MIDNITE HOUR - 01 December 2024

Traces of Bangkok's Early Years

It will surprise most, historians included, that Bangkok's in-print media has been addressing the Nightlife Scene to a greater or lesser extent since the end of the Second World War (late 1945, to be exact). A short-list of now-extinct publications which wholeheartedly or in part pursued the Bangkok Nitelife include the Standard International, Impact, Bangkok World Sunday Magazine Section, Standard Bangkok Magazine, Democracy, Liberty, The Bangkok Tribune and Weekender. Bangkok Eyes will highlight these publications in future editions of our Traces section.

Last month we noted that journalist Bernard Trink had taken up the reins of Entertainment Editor at the Bangkok World in 1965, but that his Nite Owl column appeared only sporadically into 1968. Later that year, however, things would change. In August 1968 he published no less than 14 Nite Owl columns for that month alone. Perusing these columns we can observe the Nite Owl's transition, not only in quantity of text / photos, but an emergent original 'style'. It was this transition of form and style that projected him into international notoriety in the decades to follow. (Trink's last Nite Owl column appearing 26 December 2003.)

It should be noted that the '60s, '70s and '80s were more permissive ('Not Politically Correct') as far as what could or couldn't be set to print in Bangkok's publications. Thus, Bernard Trink's Nite Owl column was able to (and often did) push the boundaries of Nightlife reportage to new limits. Below we have reproduced (without editing) 7 of Bernard Trink's August 1968 Nite Owl columns which best illustrate the column's pivotal transformation...

Prior to mid-1968, Trink's Nite Owl columns were brief, focusing mostly on which entertainers were where. .

August 1968

As the month of August 68 progressed we note Trink began to expand coverage, focusing more on personalities. He also started using his 'trademark' sign-off, "But I Don't Give A Hoot!" more regularly.

August 1968

This mid-month Nite Owl has an obscure historical gem (for you old farts out there)... Trink notes that the Thai Yonoke opened newly as a very respectable Coffee Shop in the then recently vacated 'notorious' Dew Drop digs. The Dew Drop was a freelancer venue on a par with the Thermae, the Nana Coffee Shop or Thai Heaven. We have no idea what the management of the then-new Thai Yonoke fed to Trink on the subject of "respectable", but the Thai Yonoke reverted almost immediately to yet another 'notorious' freelancer Venue.

August 1968

This edition of the Nite Owl, appearing later in the month, starts off with an essay on Bangkok's Nightlife. He would later refer to these lead essays as 'think pieces'. Here we see more extensive use of captioned photos.

August 1968

Wishful thinking on our part, but we wish Trink had more regularly provided the locations of the Venues he mentioned in the Nite Owl... Above the Other Office Bar (now Old Other Office Bar) was located on Patpong 2 Road. The Plaza Building mentioned (Plaza Hotel), has since become the Pavilion Hotel.

August 1968

Here, in his lead-off essay, Trink expands on the different classes of bar girls (then often referred to as 'partners'). During this period we see increasing usage of the original 'Nite Owl' emblem. -We note : Bangkok Eyes provides verbatim the now 'ancient' Nite Owl columns for historical purposes only, these columns do not reflect the views of Bangkok Eyes.

August 1968

By the end of August 1968, we were seeing a few expanded Nite Owl columns - continued on following page(s). The top photo introduces Narcing Aguilar Jr., joining Narcing, Pepito and Tony as Bangkok's most popular Philippine family of entertainers. They would eventually be joined by Tony's daughter, Christina Aguilar (not the later American entertainer Christina Aguilara).