Tiki Dreams and …Casinos???
Anybody (besides me) ever daydream about….Picture this….The palm tress gently sway under shimmering moonlight. The sound of waves caressing the sand on the beach mix with the whirring of a blender and clinking of ice cubes. You suavely sip on a Mai Tai while leaning against the bar in a dimly lit Tiki lounge somewhere in the Hawaiian Islands. You are sporting your favorite faux leopard print smoking jacket, the one with the matching ascot. You leisurely turn your head to hungrily appraise the voluptuous goddess calling your eye from the barstool just to your left. She senses your gaze and elegantly stirs her martini with a long slender finger, tipped bright red to match her silky, skimpy dress. She raises her dark eyes to meet your gaze. With your eyes fixed on each other she plucks an olive from the martini and slowly…seductively…raises it to her lips…and takes a bite. You feel both feverish and chilled at the same time as the tiniest beads of sweat begin to form on your forehead and chills run down your spine. You smile coolly and say…..
Anyway you get the idea. Ladies just substitute George Clooney, Brad Pitt, or your favorite James Bond. Chances are pretty remote we will ever fulfill this fantasy. But should the universe align and you find yourself living the dream, the perfect soundtrack has already been created. Just slip the Blue Hawaiians album “Savage Night” into the cd player (or pull it up on iTunes) close your eyes and start dreamin’. It’s the perfect music for your Tiki Lounge no matter where you live. My personal favorite tracks are Swingin’ Hula Girl, A Cheat, Shakin’ All Over, Sway, and Flesh and Soul. I think it is hard to beat the classic Dean Martin rendition of Sway, but the Blue Hawaiians do have a really great version. If after listening to this album you thirst for more Tiki sounds, check out Don Tiki – you owe it to yourself to hear their original version of “Natives Are Restless Tonight” it had a lot more soul – before Jimmy Buffett added the orchestra and dancing girls.
And speaking of Mr. Buffett..if you hadn’t heard, check out www.buffettworld.com
For the latest on the entertainment mogul’s new ventures. Three Buffett tunes will be coming to the Rock Band video game so you can live your Margaritaville fantasy in your family room when the kids are not using the Xbox. Don’t know where to go on vacation – well Jimmy can help you there too.. He is in a new venture with investors who are buying the Trump Marina property in Atlantic City so yes folks there will soon be the Margaritaville Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.
I have been one to defend Mr. Buffet’s right to make a fortune for all future generations of his family, but this one makes me squirm a little. I had no problem with flip flops, tequila, high tec blenders, etc., Hell even the Biloxi casino made some sense because of his connections to the Gulf Coast. I know you can’t turn back time but I sure do miss the Key West version of Jimmy. The good thing about the explosion of the Margaritaville brand is that it really makes me appreciate even more how great his old music was, and still is. So when we read the eventual story on the opening of a Margaritaville casino/amusement park/hotel/crusie ship – I can shake up a rum drink, put White Sport Coat in the cd player and remember that at least we had the good old days.
Patrick Ó Brien
