Remember that kid’s TV show, The Banana Splits?
I sure do! The first thing that comes to mind is those crazy 6-wheelers that they all drove around in. I’ve always wanted one of those things! For most other people, they think of the Banana Splits theme song. Great, now it’s stuck in my head! But for Kurt Biddle, he thinks about a little show that was a segment on the Banana Splits called Danger Island.
If you haven’t seen the show, think Jonny Quest meets Land Of The Lost. Danger Island was the inspiration for Kurt’s home tiki bar, and Danger Island is its name. Uh-oh, Chongo!
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
Kurt- I moved to Sacramento from the SF Bay Area about two years ago. Sacramento currently has one tiki bar, The Jungle Bird. I missed my tiki friends in the Bay Area and didn’t see a lot of tiki people at Jungle Bird. I worked with Mike Mac and other local folks to build a weekly meetup on Sundays at Jungle Bird. We’ve all worked to build the group and meet regularly. I’m happy to have our group together to laugh, drink and talk tiki. We helped organize the Sacramento Ohana Tiki Crawl this year (an annual event since 2006) and I believe it was the largest attendance yet.
What brought you into the ‘Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?
Kurt- I grew up in Seattle and we would pass by a tiki bar as a little kid with a circular drive and tiki torches, but my parents wouldn’t ever go there. (I don’t know what restaurant it was). My wife and I had our engagement party at The Tonga Room in 1996. But it wasn’t until a trip to Kauai that I really got into it. We had a great, relaxing time and tried to extend that good time forever … so we went to Trader Vic’s & Forbidden Island in an attempt to do so. I did the Kill Devil Rum list at Forbidden Island, went to Tiki Caliente, and I was hooked.
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Kurt- Forbidden Island was my first Tiki Revival Tiki Bar, so my home bar, Danger Island, has lots of homages to FI: the hut/booth, the Elvis, the directional sign to Forbidden Island, Doug Horne’s FI menu art, and more.
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Kurt- Danger Island ran as a serial as part of the Banana Splits Adventure Hour in the late 60s. I saw re-runs. It was a sort of live-action Jonny Quest that would always end in a cliff-hanger … sort of like the 1930s-40s serials before movies. Growing up, all kids would yell the catch phrase “Uh-Oh! Chongo!!” But many people my age don’t recall the show. It was set on some mysterious, exotic tropical island. Perhaps its biggest claim to fame is it featured a young Jan-Michael Vincent as Link.
What is your favorite Tiki drink? Why?
Kurt- The Navy Grog (Trader Vic’s version – no honey syrup – but includes Allspice Dram) It’s strong, has allspice dram and goes down great. Second runner up is the Mai Kai’s Black Magic, because … coffee.
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Kurt- I think it has to be the Mai Kai. I was worried all the hype couldn’t be lived up to, but it was so good in every way.
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Kurt- You have to be transported and disoriented from your everyday world. Anything that reminds you of the real world (daylight, sports, politics, contemporary television) detracts from the experience. It needs to be immersive. My favorite tiki bars have so many layers and bric-a-brac that after years of visiting them, I still discover something new (and I usually ask the bartender, “Is that new?”) That’s a good tiki bar.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
Kurt- I don’t think my tiki bar will ever be “finished”. I’ll continue to play with it. My main thing is to have friends over and enjoy it. I think we may do a rum club with friends, tastings and educationals.
