Matthew K. and I have know each other for a long time…
We both grew up in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania, and I consider Matthew K. to be one of my best friends. Matthew K.’s musical tastes have always been on the darker side of music. I’m talking industrial, Goth, noise, experimental, etc. Matthew K. went onto write and create his own music as well. We’ve known each other since the mid 90’s and both have grown an interest in Tiki. I actually didn’t even know Matthew K. had an interest in Tiki until a few years ago. If anyone would be an Unlikely Tiki, it would be Matthew K. I’ll let him take it from here…
This sounds like a simple question, but it’s actually a loaded question—or at least it was back in the ’80s. There was a lifestyle that went along with the music you listened to. There were very distinct silos that were happening at the same time and seldom crossed paths. There were the new wavers, the goths, the punks, and of course, the metalheads. Now that I think about it, there was a big difference between someone who was a fan of Bon Jovi and someone who loved Slayer! I personally fell into the metalhead camp and so did Josie and Mike.
Josie and Mike live in Canada. They were and still are into metal and hard rock. Along the way they discovered Tiki. Here is their story…
The last time my good buddy Matt flew in from the East Coast, we headed south to Tacoma to visit one of his favorite Tiki Bars, Tacoma Cabana (click here to read all about it). As always when enjoying the brilliant concoctions of mixologist Jason Alexander, the drinks flowed late into that beautiful evening.
Naturally after a late night, caffeine was in order the following morning. Because Matt is as much a fan of a “damn good cup of coffee” as he is a finely crafted cocktail—and because I like to keep things local—we paid a visit to Pete’s Coffee. This is Seattle after all!
Like clockwork, coffee conversations turned to the subject of music and we were discussing one of our mutual favorites: surf rock by way of St. Petersburg, Russia, the Messer Chups. They were scheduled to play this year’s Tiki Oasis in San Diego. Sadly, neither of us would be in attendance to catch their show. Matt mentioned an old friend of his living in the San Diego area, Raul, who would likely be there. Matt knew Raul from the New York City area music scene where they shared a common interest and friends in the noise/experimental/industrial scene. At first, I was surprised that someone into that kind of music would be into the Tiki culture. Matt went on to explain Raul’s involvement in the Church of Satan, which I honestly knew nothing about, let alone that there was a Tiki/Satanist connection. I wondered how Raul got into Tiki. Were there other Satanists into Tiki and is there a connection between these lifestyles?
Needless to say, my interest in these crossovers meant I had plenty more questions for Raul. Matt suggested that I simply ask him myself. That’s exactly what I did. Not only did Raul answer my questions, he passed them along to Peggy Nadramia and she gave her answers as well. Peggy is the High Priestess of the Church Of Satan, she also has her own blog about mixed drinks called Cocktail Vultures!
