Shows or No Shows?

As a matter of curiosity on my part, how many guys actually enjoy shows? (be they in bars or wherever)

Am I alone in really hating them - either in go go bars, normal bars or even DJ Station?

I love looking at hot guys but not when they are badly choreographed or in costumes.

I see so many people clearly enjoying them - Thais especially seem to love shows -am I missing something here?

;)~

[krobbie]

YardenUK, I personally like well organized shows but some are a bit hokey. I like the show at Katoeys 'R' Us on Bangla Road in Phuket. Well done and beautiful costumes and the gals are a lot of fun.

My bf loves shows as do most Thais. They are an escape and it seems not to matter if they are good or bad. In a Thai persons eyes it is all CABARET! ... and they LOVE cabaret.

Cheers
krobbie :leb:

I am with you in hating the shows. I, too, like to look at the hot guys, but most shows I have seen in any of the bars around pattaya, do not have hot guys doing their shows--they are ladyboy shows or the fem to very fem guys doing the shows, and like you said, the dancing and lipsyncing is usually very poor. In the old days in Bkk, I think it was Super Lek bar did a bunch of all boy/guy shows which included lipsyncing by guys dressed in regular guy clothes singing current Thai pop hits, and did dancing shows with regular, masculine guys doing the shows--that was entertaining. However, certainly, if drag shows are your cup of tea, you can find them all over.

[dab69]

always hated ugly dq's lip syncing, but enjoyed the comedy in DJ's well rehearsed shows

[TrongpaiExpat]

I am with you in hating the shows. I, too, like to look at the hot guys, but most shows I have seen in any of the bars around pattaya, do not have hot guys doing their shows--they are ladyboy shows or the fem to very fem guys doing the shows, and like you said, the dancing and lipsyncing is usually very poor. In the old days in Bkk, I think it was Super Lek bar did a bunch of all boy/guy shows which included lipsyncing by guys dressed in regular guy clothes singing current Thai pop hits, and did dancing shows with regular, masculine guys doing the shows--that was entertaining. However, certainly, if drag shows are your cup of tea, you can find them all over.

Super Lek had the usual shower show, candle show and big cock shows but I don't remember any guys doing dance/lip sync routines. What I do remember is the shows at the Midnight Cowboy. They were "regular boys" in all sorts of erotic reveling costumes doing various dance/show type numbers. It was not in your face sex, no hanging from the ceiling fucking but erotic and fun.

I went to Dream Boys last night for the midnight show. The house was not very busy. I was a little late and missed the first two acts. 4 guys were slow dancing together in skimpy underpants. Then two guys with huge cocks with their body painted in colorful black lighted paint danced on stage and in/on the seats, touching was encouraged. Then two guys came on stage and did a short dance routine introducing a lady boy with a mike that spoke only in Thai but I understood most of it and it was not worth knowing Thai. She thought she was funny. Then a strangely dressed guy in drag was beat by the two guys with those fake rubber hoses. Then some guy appeared with one humongous cock and they did a fuck show on the stage and in the seats. Drinks 240B

[thaiworthy-old]

The Dream Boys show with the humongous cock costume is getting old. I remember seeing that 10 years ago. I kinda liked the f*cking from the ceiling parts of the show back then.

As for drag queens, Madame Jim is entertaining and seems to do the job rather well. I think it is the jokes and patter that make it for me. He does speak English, after all. I enjoy going to some of those PGF functions.

The most exciting show was one that appealed to my purely prurient desires. It was in Sunee Plaza, natch. I don't remember the name of the bar. I don't think it exists anymore. Anyway, I saw a very attractive guy twirling in a hula-hoop wearing nothing but aviator's goggles. He was very well endowed, and watching his thing move in tempo, well, nevermind. I assure you, it was entertaining to say the least. He went around later asking for tips. After that, another guy brought out a bucket of ping pong balls, and I think I knew what was coming. But just at that moment a bell rang and they all went scrambling to take on their standard dancing poses. I guess they thought the tourist police were coming. But it turned out to be a false alarm and I never got to see the rest of the show. Damn it!

