Tiki Culture

[vitanola]

And the contemporary takes on that mid-century "high style" (think Eames, Saarinen, Neutra, Mies, et al) was rarely seen so exclusively when that stuff was new. In recent years I've seen numerous open-plan, post-and-beam houses with walls of glass, etc., furnished almost exclusively in archetypal modernist pieces whose designs (if not the pieces themselves) date from decades before the well-heeled yuppie occupants of those houses were born. Nice stuff, and I wouldn't mind having some of it myself, but it sometimes borders on cliche.

Nope. What seemed most prevalent among the people my people associated with back then, what they found "tasteful," was what is now called Colonial Revival but what was then called Early American. So they bought new (or used) furniture in that style and filled out the spaces with hand-me-downs and whatnot. Many pieces you and I would pay good money for today -- radios, sofas, scratched-up tables, etc. -- was put on the curb back then.

No, not really. "Colonial Revival", also known as "Williamsburg" was quite distinct from "Early American". Picture the difference between a Baker catalog and one by Ethan Allen. "Early American" was the mass market descendant of the sort of "quaint" furniture reproductions of idiosyncratic
New England pieces offerred by Wallace Nutting and L & J. G. Stickley in the 1920's. These pieces were copied from or inspired by vernacular furniture,mwith the splayed legs characteristic of Windsor chairs and Connecticut River Valley tavern tables, and the simple sturdy lines of case goods. In the 'Thirties simplified versions of this furniture were produced by small craft workshops and village industries organized by the Charitable groups to give meaningful work to the unemployed. When the style caught on the Ohio River furniture companies like Mersman Brothers further simplified it for mass production. During the War it was practically the only style generally available without priorities, and after the war it became dominant for some time.

 

[tonyb]

I assure that my people weren't nearly so well-versed in such matters.

If even part of the distinction is one of overall quality and stylistic authenticity, with Colonial Revival being the superior of the two, then the stuff in the homes I had occasion to visit was almost certainly Early American. And if any of it might have been more accurately called Colonial Revival, none of our people would have called it that, as that phrase hadn't found its way into our working-class vocabulary.

http://www.antiquehome.org/Inside-your-house/Interior-Style/Colonial-Style.htm

 

[Zombie_61]

There's a lot of vaguely Tiki/south pacific influenced architecture in LA...Tiki bars have survived here but the great Polynesian restaurants have pretty much been reduced to just Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach...

Don't forget Old Tony's on the Redondo Beach pier. The decor is really more nautical/tropical than tiki, but my wife and I have been going there for three decades now and we've never had a bad meal or received bad service.

 

[tonyb]

I dined at this place on an occasion or two. It closed in 1981 and all traces of it are long gone. It was on Pier 51 on the Seattle waterfront, so of course the views were spectacular. Pier 51, as it was, no longer exists. it's now all part of the Colman Ferry Dock.

http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=37394&forum=2

http://critiki.com/location/the-polynesia-seattle-233/

 

[Talbot]

Gene Rains, Robert Drasnin, Frank Hunter, Les Baxter Tak Shindo and Martin Denny (to name a few) are all on steady rotation this end.

Might just lower the fang of the tone arm cobra on some Korla tonight.

 

[mikespens]

Living large Talbot, even immersed in the climate of Tiki.

 

[Zombie_61]

...Gene Rains, Robert Drasnin, Frank Hunter, Les Baxter Tak Shindo and Martin Denny (to name a few) are all on steady rotation this end.

Might just lower the fang of the tone arm cobra on some Korla tonight.

I love "exotica" music, but I don't really know why or how I was exposed to it. Dad rarely listened to music, Mom only listened to Elvis or Wayne Newton, and my older sister listened to the popular 1960s rock groups like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and so on, and I don't remember it getting any air play on the local radio stations when I was growing up. [huh]

 

[Tiki Tom]

Whoa! Talbot, you are living the dream! Great pics. What is your preferred tiki beverage when you are sitting by the pool on a balmy evening and listening to exotica?

