December 30 2003

In praise of Thai girlfriends

Someone's cheeky Thai girlfriend

I'm always writing about devious Thai women who rob lovesick farang men (See Is your Thai sweetheart really a con-woman?), yet I have a Thai girlfriend myself. Before anyone accuses me of being a hypocrite, let's look at the positive side of Thai farang relationships.

Thai women are absolutely delightful. It's true. Nowhere on Earth are women as fun-loving and charming as in Thailand. Somehow they manage to be sweet and demure too. If you add to this their natural beauty, amazingly soft skin, long silky hair and ultra-feminine looks, you have a combination is totally irresistible. Step onto any Bangkok Skytrain and you can spot at least a dozen women who you might happily spend the rest of your life with.

It doesn't stop there. Thais tend to be sociable, well-adjusted people - even when raised in poverty. Large families and cramped conditions have created a race of people who are very easy to live with. Isolated loners who collect guns and pornography are almost unknown.

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Even if you live in a one-room apartment, your tidy and easygoing Thai girlfriend will never get under your feet. Because she's always shared a bed with her sisters, her sleeping manners are impeccable. As you doze off against her soft cool body, you can forget about the prodding elbows and sharp toenails of space-hogging farang girls.

In the west, coming home to your wife normally involves listening to hours of whining and moaning. To offer solutions would be missing the point - she's just offloading and looking for sympathy. Most men find this behaviour irritating and feel undermined by the implied (or downright overt) criticism. It's little wonder that we have a divorce epidemic.

In contrast, Thai women rarely moan. They are brought up to endure life's little problems without fuss. The result can be domestic bliss - but only if you identify the things that genuinely worry her without having to be told. Some guys reckon that you need to be psychic but, if you love your girl, looking after her properly should come naturally. It's the fellas who treat their Thai girlfriend like a servant and sexual spittoon who tend to come unstuck.

There seems to be a common misconception that Thai girls are obedient. She may be polite and conflict-averse but in reality she's no doormat. Bullying her will get you nowhere. She uses charm and guile to get what she wants from you. Hopefully, you'll soon work out how to charm her. It's a learning experience that can make you a better and more popular person.

Perhaps the best thing about having a Thai girlfriend is her fun-loving nature. Clowning around is an essential part of the Thai character. If you can adapt to her sense of humour, you will enjoy a happier and more playful relationship than you ever had with a farang woman.

Somehow, she injects fun into the most mundane of tasks - even cleaning the bathroom. Entertaining her is easy and a little effort on your part is rewarded 10 times over. Fancy restaurants and designer clothes are quite unnecessary. Buy her a new T-shirt, a comic book and a bag of barbequed chicken bums and she will act like a kid on Christmas morning. A couple of Chang beers on the balcony are as enjoyable as a night out.

Thai women are very affectionate. Though public displays of affection are frowned upon, she'll be all over you like a rash at home. When you're out alone, she'll call constantly. Don't even think about switching your phone off or she'll go crazy with worry. Some guys find it annoying (particularly if they're trying to fool around with other girls) but it's never bothered me.

In bed, worldly farang girls definitely have the edge. However, with patience and gentle encouragement, your Thai sweetheart could out-slut the best of them. In relationships with farang girls I've always experienced sexual boredom but, with the right Thai girl, the erotic charge seems to be long-term. Opposites definitely attract.

In spite of the many advantages of choosing a Thai woman, I can't wrap up without suggesting that they make better girlfriends than wives. Unfortunately, they often shag around on the side. For her, every man is a new opportunity and her parents come first. She may feel obliged to rob you (and the other guys) in order to help her folks. If you were daft enough to put any assets in her name, then I'm afraid you had it coming.

[Posted to Relationships by David]

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Readers' comments

Mr. Dave says:

Thank you, David, for your clear advice on this topic of relationships.

I especially appreciate your observations about "her" motivations and values - especially about being obligated to her parents. Helps my understanding.

Oh, by the way, if something ever happens and the welcome mat is withdrawn for frangs in Thailand, you could write exactly the same comments about women in The Philippines.