I imagine those days are gone forever. I seem to have absolutely no redeeming virtues when it comes to visiting these establishments. Katoeys then, are a momentary diversion between hard-ons.

Trongpai wrote: Super Lek had the usual shower show, candle show and big cock shows but I don't remember any guys doing dance/lip sync routines


When Super Lek had these shows, it has to be 20 years or more ago--I even stayed at the Tarntawan at that time--which was not run, of course, by Lukas, but by a Swiss company and there was a very nice woman in charge, named Christina or something like that.

I do remember Midnight Cowboy as well, and for a while a very tall white/farang "ladyboy" called Kamala, if I remember correctly worked there for the Singapore gentleman named John who ran Midnight Cowboy. Kamala originally worked at Super Lek and was good for welcoming and talking to the farang customers. Midnight Cowboy was great fun, had some good shows--after John died, it went downhill and closed.

I have seen drag shows since the early days of finding my first gay bar. Didn't like them then and still don't.

MY first show in BKK was at HotMale with the raw right in your face hard core solid disgusting sex with that trapeze swing stuff from the ceiling.
I loved it then, still do, and always will.

Then went down to Pattaya and did not find the good raw hard stuff like BKK. Still, the shows were entertaining. Wild West Boys had some great acts and very well directed. The cabaret style show at Throb (across from BozBozBoz with the hotel....think its Throb) was very good and the few acts with some drag were funny.

I was back last month and found HotMale had not changed and I still loved the boys with good masculine bodies. Hot wax and big cocks are still erotic for me. In Pattaya I was disappointed! The WWB shows were sort of OK with some good dancing routines. The sensuous moves (oiled bodies or Sang's foam erotic dance) were not as good as on my first trip and they were more into the costum traditional. One night was the owners birthday so it was all costumes. I had to leave Boys Town.

Wandered into Sunee for the first time and discovered Krazy Dragon. I had a great show at my table as they weren't busy and I got all the attention. With a fist full of 100 baht tip bills I had six or so guys giving me a private show. I sponsored a "chuck wow" contest with only 200 baht as the price. One guy came so quick others were just getting it swelled and slow stroking - well worth the 200 baht and a round of drinks for all that participated. For my money, much better than any drag show.

I am with YardenUK and other posters. If its not a good show don't waste my time. And to be a good show for me it needs real boys. I stick my head in and if I see drag, ladyboys, or excess costumes I'm out the door without getting seated.

Really sorry I missed the Super Lek shows. Must have been the good days. But for now "so many boys and so little time".

Cabaret-type elements are relatively new to Bangkok go-go bars, starting with Extreme about 5 years ago - they had only cabaret and it wasn't long before the other bars picked up on including cabaret elements in their own shows. The problem as many posters point out is that it's largely amateurs. A worse problem is what I understand is known in the trade as "continuity". There's an act, then a break as stagehands fumble around in the dark or the performers get changed, then another act, another break and so on; this tends to make the show longer than necessary. I'd have thought (having once been a newbie and remembering back that far), that the purpose of the fuck show at the end is to stimulate the punters so they'll off a boy; taking up the White Man's Burden on occasions it's my observation that that simply doesn't work any more. Worse, I was in Hotmale the other night and it was the first bar I've visited in a long while where there was a continuous stream of punters walking out during the fuck show, it was so bad. Part of the problem was, I think, the pairs visited every customer in the bar soliciting tips for their performance (and got them, too), so it went on and on and on. The same was true at Classic Boys the next evening although the punters didn't leave (there were few enough to begin!)

The shows should be shorter, with better continuity; generally it's not the show for which the bar exists, but for opportunities for the boys to make a living (and the punters to get laid). Oh, and for those of you who like girly boys and are in Bangkok, I can recommend Classic Boys. It's an odd bar (reminds me of a garage), and not that popular (customers tend to get waylaid by the touts at Dream Boy or Future Boys and don't make it that far down the Soi); many customers go as far as the door, look in and walk away but if you like the younger look I'd say that there's a higher proportion of good-looking gay boys (girly or otherwise) than in many other bars

Note: this post contains genuine opinions and is not a wowpow cut'n'paste effort

[Marsilius]

Re. Midnight Cowboy... Yes, the shows there were great - and maybe memory is playing me false but weren't virtually all the boys there exceptionally good-looking?

