An Outsider's Guide to Tiki

Upon working hard to have a proper Tiki Tuesday going in my city, complete with beautifully, and properly made cocktails, I had to create a guide to Tiki for those that either have no idea what it is, or have the misconception that it's all about margaritas and Jimmy Buffet. I've hosted a Tiki Tuesday at The Tiki Lounge for over two years now, and I've tried to have good cocktails, to no avail. Still working on that. In the meantime, I'm working with some other bars, and created this guide. I just thought I would post it for you guys. Feel free to give feedback. It's obviously not meant to be comprehensive, but I tried to cram in as much information as I could. Feel free to re-use, just give attribution. Hope you all enjoy it.
-Lucky

EDIT: Go easy on me, I'm no Sven, to be certain.

PS - Some of these things are a matter of personal taste, like the surfboards/woody wagon thing. I tried to remain as traditional as possible. So no offense intended to any members of TC.

[ Edited by: Hale Tiki 2013-06-20 07:26 ]

An Outsider’s Guide to Tiki, or The Simple Guide to the Sophisticated Savage. by Lucky

Tiki: proper noun. The First Man on Earth. A carved image, of a god or ancestor, worn as a pendant around the neck, or as a statue.

There are a lot of misconceptions about “Tiki.” The decline of Polynesian Pop in music, popular culture, cocktail culture, and the restaurant industry gave way to an influx of “get drunk and listen to bad music ‘island’ ‘culture’” that has likely clouded your vision of what Tiki is. When you think of Tiki, your first thought may be of Jimmy Buffet or a bad Hawaiian trope that you recall from a movie or TV show you once saw. Maybe it was something you saw on the Brady Bunch or the latest iteration of Hawaii 5.0. Either way, the “Tiki” you saw was almost certainly a diluted or mutated form of what was once a widespread, rich, and wonderful reappropriation of Polynesian cultures that captivated America at a time in the 20th century where the country really needed a little escapism.

This informal guide will serve to give you a base from which to build your knowledge of a movement that shaped American culture and has experienced a steady resurgence since the early 1990’s, thanks to a handful of dedicated people who sought to preserve the past, save what was left, and create new Tiki for others to enjoy, recapturing the spirit that was once thought to be lost forever. The preservationists and scholars have come to refer to it as Polynesian Pop. To the general public, it is known as Tiki.

What is Tiki? Where did it come from? Why US? And who the hell is Trader Vic?
It all started with Donn Beach, born Ernest Raymond Beaumont, a handsome young man who grew up in New Orleans and spent a few years working odd jobs in LA before the end of Prohibition. Following the end of Prohibition, and a short lived career as a bootlegger, he found himself a recently vacated tailor’s shop, and, using the knowledge and bric-a-brac he had collected during a youth spent traveling the seas, he opened his first bar. And so, Don the Beachcomber’s was born: a small bar, seating just 24 people along with a few tables here and there that became home to a hodgepodge of artifacts, environmental elements, and the cheapest, most delicious booze available – rum.

Down the street, an aspiring young restaurateur named Victor Bergeron owned a themed bar known as Hinky Dink’s. Upon learning of Don’s increasing success, he is purported to have gone for a visit, taken notes, and all but immediately transformed Hinky Dink’s into Trader Vic’s - complete with a suspiciously familiar South Pacific atmosphere and a menu full of tropical rum drinks with exotic-sounding names like Scorpion, Doctor Funk of Tahiti, Tiki Puka Puka, and the legendary Mai Tai.

