Sources tell me that The Hog's Breath Saloon at Nana Plaza was sold on January 10th, 2007.
This will be a great blow to all of the ex-pats and regular patrons who relied on this establishment as a meeting place to discuss their sex addiction, alcoholism, and their game of golf with a few beers.
Maybe Bob and his wife are dancing with relief.
(See what
Dave The Rave has to say.)
photographs by Randy Magnus
Here is an update from Dean Barrett on Hog's Breath:
It was sad to see Bob and his friends carrying out the interior items from the Hog's Breath in Nana Plaza - deer antlers, boar's head, boxes, etc. Bob had the bar for God knows how many years and finally under financial pressure from a bank had to sell. Rumor-Control Headquarters has it that the wall between the Boar's Head and Spanky's will be torn down thereby creating a bar in which at least two customers and two dancers can cram inside at the same time. Apparently, Bob still will carry on his free Sunday chili as well as golf tournaments, etc., but based in the tiny Tavern Pub just down the street on soi 4 which also according to Rumor-Control Headquarters might knock out a wall to take over the hair dresser's thereby creating a pub in which at least two or three customers can sit down at once. Perhaps if this trend continues someday one entire floor of Nana Plaza will be one big bar. A friend of mine went by the old Hog's Breath the next night and a girl outside said, yes, it is open, and sure enough inside were three customers drinking despite no dancers and no decor. I guess go go bars never die; they just get carried away.
Dean Barrett
(photo by Randy Magnus)
Hollywood 2, that's the smaller of the Hollywood bars, is very much lacking in numbers of girls, but surprisingly the girls they do have are pleasant on the eye. 
I was in Nana Plaza last night seeing if anything had changed. The answer is, of course, not a lot. You just realise how awful the place looks if you have been absent for a while. 
Nana Update:
Some years ago, I was sitting in the Golden Bar outside the Nana Hotel. It is a great place to observe the lunacy going on over the road around Nana Plaza. I was chatting to an American at the side of the bar nearest the road when an elephant approached us. It had a harmonica in its trunk and proceeded to play “When the saints go marching in” without a note out of place. That scale of surrealism only happens in Bangkok.
Remember the days before the re-model at Angelwitch where the dancers would rush right behind your back as you were taking a leak?
Then I headed for Mandarin. The old one - not the new table dance one. It was awesome. One of the owners was playing DJ and it was great. Reminded me of being in a good US strip club with a good DJ and girls really moving. For about 2 hours the place was throbbing, the girls were having fun and I was rubbing up with some cuties. Mandarin seems to be pretty consistent as of late and has some nice girls.
Now the go-go clubs and beer bars in Bangkok can stay open until 2 am, a good chance for all of you nite owls to check out some of the newer dance routines at Angelwitch. Last time I was there this is when they tried out the new stage shows.
In Foodland one morning, I ate breakfast beside a dismal old git who had pulled an absolute stunner. She was probably a Nana Plaza showgirl. A chum describes these mismatched couples as "pro-celebrity golf" - and it's not too difficult to work out which one is the pro. She'd probably quoted him three times the going rate but some masochists won't be deterred.
I sat next to a sullen looking pole performer in one of Nana Plaza’s top pleasure palaces. I got chatting as you do and asked her why she looked quiet and sultry. Miss Nok explained that her “sponsor” had ended the relationship. And so, I asked Nok, “Do you have a broken heart?” Nok replied, “No, I have broken bank.”
The Bangkok Nana Plaza go-go dancers arrive in their street clothes and street makeup, walk by, eyeing the potential customers (and being eyed by them) and heading for their respective bars. Many stopped to wai the Buddhist and Brahman shrines, some lit incense or bought garlands or fruit from nearby vendors to place on the shrines. Others stood about deeply engrossed in cellphone conversations, no doubt assuring men overseas that, no, they definitely were not working in the bars anymore so please keep those checks and wire transfers coming.