- Mr. Dave
writing from Reno, Nevada, USA
returning to Thailand 23 JAN 04

December 30, 2003 1:52 PM

a real thai girl says:

ok thats a good article about having a thai girlfriend. but from my point of view, it seems like u r describing only the chracteristics of thai girls who r either a bargirl or belong to a lower-class society. no offence, but i think u r a bit narrow minded. u only focus on the nightlife girls instead of thai girls in general. some proper thai girls DO exist u know? ones with high education and good, decent careers. i know that bargirls type is easier to find and much easier to make a girlfriend but dont u want the ones that u know wont rob, be "sticky", or have "been" with bunch of guys before u? thai girls actually r not all about sex and prostitution. if u actually look for one instead of going places where girls r literally being handed to you, i think u'll find urself a great thai girlfriend in no time.

January 13, 2004 8:44 PM

David says:

I agree - but how should a sincere farang guy go about looking for a decent, educated Thai woman? If the answer is too long to post as a comment, please send me an email and I will publish it as an article.

January 14, 2004 11:13 AM

a real thai girl says:

same as getting a white girl in your country i suppose. u dont go to some white go-go bars and get one of those stripers do u? they way u date a thai girl kinda goes backwards. nomally u get a girlfriend and then have sex not the other way round.

im sorry but i dont wanna be "officially" published here coz i dont think my article would fit ur agenda. but thanks anyway.

January 14, 2004 12:23 PM

Me :) says:

I have to say that I quite like your article, and some of it I can actually agree with. How can a sincere farang guy go about looking for a decent, educated Thai woman? I have an answer to your question and it is certainly not long. It's the same everywhere. You find them in the most unexpected places at the unexpected times. There are no exact places that you can actually go find these decent girls. It all depends on you. How hard and how much effort you are willing to find these girls. But at least you are coming the right way David. :) At least you understand the nature of us... thai girls. all you have to do is focus your attention at the right places and the right girls. :)

January 14, 2004 1:14 PM

Monkey says:

Stay as you are David. Your website will become dull if you get a 'decent' girlfriend. We like you because you are sick and depraved like the majority of your readers. Don't censor anyone though. Dickheads like Paul act as a constant reminder that the path to happiness lies through cheap alcohol, loose women and mates who are on the same wavelength.

January 14, 2004 8:10 PM

Brian says:

Totally agree with your observations here. I met a Thai girl here in Los Angeles and I after a month of very innocent dating, she was talking about marriage! As it turned out, she was a true virgin and even our first-base fondling was creating a moral crisis for her. This was a shock after my "vacation experience" in Thailand. Just remember, she's either a whore or a nun. If you marry the whore, you get what you pay for. If you marry the nun, you have no worries about backstabbing, but you've married the whole family too!

February 5, 2004 2:24 AM

Marmite says:

My advice is to give the 'Hi-So' birds wide birth. The only thing they're interested in is looking wealthy.
The 'normal' Thai girls have a lot more going for them as they generally have a warm, fun personality, whereas Hi-Sos have the same personality as a blow-up doll.
Sure, they all want gifts occasionally, but I'd rather be buying a teddy bear than a new Merc.

March 10, 2004 12:46 PM

BTDT says:

The hi-so girls and the bar girls in Thailand have one thing in common - money. While the bar girl wants money to survive, the hi-so girl wants more money to flaunt. Either way, both just can't have enough of it.

I have spent over 30 years in Thailand and have made several friends in both ends of the society. In my 3 decades here, I have never met (or heard of) a hi-so girl who married or at least had a relationship with someone beneath her social status. It's all about money.

As for for bar girls, they tend to be with their walking ATM only until he dispenses cash regularly. Then it's sticks and stones or even in some cases knives and bullets. Ofcourse, there are exceptions and I have met a few happy bar girl + farang man couples, but the emphasis is on the word "few". And if money was not the motive, the relationship would never have started anyway!

March 12, 2004 11:56 AM

Donald says:

hey I have a question... I will be going to Assumption (ABAC) University for graduate school this September, how are the ladies there? Will it be as easy to pimp there as it is in college in new york or what???

April 22, 2004 5:01 AM

Bil says:

'A REAL THAI GIRL' is of course quite correct - a normal thai girl (i.e. a non prostitute) is no more likely to sleep around than a normal western girl. Scratch that - less likely. In my experience normal thai girls are more loyal than normal english girls. Can't speak about American or other western ones.