These two friendly foes sparked a trend that would only escalate with the return of hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Pacific Theater. Although their service was far from being all palm trees and strong drinks, they longed for a reminder of the few, carefree days they did experience in Polynesia. This nostalgia, coupled with a growing taste for fine dining and the exotic, led to Polynesian Supper Clubs and Tiki Bars in the mold of Don’s and Vic’s springing up around the country. They stuffed themselves to the brim with artifacts from Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, the Marquesas Islands, and the like, blending authentic pieces with nautical décor to transport you to a far away place. Some such establishments - The Kahiki in Ohio and Kowloon in Massachusetts - were extravagant Polynesian Palaces that could seat hundreds of people at once. Others took a different approach - The Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale (which still exists in its original location today) became an oasis unto itself, offering not only the décor, drinks, and food typical of such establishments, but also a forbidden ritual that saw many imitators: The Mai Kai Mystery Drink and. As a gong sounded from far away, the male patron would sit impatiently as a beautiful, exotic maiden from Polynesia slowly approached him with a massive ceramic vessel engulfed in smoke and fire. As The Mai Kai Mystery Girl set down the gargantuan drink (meant for four) she would move close to the patron and slink away, doing an exotic dance in time with the gong. As she left, she would leave the flustered guest with a parting gift: a lei and a kiss. The experience was like nothing else available at the time. It was exotic. It was Tiki.

Tiki soon cemented itself in the American consciousness - Trader Vic’s and Don the Beachcomber established nationwide chains, and Tiki culture found itself the subject of songs, movies, and television shows. Scholars and the general public alike would learn of Tiki through the quests of Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer who set out to prove his theory that Tiki settled Polynesia from the east by setting sail from Chile in nothing more than a wooden raft. The movie The Blue Gardenia centered on a telephone operator who finds herself quickly inebriated in a Tiki bar, and upon waking up the next morning, the suspect of a murder investigation. It was directed by the legendary Fritz Lang and starred Anne Baxter, Raymond Burr, George Reeves, and featured Nat King Cole. The movie and song Blue Hawaii, from the height of Elvis’ popularity, further injected Tiki, Polynesia, and the exotic into popular culture. Composers and band leaders like Martin Denny, Les Baxter, and Arthur Lyman saw great commercial success with a type of music known as Exotica. Plane travel became more accessible, and Hawaii became the 50th state, which meant that TTiki and Polynesian culture was something that the well-to-do average Joe could actually experience first hand. Walt Disney was so invested in the idea that The Enchanted Tiki Room was designed and opened in Disneyland in 1963, sponsored by Hawaii’s Dole Food Company. The advances he made in audio-animatronics would forever change the movie industry, and even robotics. On television, there was Hawaii 5.0, Hawaii Eye, and even The Brady Bunch got in on the action by taking a trip to Hawaii.

The exotic décor and drinks, coupled with exotic foods borrowed from many cultures and countries, were enough to enthrall American diners until the mid 1970’s when the Polynesian Pop craze began to die off. The Mai Tai, perhaps the most popular singular thing to come from the Tiki craze, was the subject of a long heated debate between Don and Vic, culminating in a lawsuit in 1970 that stated once and for all that Trader Vic was the originator of the Mai Tai. By that time, however, Chinese restaurants and bars all over the country were serving their own versions of the Mai Tai, all poor imitations of the original. Things remained quiet for two decades, as the long standing bars continued to operate, unimpeded by an America no longer interested in “fruity drinks and tropical décor.”

In the early 90’s, however, a maelstrom of nostalgia, centered in the birthplace of Tiki culture, Los Angeles, came together to reinvigorate a number of lost American subcultures: rockabilly, swing, mid-century modern design, Tiki, and even cocktail culture. Over the next 20 some years, Tiki culture would experience a revival, mirroring that of the rise of cocktail culture. Books would be written, bars would be saved, and recipes once forgotten would be unearthed. Sven A Kirstin wrote the bible for Tiki, The Book of Tiki in 2003. Otto von Stroheim would organize Tiki themed art shows from LA to Miami. Shag would become not only the seminal artist for the Tiki revival, but several other “kitsch” based subcultures. James Teitelbaum would travel the country cataloging the last existing Tiki bars for Tiki Road Trip. The Tiki revival has been at its peak for many years now, with yearly events that bring in hundreds of attendees from around the country every year: Hukilau, Tiki Oasis, Ohana on the Lake, Hot Rod Hula Hop, Tiki Caliente, Tiki-Kon, and many others. Bands have formed across the globe to resurrect and carry on the music genres of Exotica, Surf, and their own, modern mishmashes of styles. Tiki Farm, founded in 2000, produces a veritable cornucopia of Tiki mugs, as well as many artists, who design and make small runs. Tiki Central has become the center of this culture, bringing together almost 15,000 members worldwide to discuss the culture on a daily basis. With an ever expanding fan base, and efforts to preserve it as a part of American history, Tiki shows no sign of a second decline anytime soon.