I was visiting a friend in his Sapan Kwai apartment maybe five years ago and Kamilla (as I thought the name was) had a neighbouring apartment and was then a full-time English teacher! You are right, SammyJ, she and John made a great team of hosts...

I do remember Midnight Cowboy as well, and for a while a very tall white/farang "ladyboy" called Kamala, if I remember correctly worked there for the Singapore gentleman named John who ran Midnight Cowboy. Kamala originally worked at Super Lek and was good for welcoming and talking to the farang customers.

If we are talking ancient history, and this is the same "Camella" (tall white farang cross-dresser, more "twin-set & pearls" than "Madam Jim", into little boys), she actually started in Thailand around 27 years ago at Lucky S, up the stairs opposite Super A. Prior to that she was the mama-san at the Professional Club in Hong Kong where her preferences were well known among the European girls working there.

i only knew cammella (or however she spelled it) from Super Lek, but Super A was a real pit right near there at that time so quite possible she worked there before Super Lek--those were the days that the old Twilight was the only bar on Soi Twilight now called D...Plaza or something--I was unaware of any like of "hers" for the young--saw her only in Super Lek and then later, Midnight Cowboy--was always friendly--not sure what happened to her after Midnight Cowboy?

Over 20 years ago, Super A was one of the first bars I went into as I was new to Thailand and staying at the Tarntawan right around the corner==what an eye opener that was.

So sorry I didn't discover LOS twenty five years ago. For you fortunate few that did, has the bar scene pretty much remained stable with activities out in the open. Realize there are no doubt many bars that have come and gone and numbers have increased.

Instead, my question is more one of openness that exists today. Have you seen cycles where the govt regime has from time to time shut things down for a lengthy period of time. Not just a few days or week but for months. Has that happened?

I have read comments about the "good ole days" but its hard to imagine the scene being any better than it is now.

And, is it likely that things could get shut down for good or can we count on LOS being an island of heaven for the future?

[Dodger]

Yarden...

I'm with you. I've had enough of those glittery lip-singing transvestites to last me to the next millennium, and I avoid them like the plague. A bunch of sexy looking guys drifting around on a stage in their snug little undies suits me just fine. I can do my own lip-singing after that.

Splash4

I haven't seen any long periods of time where bars were closed down - the only thing close was all the pressure put on the general entertainment scene by that very uptight minister four or five years ago! But the boys themselves have changed drastically over the years and today are much more obviously in it for the most money with the least performance, than years ago. A lot of this can be attributed to the bar owners themselves - very few of them seem to teach the boys the proper way to treat customers so they will come back again. But when the bar owners are doing the same thing themselves - i.e. raising the prices on drinks when there are fewer customers instead of lowering the prices a few baht to encourage more people to visit their establishments, what can you expect. Also, years ago you always saw signs in the loo's both in English and Thai warning of the dangers of Aids and most bar owners supplied the boys with condoms whenever they had an 'off'. Not today, most owners are too cheap to be worried about their boys health - they assume there is always a new supply. Well, IMHO it seems to me they have not only dragged the bottom of the proverbial barrel, but in many cases are looking under the barrel for help!

When I first came on this beautiful paradise back in 1990, when you took a boy off, whether for an hour (which was seldom), a night or a week - you had the feeling (however misinterpreted) of having a mini relationship with the guy. I tried to explain this to my friends in the US as the main reason for coming here so much. Nowadays, they usually just want to do their jobs as minimally as possible, get their money and head back to the bar or take their friends out partying. True, there are some really decent guys who give good service and quite a few that still send money home to buy a business later or just take care of their families upcountry, but they seem to be fewer and farther between. Today, they mostly seem to have more and more reasons for squeezing more out of their customers for the usual sick Buffalo or damaged roofs. I was fortunate enough to know a guy who worked in the bars for some years, took him off several times a month and after he finally disappeared from the scene, I found out he had a ten year old daughter upcountry and was taking good care of her. But never in the six or seven years I knew him, did he mention anything about this nor did he ever ask for anything other than what I paid him. Someone like that, I would have been happy to add some extras to his pocket. But those kind are rare today - unfortunately!