As for meeting an educated, intelligent, sparky, sexy thai girl who is a non prostitute (you know, the normal kind!) you need look no further than your own country - several hundred thousand come over on student visas each year to Europe and the US.

I met mine at my university!

June 3, 2004 4:37 AM

Mike says:

Well Done! You've just described my Thai girlfriend perfectly. Now I understand her a little better :) Thank you!

July 10, 2004 12:02 AM

TANAI KWAI says:

Love this site -- a fucking treasure trove.

(...)

July 10, 2004 12:12 AM

Ragtopmuse says:

I agree with Bil. I met my Thai wife while traveling in Australia. While there I dated over 6 asian women, If you think about it the Thai woman that are given student visas tend to be middle/upper class, educated and more worldly. I would do it all over again if I had to. My wife owns a nice condominium in CBD Bangkok and we live there six months a year. I feel I have it made in the shade. When I see the Farangs with their bar birl girlfriends I just shake my head in wonder. No whining from me.

July 16, 2004 10:18 PM

TANAI KWAI says:

Team Mango Sauce,

I was riding in a car with a farang woman when a song from my new Destiny's Child CD (yes, I have a profound weakness for Beyonce) piped over the stereo. The song, entitled "Cater 2 U" caused the farang lady such grave offense I found it quite striking. Though they may not be especially transcendent, I thought I'd share the offending lyrics:

* * * *

[Verse 1 Beyonce]
Baby I See You Working Hard
I Want To Let You Know I'm Proud,
Let You Know That I Admire What You Do
Don't Know If I Need To Reassure You,
My Life Would Be Purposeless Without You (Yeah)
If I Want It (Got It)
When I Ask You (You Provide It)
You Inspire Me To Be Better
You Challenge Me For The Better
Sit Back And Let Me Pour Out My Love Letter

Let Me Help You
Take Off Your Shoes
Untie You Shoestrings
Take Off Your Cufflinks (Yeah)
What You Want To Eat Boo? (Yeah)
Let Me Feed You
Let Me Run Your Bathwater
Whatever You Desire, I'll Aspire

Sing You A Song
Turn My Game On
I'll Brush Your Hair
Help Put Your Do Rag On
Want A Foot Rub? (Yeah)
You Want A Manicure?
Baby I'm Yours I Want To Cater To You Boy

[Chorus]
Let Me Cater To You
Cause Baby This Is Your Day
Do Anything For My Man
Baby You Blow Me Away
I Got Your Slippers, Your Dinner, Your Dessert, And So Much More
Anything You Want Just Let Me Cater To You

Inspire Me From The Heart,
Can't Nothing Tear Us Apart
You're All That I Want In A Man;
I Put My Life In Your Hands
I Got Your Slippers, Your Dinner, Your Dessert, And So Much More
Anything You Want, I Want To Cater To You

[Verse 2 Kelly]
Baby I'm Happy You're Home,
Let Me Hold You In My Arms
I Just Want To Take The Stress Away From You
Making Sure That I'm Doing My Part (Oh)
Boy Is There Something You Need Me To Do (Oh)
If You Want It (I Got It)
Say The Word (I Will Try It)
I Know Whatever I'm Not Fulfilling (Oh)
No Other Woman Is Willing (Oh)
I'm Going To Fulfill Your Mind, Body, And Spirit

I Promise You (Promise You)
I'll Keep Myself Up (Oh)
Remain The Same Chick (Yeah)
You Fell In Love With (Yeah)
I'll Keep It Tight, I'll Keep My Figure Right
I'll Keep My Hair Fixed, Keep Rocking The Hottest Outfits
When You Come Home Late Tap Me On My Shoulder, I'll Roll Over
Baby I Heard You, I'm Here To Serve You (I'm Lovin It, I'm Lovin It)
If It's Love You Need, To Give It Is My Joy
All I Want To Do, Is Cater To You Boy

[Chorus]

[Bridge Michelle]
I Want To Give You My Breath, My Strength, My Will To Be Here
That's The Least I Can Do,
Let Me Cater To You
Through The Good (Good)
The Bad (Through The Bad)
The Ups And Downs (Ups And Downs)
I'll Still Be Here For You
Let Me Cater To You
Cause You're Beautiful (You're Beautiful)
I Love The Way You Are (You Are)
Fulfill Your Every Desire (Desire)
Your Wish Is My Command (Command)
I Want To Cater To My Man
Your Heart (Your Heart)
So Pure Your Love Shines Through(Shines Through)
The Darkness We'll Get Through (So Much)
So Much Of Me Is You (Is You)
I Want To Cater To My Man
[Chorus Out]

* * * *

If I had to single out what most offended the farang woman in the tirade that ensued almost immediately as the song began, it was the idea that a woman could be expected to maintain her body weight. This was deemed "highly offensive."