Regarding exotica, I am familiar with Martin Denny and have heard tidbits of others. I really like what I've heard and for a long time I have wanted to dive into exotica. About as far as it's got is that I have a few CDs by Don Tiki. My basic problem is that I don't know where to start. Can anyone, perhaps, point me to the right CDs to buy? Can you get the names listed above on Amazon? What titles should I look for? Or ---better yet--- Are there any good exotica sites on the web? How great it would be to find an exotica live-stream station that I could listen to at work. My coworkers would certainly give me funny looks. Anyway, I have google searched, but never really found anything worth while or captivating. Thanks in advance.

Tiki on, Kahunas!

 

[Frunobulax]

http://www.live365.com/stations/paulkies_tiki_bar

 

[Talbot]

Many thanks for the kinds words all.

What you see is entirely due to the vision and dedication of my lovely bride these last 30 years. We started with a paddock back then.

We are not into any particular lifestyle so much, but are very into outdoor living and there are some elements of Tiki we really like.

I can't recall what drew me to exotica music all those years back, but I suspect escapism had a lot to do with it!

Tom, we don't have a dedicated concoction, we create our own and have fun naming accordingly; 'Beyond the Reef', 'Depth Charge', Manta Ray', 'Claw off a Lee Shore', 'Torpedo Juice', etc

If you like this type of stuff, then slide over here for more info:

http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/

 

[Tiki Tom]

http://www.live365.com/stations/paulkies_tiki_bar

Thanks, Frunobulax. That is pretty good. And, yes, my European coworkers did indeed say "what the h$ll are you listening to?" I might as well have tried to explain life on the distant planet Xp73-Alpha.

 

[Talbot]

Cue Dr. Samuel J Hoffman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWhKLnmXWJg

 

[Frunobulax]

Cue Dr. Samuel J Hoffman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWhKLnmXWJg

Always wanted to build a Theremin.

Too lazy, I guess...

 

[Talbot]

Can anyone, perhaps, point me to the right CDs to buy?

May I humbly suggest the following as a starter:
The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter - Les Baxter
Exotic Percussion - Martin Denny
The Exciting Sounds of Martin Denny - Martin Denny
White Goddess - Frank Hunter
Far Across the Sea - Gene Rains
Voodoo and Voodoo II - Robert Drasnin
Mganga - Tak Shindo

Lots more out there, including some great comps and some new artists. Have fun finding them!

 

[foamy]

The Ultra Lounge series from Capital Records label (https://www.google.com/search?clien...-8#q=ultra+lounge+cd+series&safe=off&tbm=shop) is devoted to the era and has samplers and compilation CD's that are great.

Recovering Tikiphile here. I used to go to great lengths to find original/authentic ingredients for tiki cocktails from the day. Collected mugs from some of the notable tiki establishments, original art, etc.

I also went on a tiki art binge for a while there, just drawing and painting tiki related stuff. Some samples of my depravity:

[/URL]

 

[Tiki Tom]

Talbot: Thanks for the list of albums. I appreciate the time and consideration that went into that. I will print it out and give it to my teenaged daughter and tell her that's what I want for Christmas. I bet she will be able to track at least some of them down. Thanks again.

Foamy: I am speechless. I am a tikihead like you... only minus the talent. I was not able to open the link, but I'll investigate the lead. Thanks. I love the art work. That last one is brilliant. Actually, they are all brilliant. There are a lot of talented people who visit the Fedora Lounge!

 

[Frunobulax]

Foamy, those are great. As a rummy in good standing, the second one is great. That would look good in my den.

 

[Fading Fast]

Foamy, I'm impressed. As noted above, a lot of talented people on FL. I am a particular fan of the 3rd and last one.

 

[1mach1]

Foamy, those are great. Good looking work!

 

[foamy]

Thanks, folks. I like to have fun and I had a lot of fun when I was heavily into the tiki culture. I still am, just not to the extent that I used to be.

Frunobulax, that one was done on a Sunday morning with a severe overhang after an evenings bout with the subject matter. I gave it the most obvious name: Rum Demons. I've sketched a few more iterations of that theme that are more sinister, but have yet to take pen and ink to any of them.