Tiki? In the desert? Well, they got palm trees, at least…
Much like gangster entrepreneur Bugsy Siegel—well, maybe a little like him, anyway—Tiki News publisher Otto Von Stroheim had a vision of a desert getaway devoted to luxury and pleasure. Of course, Bugsy has to build up Vegas from scratch—Otto had a huge head start in that he wanted to bring his party to the established vacation resort community of Palm Springs.
This sun-baked bastion of Mid-century Modern architecture is being preserved by a new wave of hipster (and largely gay) residents dedicated to the Springs' rich tradition as a playground for the stars, so it seemed the perfect place in which to celebrate another faded but passionately cherished source of common nostalgia—Polynesian Pop.
This past Mother's Day weekend, Otto and his wife and partner in pop culture preservation, Dorinda (AKA Baby Doe) Von Stroheim—founder and leader of the dance troupe The Devil-ettes out of San Francisco (www.devilettes.com)—successfully put on their fifth consecutive "convention" at the Caliente Tropics in Palm Springs (www.calientetropics.com), itself a recently restored treasure trove or Tikidom.
Since its inception in the Fall of 2001, the annual event, known as Tiki Oasis has grown considerably, and now always features a theme—this year it was "Pirates and Savages." As usual, it was a frequently rowdy, bawdy, but fun, family-friendly shindig featuring retro bands, exotic booze, a tiki wares bazaar, and bizarre behavior, all in the spirit of true Aloha—a place to chill, thrill or swill, depending on your disposition.
What was once a mainstream past-time—suburban lawn luaus, Hawaiian shirts, poolside Mai Tais—has become a thriving subculture, just as many near-extinct institutions have been rescued by contemporary pop archeologists, from burlesque to bowling alleys to drive-ins. Tiki bars used to a ubiquitous staple of American nightlife.
While the original old school joints—like the mighty Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (www.maikai.com) and the original Trader Vic's in Emeryville California (www.tradervics.com)—are sadly scarce, new Tiki restaurants and clubs across the nation, from Otto's Shrunken Head in New York City (www.ottosshrunkenhead.com) to the Conga Lounge in Oakland, California ( www.congalounge.com) are rekindling the traditional tiki torch of hep cat hedonism. Reps from these and other Tiki organizations were on hand to share the spoils of their cultural conquests in an increasingly amnesiac society.
At the forefront of this resurgence is Otto—my pal, upstairs neighbor and the unchallenged Tiki Titan. It was his seminal publication and labor of love, Tiki News, that first crystallized this craze into an actual movement, bonding Tiki enthusiasts from around the world within these informative, inspiring pages, offering all of us a glimpse into the past as well as a guide for Tiki lifestyle in the present and future.
Otto told me his inspiration for creating Tiki Oasis was to preserve the original, modern tiki architecture of the Caliente Tropics hotel, built in 1964—
"The intent was to draw people to this hotel and offer them the full tiki experience while they were there. The goal was both to promote the hotel itself and set a model for modern architecture in general. Pete Moruzzi was the head of one of the modern architecture committees in Palm Springs at the time, and when he realized new people were going to take over the Tropics and renovate it, he wanted to make sure the original tiki style was preserved. Then he came to me and Sven (Kirsten) and said look, I put my money where my mouth is, we gotta show them this can work by getting a lot of people there. So Sven and I launched this event. The first time we showed a movie by the pool, and I played exotica music over the house system. It was such a success it grew exponentially, with attendance doubling every year. Now we sell out the Tropics as well as a couple of other hotels too!"
It's indeed become an annual destination for Tiki lovers worldwide. Though author Sven Kirsten—the definitive Book of Tiki from Taschen—and Otto originally launched Tiki Oasis together, Otto and Doe remain the chief organizers. "Sven is the on-site tiki expert and keynote speaker," Otto said. His old friend and famous lounge scene artist Shag used to attend as well, but as Otto told me, "he launched his shirt line there, but it was so big he couldn't come back!"
For Tiki Oasis V, the incomparable King Kukulele (www.kingkukulele.com) was once again Master of Ceremonies. He's probably the most talented cat that isn't a household name on the planet—unless your house has a tiki lounge, of course. Besides being an extemporaneous comic genius, he can play several instruments and is tirelessly charming—one morning he even led a treasure hunt for pirates aged "0-14"!
