zizou bar in Papeete

I really didn't know where to post this, so here it is on the main forum :
The Zizou bar used to be a very famous night dancehall in Papeete (tahiti) in the 50's and 60's. Lots of sailors and navy soldiers.
It re-opens under the name "the Shark".
There was Tahitian music of course and now it's all type music : tahitian to Heavy Metal.

Now, there's a CD that is released on the great Tahitian music label Manuiti (bird) about the band of the 60's called "les Tikis" who were regulars at the zizou bar.
And what do we found on the covers : yes, you're right : great tikis.

Those tikis seems more american than tahitian, with lots of color, so maybe they were imported from California to Tahiti (wich seems funny).
Ok, here's the record cover :

I'll try to have info on that, but if you have an idea of where those might comes from...I know that some tikis were imported to the Royal Tahitien.

[ Edited by: virani on 2005-01-29 02:54 ]

I know those Tikis (the ones on the cover), they are Tahitian modern. I have a 1965 color photo book by Hubert Sieben (?) simply called "TAHITI" (there are many such photo books, like "O Tahiti","Tahiti L'enchantresse" that were meant as Tourist mementos) that has a picture of them in it. The were painted differently (more tasteful) then, just black and brown and white patterns. No credits or location with it though.

But what really is an interesting case of Tiki cross-pollination, I have a friend who has a rare Mary Blair painting with Tahitian kids around those very Tikis. Mary Blair was Walt Disney's favourite designer in the 60s, she did "It's a Small World". It is very likely she saw the pic in that 1965 book.

If you could pick up a copy for me and one for him, we would be very grateful.

Yeah, I have Tahiti l'enchanteresse, I see what kind of book you're talking about.

So those are tahitians ? Woaw, I couldn't imagine they would paint tikis this way.
And I really don't know what is the link with the CD, as the club is in Boulevard Pomaré (the main harbour street) and there is no vegetation that way, so the picture wasn't take at the club.
I'll PM you Sven for the CDs. Thanks for your help.

Its not Quinns but it has Tiki's.

This was written in 1987 for Island Magazine
"Paradise, it turns out, is a new ultrahigh‑tech disco facing the water. Jacques is working the door, but he rushes me to a stool and orders the bartenders never to let the gin in my glass fall below a certain level. Every time a pretty woman comes in he rushes her to my side, buys her a glass of champagne and introduces me as the famous American writer with whom he hunted shark and barracuda in the Tuamotus. At least the part about the sharks is true.

This is the high‑end night spot, with a dress code, $12 drinks and the latest music and videos from the United States and Europe. The clientele is almost exclusively French. From here friends and I go down the street to Zizou Bar, where the military hangs out: French men, Tahitian women. The only light is black light, so that cotton glows. Something—the air conditioner—is making it rain on our table. We dance the tamure, the bawdy dance of the islands. We dance rock and roll, and the merengue, and finish it off spinning to Strauss' "Wine, Women and Song."

Then 1 go to Pitate. My friends don't want to come. Some people say Pitate is heir to the legacy of Quinn's, the notorious old Papeete night club. I don't know, but Pitate is the Tahitian night spot. It's important here to emphasize the American accent in my French; a lot of handshaking goes on, and drink‑buying once my nationality is identified. As I squeeze through the crowd, someone shakes my hand and tries to confuse my full beer for his empty one. There is a battery of fans suspended from the balcony that surrounds the dance floor. These are very sexy people, concentrating on the complicated and very sensual moves of traditional dances. It is very hot."

So, thanks to Bigbro who helped me figure it out, those tikis were very famous in Tahiti.
Their cool design were also used as greeting card by the direction of the nuclear experimentation center of Tahiti (here's a card I found from 1965) :

[ Edited by: virani on 2005-01-29 03:01 ]

Virani,
Atomic tikis! What a great piece of tiki modern art. Sven has got to love this image.
Mahalo,
KG

Nice. Virani I was following your trail, as you know. While we meet in Papeete I picked up the same CD. And I enjoyed the background info. Thanks.

On 2005-02-02 18:51, Kailuageoff wrote:
Virani,
Atomic tikis! What a great piece of tiki modern art.

Atomic Tikis! Love it!

I don't know which I like more, saying the phrase "Atomic Tikis" or the actual photograph.

Tiki adopts and is recreated to with history.

Were these the type of tikis on Johnston Atoll?

On 2005-02-03 20:05, christiki295 wrote:
Were these the type of tikis on Johnston Atoll?

No, the french government had a lot of atomic testing on Mururoa, an atoll south of Tahiti. It only stopped a few years ago...

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-20 15:26 ]

Nothing new in PPT as far as Tiki Bars. Although a Hinano Surf Club will be opening in Maui this summer. More beer fund but not too much tiki I would guess. May need to change that thou.

Recently I've been trying to find out about a '60s Santa Cruz band called "The Tikis" -- it is discussed in this thread:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=24960&forum=1&3 .

It seems that on the Internet the "Les Tikis" album being discussed here is often incorrectly attributed to them, for example here:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Zizou%20Bar%20Tahiti%201965:1922053295 .

It really had me confused, as I thought, "Wait, did this '60s soft psychedelic/surf band from Santa Cruz really do a live album -- of Tahitian songs -- in Tahiti in 1965?" That really would have been too good to be true; I figure any linking of Polynesiana and '60s psychedelia is bound to be interesting. But no, it just seems like an error repeated on a number of websites.

no, it's not the same band at all. I'm sure.

Les Tikis were tahitian, most of their songs were by Yves Roche, the local composeur.

To make this thread a little more complete, here the above mentioned picture from that 1965 photo book "TAHITI":

No we just need Doug's Mary Blair, but he's far away in Kona.

thanks sven for the picture.
Oh yes, I'd love to see that Mary Blair painting.