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What is Tiki, anyway? The Tiki subculture (file under "Lounge") of the 21st century is a revival of the Polynesian craze of the 1950's and 1960's: lounge music and fashion, exotic drinks, swaying palm trees, back-pocket pulp-mag bachelor adventure stories, burlesque lust, exotic women and south pacific island dreams. When you say "drinks with the little umbrella," you are talking from the roots of Tiki! The Lounge music from the likes of Martin Denny, Yma Sumc and Les Baxter capture the mood, the moment, and the magic perfectly. Can you see why Tiki parties would be the ultimate in fun!? The scene is complete: decor, fashion, music, drinks, background, talk topics, cool & interesting people and dare I say: travels & adventures! A major element to the original Tiki culture and the revival are stories of sailing, exploring the exotic tropical seas, all originating from archeologist and explorer Thor Heyerdahl (links), who wrote a book (called "The Kon-Tiki Expedition" ) of his adventure on the South Seas in 1947. He built a balsa wood raft himself and sailed it 4,300 miles from Peru to Polynesia. He did this to prove that Peruvians could have been the original explorers and settlers throughout the Pacific Islands. An Oscar-winning documentary of his 101-day voyage captured the hearts and minds of Americans in 1951. Places like Trader Vic's and Don the Beachcomber's were the pioneer scene in middle twentieth century. Few have survived all these years, but be on the lookout for a wave of new Tiki Clubs (Version 2.0, so to speak) to be opening now and in the next decade! The feeling of Tiki and Polynesian is loved and enjoyed by the hip crowd of today. Tiki artwork, sculptures, and the totem-pole style carvings are from all over the Pacific and Pacific Rim - island nations, primitive cultures, and rare tribes express their connection with magic, gods, and forces of nature. You'll see different styles of Tiki art and sculpture, depending on where it is from. Hawaii is the United States bit of the South Pacific, and Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, and bamboo buildings are all classic and stylish Tiki culture. So now enjoy Tiki with a Twist, a revival of the scene with new tricks up our sleeve, Hi-Fi treasures restored and new burlesque. There's a bit of spice to add to your life. Live it all again as never before! |
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Tiki
 New Tiki Feature: Tiki Wonder Podcast Now you can catch the waves of Tiki Culture while listening to your iPod (or listen directly from your browser: MP3 file). Tiki Wonder brings you the Tiki Wonder Podcast! Join your hosts Ka-Tiki-Ten and Tiki-DeeGee for exploration into Tiki music, themes, artists and celebrities, tips and tricks, drinks, parties and events, and more! TikiWonder #1: Newbie Orientation & "What *is* Tiki?" Show links include: Kona
Kai! Music snippets (fair use, <30 sec each) in
order of appearance: TikiWonder #2: Your Tiki Adventurer's Kit So you want to pack as much Tiki sensation into as little cash, space, and time as possible, yet still be assured you can hold up your end of an interesting conversation at a Tiki party? This show is for you. Trivia on Tiki music legends Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman, plus sources for Tiki gear and info. Show links include: Vegas
Vic's Music snippets (<30 secs each) in order of appearance: "Stranger in Paradise" by Martin
Denny
The Tiki Wonder podcast is produced on island time, so when the tide is high and the wind is right, a new show will leave home harbor to sail the digital seas of the Internet. Check back (RSS Feed and Feedburner will be after podcast #3 is ready) and here's wishing you smooth sailing!
Tiki culture is gaining in popularity! More is showing up and being created all the time!  The new, the terrific TIKI MAGAZINE! The first issue is out, and I've already subscribed. It is very well done, and the paper and printing technology they've chosen is highly satisfying. This is a full-sized magazine for our scene! Tiki Magazine scheduled to publish four times per year, and Nick Camara (Editor/Publisher) actually made it to the NW Tiki Crawl 2005! Each issue features columns and articles on old Tiki, new Tiki, cocktails, home bars, artists, pop Tiki, bands and music, a Tiki-town spotlight, and even an Ultra Living Modern column by Cherry Capri. Issue #1 of Tiki Magazine gets a five golden-coconut rating from me. Well worth the super-low price (just $12/yr subscription, or $4/issue price on the Tiki stands).
Cool places of Tiki & Lounge on the web.  The Tiki News The definitive zine source of Tiki Coolness is a paper zine and website published by Otto von Stroheim out of San Francisco. Articles, merchandise, pictures, and history. The Tiki News email list is the best way to find out about Tiki events going on around the world (join the mailing list by going to the website). The above image is from the cover of Tiki News #17. Subscribe to this gem for the leading edge in Tiki culture and fun! Oh - Otto and his gang throw GREAT parties in places like Palm Springs, New Orleans, and Las Vegas. If you want to catch up on the scene quick and get something you can read again and again, get yourself the Tiki News.  Kong Tiki & Titi Amor's Konakai.com This is THE place for all the links. A major camp resource for Tiki on the web! Featuring the Kongtiki Room (a real place, about 8 x 10). Fun pictures of the visitors to this tiny portal to paradise!  The Tiki Room by Hanford Lemore A terrific Tiki place on the web. Includes the famous Tiki Central, with message board, events, drinks, history, findings, and more. Lots of traffic and community here. Way cool, enjoy! King Kini's Club Velvet Cocktail Lounge A real and virtual cocktail lounge in full Tiki decor. About.com has Tiki! Guide Kathy Hamlin does a great job on Tiki history and culture, the modern subculture, and some great drinks and links! Tiki Food, too! Yum! Google's Lounge Subculture For further exploring, check out this jump-off point. Sometimes Google's got a good sense of the world, you know? |
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