Oh, the travails of learning the hard way in a fabulously decadent culture rich in freedom, sex, opportunity and some real fukking douchebags.
I moved to Bangkok two months ago. I had never been to Thailand, but the country, people and experience came highly recommended from numerous friends. I was going to give a shot at South America, and here I am on Sukhumvit soi 22 today, with very lovely yet mixed reviews.
I am a dj music producer a/v artist entertainment guy. Last week I was dj’n to a very excited crowd, at 5 am the street was packed. Out of nowhere before having a chance to react at all, some troglodyte from the apartment building across the street starts launching tamarin nuts at me, squarely smashing my 17″ glossy hd macbook pro screen, destroying it.
The sad ending to this ongoing tale is I don’t have enough money to fix replace or even swap in an external monitor. I was swiftly inducted into the nightlife here, blew my savings, and am now scrambling for work so I can pay my measely 8000 bht rent.
Unfortunately I rely on my computer to make money. Design, performance, job hunts, communications etc.
I had no idea thai people can be so cluelessly malevolent…Anyway, anyone have an old monitor they want to donate would be showered with accolades for their good samaritanship. I of course can repay in kind with sessions on ableton live or final cut pro.
Lesson here, thais will throw things at your screen while performing.
You were DJing at 5am? I’m sorry for your Macbook Pro but it sounds like you were the annoying the neighbors at 5am and some instant karma caught up to you. If I was sleeping and you were DJing outside my apartment at 5am, I would probably be throwing heavier things than tamarind nuts.
What Erik said. You’re lucky you weren’t shot at.
Ok guys come on, this is Bangkok. I was WORKING on Soi 11. Yes, you are right, the neighbor was probably annoyed by noise. Well, wtf are you doing living on SOI 11 if you can’t hang with STREET NOISE? I am from NYC, if its loud, you yell shut the fuck up. Or call the cops. Antisocial behavior is illegal, immoral, and felony property damage is not tolerated in a civilized world. I get paid to Make noise.
Don’t live next to all night clubs and bars with CITY APPROVED RIGHTS TO PARTY if you want peace and quiet
Really, in NYC you have zoning laws mandating silence from 10-6 AM every day. DJing in NYC at 5 AM would get you lynched.
Dude, youre the A-hole for making noise at that time and then expecting everyone else to react in some way that YOU liked and considered appropriate.
Bother other people, and you cant control the response and cant cry when the response isnt exactly what you liked.
Douchebag of the year award goes to [drumroll] . . . You!
You seem to be mixing up a lot of different facts in order to make your point.
1. There are no approved after hours bars on Soi 11. Climax (the after hour place you’re probably referring to) does not have a permit to be open after 2am. They just happened to be owned by one of the most powerful women in the BKK naughty nightlife scene so she greases a lot of cops palms so they’ll look the other way.
2. There is simply no f*cking way you had a permit to carry on a “city approved rights to party” until 5am. You didn’t have one, period. It probably was until midnight or 2am at the most.
Now, let’s move on to the other stupidity displayed in your comments. You’re not in NYC. It doesn’t matter what kind of behavior is or isn’t tolerated in NYC. You’re in Bangkok, baby. And the Thais have their own way of dealing with shit. The cops are so corrupt that few people use the legal system. Anybody who has been here for any amount of time knows that if the cops haven’t shut you down it’s because they’ve been paid off so complaining to them isn’t going to produce any results. Better to just fuck your shit up so you can’t disturb them.
You better learn the Thai way if you’re going to survive here. Learning the Thai way the hard way has left many a farang’s bodies laying in shallow unmarked graves. Things don’t work here like they do back home.
So, like you say, in NYC they just shout “Shut the fuck up” out the window. Well, in Thailand that would be rude and Thais hate to be rude so they’ll just grin and eat it until they can’t stand it anymore and then it’s no-holds-barred.
You really should go back home. You don’t sound like someone who has the survival skills or temperament to get by here. You moved half way across the world and immediately got caught up in the nightlife and blew through your savings? Yet you say you’ve only been here 2 months!!!! How do you blow through your savings in 2 months?
If you do make it here for let’s say a year or two, I guarantee you’ll look back at what you’ve written here and think “Man, I was such a clueless twat back then.” That’s if you make it. I highly doubt you will.
Sorry to read about your screen… and yes.. probably you were just too loud, otherwise Thai people not get too angry quickly. I hope you have a good time in Bangkok anyway. Nice blog. Noom.
I’m sorry your macbook pro was smashed! I feel bad for you really. I just had to add a comment opposite to the others, to show someone cares. Hope you get back up and running.
