Once in a while, I see a reference to karoake bars, but not much discussion. What's the deal with these in LoS? I am not much into lame attempts to sing pop songs, but there must be some attraction in these bars.
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Once in a while, I see a reference to karoake bars, but not much discussion. What's the deal with these in LoS? I am not much into lame attempts to sing pop songs, but there must be some attraction in these bars.
. . . In general, Thais love karoake . . . so there are lots of karoake bars around.
Also in general, Farang don't like karoake so little discussion about them here.
But for sure, gay Farang love Thai guys, so they naturally gravitate toward places where hoardes of Thai guys make their sanook.
So, naturally ... they often they end up in karoake bars, sulking at a table watching their Thai guys enjoy themselves.
With a few beers in one karoake can be enjoyable. There's a charming little bouncing ball on the screen hovering above a phonetic pronunciation of the song.
You can get into it with not a large amount of effort, and although it wouldn't be my cup of tea every night, once in awhile I partake and have a blast.
Cheers ...
smiles:LOL; that generalisation certainly held true for me. Up until a few years ago, I'd proudly state that I NEVER did karaoke.Quote:
in general, Farang don't like karoake
However, a trip to Korea broke down my resolve, and then a few trips to Thailand made me realise that I really wasn't THAT much worse than most of the other punters - and I even started to enjoy myself! I have fond memories of a visit to Butterfly Karaoke in Day Night Plaza (Pattaya), where after a dodgy rendition of Thai band Taxi's latest hit (made possible by the phoenetic subtitles), my pal and I were treated to a very polite round of applause. I actually believed for a split second that someone appreciated my musical talents!
I now have to qualify my comment about karaoke: "I don't do karaoke ouside of Asia".
I well remember a few years ago being in a small town up north Thailand named Si Chiang Mai. It lies directly on the Mekong, and at night you can look out across the river and see (and hear!) the lights and sounds drifting out over the river from the riverside restaurants which line the banks in Vientiane.
There wasn't much nightlife in Si Chiang Mai (an understatement!!) and the highlight of the early evening was to walk along the river embankment and sit and watch 50 or 60 ladies of the town (and a couple of wannabe lady boys) doing their aerobic exercises to the sound of an old boom box which some enterprising electrician had hooked up to the village loud speaker system.
But after dark our only alternative was a rather dingy bar next door to our little hotel ~ 450 baht ... mattress on the floor ... airconditioner leaking drops of water on our heads while tried to sleep. ( For a more detailed account: Raindrops ). It was early in the week so maybe 2 other couples were there: but they had karaoke!
5 or 6 beers into it and Suphot went up and gave the spinner a list of songs and was handed the mike . . . and here we go! Another few and I was singing smarmy duets with my beloved all alone (the other 2 left) lying down on the big plush sofas they had there as comfort stations and me trying to keep up with that crazy little bouncing ball and getting my tones all wrong!
We stayed there and closed 'er down, but it was night to remember. I think I fell in love all over again that evening and I must say it seemed to add a little extra glue to the relationship . . . that I would even attempt to keep up with him singing Thai pop songs, in the middle of nowhere, in public, and with very few of my numerous inhibitions on show.
So ... the implication here is that Thai guys go to Karaoke bars to enjoy themselves, not for other purposes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Smiles
Enjoying oneself, in the broad sense, leaves a lot of room for...exploration.Quote:
Originally Posted by Newbie
:pottytrain3:Quote:
Originally Posted by Smiles
Is that why you used the sofa as a, "Comfort Station," Smiles?
However convenient; next time I'm in Chiang Mai, I'll remember that--And be careful where I sit.
Newbie, you stated...I would agree with that implication, as well as the acknowledgment that I also go to Karaokes for the sole purpose of enjoying MYSELF.Quote:
So ... the implication here is that Thai guys go to Karaoke bars to enjoy themselves, not for other purposes.
I enjoy being around THE BOYZ when they're simply having fun in a natural setting and letting their hair down so to speak. For the BOYZ, these dimly lit and stuffy little dens serve as friendly after-work gathering places where they can sit among friends and relax, share in a few cheap drinks, sing or dance if they still have the energy, or meet up with that Thai BF, who, under normal circumstances, remains transparent to the farang eye.
Yes, besides the working boy's task of servicing the needs of us older farangs, they do have a life of their own when their work is finished. I always enjoy observing their behavior when all the pressures of the gogo lights are removed and their true personalities can take over. I sat with a group of Thai friends at Butterfly Karaoke and watched as one of the boys in my group tried like hell to pick-up one of the waiters. Like most young guys, he was a bit shy and simply relied on smiling and joking with the waiter when he was visiting our table. As the hours passed, and about the time our second bottle of 100 Pipers arrived at the table, the boy was pulling the waiter down on the sofa with both hands and whispering things that made the waiter blush from ear-to-ear. As we gathered ourselves in preparation to leave that night, the waiter took the boy by the hand and led him back towards the bath room where they spent the next few minutes hugging and whispering those secret little things in each others ears.
For those who have never visited a Karaoke, you should give it a try sometime. I've always found the experience to be most rewarding when going it alone, although this doesn't occur very often. I'll guarantee that you won't be sitting alone at the bar for too long before you find yourself snuggling on one of those black plastic sofas with a whole new group of friends...and ultimately, having the boy that you spotted in the crowd two hours earlier whispering the lyrics to your favorite song softly and convincingly in your ear.