The phenomenal live entertainment lineup included the world's leading Theremin lounge band, Project Pimento (www.projectpimento.com), ever-popular exotica rockers APE (www.tikimania.com/ape.html), the fabulously funky Fisherman Burlesque www.fishermansburlesque.com), the gently swaying sounds of the Mai Kai Gents with the Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa (www.mkgents.com), the criminally cute and clever Kitten on the Keys (www.suzanneramsey.net),and the marvelous Martini Kings (www.martinikings.net).
Burlesque acts such as the Damn Right Darlings! (Santa Barbara), Esperanza (San Francisco), Ginger Goldmine, Bella Beretta, Anna Bells and Pepper LaRue (all from LA) graced the outdoor stage with their lusciously lusty yet tastefully tantalizing talents. Raunchy Reverend Spooky LaStrange's haunted hips swung in all the way from New Orleans.
DJs Cali Kid, Lee, Jack Hughes, Patrick Robinson, Selector Lopaka, and Dolly Mixturita spun classic exotica and surf music throughout the shindig. Vendors and artisans from Tiki Farm (www.tikifarm.com) to Tiki Freaks (www.tikifreaks.com) to Falling Coco's (www.fallingcocos.com) to Crazy Al (www.tikimania.com) to fez-dispensers Cult of the Eye (www.cultoftheeye.com) created cool consumer controlled chaos with their various crafts, artwork, mugs, jewelry, furniture, and clothing on vivid, seductive display.
Sven Kirsten hosted a nighttime slideshow of archival Polynesian Pop, and Alan Parowski of Liftoff! Productions provided some rare, vintage behind the scenes footage of Disneyland's Tiki Room and Pirates of the Caribbean attractions as part of the regular "Tiki Dive-In". Exotic drinks were forever flowing in the Reef Bar, where several of the musical acts also held court. There was a book signing by Beachbum Berry (www.beachbumberry.com) and artist Derek Yaniger (www.derekart.com) who created the cover of this year's program guide. Munktiki (www.munktiki.com) again designed the official Tiki Oasis mug. There were Best Dressed "Pirate" and best (Un)Dressed "Savage" costume contests too.
All in all, it was an epic yet intimate affair, packed with pleasure seekers from around the globe brought together with the common cause of stylish self-indulgence. A more gregarious group you could not find anywhere in the galaxy. Of all the many subcultures populating the planet these days, Tiki People are generally the most pleasant, in my humble experience, and I say that with all due respect for retro rabble-rousers everywhere. Tiki Oasis is the perfect opportunity for old-timers and newcomers to the Tiki scene alike to meet and greet. Kudos to the Tiki Titan and his bodacious bride for giving all of us true believers a temple in which to worship the almighty Tiki God of Good Times.
Otto is still putting the finishing touches on issue #18 of Tiki News, his first since the birth of his son Vander Vegas Von Stroheim over three years ago. (It'll be the "International Issue"—I contributed a piece on Tiki in Japanese monster movies.) He's also getting ready for his second Tiki Art Show in San Francisco this Fall, and of course he's already preparing for Tiki Oasis VI next May at the Caliente Tropics. Otto also does cross-promotions with the Hukilau held at the Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale every Fall (www.thehukilau.com) as well as a brand new fledgling event in Columbus, Ohio—details TBA. Pretty busy for a guy whose mission is to bring the back the halcyon hammock days of lush lounge living to the masses mired in modern day malaise.
As for next year's Tiki Oasis theme, Otto will only publicly promise it will be "magical"—check out www.tikinews.com for updates and info on how you can join the Legion of Tiki.
For more on the many other popular Tiki events going on around the world—including possibly your own backyard, so to speak—as well as Tiki Culture in general, please visit www.tikicentral.com.
Will "the Thrill" Viharo produces and hosts the cult movie cabaret Thrillville (www.thrillville.net), which presented the Tiki Dive-In Movie From Hell It Came at Tiki Oasis IV last year. His lovely wife and assistant is Monica, the Tiki Goddess, who provides him an eternal oasis of love in an otherwise hostile, postmodern wasteland.