What IS Tiki:

Music: Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter, Martin Denny, Exotica, eden ahbez, Korla Pandit, Ixtahuele, Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica, Tikiyaki Orchestra, Don Tiki, any traditional music from any islands that lie from Rapa Nui to the East, New Zealand to the South, Hawaii to the North, and Timor/West Papua to the West, Hawaiian Steel Guitar, Robert Dransin, Elliot Easton, Augie Colon, Hilo Hattie, Roy Smeck…the list goes on and on.

Some people will include Don Ho, though his music came at the decline of Polynesian Pop and represents a blend of traditional Hawaiian music and pop that satiated the influx of tourists coming to Hawaii. This type of music is known as Hapa-Haole, which literally translates to Half Outsider: a blend of English and Hawaiian. Some traditionalists in Hawaii that seek to preserve Hawaiian culture after the bastardization of the white man, or Haole, view this music as the equivalent of minstrel music to African Americans.

Drinks: Blood & Sand, Mai Tai, Zombie, Painkiller, Navy Grog, Missionary’s Downfall, Vicious Virgin, Scorpion, Blue Hawaii, Chi Chi, Derby Daquiri, Doctor Funk, Fog Cutter, Fu Manchu, Pearl Diver, Planter’s Punch, Rum Barrel, Singapore Sling, Suffering Bastard, Jet Pilot.

There are many, many more drinks, from both contemporary bartenders and traditional bartenders. There are also lots of rules regarding traditions, the procedures for mixing drinks, garnishes, tools, “secret” syrups, recipes, and what brands of ingredients go into what drinks (for example, a Dark & Stormy is explicitly Gosling’s Ginger Beer and Black Strap Rum. Although you cannot copyright or patent a recipe, they have the name trademarked and have been known to litigate bars that serve anything but Gosling’s in a Dark & Stormy. The litigation usually ends in the bar agreeing to use only Gosling’s.) It’s a topic that can, and has, taken many, many books to cover. There are also a plethora of bad recipes out there. Compounding matters, many recipes are secrets known only by their creators, or are carried on by family. For instance, at the Tiki Ti, which has over 40 drinks, the recipes are only known to the owner and his sons, passed along by his father, Ray Buhen, whose stories dates back to the original Tiki bar.

Food: Cantonese, surprisingly. Most of the Chinese food that we have come to know in America is actually Cantonese food - a trend that was started by Trader Vic and other Tiki bars. Traditional food from Hawaii or any of the isles of Polynesia is also common. It has been adapted over the years, but Cantonese is the basis for most of it. The Pu Pu platter is a perfect example: most commonly associated with “Chinese food” restaurants, it is an item that actually originated in Tiki bars..

Clothing: Traditional garb of the islands of Polynesia, lava lavas, Beachcomber hats, Hawaiian Shirts with traditional patterns on them, vintage matched sets of swimwear, sometimes lined with terrycloth, Hawaiian dresses, muumuus, large straw hats of various particular styles, Tiki pendants, white pants, and the occasional vintage formal wear.

Clothing is a hard category. Traditionally, in Polynesian Pop, the only distinguishable clothing was that of Don the Beachcomber. Guests of restaurants and owners of restaurants/bars usually wore the formal wear of the time: men in suits, women in fancy dresses. These restaurants and bars were an exotic escape, not something that was commonplace. Like getting on an airline at the time, you dressed up to go to the Polynesian Palaces of midcentury America. With the resurgence of Tiki culture, there has been a somewhat ersatz dress code established. Hawaiian shirts should be of a vintage until the 1970s. As Polynesian Pop declined, so did the availability of Hawaiian shirts on the mainland. Companies like Hilo Hattie, Ocean Pacific, and other surf companies carried on, mostly in Hawaii at the International Marketplace. Those drawn to the culture are usually also fans of Midcentury Modern, and have adapted that style of dress to the culture. Traditional garb of the islands is usually limited to those participating in floor shows that are of some type of Polynesian descent. The exception is the lava lava: a wrap that is the male equivalent of the sarong. It is worn in many Polynesian cultures, and is often worn by those who enjoy Tiki.