I imagine that the typical farang man would be even more infuriated by the song because he would experience it as utterly fraudulent, cruel fantasy.

Interestingly, when I pointed out to the FW that many songs and poems of this type, dating back to the salad days of Chivalric romance and idealization, had been written from the male perspective about women, she admitted that she found those works more acceptable in light of "existing power relationships" or something like that.

(...)

December 15, 2004 7:31 PM

Pat Paulsen says:

Muffology...

"Spider Legs" is the buildup of moisture, in the
pubic area, also refered to as "bunson friction,"
not unlike natty dreadlocks of the muff.

"...On the subject I'd like to do a quick pop quiz regarding the readership's experience of Thai muff...
1. Do the Thai BG's shave their workstation because that's what they think the farangs like? 2. Do ìnormalî Thai girls traditionally avoid the shaven haven or is it just the ones I've "met"?

In my opinion the older a TGF gets, the more likly she is to want that look, although she is usually shaving the upper thigh of peach fuzz, and shaping the vulva with the appearance of her pubic hair.

Now that's a subject I could sink my teeth into!
HB, it is well known that most Thais are especially without alot of facial/body hair, and that is one of the things I like most about asians in general. (That last farang girlfriend with the tomato patch for a muff did it, [I swear honey I tried -if your reading this])

Not to toot my horn too much(but I am proud of it), I can tell you exactly what a TBG's muff will look like by doing one 720(twice around) almost down to the depth and density
Should you ever require my "expertise" I will be happy to provide it.

Muffologist

December 28, 2004 2:55 AM

Pat Paulsen says:

Years and years of tuition costs have finally
come to fruition. What a life!

December 28, 2004 2:59 AM

wilbur says:

We're proud to know ya, Pat! Wise contribution! I like the "spider legs" image.

By the way, it occurs to me that CSW Thai girls might trim and/or shave to reduce or eliminate the habitat for crab lice and such. While the non-CSW girls also run this risk it is much less so, as they (presumably) have a fewer number of (presumably) higher-quality partners.

December 28, 2004 3:56 AM

Pat Paulsen says:

"I suspect that that, because farang girls don't do this all that often, the Thai working girls find that they get a better response...from their farang punters. It's simple economics, I suspect."

They have a lot of time on their hands, so to speak.

My last farang girlfriend, in our relationship's final death throes, said the ultimate little comment to me as I was telling her "it's over, and this time I really mean it!" She said: "I shaved my pussy, want to see?" Never in our three year, engaged from the waist down relationship, had she ever spoken to me in that manner, and I have to admit it held out one last possibility for the postponement of our eventual break-up.

(hic...!)

I couldn't wait

December 28, 2004 5:49 AM

wilbur says:

I bet your GF got the sort of response that keeps those CSWs running for the razor!

January 2, 2005 5:44 AM

Sandy says:

Hi,

Uh, I'm new here; could you
tell me what "CSWs" means...

Cleaned, shaved and washed?

Thankoonkhap.

Sandy

January 2, 2005 8:10 AM

wilbur says:

"Commercial Sex Workers", the official Thai government designation for these folks.

January 2, 2005 8:31 AM

Sandy says:

"Commercial Sex Workers"

Oh, not "closely shaved women" ;>)

Shows how twisted I have become
over Thai female hair, esp different
shades of long, dark, silky hair.
I'm waiting for an installment by
Dana about Thai women's hair.
Somewhere...over the rainbow!

January 2, 2005 9:20 AM

wilbur says:

Well, where are YOUR observations? My observation: My GF takes requests.

January 2, 2005 10:20 AM

Pat Paulsen says:

Can't give you what I don't have.

My observations are largely built
from memory. I just hope at debarkation
for LOS, 1st x in three years, that certain
pleasures haven't submersed completely.

