WELCOME
TO TIKI ROOM!
THIS IS THE PLACE TO LEARN ALL ABOUT TIKI CULTURE!
View on "TIKI"
I have always liked anything "Tiki." If anyone does not know about Tiki they do not know what they are missing. The best explanation of it comes from the Tiki News website (check our link list on this page for it). They refer to it as "Polynesian Pop." Its creation and popularity developed in the 1950s and lasted to the mid-70s. The Tiki News refer to it as "places with palm trees." Across America lounges (Tiki became part of what is known as "lounge culture") and restaurants started having exotic tropical themes. Then people started creating these same atmospheres at home. Fans collected Tiki items (statues, masks, paintings, furniture, other assorted decorations and even mugs & dishware, clothing, jewelry, etc.)
During this time musicians Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter and others created exotic music to accompany the allure of Tiki. It is commonly referred to as "Exotica." It came along at a time when stereos were developed and it became an in-thing to own one. Albums with such titles as Exotica, Bwana, Quiet Village, Ritual of the Savage, Taboo, and Tamboo among other similar titles were used.
I was not aware of it until I read on the Tiki News website that famous author, James Mitchner, wrote Tales of the South Pacific in 1948 and that Tiki caught on soon after with the popularity of his book and everything Polynesian. It is funny how things happen sometimes. The period of the 1950s is mainly well-known for McCarthyism (named after the infamous Senator Joseph McCarthy--that is a whole ‘nother story--I suggest you research it on the Internet) so it was really a period of great repression (reminds me of what is going on nowadays with political correctness, political descent currently considered "traitorous," and "Big Brother" keeping an eye on everything and everybody--now if you do not know what "Big Brother" means then you are not old enough to appreciate Tiki properly--if you were old enough you should therefore remember reading or at least knowing about George Orwell's book, 1984, or at least you watched one of the film versions or the schools are not teaching "real" history--else you would have learned about the 1950s--and not that revisionist history garbage. It is refreshing to think that something as carefree and unconventional developed, namely Tiki, out of a period of great repression. In fact, it caught on so well that it became very conventional. Tiki probably developed as an outlet from such repressive times. Generally much escapist popular culture occurs during a period of repression. It is a form of release from societal pressures. However, there are those who truly believe all that popular culture stuff is promoted as a way to get the masses' minds off of all the crazy machinations that "the powers that be" get up to (much like blanketing the nation with the mass popularity of sports and more sports and more sports--I can definitely believe the plausibility that sports is being used to brainwash people into not keeping their minds on the really important stuff going on in this country and the world--also tv sitcoms are another plausible method of putting people into a stupor and turning everyone into couch potatoes--no wonder nearly everyone needs to go on a diet in this country but then these are whole other issues--lets go back to Tiki--something pleasant).
Tiki has nowadays regained some of its popularity. The old music
is increasingly available and new groups are doing new variations on the
mood music of Tiki. There are some Tiki bars and restaurants still
around or newly opened. There are various Tiki functions popping up
around the country. The fans still collect Tiki and new fans learning
about it for the first time are getting into it. Despite any bizarre
machinations on the part of Big Brother, Americans are known for their popular
culture mania. They will inevitably find something to latch on to for
fun and Tiki is fun. It is like a world unto itself and we do truly
need something like it to escape from the everyday madness of our real world.
Reality is the six o'clock news (and the news they do not tell you)
and we all have enough of that already.
Here will be included articles, book/zine/movie/tv reviews, interviews
and recommended links about the world of Tiki. Submissions are
welcome. Email for guidelines to
bluesea@surfy.net or
zinester@zworg.com Updates
to the site will be every 3-4 weeks.
Check out our recommended TIKI
links:
Tiki News
http://www.tikinews.com/
Viki's Lounge (Section on Martin Denny)
http://www.chaoskitty.com/denny.html
Bamboo Room
http://www.goofspot.com/bamboo/
Tiki Bar Review Page
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Fuji/2185/tikimain.html
Authentic Tiki
http://www.authentictiki.com
Tiki-O-Rama
http://tiki-o-rama.isfabulous.com
Tiki Room (.net)
http://www.tikiroom.net
Tiki Room (.com)
http://www.tikiroom.com/
Tiki Village
http://www.spaceagecity.com/tiki/index.htm
Konakai.com
http://www.Konakai.com/
Tiki Bars
http://jim.rees.org/culture/tiki.html
Enchanted Tiki Room
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/1877/friendsoftiki.html
Tiki Wonder
http://www.tikiwonder.com/
Book of Tiki
http://www.bookoftiki.com
Roadside Peek: Roadside Tiki
http://www.roadsidepeek.com/tiki/index.htm
Tiki Central
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/
Tiki Central Forums
http://tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewforum.php?forum=1&478
Bosko's Tiki Art
http://users.abac.com/bosko
Tiki Trader
http://www.TikiTrader.com/
Dada's Exotiquarium
http://zip.to/dada/
Tikis of Hawaii
http://www.tikis.net
Barkcloth Hawaii -- Fifties Tropical Fabric Shop
http://www.barkclothhawaii.com
NEW LINKS WILL BE ADDED AS WE FIND
THEM.
RECOMMENDED TIKI READING:
The Book of Tiki
by Sven Kirstens
Exotiquarium
by Jennifer McKnight-Trontz
NEW ADDITIONS SOON!