As for Kamela, she still lives up in SK doing her thing, has lost a lot of weight and really looks like a fashionable lady these days. Those were good days back then, Midnight Cowboy had a lot of 'hunks' that were not only the go-go boys, but also did all the acts on stage with little or no lady boys in evidence. Even Tawan in those days had some really groovy looking guys, muscled yes, but not overblown ones altho I must say having been there recently, management has made them get into shape and most have gotten rid of the extra hundred pounds or so they carried in their waistlines.

[Alaan]

I don't hate them ALL as Yarden does..but i do agree that about 80% are just garbage,which I do utterly hate.

Usually if i enter a bar unaware that a show will be coming on while I am there...... as soon as the show is announced i pay the bill and leave.. that is generally speaking.. especially lipsync/ladyboy/feathers and boas/ BBB type shows.. but on saying that the 20% of shows i have enjoyed, are the shows at the after hours bars such as JJ Pub[now Freemans] and Xray.. as they normally include good,actually funny, Thai comedy.. which even though i don't understand every part of it, certainly any boys I am with seem to love it.. and I get most of my amusement from watching the boys enjoying the show.

Other than that any shows I have seen over the last 3-4 years I have only attended because, the boy I have been with, has specifically asked to go to one.This happens more than i would have expected, many, certainly of the truly gay boys have asked me to take them to see a certain show at x bar, because [a]they have never been to that bar or [b]they have a friend in the show and they want to see them perform.

Lip sync to me.. is a total waste of time.. surely no talent required here.. but i don't mind if there is backing tapes as long as the artist is singing live.. but like most, when i first came to Thailand I did go to some shows but in most cases never returned back for seconds.

As for the sex shows... yes, my first visit to Bangkok a few years ago i did go and enjoy with eyes popping out of my head... but after you have seen one, the rest for me, just become boring. On my last visit in October however, i did take a friend to Bangkok with me to stay a couple of days.. he had never been to a Bangkok show..so I took him to, i think it was future boys show... he was quite keen to see some sort of sex show.. but it was a s&m type show with chains and those loud rubber batons they use to beat the victim with... he was horrified! his question was...'what has this got to do with sex?' he wanted to leave there and then! He was genuinely shocked! i was genuinely bored!

The only exception to the above, was when I was persuaded to go to the shows at My Way, Phuket.. I got a very pleasant surprise, they are very professional... I expected just to have to sit through a 30min boring lip-sync routine... but far from it .. the music was excellent.. very varied with rock, current pop, tasteful hits mostly from the uk and with excellent choreography... 5-10 min routines/numbers in quick succession lasting for up to an hour... and very enjoyable.. no boredom.. in fact i felt sorry for the gogo boys who only seemed to get about 15 mins every 90 mins to dance to try to get an off.. plus all drinks were only Bt100 so it was still a reasonable bar bill with 2 or 3 of you staying for a couple of hours which i did on a couple of occasions.

But, as I say, to find these enjoyable 20%.... I have had to sit through a boring 80% of pure dross.

[bing]