I recall already falling in love (at the airport
and the 1st bus into town) so I don't see
that happening. It's about spiritual
rebuilding, a decent massage, some
Thai fare, an uncomplicated smile.

Simple pleasures - a woman w/ beautifull hair.

The holiday spirit made me search for
a less complicated life, not more "things",
-surrounded by beautifull things still, just
less of the of the less essential ones.

I don't usually worry about my girlfriend
until around April. By then the climate there
genetically alters their muffs to less, not more,
as with hers there is usually little to trim.

(help!)

January 3, 2005 4:00 AM

wilbur says:

Hey yo, Pat!

The rhetorical was directed at Sandy, but your response is welcome. A woman with beautiful hair indeed! How is parsley like pubics? Gotta push 'em aside to eat!

3 years, eh what? The pleasures you remember still are on offer, just the solicitation might be different. The solicitations you remember are still on offer, just the pleasures might be different.

That is time passing. That is passing time.

When you get around to the CSWs and their workstations, we will be here, clip boards in hand. Then answer the rhetorical again, and we'll listen again!

- w

January 3, 2005 1:31 PM

Pat Paulsen says:

"That is time passing. That is passing time."

God, you said it all.

David's site is changing too, morphing into another
future incarnate of the moment you had the first time.
Only thing is I'm coming back as a juniper bush.

Time to live the moment, flesh out my experiences
to bulk up on the memories I will have when my senses
are so full I turn to a reference to find out where they all
fit in the so called "big" picture.

He's a better story teller anyhow.

(hic...!)

January 4, 2005 9:02 PM

Pat Paulsen says:

I wonder if her bush has morphed into something new?

It's early.

(hic...!)

January 4, 2005 9:06 PM

wilbur says:

"Only thing is I'm coming back as a juniper bush."
Trimmed?

"Time to live the moment, flesh out my experiences to bulk up on the memories I will have..."
Abstaining from alcohol will help you retain those memories, Pat! :)

January 5, 2005 5:05 AM

ERNESTO ORTEGA says:

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS SITE? HOW COME NO NEW ARTICLES HERE.

I AM DISAPPOINTED WITH THAI GIRLS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO TITS. I WANT THEM TITS BIG TO GRAB WITH BOTH HANDS. I REALLY LOVE TO SUCK ON THEM.

January 7, 2005 12:51 PM

Pat Paulsen says:

"Abstaining from alcohol will help you retain those memories..."

Thanks...good advice, though I generally ignore it in times of duress.

David's site is like a pale corpse, with several family members refusing to leave the hospital. The doctor's requested permission to "pull the plug," but they are convinced their patient will suddenly awake, and start hollering "mommy, mommy" just as we head out.

Personally I think the site has already been reincarnated.

January 9, 2005 2:34 AM

wilbur says:

This site isn't dead. That smell is from a recent poster, since departed. The site shows signs of life, and hopefully our ragtag band will be back together soon. We're on a mission from God!

January 9, 2005 11:22 AM

Horses Blinker says:

Ahh......the eloquence of affluence - great post Ernesto. Particularly liked the profligate use of caps lock to give your prose more punch-per-pound.

Pat - you're dead on the money - all I can hear is a faint humm followed by "CLEAR" followed by Bzzzzzzzz. And it's not working. Still a continuous tone from the heart monitor. peeeeeeeeeeeee.........

Wilbur, what's all this about "our ragtag band"? Who are you talking about? I, for one, may be a lot of things (both savoury and unsavoury) but ragtag is certainly not one of them; neither in terms of demeanor nor thread.

When I was 15 an old uncle of mine returned home from "the Orient" and told me and my eager chums that girls from the far East have "horizontal fannies" (UK fanny not American). You can imagine our gasps etc etc. Thats' why I'm here, in Thailand - I had to find out if it was true or not. Still haven't actually confirmed whether the water goes down the plughole the wrong way in Oz either....

January 10, 2005 9:43 AM

wilbur says:

I regret your umbrage, HB! No offence meant! I simply look at us as the last remnants of Mangosauce, struggling to hang on as it gasps back to life. I'm sure your rags and tags are of the finest silk!

