Jan 06 2022
On January 6, 1973, the educational children’s animated Schoolhouse Rock! series premiered on ABC with the episode “My Hero, Zero,” dedicated to the enigmatic number and the powers of ten, and featuring the song “My Hero, Zero.”
However, “My Hero, Zero” was actually the second show to air, since the pilot first aired in 1971 along with the debut of the children’s show Curiosity Shop. The pilot featured the popular song “Three Is a Magic Number.”
Nov 17 2021
Here’s Lili Verona’s delightful “Day-O” from the recently re-discovered album Traditional Songs of Jamaica from Cosmic Spy Music.
Oct 21 2021
Today is the birthday of Disney artist and designer Mary Blair, born on this day October 21, 1911 in McAlester, Oklahoma. Blair was an integral part of Disney, designing incredibly beautiful, unique concept art for a variety of Disney attractions and animated films, including her most well known work on the “It’s a Small World” attraction, as well as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Cinderella. In addition to her prolific Disney collection, Mary Blair was an illustrator for several Little Golden Books.
Aug 17 2021
When Trader Vic invented his now famous Tiki cocktails in fun whimsical Tiki head souvenir glasses with curly straws and tons of rum, there was not any thought as to sensitivity to the Hawaiian culture that might exist if it were today. Think of it like this. What if a bar were started with a Jesus shaped container for a souvenir glass? Eek. Or Mouhammad? Ugh. Not that cool.
What do Hawaiians think of these type of Tiki head container usages? Pacific Islanders have, for the most part, ignored this whole fad, one observer says. “But seeing your ancient gods or your ancestors in a bar somewhere across the ocean, I think that can be difficult.”
Another person went on to talk about how seeing his Hawaiian culture copied, exaggerated, and then turned into kitsch can feel invalidating. He added. “Really at the root of it, it’s exploitation. It’s pretty much ignoring the real lives, the real culture, and the real problems that we all do face on a daily basis.”
Of course, the idea behind these Tiki bars has not been exploitation, but rather escape. Hawaii has been the land of perfect escape and the Pacific islands are glorified for many reasons as the lands of enchantment. So, in the middle of Winter, someone in New York City can walk into a Tiki bar and hear island music. They can feel the warmth of the atmosphere of Tiki torches and Tiki lights. For a few hours, the people in the Tiki bar can make believe they are miles away in the South Pacific. Escapism. Not a thought about the people behind the culture at the root in the place where they stand. And maybe that is the problem.
In previous articles about Tiki culture, I have mentioned I don’t know enough about our 50th state. Hawaii has a rich history that is so much a part of our American history. Pearl Harbor is located in Hawaii. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1942 led the United States into WWII. Hawaii was not a state yet. How many people know that?
The Tiki culture is fun. I’m not knocking it. There is no denying the fun and the excitement of a great Tiki party. However, I think having Tiki décor and Tiki fun without knowing the history just misses something. Especially, because Tiki history is part of America’s history. Our nation is so large, and we have such a rich history. Isn’t it amazing that the Tiki culture is a part of our nation’s history? And that is pretty special.
When you decorate that back yard with Tiki Torches or with other Tiki décor, remember this is a part of your history and try to learn more. Hawaii has only been a state for about 60 years. We have so much to learn about this state and the island people. Unfortunately, Hawaii is not a road trip. If you live on the mainland, you have to fly there.
However, with more and more airlines making Hawaii a destination on their list, hopefully, this will make it possible for many of us to visit. This may be a good news/bad news for the Hawaiian people. Good for the economy, but too many tourists will always bring problems of their own with increased traffic, more crowded beaches, longer lines, and a stress on the environment. If you are able to visit, please study up on language, traditions, and ways to increase respect for this wonderful culture and land of beauty.
Aug 13 2021
When I was young, I was led into a homemade haunted house on every Halloween. It was comprised of sheets tunneling through the halls and bedrooms, colored lights, and scary surprises around every corner. I’ll never forget how it was all so delightfully set to a record of Alfred Hitchcock Presents playing. My older sisters created these haunted houses for me, and it is one of the fondest memories of my youth, one which kindled an early love for the “Master of Suspense.”
