![IMG_8966.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeNVRvQu9zZmgCX4nYUVNap6C8dhXtGxqckmXdFeFuyBS/IMG_8966.JPG)
_new friends: Mrs. Lundy and Mr. Modrow_

# Mother’s Day for single mothers is a bit on the depressing side.

It’s a yearly reminder of the painful fact that I am terrible at relationships. Sometimes, I wish I had just visited a sperm bank instead of coupling with a man-disaster. Then Mother’s Day would not symbolize my colossal inability to form healthy relations with the male species.

As a self-employed workaholic, I rarely go out or do anything social. I hate small talk and my interest in dating has all but vanished. I simply don’t want to waste time anymore. For me, men have always been like dessert: I love them, but they are not really necessary for life. Plus bars are noisy and generally full of bad music, horrible electronic blue screens and people who have puffed themselves up in search of a transient romp.

# I didn’t actually get shagged. I met Shag, the iconic, retro LA-based Tiki artist.

Shag is a world-famous retro Tiki artist who I got to meet at Kansas City’s only Tiki bar, the Tikicat. And no, that’s not me pictured above with flowers and umbrellas in my hair. That’s an amazing retro woman who will soon be acting in an upcoming Dash video I’ll be directing.

If you’re not familiar with Shag, there’s good chance you’ve seen his art at some point. Here's one of his:

![IMG_8975.JPEG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTLEPC7tUXikix6PSyPa6T2yQPNRYZsifvS37n7vTu1r1/IMG_8975.JPEG)
[art by Shag](http://www.shag.com/)

## This year I decided to take myself out to a Tiki bar in Kansas City on Mother’s Day. Lucky for me, the iconic Tiki artist, Shag was in the house. I had the pleasure of meeting him:

![IMG_8969.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQme4E7AAy6pyM5hu3oyoMrdVvnFSVoqTphX52hxi5qYtuX/IMG_8969.JPG)

# Shag was cool. Big surprise there.

We discussed the best Tiki bars in USA, and he told me about one in San Francisco that has an artificial lake in the middle of it. He also said I need to visit one in Florida. I asked him if he had any advice for aspiring artists, here’s what he said:

> “Just make art that you’d want to hang on your own wall.”

Yeah, I get it. Once you fully become yourself, and stop questioning why you like the things you like, life pretty much can fall into place. I have had that same experience as a writer/artist. Shag was a jovial, fun person who you could say has reached his full potential as a creative person.

## I like the Tiki bar scene because it’s exclusive.

Tiki bars tend not to advertise very much and many are exceedingly hard to locate. My Tiki obsession began over ten years ago and was one of the reasons I had to move to San Diego in 2006. At that time, Kansas City didn’t have any Tiki bars, so I moved to a place where there were plenty.

## Finally, a Tiki bar arrives in Kansas City. Tikicat!

Tikicat is one month old. To find Tikicat you have to go the basement of a different bar in Westport. There’s no sign outside, and you have to find the special door. You also have to make a reservation and cannot just randomly show up on (unless the green light is lit up near the outside door, which means they have extra space.)

## Tikicat pretty much blew away all my expectations.

![IMG_8970.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZ9FS3QUkp6n4tcwsHeruXo8i2q5iUayV4XRVTBRV5fR9/IMG_8970.JPG)

I have been to some amazing Tiki bars in California, so I wasn’t expecting great things from Tikicat in Kansas City. **I was dead wrong.** It was amazing. And the best part is that due to its exclusive nature, the entire experience was similar to being at a private party. Everyone at Tikicat was friendly and a bit on the eccentric side. The drinks were amazing, too. I found out later, when I talked to the owner that he created Tikicat not to make money, but for fun. He had always wanted to create a Tiki bar, and now he had his chance. He’s the owner of 12 bar/restaurants, including the one directly above Tikicat. He hired the best Tiki mixologist to create the drink menu. Everything in Tikicat has been designed for the full Tiki effect. Here are some photos of the interior which includes a retro sci-fi feel:

![IMG_8963.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZqV54cMkvHZb7pYKESHW3w6HrL6noBDgEucwKbUenTWj/IMG_8963.JPG)
![IMG_8967.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVf1YdAHi7BEaNdnQALnfMCVarQtaYUVKGi9taZMLiZBa/IMG_8967.JPG)
![IMG_8958.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdKuKC5W9DPj2v2yCkNiQAhvQNW8mr8Sp86TaMAmPeFEm/IMG_8958.JPG)
![IMG_8968.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNykSxeWZjMQcPN49DnnvwNPcjCksR69tuVMu7kZ4NmrW/IMG_8968.JPG)

And I met some really cool people who listened to my story about meeting Sven Kirsten, the author who knows everything about Tiki and who was partically responsible for the Tiki revival. This new friend I was calling Kim Novak:

![kim.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPMBmeuRddxavxMRgnC7qgdWPv4n1wUpWp22HeZ4xuBFV/kim.jpeg)

By far, this was the best Mother’s Day I’ve had in a very long time. I advise every mother to visit a Tiki bar in the future.

![IMG_8950.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZ2Ee2cHZWJJM1H4wVU72f299m8yX8fGq96rgkgo9x2m8/IMG_8950.JPG)

![IMG_8977.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZLSqDtdMs69HjpiMioxCeFYWjbW3odnxG911x9CosdAU/IMG_8977.JPG)
![IMG_8974.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdDdUHTUoy34XdUx7wnvyf4ARRPehhV49PeUmYUsCgtEY/IMG_8974.JPG)
![IMG_8973.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmf4aE8d12gaV1EB6yFhnFHfoY5TDLvT8jRLi9rkKTqCta/IMG_8973.JPG)