Thursday, February 22, 2007

Nana Coming to Life

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.
Dean Barrett

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Bangkok Girlfriend

Her name is Lon.
This blog is not all about her.
But there’s no telling her that.
As we all know, Thai women are angelic creatures who enjoy nothing more than to shower their farang mates with docile caresses. They are far less self-involved than farang women, rarely if ever hot headed, and require little maintenance. In fact, they don’t really even want our money. We just enjoy giving it to them.
Strangely, my darling Lon deviates from the norm we ascribe to Thai females, but only inasmuch as she is an unbelievable pain in the ass who is driving me nuts.

Check out more on this new site at:
Bangkok Girlfriend

Monday, February 19, 2007

Following the Dragon at Chinese New Year


Last year me and my assistant, a girl I bar-fined from G-Spot, were fortunate enough to stumble upon some dragon dancers who walked right in front of us in Chinatown.
The first day they led us to a small Buddhist temple in an alley where they performed just for us and the resident monks. They would bow to the Buddha statues in each of the four walls.

The next morning another (and more skilled) dragon dancing troupe passed right in front of our taxi and led us to the central stage for the national media and government big shots. The cultural commissioner's wife was happy to see the Hawaiian media present (although I had no media passes, only my Art TV Hawaii business card) and told us about visiting Hawaii for a formal tea ceremony earlier in the year.

All the media would run up upon the stage to shoot the commentary by the bigshots and retreat for the dancing. I could see what was happening and was able to place myself in ideal spots to shoot the entertainment, all the time thinking the network TV crew was going to bump me from my vantage spots.
It opened with some beautiful Thai dancers, whom I was able to get backstage before their performances and shot portraits of them putting their makeup on. Then the dragon dancers would jump rope with the dragon body, roll on the stage with the dragon body above them, and even get on each others' shoulders for a rotating spiral effect with the head held up high in the center. And the lion dancers then danced and pranced on top of poles above the audience.

After the formal presentation was over, we followed the dragon across the street where they performed for the masses of spectators of common people. My assistant was very impressed with how I was able to get in among all the big-time media and government officials inside the ropes, right to where the action was. And the cultural commissioner's wife invited us back the following evening to see the queen who was suppose to attend, but I had enough of the crowds, all wearing red shirts for the occasion, and just wanted to get laid by my assistant.

So the motto of the story is to "Follow the Dragon," it'll take you to where the action is.
Art TV
(bottom photo by Dean Barrett at this year's event.)

Monday, February 12, 2007

Watching Soi Cowboy Wake Up


Watching the soi wake up is an enlightening experience. Many of the girls live above the bars in which they work - so we see them emerging, sober and docile, into the soi to buy lunch from one of the countless food carts. Office workers pop into the soi to buy food, looking warily at the girls and hastily beating a retreat once they’re loaded up with som tam.

Later in the afternoon, some of the girls who’ve managed to acquire their own apartments (or spent the night in someone else’s) begin to arrive - some by foot, some in taxis or on mopeds or motorbikes. Some even arrive on the back of their Thai boyfriends’ motorbikes (which the girls probably paid for).
Bangkok Bad Boy

Dean Barrett Walking Down Soi Cowboy

This YouTube link features Dean Barrett walking down Soi Cowboy, talking about the nightlife. It's great.