Today we celebrate the master on his birthday. Film director, producer, and screenwriter Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on this day, August 13, 1899, in Leytonstone in east London, in the flat above the family grocery shop. He was born to Catholic parents Emma Jane Hitchcock and William Edgar Hitchcock. Hitchcock stated that he had a lonely childhood, without a memory of a playmate. He was also known for being a well-behaved youth, even called a “little lamb without a spot” by his father. Despite this, in interviews Hitchcock would often recall a scarring childhood event where his dad had him spend a few minutes in a jail cell when young Alfred was five, which left him terrified of law, to the point that he did not drive for fear of getting a ticket.
Hitchcock received many accolades in his lifetime, including 46 Academy Award nominations and six wins. He died on April 29, 1980 in Los Angeles, California, four months after being knighted.
Now Hitchcock is widely regarded as one of the most influential film directors of all time, earning him the title “Master of Suspense,” with a roster of iconic films including Rebecca (1940), Spellbound (1945), Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963).
The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them.
-Alfred Hitchcock
Jul 27 2021
First recorded by Katherine Dunham & The Singing Gods in 1955 and now rediscovered, here is Nanigo (Cuba) from Drum Rhythms of Haiti Cuba Brazil.
Jul 20 2021
Domenique Dumont’s album People on Sunday glows with synths that dance and bounce with both classical brilliance and the mystique of exotica. The Latvian composer created the album as a modern soundtrack to the 1930 German silent film People On Sunday (Menschen am Sonntag/Les Hommes le Dimanche) which portrays everyday life before the dictatorship.
As fitting as it is with the movie, the album was more inspired by our current time, said Dumont, “Working on this score strengthened my belief that the time we currently live in, although far from perfect, might be the best time to be alive. All the bells and whistles, all the advantages that we have the opportunity to enjoy in the 21st century, are things people couldn’t have dreamt of only a hundred years ago. At the same time, we haven’t yet transformed away from our sense of humanity. As absurd and optimistic as it may sound, we are living in a utopia compared it to what came before and, perhaps, what is to come. Somehow this movie made me think of the present more than the past.”
Here is the title track from People on Sunday.
Jul 14 2021
Ballerina on the Boat is a wonderful summer-y animation about a ballerina who takes a ride on a ship and dances about, practicing her moves at the delight and distraction of the crew. It is a lovely, humorous, and leisurely voyage until a storm comes, which leads to a surprise ending.
There is no need for subtitles, the audio for the story is conveyed completely with lively animation and the music of Alfred Schnittke.
This 1969 Soviet animation was directed by Lev Atamanov, written by Roza Khusnutdinova, with cinematography by Mikhail Druyan. It was first produced by Soyuzmultfilm, and later released in the 2002 collection Masters of Russian Animation.
In 1970, Lev Atamanov won the Romanian Silver Pelican prize for the film, and Ballerina on the Boat won the ICF prize for best film in London in the same year.
Jul 13 2021
“The Island of My Dreams” is from the LA tiki swing quartet The Hilo Hi-Flyers’ debut album Adventure! The album is currently available from Hi-Tide Recordings, where you can buy the LP on vinyl in tiger orange, offered with this cryptic message:
Somewhere deep in a rainy jungle lies a stone temple, guarded by a great wooden tiger. Legends tell of a secret melody that will open the temple to reveal a fountain of immortality, however none have succeeded. Meanwhile, somewhere in the Pacific, a seaplane marked “HH Island Shipping” is experiencing turbulence. “Mayday! Mayday! This is Hi-Flyer 7 – do you copy?” exclaims Captain Kale to no reply. As the plane descends into the jungle canopy, the faint outline of a temple comes into view.
Jul 06 2021
This week Hamburg-based DJ Crille released a compilation of fun exotica tunes via the Stag-O-Lee DJ-Set Series. You can have a listen to all 32 tracks on BandCamp.
