin Lakes, N.J., Paul Houghtaling of Alexandria, Alison Lincoln, Mark Houghtaling and Chris Houghtaling, all of Miami; and four grandchildren.

Mr. Houghtaling once appeared on "What's My Line?" a TV quiz show in which panelists guessed a person's occupation. After one member of the panel complained that the Magic Fingers on his motel bed hadn't worked, Mr. Houghtaling flipped him a quarter.

"He was a pretty colorful guy," said Paul Houghtaling, a political consultant in Washington. His father was known for pithy sayings called "John-isms," and son Paul quoted several from memory: "The only way to coast is downhill";"the expensive lessons to learn are what not to do"; and "I'd rather be rich and miserable than poor and miserable any day."

Who whats to bet they put a magic-fingers on his coffin?

Texas Tikiphiles Unite!

[ Edited by: Unkle John 2009-06-22 08:28 ]

Television legend and longtime 'Tonight Show' sidekick Ed McMahon has passed away. He was 86 years old.

McMahon died shortly after midnight at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. His publicist Howard Bragman didn't give a cause of death, but said Ed had a "multitude of health problems the last few months." In February, Bragman announced that McMahon had been hospitalized for nearly a month with pneumonia and that other medical problems emerged, though little information was given since then. "It's serious. He's an 85-year old man with a number of medical issues going on," Bragman told Reuters at the time.

McMahon's hospitalization followed a difficult year for the veteran TV celebrity, most famous for his nightly "Heeeeeeere's Johnny!" introduction of Carson for 30 years and for his hosting the TV talent show "Star Search." In addition to his stints on "The Tonight Show" and "Star Search," McMahon became well-known as the presenter of the American Family Publishing sweepstakes and as a pitchman for numerous commercials, most notably for Budweiser beer.

He also served as the longtime co-host of Jerry Lewis' annual Labor Day telethon benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Aside from his entertainment career, McMahon was a colonel in the United States Marines, serving during the late 1940s and 1950s. In recent years, McMahon made headlines due to financial troubles, where his bankruptcy and possible home foreclosure led to him getting more work via commercials.

'Charlie's Angel' Farrah Fawcett dies at 62

LOS ANGELES – Farrah Fawcett, the "Charlie's Angels" star whose feathered blond hair and dazzling smile made her one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1970s, died Thursday after battling cancer. She was 62.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090625/ap_en_ot/us_obit_fawcett

1976... The Poster

Sigh...

well , thats it then .....
I guess it's for sure now , I'll never marry Farrah!
at least we all got to see her in Playboy!
which is more than we can say about Bea Arther....
( really I wish Farrah was my friends mom dig?)

Oh man...

Seeds Frontman Sky Saxon Dies in Austin

Sky Saxon, lead singer and bassist of '60s garage rockers the Seeds, died Thursday in an Austin, Texas hospital. He had been in the ICU since Monday suffering from an undisclosed illness -- doctors suspected an internal organ infection -- until his wife, Sabrina, announced his passing via Facebook

http://www.spinner.com/2009/06/25/seeds-frontman-sky-saxon-dies-in-austin/

Conflicting reports that Michael Jackson may have just died??

Yes. RIP King of Pop :(

I usually hate quoting TMZ...

Michael Jackson pronounced Dead

but they better be #$%^&* lying.

TMZ is very much a tabloid news organization, but they have an extensive amount of stoolies and spies in hospitals and other places (It;s how they get the pictures of Brittany Spears, for example) so this may be true.

The legit news organizations like to pretty much make sure of thier facts prior to reporting, so perhaps the hospital spokespeople have not put something official out there yet?

This is a creepy day. Yikes!

confirmed.......he's gone

Yeah...I pretty much figured once I saw the TMZ report...

So sad... :(

Wow...I mean he had his issues but behind all the weirdess and scandal he was an amazing figure for pop music and music in general.

Thriller was my first album and I can't believe that he is dead. Its almost as big as when Elvis died.

Sad day indeed.

Yeah, I didn't believe it when I first heard it from TMZ. But when I saw it on more reputable places, I believed it. Not to sound heartless, but I kinda hopes he comes back from the dead and does the Thriller dance.

It's being confirmed now on all the major newsites.

Sad. No matter what his personal problems were, he was a major force in the music world.

why y'all giving props to somebody who
had dalliances with young boys?

all those "good times" finally caught up with him....

On 2009-06-25 15:58, little lost tiki wrote:
why y'all giving props to somebody who
had dalliances with young boys?

all those "good times" finally caught up with him....

I agree with you 100%, LLT.

But, the man was undeniably a talented musician. I am sad when anyone dies.

You know what I do for a living. You probably know how I feel about child abuse and molestation, as a result.

It was never proven, but in my line of work, where there is smoke, there is usually fire.

"it was never proved in court...."
but a lot of those cases were settled with large sums of money and
the signing of non-disclosure forms

BIG smoke
BIGGER fire....

plus,MJ wasn't Tiki in the least
so he can go pound sand wherever he ends up...

