As of 03:00 hours on 20 May, Thailand'sArmy declared Martial Law. On 22 May, the Army upped the ante, declaring a Coup D'etat, suspending the Charter Constitution, and the effecting the removal, and arrest of many of the political players.
When the Army declared Martial Law in the early morning hours of 20 May 2014, the military quickly deployed throughout Bangkok and several provinces.
These harsh moves were precipitated by months of political unrest which had most recently escalated into a series of violent acts resulting in death and injury to a number of the Yellow Shirt faction (bombings and shootings). Further, the Thai Military had recently discovered several new military weapons caches of the Red Shirts within the city of Bangkok and suburbs. The Thai Military viewed the escalation of violence and the unending political stalemate as just cause to declare Martial Law.
On the second day of the declared Martial Law, the Army brass invited the various factions of political squabblers to sit down and come to a negotiated settlement. The meeting lasted less than two days - as the Army perceived that no progress was, or would be, made from such meetings. They, the Army, at a moment's notice, declared the Coup D'etat , suspending the Constitution, arresting the political leaders of both factions, and declaring a 10:00 p.m. to 05:00 a.m curfew, effectively immediately.
The 10:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. curfew lasted until 28 May, where it was revised to commence at 24:00 hrs and finish at 04:00 hrs. During that week leading up to 28 May, the Night Entertainment Venues suffered severely - most opening at 6:00 p.m., but not really rolling until 8:00 p.m., and having to close at 9:00 p.m. so that the customers and staff could rush home. For example, we noted that almost half of the Night Entertainment Venues on Soi Dead Artists (Soi 33 Sukhumvit) were not even bothering to open.
As at this writing, the curfew continues from midnight to four in the morning, which has given some relief to the Night Entertainment Industry (most Nitespots are now open), but the hours available to them to earn a living remain truncated. The other shoe had of course dropped at the same time - foreigners planning for holidays in Thailand, and Bangkok in particular, are changing their minds and going elsewhere. This of course further hurts the Nightscene businesses. This perception that Bangkok is an unsafe place for tourists is not new - the perception reappears at each eruption of political instability. The irony is that under the current Coup D'etat, Bangkok is actually safer than it has been for a long while during the months of political protests. We have attempted to assure those contacting us for information that Bangkok is not dangerous, but it is a hard sell - they tend to believe what they see, and read, in their home-country media, regardless of how shallow and/ or misguided that media may be.
Nitelife's History
...KEEPS SNEAKING UP AND BITING
US ON THE ASS
The Mississippi Queen BACK IN THE 'NEWS'
Two Joys
On seeing our recent article on the 1970's A Go-Go bar, Mississippi Queen <link>, reader "Peter D." kindly forwarded some of his MQ memorabilia to us for publication. In 2004 he once again chanced to meet Joy (the MQ twin featured in our article), and had a chance to talk to her at some length. He also snapped the pic at the right. He was (as we are) struck at the similarity in the poses. He noted that Joy was still upset at the loss of her twin sister Jun (?) - as will be many readers.
Peter recalls he first met Joy when visiting the Mississippi Queen back in the early 1970's. She wrote her name on a matchbox and gave it to him - and by chance he has kept it to this day. We noted that the obverse of the matchbox advertises the "New Jocky Club" which neither Peter nor I could place. I asked Tony Douglas, the MQ's owner, and he recalls that when he later opened the Memphis Queen next to the Madrid, the bar that had been there just prior was the Jocky Club (without the "New"). The mystery remains - often bars will name themselves (officially) "New XYZ", but their sign might only read "XYZ" - but was this the case for the New Jocky Club? Readers, any ideas?
- We are indebted to Jondalar for this submission. This abstract meets "Fair Use" criteria under Copyright law.
We stand in admiration of these Rotarians of old who selflessly forayed into Soi Cowboy to clean up it's raunchy image by having bargirls ride around on their necks as they roamed the public thoroughfare......