Restaurants/Bars: Trader Vic’s, Don the Beachcomber, The Mai Kai, Hale Pele, Smuggler’s Cove, Forbidden Island, Tiki-Ti, Tonga Room, Trader Sam’s, The Kon Tiki (Tucson).

Décor: Artifacts brought back from any of the islands of Polynesia, tapa cloth, glass fishing floats, fishing nets, waterfalls, exotic plants, Polynesian weapons, exotic flowers, the occasional inside of a Tall Ship, lauhala matting, Tiki masks and statues (this is very specific, and covers styles that are traditional to the various islands of Polynesia.), Tiki torches (yes, these in fact, are Tiki. They get their name from use in the Tiki bars and restaurants), Tiki mugs (there are good Tiki mugs, and bastardized versions made for the tourist trade and “Parrot Head” style Tiki bar), thatched roofs, windows to exotic tableaus that have “rain” streaming down them (see The Tiki Lounge for an example of this), A-frames, outriggers, some Witco, mermaids that swim in windows behind the bar. (see Medusirena)

What ISN’T Tiki:

Music: Jimmy Buffet, Kenny Chesney, Drew’s Famous Tiki Bar Music, “frat rock,” modern electronic/lounge “exotica,” 99% of Caribbean music, reggae, Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole (with the notable exception being his traditional songs), just any old music with a ukulele, the Beach Boys and the like, and any type of karaoke, ever.

Drinks: Pina Colada, Margarita, Landshark Beer, Frozen Syrupy Mixed Drinks, anything that looks like a slushy and contains nothing natural, anything you’ve had at a TGIFriday’s or chain restaurant (with the exception of Trader Vic’s, of course), Corona, flavored rums (with coconut rum being the exception. Most commercial products are crap, but home made coconut rum is easy to make), anything with a flavored vodka in it, drinks where the ingredients are in the name of the drink (Rum & Coke, for example), and lastly, Captain Morgan’s has NO place in Tiki drinks.

Food: Anything Caribbean, Anything Mexican, Anything at a Jimmy Buffet Restaurant.

Clothing: Flip-flops, loud obnoxious “Hawaiian” shirts (often containing things like pinup girls, scooters, surfboards, or woody wagons), sleeveless t-shrits, short shorts and bikini top, mardi gras beads, board shorts, et cetera.

Restaurants/Bars: Margaritaville, Bahama Breeze, Joe’s Crab Shack. Et al.

Décor: Anything from Party City, Surf Boards, Fake grass skirts/thatch, bright and colorful “Tikis,” any extremely anthropomorphic Tikis, anything at a theme park (Disneyland/world being the exception), anything Caribbean, plastic leis, et cetera.

Note that some of the above may be altered, or used in conjunction with traditional items in order to make them more authentic, and thus, acceptable.

Reference books: The Book of Tiki by Sven A Kirstin, Anything by Beachbum Berry, any of the Trader Vic’s books, Arts of the South Seas by Ralph Linton, Adorning the World Art of the Marquesas Islands, Tiki Quest by Duke Carter, Tiki Now! Volumes 1, 2 & 3, Waikiki Tiki by Phillip S Roberts, Night of the Tiki by Doug A Nason, Tiki Road Trip by James Teitelbaum, Tiki Modern by Sven A Kirstin, Trader Vic’s Tiki Party, Any book that involves Don the Beachcomber and Arnold Bitner, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails (Although not specifically Tiki, it covers some of the drinks and their history).

Artists: LeRoy Schmaltz, Shag, Crazy Al, Squid, Benzart, Doug Horne, Robert Jiminez, John Mulder, Wendy Cevola, MunkTiki, Tiki Diablo, Notch, Eric October, Basement Kahuna, Ocea Otica, Lake Surfer, Bosko, Gecko, and a host of incredibly talented artists who attend events every year, as well as post their work on Tiki Central.