:)

On 2009-06-25 16:14, little lost tiki wrote:
"it was never proved in court...."
but a lot of those cases were settled with large sums of money and
the signing of non-disclosure forms

BIG smoke
BIGGER fire....

plus,MJ wasn't Tiki in the least
so he can go pound sand wherever he ends up...

:)

Yeah, you are probably right.

i can see why he's your hero....

:lol:

just kidd'n lucas
you know i loves yew....

On 2009-06-25 16:23, little lost tiki wrote:
i can see why he's your hero....

:lol:

just kidd'n lucas
you know i loves yew....

I wish I was technosavvy enough to post an MP3 of a song I recorded 15 or so years ago, where I did one of his songs, changing the lyrics of course...it was pretty damn funny, all about McCauley Culkin...I sped up my voice to sound "similar" to MJ!!

bye bye to the Boy lover.

From what I understand, Michael's obsession with young boys was not at all sexual. He was a young boy himself inside and could never outgrow it. Whenever potential law suits would arise surrounding his relationships with kids, they always seemed to be completely driven by parents seeking to exploit the situation for their own financial gain. Being Michael, he'd just settle it and move on. He never felt the need to prove his innocence.

The music of the Jackson Five was part of my childhood. Then their music seemed to fade away for a while. Suddenly, Thriller came out. Five number one hits on a single album. Damn! What a treasure! Anyway, it was then I could see that Michael had not faded away with the Jackson Five, but had instead been developing his craft. One of the greatest artists of all time. We are all fortunate to have experienced his music during his time.

.....into the Volcano!!!

On 2009-06-26 07:54, The Gnomon wrote:
From what I understand, Michael's obsession with young boys was not at all sexual. He was a young boy himself inside and could never outgrow it. Whenever potential law suits would arise surrounding his relationships with kids, they always seemed to be completely driven by parents seeking to exploit the situation for their own financial gain. Being Michael, he'd just settle it and move on. He never felt the need to prove his innocence.

The music of the Jackson Five was part of my childhood. Then their music seemed to fade away for a while. Suddenly, Thriller came out. Five number one hits on a single album. Damn! What a treasure! Anyway, it was then I could see that Michael had not faded away with the Jackson Five, but had instead been developing his craft. One of the greatest artists of all time. We are all fortunate to have experienced his music during his time.

Heres the problem: It sets young children up to be targets. Let's say that Michael Jackson really was as you describe him. I am here to tell you that it is not normal for any young boy to share a bed with a middle aged man. Michael Jackson, if he is as you describe him, was basically letting these young boys believe that it was perfectly natural and innocent to share his bed. Do you honestly believe other 40 year old men are innocent like you think he was? What are these kids going to do when another 40 year old man with less then honorable intentions puts these children in the same situation? The kids were taught to believe it's all good, clean fun. It's not.

Anyone who knows anything about pedophiles knows they engage in extensive "grooming" behavior of their victims. Buying toys, taking them on trips, having "sleepovers". It's all part of a well documented pattern of abuse that I have personally seen time and time again. All designed to put them at ease, gain their trust, etc. Believe me, lives are destroyed forever by this behavior.

Michael Jackson needed deep and extensive mental health treatment his whole life, and never got it. He had "yes" people around him all the time. No checks and balances.

Had I been his lawyer or manager, I would have told him: "We are taking you to a therapist, and not some hollywood celebrity therapist, but just a regular one found from the yellow pages".

Yep. Nobody's arguing about any of the social fallout and ramifications. I'm just stating what seem to be the facts. He was a child locked inside. How many of his lawyers and managers insisted that he get therapy? All of them!

Well, he's getting therapy now. I know you'll want to join me in bidding him true aloha as he departs this world.

Well, I am sad when anyone dies.

Enough pedophile talk (you're getting Ruzic excited) and back to posting people that died (which might make Ruzic even more excited).

These people died June 25, 2009

Andres Cascioli, 72, Argentine cartoonist, cancer. [1] (Spanish)
Don Coldsmith, 83, American author. [2]
Farrah Fawcett, 62, American actress, anal cancer. [3]
James Baker Hall, 74, American poet, Kentucky Poet Laureate. [4]
Michael Jackson, 50, American singer–songwriter, cardiac arrest. [5]
Shiv Charan Mathur, 83, Indian politician, Governor of Assam since 2008, Chief Minister of Rajasthan (1988–1989). [6]
Mian Tufail Mohammad, 95, Pakistani politician, cerebral hemorrhage. [7]
Bela Mukherjee, 89, Indian singer, widow of Hemanta Mukherjee, natural causes. [8]
Sky Saxon, 63, American rock musician (The Seeds). [9]
Zinaida Stagurskaya, 38, Belarusian cyclist, road accident. [10] (Russian)
Anil Wilson, 62, Indian academic, Principal of St. Stephen's College, Delhi (1991–2007), pancreatic cancer. [11]
Yasmine, 37, Belgian singer and television presenter, suicide. [12] (Dutch)

[ Edited by: GROG 2009-06-26 12:00 ]

One good thing about this whole mess is that is kind of takes a little of the spotlight off Farrah's death, allowing her family to grieve with a somewhat better amount of privacy.