(Circa 1982)
The Mos Quito Bar A MEMORY OF A MEMORY
Originally called the Mos Quito Bar (probably through signmaker error), it was always known and otherwise written as the 'Mosquito Bar'. The card here was of a much later Mosquito Bar (after a renovation in the early 1980's) which featured scalloped plaster walls, live entertainment and actual lighting. We note that it was not a grand success, and folded soon after, as did Khlong Toey itself, as a Night Entertainment District. The original Khlong Toey waterfront bar of mid-century infamy was card tables with folding metal chairs, darkness, girls fighting over seafaring lads, Singh beer and a bac or two of Mehkong, not necessarily in that order. Nevertheless, 'historical in it's own right, the card reproduced above does recall the original.
Thermae Coffee Shop THE NOT-JAPANESE ONE...
The old Thermae Coffee Shop located in the basement of the Thermae Massage building would likely not have passed a health inspection, if they had health inspections, that is.... The urinal (not in the basement) was adjoining the Thermae kitchen, and subject to view by all those walking in from the rear entrance, or passing young ladies coming up the stairway from the Coffee Shop as they made their way to the slightly more private toilet. BTW, these Thermae pics look very familiar - if we are reproducing without having obtained proper permission, let us know and we will take them down.
One of the dozens, nay, hundreds, of lovely half-familiar faces from the old "T" Coffee Shop. One has to wonder, where have all the flowers gone?...
And I am totally attracted to the lovely ladies in your Thai Smile section, but some are far from the beauty queens that Thailand is mostly famous for. I know everyone has their own tastes in women, but to be honest, some of your ladies are pretty ordinary. I'm not complaining, but shouldn't you be doing photos of some of the millions of really beautiful Thai girls every month?
Just a suggestion, keep up the good work.
Ed
Hello, Ed,
Firstly, you may be pleased to know we have received a number of similar comments from others over the years. We will therefore reply to your letter here, in hopes others with like thoughts will read.
As you may have noticed, Midnight Hour is an historical Nightlife publication, perhaps unique in Thailand, and not a review of the sex / prostitution scene. So it shouldn't be surprising that our Thai Smile is not about women, or young ladies, nor is it a beauty pageant of any sort - it is about Nightlife in general, and the smiles in particular. In the past, we have had photos of children and old people, male and transgender. The real, and only criteria for our consideration for inclusion into the Thai Smile category are : they have to be Thai, and they have to be smiling. As an historical publication, it is our hope that these electronic pages will "make it to the future", and that some future generation will be able to source these pages and see a small slice of what the Bangkok Night Entertainment Scene had to offer in times past - to include the 'smiles' we have experienced along the way.
Best,
Boge Hartman
*With apologies to the Shoop Shoop Song and Betty Everett
We can answer virtually any (reasonable) question on the Expat Night Entertainment Scene in
Bangkok - be it Historical or very recent. Send us an e-mail and
we will do our best to answer you soonest.
When the Pussy Collection closed a couple of months back, the girls moved to the Kiss. Now the Kiss (which just turned 20 years old) has closed and the girls have moved to the SuperStar. There is a rumor that the Kiss will reopen on or about the 15th of June, but as much as we would like to believe that, we will have to see it to believe it. We'll be checking back, of course, but until any further change in status, it comes off the rolls.....
PATPONG I
The King's Camelot (just say 'Camelot') has been closed for two months running, so we can safely assume the King's Group is not playing 'musical chairs' anymore. There is a small chance that it is closed due to the ongoing midnight curfew, so we will give it the benefit of the doubt and come back to check status next survey....
PATPONG I
King's Corner 3 (King's 3) has closed, and as you can see, this is no curfew problem (the sign says, 'Interested in renting - contact these numbers'). What next - another 'big bag' shop? Many long-term residents and frequent visitors to the Kingdom will remember that this was the original King's Castle A Go-Go, touted by some international publications as "The Best" bar. How the mighty have fallen....
PATPONG I
The upstairs Super Pussy was locked down like Alcatraz when we walked by the other evening. No sign indicating when, or if they were coming back. Due to the ongoing military curfew, let's adopt a "wait-and-see" on this, but things don't look good.....
PATPONG I
One bar that won't be returning after the curfew is lifted is the upstairs Club 66, which has removed chattel and signs and headed for greener pastures. Safe landing, ladies and gentlemen....