For further reading see TikiCentral.com, the Internet’s oldest and largest Tiki forum, Ooga-Mooga the only repository for Tiki mug collections, and CriTiki, THE guide to Tiki bars in the world.

For images, video, music, or any other information, [email protected].

[ Edited by: Hale Tiki 2013-06-20 09:47 ]

My in-laws are part native Hawaiian and they do not understand what tiki is. Some of them were born in Hawaii (Maui) and some were born in Los Angeles and Orange County, CA during the heyday of tiki. I'll blame their lack of knowledge on their strict Christian upbringing. To them tiki is Jimmy Buffett and brightly colored grinning tikis.

To me the phenomenom of tiki is the all-encomposing aspects of it on a brief period in our history. It influenced architecture, books, entertainment, housewares, clothing, music, drinks and food. What other so-called fad has left that kind of mark?

This is an article that was in the Getty Magazine regarding tiki architecture.

http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/long-live-tiki-the-whimsical-soul-of-midcentury-modern/

On 2013-06-20 09:06, tikilongbeach wrote:

http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/long-live-tiki-the-whimsical-soul-of-midcentury-modern/

I've read that article before, and I agree with most of it. They're overstating Thor's importance though.

"Artists: LeRoy Schmaltz, Shag, Crazy Al, Squid, Benzart, Doug Horne, Robert Jiminez, John Mulder, Wendy Cevola, MunkTiki, Tiki Diablo, Notch, Lucky, Eric October, Basement Kahuna, Ocea Otica, Lake Surfer, Bosko"

Who is Lucky?

On 2013-06-20 09:29, tikiskip wrote:
"Artists: LeRoy Schmaltz, Shag, Crazy Al, Squid, Benzart, Doug Horne, Robert Jiminez, John Mulder, Wendy Cevola, MunkTiki, Tiki Diablo, Notch, Lucky, Eric October, Basement Kahuna, Ocea Otica, Lake Surfer, Bosko"

Who is Lucky?

BWAHAHAHA. I didn't even see that, John. That's me. I had a buddy of mine edit for me, since I my brain tends to fill in the blanks when I've missed words, or have half thoughts. I'm guessing he slipped that in there. And that's why I had him edit. I totally missed that, and I've read through it twice since the edits.

Let's just strike that from the main guide. It's certainly not meant to be exhaustive, as I left out a TON of great artists and carvers from TC. You, Kahaka, All the carvers...just realized I left Gecko off the list, The Vitales, all of the people who have designed mugs for Tiki Farm, the painters, Mr Lucky (who was part of the original Tiki Art Now book/show)...there's tons.

EDIT: Edited the original post and the guide. Thanks for catching that.

[ Edited by: Hale Tiki 2013-06-20 09:37 ]

I wish I had thought of writing myself into tiki history.
Great idea really.:)
Believe me I'm used to being left out of any tiki list.

But you left out some of the really great ones I'm no expert but here are a few
Barney West
Eli Hedley
Hoffman
Coburn Morgan
MANY I have missed.

Man has Tiki come so far that the old timers are going to be lost and forgotten?

Also left off Bamboo Ben!!

On 2013-06-20 10:07, tikiskip wrote:
I wish I had thought of writing myself into tiki history.
Great idea really.:)
Believe me I'm used to being left out of any tiki list.

But you left out some of the really great ones I'm no expert but here are a few
Barney West
Eli Hedley
Hoffman
Coburn Morgan
MANY I have missed.

Man has Tiki come so far that the old timers are going to be lost and forgotten?

Not by those that care. I geeked out like a kid on Christmas morning seeing all the Barney West tikis at the Mai Kai again. And let's not forget Milan Guanko!

Like I said, it CERTAINLY isn't exhaustive, and for the people that the guide is aimed at, I doubt they'll actually research 1/5th of what's in there. To a lot of people, when they think of rum, and Tiki, they think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI4IHB4VY5o

or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xieVhP03nUE

Or they are those people. (Not being judge-y)

[ Edited by: Hale Tiki 2013-06-20 10:29 ]

The Smokin' Menehunes are not on your Music list.