Poor Farrah. Same fate at Col. Sanders. You know when he died? No. You know why? Cuz freakin John Lennon died the same day!

On 2009-06-26 13:02, Swanky wrote:
Poor Farrah. Same fate at Col. Sanders. You know when he died? No. You know why? Cuz freakin John Lennon died the same day!

Swanky,
Harland died Dec. 16.
(Not that I was losing any sleep over it.)

Lucas Vigor, it also takes the spotlight off the barking nipping little poodle named N. Korea. The leader Sing Bitch or whatever his name is, will soon be on this list too, hanging out with Saddam ("Mother of All Battles"). Teddy once said "Speak softly and carry a BIG STICK" applies well here.
Note: This is not politics, it's history cuz it's already been written.

Also, that quote originated as a West African proverb. Wise words indeed.

[ Edited by: Jungle Trader 2009-06-26 15:50 ]

On 2009-06-26 15:40, Jungle Trader wrote:
Lucas Vigor, it also takes the spotlight off the barking nipping little poodle named N. Korea. The leader Sing Bitch or whatever his name is, will soon be on this list too, hanging out with Saddam ("Mother of All Battles"). Teddy once said "Speak softly and carry a BIG STICK" applies well here.
Note: This is not politics, it's history cuz it's already been written.

Also, that quote originated as a West African proverb. Wise words indeed.

---

[ Edited by: Jungle Trader 2009-06-26 15:50 ]

There are two people I would like to give a smack in the mouth to. The leader of North Korea, and the Ayatolla of Iran making all his recent, evil statements. I am not going to go too far and say I would like to see them listed on this thread and SOON, (but frankly, the world would be a better place). The problem is, there is always another asshole around to take their place!

On 2009-06-26 13:24, Unga Bunga wrote:

On 2009-06-26 13:02, Swanky wrote:
Poor Farrah. Same fate at Col. Sanders. You know when he died? No. You know why? Cuz freakin John Lennon died the same day!

Swanky,
Harland died Dec. 16.
(Not that I was losing any sleep over it.)

Didn't Darby Crash die on that day as well ?
I thought that was the whole thing....a punk rocker tops himself and fate and fame intervenes,almost nobody heard about it .

Darby Crash was December 7, 1980. The anniversary of Pearl Harbor swallowed his fame.

On 2009-06-26 07:55, RevBambooBen wrote:
.....into the Volcano!!!

that is great,
I agree.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

The deaths keep on coming, I'm staying home today.

Pitchman Billy Mays Found Dead

http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/28/billy-mays-is-dead/

Holy Crap! They're dropping like flies!

But let's go to the BET awards anyway....after all, we planned the evening.

LOS ANGELES – Impressionist Fred Travalena, a headliner in Vegas showrooms and a regular on late-night talk shows with his takes on presidents, crooners and screen stars, has died in Los Angeles. He was 66.

Publicist Roger Neal says Travalena died Sunday at his home in the Encino area after a recurrence of the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that first surfaced in 2002.

Travalena was known for the sheer volume of celebrities he imitated, leading to the nicknames "The Man of a Thousand Voices" and "Mr. Everybody."

His act included presidents from Kennedy to Obama, musicians from Frank Sinatra to Bruce Springsteen and actors from Marlon Brando to Tom Cruise.

The Bronx native started his career in Las Vegas in 1971.

Gale Storm, "My Little Margie","The Gale Storm Show", B Movies & Top 40 recording artist @ 87.

Karl Malden, one of Hollywood's strongest and most versatile supporting actors, who won an Oscar playing his Broadway-originated role as Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire," died today. He was 97.

The Oscar winner appeared in more than 50 films, starred in TV's 'The Streets of San Francisco' and made famous the American Express catchphrase 'Don't leave home without it.'

Mollie Sudgen who played Mrs. Slocombe on the show "Are You Being Served" Died July 1, 2009. She will be missed, though I am a bit worried about her pussy.

One of my '60's music heroes died last week...the Seed's singer and songwriter, Sky Saxon.

Sky Saxon, guitarist and lead singer for the influential garage band The Seeds has died in Austin, TX, Austin360.com is reporting. The Seeds' success was short but brilliant. They helped define the spirit of '66 and the sound of countless garage bands trying to sound like the Stones and the Yardbirds but on a lunch-money budget. Formed in L.A., the band's greatest success came with the signature 1966 hit "Pushin' Too Hard." In later years, Saxon fronted various incarnations of The Seeds, joined the Source Family religious group and collaborated with other bands. He'd only recently moved to Austin.