Brad Parker “Tiki Shark” Art – Tales from the Tiki Lounge

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Events and tagged with Art, Brad Parker, Tiki, Tiki Art, Tiki Shark May 9, 2013

The retro-style paintings of Shag may have gotten me into tiki in the first place, but there are many talented tiki artists I haven’t talked about nearly as much. Another one of my favorites is Brad Parker, aka Tiki Shark, who had a show called “Tales from the Tiki Lounge” at La Luz de Jesus gallery last summer. (I know I’m quite late to the party with this post.)

I first found his work a few years ago on Tiki Central and I was an instant fan of his beautiful, mystical and whimsical style. I also love how he brings in other pop-culture influences like comic books, noir and the Universal movie monsters. (Before moving to the Big Island he had worked for DC and Marvel Comics and also in Hollywood production design.)

He’s had a longstanding gig designing beach towels for Body Glove — I have a couple and they’re awesome — and for this show he handpainted a 1980s surfboard he’d specially picked out from the “vaults” of the surf company’s headquarters in Redondo Beach.

“Tales from the Tiki Lounge No. 10: Happy Hulaween” is a pulp-fiction-style revisiting of the “Monsters on Vacation” series I mentioned from the 13th annual Everything But the Kitsch’n Sync show a few years ago at La Luz de Jesus.

Brad continued that theme with “The Invisible Man Goes Surfing,” who’s decked out in Body Glove gear, of course. Notice how every surfer is supposed to wear a lucky tiki pendant and this guy is no exception to that rule.

His designs have been adapted to other items like these limited edition skate decks and tiki mugs, too. Tiki Farm has produced several of the latter, including Diga Diga Doo and Lil’ Dig (based on one of his paintings), the bestselling Hawaii 50th anniversary statehood mug and the lovely Makalani Bowl (a personal favorite). Coming up in October is the release of three sea creature tiki mugs he designed for the 60th anniversary of Body Glove.

Thor Heyerdahl’s Peru-to-Polynesia voyage was a cakewalk compared to the shark-saturated waters in “Kon Tiki Dream.” It’s impressive how Brad depicts the static solidity of the wood tiki carving while simultaneously evoking so much emotion through its scared smile.

Meanwhile, “Hawaiian Eye” pays tribute to the 1960s television show of the same name, which was based on the escapades of a private detective agency in Honolulu. (The Book of Tiki 10th anniversary art show at M Modern in Palm Springs also featured a painting inspired by that series.)

You can see all the art from this exhibition on the web site for La Luz de Jesus gallery, and if you’re lucky enough to be on the Big Island you can find his other original paintings at the Wyland Kona Oceanfront Gallery. (His postcards and calendars have been popping up in souvenir shops on the Islands, too.) Brad Parker also keeps this Tiki Central thread updated with his latest projects.

Brunch at Psycho Suzi’s – Minneapolis

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with Brunch, Minneapolis, Psycho Suzi's, Restaurants, Tiki, Tiki Bars, Travel April 30, 2013

While I love that some tiki bars (like the Tiki-Ti in LA and Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale) are like time capsules, staying pretty much the same for decades on end, I’m also impressed by the (relative) newcomers that are continually evolving and upping their game. Psycho Suzi’s in Minneapolis definitely falls in that category.

As I outlined in a previous post, a few years ago Psycho Suzi’s outgrew its original location and moved into this huge space with a riverfront patio for when the Midwestern winters let up. Last month they expanded their alfresco square-footage with a balcony patio. However, it’s part of the Shangri-La Cocktail Lounge upstairs, so it’s only accessible on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. on.

Another new addition I noticed since our last trip was this photo booth decked out like a tiki hut. The opening that spits out the photos is cleverly framed by the mouth of a tiki mask with red glowing eyes.

We paid a visit to Psycho Suzi’s this past weekend, but we chose to sit inside to soak up the atmosphere instead of the sunshine. (It’s a luxury we can afford thanks to living in Southern California.)

We were dining during brunch hours (Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.) so there were omelets, waffles, skillets and breakfast pizzas in addition to the regular menu, plus a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar ($7.95).

I’m a fan of Psycho Suzi’s comfort food with a twist, and brunch keeps that theme going with dishes like The Mercury Breakfast Pizza ($8.95), a thin-crust pie with a quiche-like layer of eggs, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and hollandaise sauce, topped with Canadian bacon and caramelized onions. It’s highlighted as one of their signature menu items and I can vouch for its goodness.

Even better was the Biscayne Biscuits ($9.95), the unholy (but amazing) offspring of eggs Benedict and biscuits and gravy. Two biscuits were topped with a sausage patty and poached egg, then covered with creamy housemade sausage gravy. My dining companion generously shared but next time I’ll be sure to get my own plate.

My brother opted for the Chocolate Chip Waffle ($5.95) topped with shavings of Ghirardelli chocolate. He’s a big guy with an appetite to match so I initially thought this might not be enough, but he ended up leaving a few bites behind so it must have been satisfying.

You have to admire a tiki bar where you can have your fill of rum one night, then come back the next morning for brunch to cure your hangover!

Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge
1900 Marshall St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
612-788-9069

Tiki on “American Dad” Part Four – Mo’ Moai

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki on TV and tagged with American Dad, Moai, Television, Tiki, Tiki on TV April 23, 2013

Cartoon show creator Seth MacFarlane loves to have his animated shows spoof iconic film franchises. “Family Guy” famously parodied “Star Wars,” “Cleveland Show” took on “Die Hard,” and “American Dad” poked fun at James Bond.

On “American Dad,” the lead character Stan Smith is already a CIA agent, so for these episodes the rest of his family takes on spy-inspired roles. His wife Francine becomes femme fatale Sexpun T’Come while Roger the alien is even more evil than usual as supervillain Tearjerker.

The first such installment was “Tearjerker,” season 3 episode 10, which aired in 2008. Now five years later the follow-up “For Black Eyes Only” (season 8 episode 13) ran on March 10, 2013.

In this episode, Agent Stan Smith is pitted against a new nemesis named Black Villain (Principal Lewis on the show). He goes to seek help from former enemy Tearjerker, who is locked up in a maximum security prison on…Easter Island!

Then us viewers are treated to a close-up of these Moai, quite nicely rendered in cartoon form. It’s just more evidence that there must be somebody that works on this show that is into tiki.

If you want to see the scene for yourself, you can watch the whole episode for free on Hulu. (No registration required.)