I always knew they weren't Tiki !! :D

DUDE your dissing IZ!
But Korla Pandit is tiki! as the youngsters say WTF!
IZ is more tiki than Korla Pandit or Yma Similac.

You need to go to tiki summer school.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2013-06-20 18:30 ]

Another thing that isn't tiki is going through the effort of setting one up and having a sign in on the wall that says "Tiki Bar", who knew?

A valiant effort, a little rambling at times. At that length, I wonder how many non-Tiki people are gonna read thru it all. A slimmed down list the way it was assembled for "What is NOT Tiki" might be more practical.

What I am mainly missing is the emphasis on the Tiki image making all these elements you mention "Tiki". The appearance of the Tiki as a logo, as integral part on and inside buildings, in cocktail and housewares - that is what makes the style unique, funny, and artistically amazing, and what makes things "Tiki". As I mentioned before, the misunderstanding that frequently occurs is that now Tiki is used for the whole LIFE STYLE, while it really was and is an ART FORM. All the stuff that surrounds it is important too, but without the Tiki image, it's South Seas, Polynesian pop, or Hawaiiana. In everybody's day-to-day use, this is not so important, but when a DEFINITION is crafted, it should be described more accurate.

Also, I would make more clear that the appeal of Tiki lies in that fact that it is fake, an IMAGINED, American projection of Polynesia. Tiki has not been recognized as its own art form for half a century because it was ashamed of being that, it now should be proud of it.

I am not going to nitpick the text, I appreciate any and all efforts to make Tiki more understandable to the public, and this is not a bad one. Just a correction: I wrote the Book of Tiki in the 90s, and it was published in September 2000, not 2003. And it's Kirsten, not Kirstin, please. :)

And Skip, what in the world makes you think IZ iz Tiki !? You can be a great fan of his, and play his music in your home bar til dawn, please - but where is he "Tiki"? IZ is real, Tiki is not.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2013-06-21 01:02 ]

"And Skip, what in the world makes you think IZ iz Tiki !? You can be a great fan of his, and play his music in your home bar til dawn, please - but where is he "Tiki"? IZ is real, Tiki is not"

Ha! I would have thought it to be Jeff that would have gone nutz about that one.:)
I never did get the whole Korla Pandit or Yma Sumac thing.
Korla Pandit is a snooze fest and I can't tell what makes Sumac more tiki than say
carmen Miranda.
Sumac did the record Voice of the Xtabay but then she was the Peruvian Princess, Peru is that tiki?
Or more of an Inca type thing.
"IZ is real, Tiki is not"
Maybe this is why Korla Pandit and Yma Sumac are more tiki because they were both not real.:)
And you are right it is more of a what I like thing.
Bet they play more IZ at La Mariana than Korla Pandit or Yma Sumac.

Heck what do I know I play Thin Lizzy at my bar.

I agree on the length. I couldn't/didn't read it.

I think I'd summarize my explanation by thinking of what I would say to someone in my bar. Talking it means brevity. Maybe something like:

A true Tiki bar should take you to a faraway and exotic place. It draws from the imaginary Polynesian islands created by Don the Beachcombers and Trader Vic's in the 1940s through the 60s. It is a place outside of decade or locale that insulates you in a reverie of tropical lushness, savage and tantalizingly beautiful natives, and complex rum based cocktails. The Tiki of Oceania is the symbol of the genre, and the idealized Polynesian islands are the environs. Music, drinks and themes that take you to Florida, Margaritaville, Jamaica or the 70s are decided not truly Tiki.

"or the 70s'

So Thin Lizzy is out?

Swanky your bar is awesome!
Really.

It took me to imaginary Polynesian island were I was in a contest, trying
to out blow a Jack Sparrow like specimen in a conch shell contest.
We were all quite taken aback when of all things a native girl was
able to out blow all of us.
She came with her own horn, and this horn was a lot harder to play than
the one we had as her horn had a large hole brought on by years of blowing.
Oh how she could blow!

As a rule of thumb, my personal definition of Tiki is usually "stuff that does not suck"; it has served me well.