One bar that has weathered the political and military storms is the Black Pagoda - suspended three stories above the roadway, accessed by the elevator and stairs across from Foodland. Note: they actively promote themselves, and have an interesting staff arrangement....
PATPONG 2
In the "self-promotion" department, the Bada Bing is going Hi-Tech - they have large LCD screens positioned strategically on the outside of the bar showing some of the interesting scenery within. How they roll is how they roll....
Baccara A Go-Go was slowed only slightly when they suffered an upstairs fire last month. They continue to rock, and are in the process of replacing their facade as we speak (see photo). May they persevere.
SOI COWBOY
Below is a brief test clip of the Deja Vu and the Tilac. In the future we will endeavor to present typical, and not so typical video clips of Bangkok's Night Entertainment Scene for those who don't 'get down' themselves. (TURN YOUR SOUND DOWN....)
This month, as Midnight Hour (slowly) completes our conversion to HTML5, we are including test video clips of the Bangkok Nightscene. We hope to perfect this technique to work equally well on all browsers and mobile phones.... but easier said than done. (Is your sound ON ? Be prepared to turn it DOWN...) .
TheAngel Witch 2 has closed its doors - we hear from the street gossips that this is due to a lack of customers more than the curfew. We'll have a look-back next go-round, and keep all advised should they reopen.
NANA PLAZA
The 3rd Floor Wild Thing has closed it's doors after only a few months' operations. Go figger - might be the curfew - but they had an attractive coyote lineup - things should have been jumping.... We'll have another look come end of the month....
NANA PLAZA
Girls just want to have fun... ( YOU KNOW IT DON'T COME EASY )
" NOTICE TO COYOTE
1. No talking or playing on the "floor" (the A Go-Go stage). Penalty - cut 200 Baht for both parties.
2. Getting down off the "floor" without saying. Cut 200 Baht each floor.
3. Going up onto the "floor" late, or not going up. Cut 200 Baht each floor. "
Hillary has done the ultimate makeover in red - and we do mean red. A striking sight. (Note: they did up the other Hillary up in yellow at the Hotel Rajah as well, but this bar really shines. Our photo doesn't do it justice... The place was packed out when we passed by....rock on....
SOI NANA
The Chawan Massage has oened newly on the 2nd floor of the Rajah Hotel outbuilding. They advise that they have private rooms and a variety of massage choices. Wish them well as they commence to slip and slide.
SOI NANA
Last month we photographed and videotaped an individual preaching the Christian word from a Bible in Little Arabia (Soi 3/1 Sukhumvit). Unusual, to be sure. This month, while we learn the ropes of video-on-webpages, we are running a brief snippet of the video tape.
As noted earlier, this month Midnight Hour is including test video clips of the Bangkok Nightscene.. We hope to perfect this technique to work equally well on all browsers and mobile phones.... but easier said than done. (Is your sound ON ? Be prepared to turn it DOWN...)
Last month, just after moving into the Holiday Inn, they were going by the moniker Denny. This month, they found the missing "S", and are back once again to being Denny's. Let the good times roll.
SOI 22 - (Sukhumvit)
The Fee Far and it's sister, Fah Massage (both located on Soi Lemongrass) are closed for the short term. This closure is almost certainly due to the Coup D'etat curfew imposed by the military.
- File photo
SOI 22 - (Sukhumvit)
Karada Massage, likewise on Soi Lemongrass, is temporarily (we hope it is just temporary) during the curfew, and will likely open soon. Should the reality be something different, we shall report back.
No photo available
SOI 22 - (Sukhumvit)
The Honey Bee Massage was closed when we passed by the other night, but all the masseuses were standing around outside doing nothing about nothing. Wonder what that's all about? Will definitely revisit next survey. Located in Soi Lemongrass.
Mojos was closed the other night when we passed by, but they had a big sign saying they would be reopening soon. By the time you read this, they will already be back rockin'.
- File photo
SOI DEAD ARTISTS - SOI 33
Last month we noted that The Club (men's club) had closed, however during the current month, they reopened. Last night we passed by and they were closed again, and busily renovating the interior. By the time you read this, they should be open. We'll check back and get back atcha next issue.