Many of the girls over there DO have horizontal fannies! If the GIRL is always horizontal, her puss must by necessity follow suit! :)

January 11, 2005 12:54 PM

Pat Paulsen says:

I am really going to reincarnate myself in a short while, poor down-trodden soul that I have
become. The cards are all sent out, the last of
the wrapping paper has been put away, the bills
are paid, ticket bought, suitcase dusted off,
passport checked, dinero in el banco. Actually,
I think I am re-inventing myself, and I don't
feel like I deserve it.
Christmas is coming!

January 12, 2005 6:22 AM

Pat Paulsen says:

Still can't say I don't miss the old site and how
it generated so much positive input from such a
diverse group. Many still drop by for a peek, no doubt.

I have read the alternative sites too.

Re: coolhouse.com, I may not build a house there - (it's still a 3rd world isn't it?), but that's better than reading Headly's stuff; ditzing around the computer on a wishfull rudderless fantasy; well, it's not too bad, except you can't respond to any of it(I wonder why he does it).

My point is...this site could use some advertising couldn't it? What's a legitimate site without the blog masters insertion of web sponsered copy? That seemed to be the final insult to David, well the only legitimate one I could detect.

January 12, 2005 6:37 AM

Dick Headley says:

... better than reading Headley's stuff; ìditzing around the computer on a wishfull rudderless fantasyî. Excellent! Very well put Mr. Paulsen. I think you have just defined blogging. At least as it is currently practiced by me and a motley bunch of would-be literati and compulsive communicators around the cyber world.

It's a new world for me and I'm enjoying it. I've met other bloggers and learned a few things about the blogging sub-culture. Anyone can start their own blog if they feel like it. It's easy. It only took me two months to figure out how to put pictures on there. Everybody is welcome. Blogs vary in quality and substance from slick professional to keyboard challenged amateur but nobody seems to mind much. All are welcome and there are some great ones out there. If you don't want to make a big commitment you can sign on with blogger.com (one of the largest of the free hosting services) and make comments on other peoples blogs. Or...if you have something you desperately want to share with the world you can e-mail it to me headley@gmail.com and I'll put it on my blog. Unless its something really dumb of course in which case I'll just ignore it.

I thing the reason mangosauce was popular was the combination of David's excellent little articles and the fact that he allowed uncensored feedback. Of course it was just a question of time before the arseholes ruined it but it was fun while it lasted. I've already had a small taste of the kind of crap David had to put up with.

My intention was never to attempt to replace David's site. I simply got into an e-mail conversation with him about writing and he suggested I start a blog. So with some trepidation I took the plunge. Sure it's like talking to yourself but I seem to have a little following of readers which is nice. I presume they have time on their hands like me. I don't feel as though I have any great mission in life other than to arrange thoughts and words in some kind of order. It amuses me. If it amuses a few other people that's fine too... cheers Dick

January 12, 2005 8:49 AM

Pat Paulsen says:

"Blogs vary in quality and substance from slick professional
to keyboard challenged amateur..."

That was nice of you to include me. I got the drift now. I'll try your site again sometime.

I'll be better when I come in from the cold winter spit and
nestle with my sweetie by the warm bkk fire.
I look forward to it; when time with my squeeze
will be an option or not. "Sorry Honeypie, I'm
going out sailing tonight."

January 14, 2005 3:25 AM

Dick Headley says:

Have you tried synthetic sailing PP? You can do it anywhere, anytime. You don't even need a boat. Just cast off and let your mind do the rest. I picked up a nice little breeze from Bob Dylan the other day...got me out of the doldrums cheers dh

January 15, 2005 2:09 AM

Pat Paulsen says:

Post Christmas-shopping tramatic stress disorder of the times.

Ever had it with commercial tv, or for that matter radio advert blitzing so pervasive a single coconut tree on a small island is starting to look like an attractive option? The onslaught of "reality" shows is so mind numbing it's taking away the inherent meaning of the word. And they were my escape from Cnn and the rest. Now I think I have a theory why the red states won the last election (with apologies to anyone here from the red states)

The only sailing I know is the creation of laminar flow over canvas, like a wing turned sideways. I am too literal minded.

Synthetic sailing sounds nice, like the thought of a quiet Dylan ballad transporting you.

January 15, 2005 10:33 PM

Pat Paulsen says:

Bob Dylan is an escape to...more Bob.
Jimmy, on the other hand, is an escape to hidden coves, variable winds, shifting sands, sunburned faces under the unbrella table freshly bussed with a mlime and rum drink. Sometimes it's better to aspire to a lifestyle than actually live it. Like buying a boat might actually make you hate living on them.