Sorry guy that your Mac got ruined – as a member of the Mac cult I feel more sorry for the computer than you. Also, as a fellow American who lived in NYC and NJ for several years…you would have gotten more than a “shut the fuck up” from neighbors at 5AM. Depending on the neighborhood, lucky if you end up with a broken computer.
Thailand is a great country to live and work, but you can’t come here expecting the Thais and Expats just to put up with your street music at 5AM – most of us have real jobs and need some sleep believe it or not. And after living here for a year and visiting for numerous years, I can’t believe (as others have pointed out) that you were legally “entertaining” at 5AM – hell, I am hard pressed to find a bar after 1AM lately.
And only 2 months of savings? Christ! Another Farang thinking he can come here and live on a $1 a day. Ah well. Get a DJ job at a bar and stop playing on the street.
“Antisocial behavior is illegal, immoral”
You know what’s antisocial? DJing at 5am, you DOUCHE.
Leave Bangkok. You’re ruining it for us farangs that respect Thai laws and the Thai people– ALL Thai people, not just the ones who can afford to live in fancy neighborhoods.
That could happen anywhere in the world and my advice is if your already judging and slagging the Thais after being here so short time, go home you will not last long.
Exactly Aaron. What does it matter if someone lives in Silom, Suk Soi 11 or anywhere else….playing music on the street at 5AM (and all night) is just freaking rude.
I cannot believe all you guys have taken this post seriously. It’s an attempt at satire, but not a great one. Anyone who believes a tamarind nut can smash a computer monitor must have been sinking too many Beer Changs. Try it. It’s a wind-up. He should have saved it for April 1st.
Hey dude sorry about the mishap. What the hell is a tamarind nut?? Come to Pattaya make all the noise and anything you want to do late at night.
As Khun Ruai points out in his comment: “Thais hate to be rude so they’ll just grin and eat it until they can’t stand it anymore and then it’s no-holds-barred.” This is valuable advice that everyone should keep it in mind. When people cannot put up with any more, they will erupt like a volcano. They will not tell you that you are pissing them off. In Thailand, people can be tolerant to a considerable degree. Disc jockeying until 5 o’ clock in the morning is more than a little bit inconsiderate, don’t you think? I feel sorry for your loss, but you cannot ignore the fact that you were being a nuisance at that hour.
You gotta love street justice !
Get used to it… and if you are “Quick”, you just might make it…
Strange story. Thai people are not that accurate.
You are lucky you weren’t arrested.
I would advise you to seek legitimate employment with an entertainment venue.
If you are a credible decent entertainment person it should be no problem. They will provide all the equipment you need.
One of drawbacks of a basically anarchist culture is nobody gives a damn what happens to you. I imagine when the music stopped…that was about it…and the people just melted away.
Go legitimate; get a work permit, proper visa, pay taxes and get paid a salary… and don’t leave yourself open for such abuse/arrest etc.
You’ll learn a lot more about Thailand as well…in comfort and security.
Tamarin nuts and roots can NOT ruined a computer. Even if thrown from the Empire State Building.
You are a fraud, mistah.
Som nom na sounds like.
Sorry about your Mac but if it was in NY, they wouldn’t have broken it, they would have taken it (and probably broken YOU instead). Besides you should have been:
1- done by 2am
2-been DJing in a nice club or
3- had some muscle with you.
Also get field gear (cheapeer more rugged backup gear) to use for street gigs and new ‘rig’ for the apartment or studio.
Life in the music entertainment biz is rough as you should know as a New Yorker (hopefully not a poser). If you can make it in NY, like Sinatra said you’ll make it anywhere. From BK to BKK I always say(JFK is in Brooklyn). If you haven’t been sorted by April’s end, I will lend you some rig to get some Baht to get back into good graces with the monitor spirits (it always comes back cuz Karma is my girlfriend).
My myspace is myspace.com/jdoubleraps so hit me up. I’ll be without my bro or pilot this trip (effin recession) so we may be able to do some gigs(not giks) together.
JJ
Hey Jay…
Done by 2 am? naw, i shoulda had my lap top facing the other way.
But yes, i learned from this experience. I ended up getting my screen fixed, thank you for offering some help mehn, you are the first and only!
I will check out your myspace page…you wanna do some gigs? i play dirty fidget electro indy dance wobble house.
Field gear excelent idea, If I were in the states making the money i make there then no problem, As it is, making 2 grand a month here in thailand is good money, and I may Just clear that this month. I am producing/editing 2 videos, djin, and teaching…things are on the up and up.
I still play that spot occasionally, but we keep it down a little bit.
Ok I will befriend you on my space and we can talk.