Otto von Stroheim
Author/Disc Jockey/Publisher/Promoter Otto von Stroheim was born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Young Otto was never more than a short car ride away from various Tiki restaurants, hotels, and apartments, Disneyland, and the beach.
Otto got his Exotica start publishing his tiki (bar) travel memoirs resulting in the award-winning ‘zine Tiki News (1995 – 2001). After launching Tiki News Otto set out to publicize it by DJing and hosting Exotica-related events, the first of which was “Exoticon” – the first Tiki/Exotica music festival ever. From 1995-2001 he hosted a dozen local art shows featuring the cover artists from Tiki News. In 1996 Otto teamed with La Luz Gallery to launch “21st Century Tiki,” the world’s first group Tiki art exhibit in a proper gallery space.
Between 2001-2004 he curated and published catalogs for three Tiki Art Now! group shows. In 2017 Otto curated current art and penned the catalog intro for “The Art of Tiki” exhibit and book by Sven Kirsten with preface by Josh Agle.
He has appeared on local and national television (Home and Garden’s “That Sixties Home” and Food Network’s “Unwrapped”), National Public Radio’s “California Report”, Internet Culture Guide “Flavorpill”, and has been quoted in nearly every major newspaper in America. Otto has a monthly DJ gig the first Thursday at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge.