January 15, 2005 10:43 PM

Dick Headley says:

Dylan had a boat. Got wrecked on a reef off Panama. He mentions it in 'Chronicles'...a 65 footer, must have been a beauty...Jimmy talks about it too...

Jimmy Buffett, rock singer "Boat talk"
"I overheard the talk at the next table. Water Pearl was in the harbor, and everyone was talking about whether or not the owner was on board. She was a beautiful traditional Beguia schooner that had been built on the island and was a home away from home to a Minnesota boy named Zimmerman or to those who don't know, Bob Dylan ... 'The boss' was on board and heard I was in town as well and asked if I wanted to come out and see the boat and have lunch...
"We didn't talk music. We talked boats over lunch ... He gave me a tour of Water Pearl, and I can still smell that unique combination of pitch, canvas, and wood that is the essence of a traditional sailing rig ... I have seen Bob on a number of occasions since then, but that was the last time I saw Water Pearl. She foundered on a reef off Panama a few years later and went down." (Gustavia, St. Barts, 1980s)
(From "A Pirate Looks at Fifty," by Jimmy Buffett)

He liked a bit of country pie too....

Joe Eszterhas, screenwriter
"Whiskey, coke and women"
"I'd waited in the living room of a Denver hotel suite at eight one morning for Bob Dylan to emerge from his bedroom. A half-full quart of Jim Bream stood on the living room cocktail table, along with three or four broken lines of coke. A pair of black silver-toed cowboy boots was under the table. One girl came out of Bob's bedroom, then another, then another. They looked tired and sleepy and were scantily and hastily dressed. They said hi in a shy and embarrassed way and then they left. Five minutes later, Bob came out, bare-chested and barefoot, wearing jeans, his hair an airborne jungle, his complexion graveyard gray. He sat down at the cocktail table, took a long slug of Jim Beam, did a line of coke, smiled, and said, 'Howya doin?'" (late 1970s)
(From "American Rhapsody," by Joe Eszterhas)

January 16, 2005 1:17 AM

wilbur says:

Funny, because it's just the few of us on this thread, I guess we won't be taken to task for letting it wander onto this side track just for a bit.

When I want music to cleanse me, I turn to the blues. The classics. Muddy Waters. Howlin' Wolf. Little Walter. Elmore James. Robert Johnson. John Lee Hooker. Sonny and Brownie. Magic Sam. Leadbelly. Taj Mahal. This is the music that washes my soul pure again.

I can play some harmonica. When I put that thing in my mouth, my head is immediately full of my heart, and nothing else matters. I can let go. Fully and completely.

Sometimes I play alone. But I find playing alone unfulfilling; music from nobody, for nobody.

I play out sometimes. I've played in several venues in Bangkok, like Clinton Plaza and some Irish Pub (forget the name, Sukhumvit Road not far from the Rembrandt Hotel), with a band called the Soi Dogs.

I have sat in in Chiang Mai, and in Koh Samui. I've played in Pattaya with the Blues Factory Band, and with Lam Morrison, and with a dozen no-name Phillipino bands in nondescript beer bars, just walk up and play. It's a pleasure.

Playing in front of people is a purifying experience. Like group therapy. "Hello, my name is wilbur, and I'm a musiholic." It's hard to take yourself too seriously when you're in the middle of some kick-ass blues, the last soloist has just torn the roof off the place leaving people gasping, and its your turn to go. I have no choice: I have to get naked spiritually with my axe, and let people see every sinew of my psyche. I cannot keep anything private. My soul is on display, there is no going half way, no sticking the head in.

After an experience like that, I feel like I have had a chemical peel of the soul, dermabraision of the ego. A born-again bluesician.

I had a dear friend who died of cancer this past summer. She was very well known, especially among the Pattaya Hashers. Cancer is a funny disease in that it announces its intentions early sometimes. We had a party for her about 6 months before she died, while she was still healthy enough. There was a live band playing, and she requested that I play some harp. I did "Hoochie Coochie Man" by Willie Dixon; sang it, too. I have never felt better, more worthwhile as a musician, and maybe as a person, than for that 5 minutes. For that moment, my soul was bright and shiny clean again. Maybe it will always be a little better than before.