"a native girl was able to out blow all of us."

"She came with her own horn"

"a lot harder"

"as her horn had a large hole brought on by years of blowing"

"Oh how she could blow!"

Swanky, what kind of joint are you running up there?

All true.
Word for word.

Helps to read it like J Peterman though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAlinvw2Rb0

On 2013-06-21 00:48, bigbrotiki wrote:

Also, I would make more clear that the appeal of Tiki lies in that fact that it is fake, an IMAGINED, American projection of Polynesia.

as someone that is relatively new to the depths of tiki/polypop culture, the above was the most fascinating fact to me when i learned it.

lucky, i do agree with some on the length. i read it on principal so i could give an honest opinion, but would rarely be so engaged to make my way through something so lengthly. not that it isn't interesting, correct, or informative, but possibly TOO comprehensive. i'm not sure one needs to know so many specific examples or details of what is/isn't tiki, or feel that there is any specific line as to where it does/doesn't stop.

acknowledgement of donn & vic is imperative, but you don't need their life story. the sub categories of food, clothes, music need not be so specific as well, they could probably be summed up a sentence or two a piece. beyond that, i would just stay away from specifics and names unless you put together a "resource guide" at the bottom with links to respective sites.

other than that, i would just try to take a more "welcome! let me tell you a few interesting facts, and perhaps you'll be interested in learning more on your own!" approach. in reading, i got more of a "this is the tiki law. follow exactly, or you will be shunned!"

and above all, realize these are the opinions of someone that didn't care enough to draft something like this. kudos to you for you even making the effort, sincerely. please take everything i said as my own, and is the sincerest perspective of someone that wants to help.

cheers!

On 2013-06-21 00:48, bigbrotiki wrote:
A valiant effort...
I would make more clear that the appeal of Tiki lies in that fact that it is fake, an IMAGINED, American projection of Polynesia.

I LIKE this statement! Everyone has their own personal definition of what is "TIKI" is, and thats the way it should be. I know there is a desire to define the movement - its like herding cats... You may round up some of the cats but there's always a few that get away or few unwanted ones that sneak in. On that note I'm gonna go enjoy a few beers at my favorite Florida Tiki bar (that statement should make more than a few tiki-snob's heads explode).

We always go easy on the Florida Ohana
because who knows if the next "Hurricane" will turn
the entire state into a swamp :)

Its already a swamp where I live. I feel bad for you left coasters because your backyard may be the next good surf break! :)

On 2013-06-21 00:48, bigbrotiki wrote:
Also, I would make more clear that the appeal of Tiki lies in that fact that it is fake, an IMAGINED, American projection of Polynesia.

I sincerely hope that I was not wrong in assuming that we are all educated adults here and that I did not burst anyone's bubble with this! :D

On 2013-06-21 11:26, AlohaStation wrote:
On that note I'm gonna go enjoy a few beers at my favorite Florida Tiki bar (that statement should make more than a few tiki-snob's heads explode).

I believe that what Aloha Station was referring to here is the curious fact that Florida has its very own definition of "Tiki Bar", which is aptly illustrated by this article in which 8 of the so-called "10 BEST Tiki Bars" have little to nothing to do with Tiki :)

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2013/06/ten_best_tiki_bars_in_south_florida.php?page=2

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2013-06-21 12:40 ]

On 2013-06-21 12:36, bigbrotiki wrote:

On 2013-06-21 00:48, bigbrotiki wrote:
Also, I would make more clear that the appeal of Tiki lies in that fact that it is fake, an IMAGINED, American projection of Polynesia.

I sincerely hope that I was not wrong in assuming that we are all educated adults here and that I did not burst anyone's bubble with this!

i learned this at your presentation at last years hukilau...it was honestly like the curtain being pulled back on the "great & powerful oz". not the wizard you thought or respected, but now an even MORE interesting individual that he pulled it off.

Yes - FL does have a very skewed vision of tiki bars (which I grew up with), however, we do have the Mai Kai (and I have been enlightened)!

On 2013-06-21 12:59, AlohaStation wrote:
Yes - FL does have a very skewed vision of tiki bars (which I grew up with), however, we do have the Mai Kai (and I have been enlightened)!

