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 It's
Tiki Time
By Frank Dellario
This
edition of Cyber*Kool originally was featured in the Summer 2000 issue
of ATOMIC Magazine.
It seems that whatever fads baby boomer parents have chucked
aside, their Gen X offspring grab and absorb with vigor, attempting
to gain access to a wonderfully pop world viewed only through
old postcards and album covers. But thanks to new technologies,
elements of that forgotten world can be recreated right in your
own home. Surf the Internet, and you can enter a land of monolithic
tiki gods, exotic music filled with wild bird calls, and sarong-clad
maidens serving powerful potions. You can also track down one
of the few remaining tiki restaurants, serving Polynesian fair,
with scorpion bowls, lots of bamboo and the requisite tiki god
mugs. Some view the bygone tiki trend as nothing short of an
American cultural movement and channel their devotion into cyberspace,
passionately posting to save any endangered Polynesian pop artifact
or establishment under the wrecker's ball. The following is
a small sampling of their work.
www.TikiTrader.com
If
you've got a little tiki in your soul but none in your humble
abode, the Tiki Trader's Grass Shack Hawaii Shop could be you
savior. They sell in bulk to restaurants and retailers, so instead
of trying to swipe that cool tiki mug from your local Polynesian
place, you can order your own set from their extensive collection.
They have everything you need to decorate your tiki corner:
tiki bar supplies, Hawaiian shirts, fabric, artifacts, tiki
heads both big and small, books and music. You can even buy
coconut shell cups by the dozen. Their prices rock, too, so
stop digging around on eBay and click here to fill your cupboards
with tiki goods galore.
www.TikiNews.com
This site is the online extension of the Tiki News fanzine
and was created as a forum for sharing current and past information
about tiki culture. Of all the tiki pages I found, this was
the easiest to navigate and most pleasing to look at. Although
the site is a little low on info, it boasts an excellent links
page, and the Tiki Manifesto is a must-read. The best part?
A Tiki On The Town calendar listing of tiki-related excursions
around the country, including a listing of exotica DJs and where
they're playing. You'll also find great tiki history and facts,
and excellent pictures of tiki bars still in existence today.
www.geocities.com/tokyo/
fuji/2185/tikimain.html
Are you the type who likes to road-trip around the country,
shunning the major highways for more interesting local routes
dotted with Bowl-o-ramas, vintage motor hotels and tiki bars?
Well, James Teitelbaum is. He visits tiki bars all around the
world and posts his reviews online. So break out a map and colored
pushpins and start planning that tiki trip. James also gladly
accepts reviews with color photos—just make sure to take
a few pictures before you hit your second Mai Tai.
www.kevdo.com/maitai
If any one drink represents tiki culture, it is the Mai Tai,
both because of its delicious taste and its origin. Created
not in the tropics but on American soil by Vic Bergeron (of
Trader Vic's fame), this wonderful concoction has, it seems,
been butchered in the 50 years since its genesis. Fortunately,
Web author Kevin Crossman has undertaken The Search for the
Ultimate Mai Tai. With a ton of reviews organized by geography,
rating (on a scale of 1-10 tiki glasses) and date, Kevin points
the way toward a few perfect 10s. His fab site also contains
frequently updated news on tiki culture and events.
www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/1936
You've built your own tiki bar, decorated it with fine objects
collected from your travels, and you have the Mai Tai down to
a science, served up in a scowling ceramic godhead. But something's
missing...ahh, the music! Where are the luxurious rhythms of
Les Baxter, the exotic effects of Martin Denny's Quiet Village,
or the hypnotic beats of Robert Drasin's Voodoo? Before
you run out to rummage through you local vintage record shop,
check out Dada's Exotiquarium, the handiwork of Johan Dada Vis.
If you want to know what labels have the best in lounge and
exotica, which albums have been reissued, or what compilations
are available, the Exotiquarium is the place to start. Although
the site is a wee bit tough to navigate and concentrates heavily
on European releases, Dada's coverage of US and bootleg release
is pretty through, with more than 2,000 listings. The site also
offers links galore covering exotica and lounge.
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