- File photo
SOI DEAD ARTISTS - SOI 33
Baron Massage, also closed last month, reopened during the current month. Y'all can come back for your favorite specialty massage now.
- File photo
SOI DEAD ARTISTS - SOI 33
The Cefle Massage (Cefre in Thai) was closed when we passed by - almost certainly due to the current military curfew. We'll be keeping an eyeball peeled, and get back if they reappear... (For info, the Jina 33 Club closed in December of 2005 - it's just that no one has bothered to take the sign down.... )
SOI DEAD ARTISTS - SOI 33
The Joy Massage is closed again, but we're willing to bet this closure is due to the military curfew. We shall update status on Joy next time around.
- File photo
SOI DEAD ARTISTS - SOI 33
The Thanks Massage, located on Soi Pan Pan, was closed the other night when we surveyed. We expect they will reopen now that the curfew is lessening it's hours. We will report back on their status next time 'round.
The Lotus Massage, tucked away just off the main drag was closed down tighter than the proverbial drum last night. We suspect this is military curfew-induced, and anticipate their reopening in the near future (and will let all know in the following issue).
SOI AMBASSADOR - SOI 11
We are pleased to say DoubleWide (located in the Apoteka building) has reopened, and looking quite busy.
- File photo
SOI AMBASSADOR - SOI 11
The Night Friends Bar looks to be all washed up - it appears they have removed vital items such as booze and chrome barstools.... Inasmuch as this could be the result of the curfew, let's see what their profile looks like at the end of the month....
- File photo
SOI AMBASSADOR - SOI 11
Wax Late has not been helped by the relaxing of the curfew from 10:00 p.m. to midnite, as they are a late night club that has 'happy hour' until 02:30 a.m. (if that gives you any indication of what they mean by "late").... Look for them to open in a month's time, once the curfew has (hopefully) been lifted entirely....
- File photo
SOI AMBASSADOR - SOI 11
The living gargoyles that guard the exclusive St Moritz Bangkok have swung the heavy iron gates closed and locked them from the inside. Located just past Q Bar. Look for them to open in the near future when the curfew is behind us.
- File photo
SOI AMBASSADOR - SOI 11
The Raintree Spa is, according to feelers on the ground, closed for a few days to see which way the curfew winds are blowing. We will come back later and see if / when they have reopened.
- File photo
SOI AMBASSADOR - SOI 11
The Banana Club Massage for Men by Men has apparently given up the ghost. Greener pastures, 'men'....
The 'N Joy Bar reopened after a brief closure last month, but it's next door neighbor, Tuk Tuk Bar did not. The reason being the 'N Joy absorbed the Tuk Tuk and is now bigger and better than ever..... Get down tonite.
The Before After is back. With specials and specials.... So, you can come back, as well....
- File photo
SOI EDEN - Soi 7/1 Sukhumvit
The only thing moving at the Eden Club was an old calico cat - and it was asleep most of the time (see lower right corner). We expect the Eden will be reopening shortly now that the curfew has been relaxed to some degree. If not, we shall duly report next time 'round.
Bangkok Eyes goes back in time to see
Who was new - And who was through
in the Expat Night Entertainment world.
How many of these old 'oases'
do you remember ?
Patpong I
* The upstairs Pussys Collections closed down. Today, no Nitespot occupies those digs (which are next door to the current Club 66) .
* The Smile Club opened up next to the Madrid in what was previously the Mars Party House (and before that, the Napoleon). Those digs are now home to the Lust.
* The KissA Go-Go opened up in what, up until then, was Lips 2. It is still there today, although temporarily closed (?). Hard to believe they are 20 years old this month....
* The unnamed upstairs bar that moved into the defunct New Castle Bar a month previously was given the name Joy Bar Today, no Nitespot occupies that real estate.
Patpong 2
* The Elixer (upstairs in the Cosmos stairwell opposite Foodland) reopened. Today no Nitespot exists at that location.
* Up on The Ramp, both the Mr Natural and the Classic Cocktail Lounge reopened. The 501 Studio Bar currently occupies the old Mr Natural real estate, however no bar now exists at the old Classic.
