Tiki culture in
the United States began in 1934, when Donn Beach, a.k.a. Don
the Beachcomber, opened a Polynesian-themed eatery in
Hollywood that served Cantonese cuisine and exotic rum
punches with decor featuring flaming torches, rattan
furniture, flower leis and brightly colored fabrics. Three
years later[1], Victor Bergeron, better known as Trader Vic,
adopted a Tiki theme for his restaurant in Oakland, which
grew to become a worldwide chain.
Several years
later American soldiers returned home from World War II,
bringing with them stories and souvenirs from the South
Pacific. Americans fell in love with their romanticized
version of an exotic culture, and Polynesian design began to
infuse every aspect of the country's visual aesthetic, from
home accessories to architecture. Soon came integration of
the idea into music by artists like Les Baxter, Arthur
Lyman, and Martin Denny, who blended the Tiki idea through
jazz augmented with Polynesian, Asian and Latin instruments
and "tropical" themes creating the Exotica genre. This music
blended the elements of Afro-Cuban rhythms, unusual
instrumentations, environmental sounds, and lush romantic
themes from Hollywood movies, topped off with evocative
titles like "Jaguar God", into a cultural hybrid native to
nowhere.
There were two
primary strains of this kind of exotica: Jungle and Tiki.
Jungle exotica was definitely a Hollywood creation, with its
roots in Tarzan movies and further back, to William Henry
Hudson's novel Green Mansions. Les Baxter was the
king of jungle exotica, and spawned a host of imitators
while opening the doors for a few more genuine articles such
as Chaino, Thurston Knudson, and Guy Warren.
Tiki exotica was
introduced with Martin Denny's Waikiki nightclub combo cum
jungle noises cover of Baxter's Quiet Village. Tiki
rode a wave of popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s
marked by the entrance of Hawaii as the 50th state in 1959
and the introduction of Tiki hut cocktail bars and
restaurants around the continental United States.
Tiki exotica is
enjoying a resurgence in popularity, and Tiki mugs and
torches that once collected dust in thrift stores are now
hot items, largely because of their camp value. Thank you
for reading info. at Tiki Bar Central.
More information
and complete articles can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiki_culture
