lonelywombat
February 10th, 2010, 12:55
I have cut and paste some of the references to the original question Hopefully this thread can stay on topic
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original post
I am preparing to write an article for a European gay magazine about Bangkok as the world's prime gay destination.
One of the obligatory topics is Bangkok's best gay disco - DJ Station. Does anyone know its history? Who owns it? Anything particularly newsworthy happened there since its opening about a decade (?) ago? What about their show troupe performing there every day for 30 minutes after 11:30 pm.? They are gorgeous!
Thanks in anticipation!
Harry
DJ Station opened in 1994 or 1995. The bar that was in that location before DJтАЩs was called the Bamboo Bar where patrons sat on cushions on the floor and watched a traditional Thai dance show and talok. Opposite Bamboo, on the spot where Expresso now is, was Harries Bar with the Garden Bar above that. All three bars were owned in a partnership of two Thais: Harry and Vichai; Harry died in 2002 but Vichai is still around and you can see him nearly every afternoon in Silom Complex taking coffee with friends. At the time of its opening Vichai was one of the owners of DJ but Harry was not.
When DJ Station first opened the entrance was up a large, semi-spiral (and quite slippery) marble ramp to what is now the 2nd floor bar. You then had to go downstairs to the dance floor. That entrance design lasted about 18 months and then they removed the ramp entrance and installed the current style entrance at street level.
At the time of DJтАЩs opening Rome Club in Silom Soi 4 was still in its heyday and DJ was not a very popular venue. Then, one night in 1996, the infamous notice at Rome Club appeared тАЬHomosexuals Not WelcomeтАЭ and things changed forever for Rome. The notice had been put up by the Thai owner of Rome, Tirah, while his Spanish partner, Manuel, was away from Bangkok. Tirah had always been an impulsive character and it is said that he put the notice up because he had been rejected by a Thai boy. From the moment that sign went up, that is when DJ Station became the No.1 gay disco in Bangkok.
When Manuel returned to Bangkok 3 days later he quickly took the sign down, but the damage was done and the gay disco crowd never forgave them. Rome Club tried to apologize, made renovations and held reopening parties but very few people went. Tirah and Manuel eventually retired to Koh Samui where they were both murdered.
DJ Station has maintained its dominance of the gay disco scene because there is no suitable alternative. Freemans Disco was started in 1998 but was never very popular and now in that same location is GOD to which I have never been because no one ever goes there until after my bed time. Yes, I am now an old timer but I have enjoyed my 27 years in Bangkok but I seem to have grown out of the disco scene.
I hope the above blatherings help you in your project.
.[/quote]
I am surprised at your comment that DJ opened 94/95 I thought it was earlier. My first trip to BKK was in
90/91 and 3 trips a year since.My memory was DJ was operating then Other places that come to mind as being around at the same time Barbiery, Twilight, Telephone Bar, SuperLex and the infamous SuperA.
My English teaching friends use to haunt Suriwongese Hotel and drink cheap thai liquor. Ugh!
Garden and Harry's do indeed go back at least to the late 70s. I remember them. There were a couple of other small places that were very nice too but I forget their names. One was run by an American who had the same name as a famous news presenter, and he was amazingly kind and helpful to people who visited his small bar.
Spartacus had listings on Thailand long before 1987 and they also offered what they called their "Holiday Help Portfolios" which went into great detail about various locations. In some places they had local guides they could put you in touch with who would show you around. That was the original Spartacus which was founded in Amsterdam by the now deceased Englishman John D. Stamford about 1970. After having been taken over by Bruno Gm├╝nder, it hasn't been worth reading as far as I'm concerned. John Stamford would drive around Europe each summer personally inspecting places of interest traveling in his caravan with the license plate "BOY 1".
_________________
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original post
I am preparing to write an article for a European gay magazine about Bangkok as the world's prime gay destination.
One of the obligatory topics is Bangkok's best gay disco - DJ Station. Does anyone know its history? Who owns it? Anything particularly newsworthy happened there since its opening about a decade (?) ago? What about their show troupe performing there every day for 30 minutes after 11:30 pm.? They are gorgeous!
Thanks in anticipation!
Harry
DJ Station opened in 1994 or 1995. The bar that was in that location before DJтАЩs was called the Bamboo Bar where patrons sat on cushions on the floor and watched a traditional Thai dance show and talok. Opposite Bamboo, on the spot where Expresso now is, was Harries Bar with the Garden Bar above that. All three bars were owned in a partnership of two Thais: Harry and Vichai; Harry died in 2002 but Vichai is still around and you can see him nearly every afternoon in Silom Complex taking coffee with friends. At the time of its opening Vichai was one of the owners of DJ but Harry was not.
When DJ Station first opened the entrance was up a large, semi-spiral (and quite slippery) marble ramp to what is now the 2nd floor bar. You then had to go downstairs to the dance floor. That entrance design lasted about 18 months and then they removed the ramp entrance and installed the current style entrance at street level.
At the time of DJтАЩs opening Rome Club in Silom Soi 4 was still in its heyday and DJ was not a very popular venue. Then, one night in 1996, the infamous notice at Rome Club appeared тАЬHomosexuals Not WelcomeтАЭ and things changed forever for Rome. The notice had been put up by the Thai owner of Rome, Tirah, while his Spanish partner, Manuel, was away from Bangkok. Tirah had always been an impulsive character and it is said that he put the notice up because he had been rejected by a Thai boy. From the moment that sign went up, that is when DJ Station became the No.1 gay disco in Bangkok.
When Manuel returned to Bangkok 3 days later he quickly took the sign down, but the damage was done and the gay disco crowd never forgave them. Rome Club tried to apologize, made renovations and held reopening parties but very few people went. Tirah and Manuel eventually retired to Koh Samui where they were both murdered.
DJ Station has maintained its dominance of the gay disco scene because there is no suitable alternative. Freemans Disco was started in 1998 but was never very popular and now in that same location is GOD to which I have never been because no one ever goes there until after my bed time. Yes, I am now an old timer but I have enjoyed my 27 years in Bangkok but I seem to have grown out of the disco scene.
I hope the above blatherings help you in your project.
.[/quote]
I am surprised at your comment that DJ opened 94/95 I thought it was earlier. My first trip to BKK was in
90/91 and 3 trips a year since.My memory was DJ was operating then Other places that come to mind as being around at the same time Barbiery, Twilight, Telephone Bar, SuperLex and the infamous SuperA.
My English teaching friends use to haunt Suriwongese Hotel and drink cheap thai liquor. Ugh!
Garden and Harry's do indeed go back at least to the late 70s. I remember them. There were a couple of other small places that were very nice too but I forget their names. One was run by an American who had the same name as a famous news presenter, and he was amazingly kind and helpful to people who visited his small bar.
Spartacus had listings on Thailand long before 1987 and they also offered what they called their "Holiday Help Portfolios" which went into great detail about various locations. In some places they had local guides they could put you in touch with who would show you around. That was the original Spartacus which was founded in Amsterdam by the now deceased Englishman John D. Stamford about 1970. After having been taken over by Bruno Gm├╝nder, it hasn't been worth reading as far as I'm concerned. John Stamford would drive around Europe each summer personally inspecting places of interest traveling in his caravan with the license plate "BOY 1".
_________________