1935 Ballyhoo Magazine South Seas Edition (image heavy) - General Tiki

B bigbrotiki Tiki Socialite Tiki Island, above the Silverlake Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 11621	B bigbrotiki Posted posted on Sun, Apr 8, 2007 12:29 PM Basically, Polynesian pop started as soon as the the first explorers brought back their travelogues from the islands and embellished and romanticized them, inspiring further tall tales of earthly paradise that were the foundation of the cliched iconography that persists 'til today. Even Kevin Kostner's recent Rapa Nui movie can be considered Polynesian Pop. No matter how hard one tries to be authentic, if it is entertainment, and seen through western filters, it is pop. On 2007-04-08 10:08, MrBaliHai wrote: I'd always assumed the PolyPop era started with Don the Beachcomber and whatever came before that was called, The Golden Age of Ukulelia, or something. You are correct, Sir: The era that concerns us here most starts with the Hawaiian music craze and the first Hawaiian nightclubs in the 1920s on the mainland, or, even more specifically with Don The Beachcomber in 1934. Then in the 1950s, Tiki became Poly Pop's figurehead. It's all explained in my Poly Pop Evolution chart on P. 46 of the BOT, here it is again for non-BOT holders:

Basically, Polynesian pop started as soon as the the first explorers brought back their travelogues from the islands and embellished and romanticized them, inspiring further tall tales of earthly paradise that were the foundation of the cliched iconography that persists 'til today. Even Kevin Kostner's recent Rapa Nui movie can be considered Polynesian Pop. No matter how hard one tries to be authentic, if it is entertainment, and seen through western filters, it is pop.

On 2007-04-08 10:08, MrBaliHai wrote:
I'd always assumed the PolyPop era started with Don the Beachcomber and whatever came before that was called, The Golden Age of Ukulelia, or something.

You are correct, Sir: The era that concerns us here most starts with the Hawaiian music craze and the first Hawaiian nightclubs in the 1920s on the mainland, or, even more specifically with Don The Beachcomber in 1934. Then in the 1950s, Tiki became Poly Pop's figurehead.

It's all explained in my Poly Pop Evolution chart on P. 46 of the BOT, here it is again for non-BOT holders:

Post #297666 by bigbrotiki on Sun, Apr 8, 2007 12:29 PM