Soi Cowboy
* The upstairs D (Hong Aharn Dee) closed, becoming the Eros Bar A Go Go Theque. It was located above the now-extinct Salambo Bar, which eventually became part of Shebas, and then today's Lighthouse.
* The Pink Pussycat opened in the then-recently closed New Pink Pussycat (which before that was the original Pink Pussycat). Today the Cockatoo occupies that parcel.
Nana Plaza * The Pretty Girl added the words, 'A Go Go' to their sign, which was hardly necessary........... Today the Spellbound holds reign there.
Soi Katoey(Silom Soi 4) * No changes that month / year.
It all started out as a site-gag perpetrated by a Banksy admirer, whose name is not Adam Himebauch. He downloaded a digital copy of a well known Banksy rat graffito and PhotoShoppedTom Hanks' head onto the rat.....
- Limited portion reproduced herein meets Copyright Fair Use criteria.
"Hanksy", a fan of both Tom Hanks and Banksy, put up this cut-out, and whimsically signed it "Hanksy" - which later became his for-real tag.
Hanksy then made a printout of his photo-melange and pasted it up on a wall in Little Italy (New York). He then took a photo of it and posted it to his Instagram and Twitter pages, and sent another copy to a well-known graffiti website. And he promptly called it a day, having forgotten about it for the most part.
- Limited portion reproduced herein meets Copyright Fair Use criteria.
Hanksy's spoof of Bruce Willis and Die Hard. .
It went viral. As did Hanksy's appetite for decorating New York's walls - creating, as he went, an ever growing following.
- Limited portion reproduced herein meets Copyright Fair Use criteria.
Hanksy'sGal Pacino.
Likewise, there was an ever-growing body of irritated citizens, who, as tax-payers, were not predisposed to having their walls being decorated by yet another of New York's ever-present hoard of midnight vandals. Even within his own 'culture' Hanksy had his share of detractors, calling him an opportunist and a copycat. And they were of course, correct - but in the end, the comic relief engendered by his satire and plays-on-words has won over most of his peer opposition.
- Limited portion reproduced herein meets Copyright Fair Use criteria.
Hanksy spoofs another Banksy great.....
Fast-forward a couple years down the road, and Hanksy is up to bigger and -arguably- better things - he recently organized a 'paint-in', inviting a couple dozen of his fellow graf artists to join him - their objective : furtively occupy abandoned apartments in the East Village, and let it all spray out. The spraycan adventure was dubbed, for short, Surplus Candy. The event garnered a great deal of media coverage, and was, as far as his peers in the world-of-the-spraycan are concerned, a grand success.
- Limited portion reproduced herein meets Copyright Fair Use criteria.
Hanksy does the occasional simple pun in lieu of a satire..... .
But why stop there? If the real Banksy can go commercial, why can't clone Hanksy? Short answer: He can. He has had three shows to date, all managed by Benjamin Krause, owner of Krause Gallery. (What next- graffiti agents?). And we are not talking peanuts here, folks. His first show sold out - about 150 pieces of Hanks-Banksy spin-off for from $50 to 2,000 a crack. His second show, also sold out, presented a total of 30 pieces, selling for $1,000 - $4,000 each. That's not a misprint..... Who was it said, 'Crime doesn't pay"?
- And now to Midnight Hour's own brand of BangkokGraffiti ....
Graffiti #715
Rubblerousers
2 ft high x 2 ft each
Graffiti #716
Offish
8 ft high x 47 ft
Graffiti #717
Eagle Blues
8 ft high x30 ft
Graffiti #718
Nightshade
6 ft high x 15 ft
Graffiti #719
Flagtoon
8 ft high x 22 ft
Graffiti #720
Asiasick
5 ft high x 6 ft
Graffiti #721
Wall-Eyed
7 ft high x 10 ft
Graffiti,Graffiti , and more Graffiti -
Bangkok's original graffiti Site !
The MIDNITE HOURGraffiti Page is prepared by Staff Contributor"Boge" Hartman .
(Boge's photo, above, is not a graffitiper-se, although there are those who have insinuated.... -
Ed)
June's Nightlife News 
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PATPONG I 
PATPONG I 
- File photo Tuk-Tuk Bar
2002 - 2014,
BANGKOK EYES / bangkokeyes.com