This is my sailboat.

January 16, 2005 1:49 PM

Dick Headley says:

Strange things have happened to Robert Johnson...or his ghost...since John Hammond released those tracks on Columbia (about the same time as he signed Dylan)

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MUSIC/rjhome.html

What's this got to do with Thai pussy I hear some arsehole screech dh

January 16, 2005 11:24 PM

wilbur says:

"Strange things have happened to Robert Johnson...or his ghost...since John Hammond released those tracks on Columbia (about the same time as he signed Dylan)"
That's what you get for selling your soul to the devil.

"What's this got to do with Thai pussy I hear some arsehole screech"
What better reason to have the blues?

January 17, 2005 12:00 AM

Sandy says:

Wilbur,

Have heard the Soi Dogs once...don't remember where, can't remember when; but it went with the territory. Imbibe enough beer Changs with my mindless minions and "live" music means we're vertical still, no offense intended. I'm (probably) past that phase now, unless the band
is really tight.

Maybe you've also seen the Beach Pub, on Koh Samui's north shore - half way between Bo Phut and Big Buddha, on the water. Great venue (if it's still there), and an ideal chance for westerners and locals to mix it up musically, gaze out on their watery depths, and sing the blues if the moment moves them.

I wonder if there is a genuine Thai version of Taj Mahal or any of the
other blues greats you mention performing LoS in smallish venues. Don't like mouth-to-ear conversations, just quiet intimacy, so music sung in another language is easier to digest, or not. Strange.

Give me any ballad by Mark Knofler, one of the best; try "Ragpicker's Dream." If you're suffering from sleep deprivation, you won't make it past the second - third song, so soothing are his root chords.

Who's the Thai using buffalo skulls for his album logos? Carabao?
He's sort of a Thai Dylan I thought, or am I'm way off the mark?

January 17, 2005 2:48 AM

Sandy says:

Wilbur,

Have heard the Soi Dogs once...don't remember where, can't remember when; but it went with the territory. Imbibe enough beer Changs with my mindless minions and "live" music means we're vertical still, no offense intended. I'm (probably) past that phase now, unless the band
is really tight.

Maybe you've also seen the Beach Pub, on Koh Samui's north shore - half way between Bo Phut and Big Buddha, on the water. Great venue (if it's still there), and an ideal chance for westerners and locals to mix it up musically, gaze out on their watery depths, and sing the blues if the moment moves them.

I wonder if there is a genuine Thai version of Taj Mahal or any of the
other blues greats you mention performing LoS in smallish venues. Don't like mouth-to-ear conversations, just quiet intimacy, so music sung in another language is easier to digest, or not. Strange.

Give me any ballad by Mark Knofler, one of the best; try "Ragpicker's Dream." If you're suffering from sleep deprivation, you won't make it past the second - third song, so soothing are his root chords.

Who's the Thai using buffalo skulls for his album logos? Carabao?
He's sort of a Thai Dylan I thought, or am I'm way off the mark?

January 17, 2005 2:49 AM

Sandy says:

Ooops!

January 17, 2005 2:55 AM

wilbur says:

"I wonder if there is a genuine Thai version of Taj Mahal or any of the other blues greats you mention performing LoS in smallish venues."
If by this you mean a pioneer playing indigenous Thai folk music, that question would put me perilously far into Mr. Peter's territory. I have no choice but to yield the floor to him. Mr. P?

If you mean a Thai guitarist or other musician playing American Blues, the music scene around either Bangkok and Pattaya would serve up plenty of examples. Lam Morrison, whose style is very modern and electric, surely qualifies anyway. I have also heard of a blues guitar wizard named "Chart", slaving away in obscurity in that backpacker's paradise, Pai.

January 17, 2005 5:55 AM

wilbur says:

By the way, I did post on topic in this thread. However, when David did the world (and even me) the favor of excising that ridiculous flame war from this thread, he also deleted my on-topic post. If anybody cares, I can repost what of it I remember.

January 17, 2005 5:58 AM

ozricmann says:

ERNESTO ORTEGA

my thai girlfriend has big boo boo's

hmmm. she is jigling them up and down right now.

uh oh! their in my face now these lucious thai melons are rubbing me up the right way.

gottapirg[o4]yhp56#u po4tyk4[

August 22, 2006 9:16 PM

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