Tiki... haircut?

So I was having my bi-annual haircut yesterday morning at the cheapest place in town.

I just need to wear hats more probably, but I digress.

As the loquacious snipper with the Nu Yawk accent did his work on my wispy locks, he mentioned something about living in Ft. Lauderdale.

"Did you ever go to the Mai Kai?"

He looked surprised - "yeh.. yeh.. I been to the Mai Kai. Used ta werk thea." (I'll leave the accent behind now that you've got the idea.)

He went on to tell me the stories of Kern Mattei the first and how he knew "little Kern" when he was just a boy and his relationship with Dave Levy and mentioned everyone we revere as the "old guard" and then started talking about Mr. Thornton.

He told stories of the celebrities who showed up. He talked about the girls, the dancers. Everything you'd want to know about the 70s Mai Kai.

It was my best haircut ever. He went on and on and then at the end of the cut, reached into his little drawer behind the chair and pulled out a card from his employment days at the Mai Kai. It was in pristine condition but a little yellowed, and he gave it to me. Tony Pedrero - Captain. He told me to hand it to Dave and tell him Tony said "Aloha."

I think I might have shed a manly tear, or it could have been the talc he was throwing around that got in my eyes, but it was quite serendipitous.

If you haven't read one of my first posts to Tiki Central - check this one out. It's about my first trip to the Mai Kai in 2003 and how I got there.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=5542&forum=1

[ Edited by: pablus 2009-05-01 13:27 ]

Great story!
I have got to find a barber like that.

Good to read your story. This is what makes TC interesting to me(well, also the art). It's refreshing to read something worthwhile rather than some of the one upmanship "scholarly" arguments or bitchslapping folks sometimes get mired in here.

"one upmanship "scholarly" arguments ... folks sometimes get mired in here."

I could have said that way better. :wink:

Mahalo.

I'm afraid I've ventured into pontification more than once here, but not today.
And isn't "today" what makes tiki the now scene a go go?

i accept pablus as my personal sword and lavier

Great story! I love connections like that! I remember once, I started talking to a guy in his 90's at the super market after he saw the surfboard on my car. He told me how he use to surf Pacific Palisades in the 30's with Tom Blake, who invented the fin for surfboards, the underwater camera housing, and the modern day rescue buoy lifeguards use. He told me about the Luaus on the beach, and how they made their giant paddle boards and surfboards on the beach with thatched huts. He also surfed with Duke K. Oh, how I wish I could have walked in his flip flops back then.

Cool story Pablus! I also need a haircut right about now, maybe my barber will have some interesting Trader Vic's stories or something, although unlikely cause he's only about 30.

On another note, Tom Blake also popularized the hollow paddle/surf boards that look surprisingly similar to the new stand up paddle race boards.