And when we visit a "Florida tiki bar" we get the pleasure of pointing and laughing...

Seriously, I love walking in, grinning, and then asking the bartender, "So, where's your tiki?" The look, and the responses, are often priceless!

So Hale Tiki, how has the reception of your gospel been? Have any of the people at The Tiki Bar or the other venues you mentioned been receptive to your approach, or do they sort of gloss over the details and lump you in with the Parrothead school of thought? At least you're trying in an urban locale. Imagine trying to put on a semi-authentic Tiki event in central Louisiana...

I am a fledgling in tiki culture, though I've gotten my feet wet by collecting tiki mugs the past couple years... (Suddenly just realized i loved it one day.) Interesting to think about the two approaches, the "traditional/historical" which aims to preserve history and be true to the origin of tiki culture in America, and the interpretive (previously described earlier as "fake") or perhaps you could say "adapted" tiki approach.

For those who have been immersed in tiki longer than I have you may disagree but what I find the most fascinating is the transition of tiki between the historical and modern and the fact that they coexist so beautifully. (Now I am not suggesting that margaritaville, for example is "tiki" I totally agree with previous comments that not everything Is tiki) but to give you an example I'm typing this and looking at my vintage Kowloon tiki mug sitting next to my "Shecky" and i love them both. I enjoy viewing vintage photos from Polynesia and I also like the works of Shag. I absolutely love mai tais but i confess, rum drinks that may not be "traditional" have been put into my usable tikis. I think whatever personal tiki "experience" an individual has on the journey, if it leads to the same destination (metaphorically) then it has some validity. That has been my tiki experience so far. I guess that makes me a heinz57 since i embrace both. :)

I like the fact that Florida is so un-tiki.

It's like a really hot, dumb girl that I can have a bad influence on...

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2013-07-04 10:01 ]

On 2013-07-04 05:02, Tikinut wrote:
I am a fledgling in tiki culture...

A-LOOOOOOOOOO-HA and welcome to TC. Thank you for taking the time to make a post on my thread your first. Be sure to head over to the Introductions thread to say hi, so others can see you're now on the site. Hope you stick around for awhile!

On 2013-06-30 05:55, johnnyvelvet wrote:
So Hale Tiki, how has the reception of your gospel been? Have any of the people at The Tiki Bar or the other venues you mentioned been receptive to your approach, or do they sort of gloss over the details and lump you in with the Parrothead school of thought? At least you're trying in an urban locale. Imagine trying to put on a semi-authentic Tiki event in central Louisiana...

Thank you all for your input. I love having Tiki Central as a resource, and having you all contribute is wonderful. Imagine writing a paper on Catholicism, and having the Pope give you notes. I'm not saying Sven is the Pope of Tiki, but, well, I am. Hahaha.

Now, as far as the guide goes, I think that for general consumption, yes, it does need trimmed down. And I'm going to take a few suggestions that were made on the thread. It was written for someone who is...a bit of an elitist, which is fine by me, and was worried that tiki would mean Parrotheads coming in a shitting up his otherwise classy establishment. And in Pittsburgh, that's a serious concern. So the guide was written to put him at ease. Also, he's all about minutia, so the length was geared towards his level of information absorption. I also had promised my cocktail apprentice that I would write him a guide that was as comprehensive as I could make it, without being crazy long. It was partially for him.

I'll get to trimming it down soon, and doing some rewrites for sure. MAHALO!

Don't forget Leeteg and Michener. You mentioned a lot of revival artist and bands but if your going to make this definition shorter just mention the key people that help create this mid century tiki vibe like Donn, Vic, Denny, Leeteg, the carvers and the dreamers of the South Seas who made their dreams come through in their own neighborhoods. Then mention the pioneers of the revival movement like you did. The main thing is you're doing a good job getting us talking. Some of us need to learn, some of us need to be corrected and some of us need to be reminded what tiki is. Keep up the good work.

Tiki Movies & Tiki TV @ southseascinema.org

[ Edited by: creativenative 2013-07-21 03:49 ]