Did you ever type a posting and hit some crazy button on puter and loose the whole thing? I just did that about five minutes ago. Rats. I had written that Kamala was the first person I got to know in Bangkok after wandering around a few of the in places. Whether it was Leks or Super Lex or Super A but he was the star, along with his basket of snakes. He was beside me when I saw my first shower show. Kamala wanted to know all the color codes of hankies. That was the first thing I did on getting back to USA. I looked up all the colors, right and left side, and sent the list to him along with a fine selection of the colored hankies. It does go back to the early 90's. 1993 I think. There really is nothing to compare to the first time in Bangkok. There was a place that had about 30 boys and they ended the evening with a circle jerk, as I recall I saw a guy in the third row wiping a liquid substance off his shirt after the show was over. The Barbieri on Suriwong was the place to be for their show. An older boy took me and made sure I had a good seat for the soapsuds massage on stage. When the guys danced under the black light with paint on them and nothing else as I recall, my mind told me a body can not do that. I really did not want to go to Pattaya when the day came to go. Why would anyone want to leave Bangkok? I thought. Sparticus was the only reading material I recall that had any information on Thailand. I booked Ambiance on Sparticus' recommendation. Gordon and Jim made me welcome and were available at breakfast to make sure I had a plan for the day. A long haired boy on a motorbike outside the front door, took it upon himself to be my guide and driver. He also liked my shower and used most of the bottle of shampoo I had brought along. I still thank Buddha for inspiring me to bring that shampoo. I have forgotten his name, but do recall he always positioned my hand on his waist so I would not fall off to motor bike. I was a bit tentative at first till he lifted his shirt and slapped my hand on this waist. I'm a quick learner so he did not have to repeat the lesson. Since he did not abandon me I guess I supplied the proper amount of baht for his services. Ground Zero was not extant in those days but that is what it was. It was more real estate jargon, Location, Location, Location. I met Richard, owner of Amor Restaurnat, at that time as well, one of the breakfast waiters at Ambiance worked at supper time at Amor, so I just had to go there a few times. Now, seeing Richard the owner is just part of a visit to Pattaya. With the passage of time, we tend to view the past through rose colored glasses, but what nice glasses they are. Well thanks to whoever brought up Kamala's name. Also did I read Kamala is still around.. silly me , have no idea where SK might me.

Well, that was an interesting walk down Memory Lane.

I'm already hooked up so the only reason I go to the go-go's now is if boyfriend drags me into someplace to meet old friends (an expensive proposition) or to see the shows. Watching the guys do the One-Knee Shuffle doesn't do it for me.
Of course there are Good Shows and Bad Shows. I'm not immune to paying my bill and leaving if the place is a bore. :sleepy2:
(Though I always try to do it between numbers).

Do I love a show? Do I love a show???
You gotta be kiddin' me....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CZPs9KFRkAY&feature=PlayList&p=5C604613C32A2A8E&index=1

(boy, I been waitin' a long time to post that clip....)

I had forgotten about kamela and her basket of snakes, but did see that show those very many years ago. Midnight Cowboy had sexy guys, as has been said, with no fems or ladyboys in sight. I remember talking to John, the owner, telling me that when he first opened the bar on the first night, he really had very few boys working, so he went around to other bars and off boys and brought them back to dance go go at Midnight Cowboy, promising them each at least 500 baht for the night (which was good money back then). Eventually, he got enough lads of his own for the bar.

I never saw the bars closed down for any length of time--what has changed, in my experience, is that the Thai police now cause hassles of various sorts of tourists--back in "the day", while bars still certainly paid the police their monthly contribution, they interfered very little with the bars--I am not a fan of some bars in Sunee and have been clear about that here if they employ underage boys, but back in " the day, it was not uncommon to see 14, 15, etc year old lads working go go and no one really thought a thing about it. It was really when the Western powers started telling the Thai how terrible that was that things started to change and Thai police started to see opportunities to shake down bars and farangs with younger lads.

After spending some time in some pits in Bkk like Super A, Twilight, it was something to go to Pattaya and see the newly-opened BoyBoyBoy bar--it looked so slick and fancy compared to any of the other bars in Bkk or Pattaya. And almost all the boys in Bkk or Pattaya actually made an effort to do some kind of sexy dancing while going around the go go stage--there was no standing there looking bored or hands behind one's back rocking back and forth from one foot to the other.

I have heard from so many friends currently in Pattaya that the bars are so filled with the fem and ladyboy types--it has been that way for a few years but seems to be going more that way, minus a few bars, of course like Crystal or A-Bomb, but I think Pattaya has become a bit of a haven for the fem/ladyboy types living elsewhere-- a place they can come and find employment and some kind of acceptance and many others like themselves.

I think Pattaya has become a bit of a haven for the fem/ladyboy types living elsewhere-- a place they can come and find employment and some kind of acceptance and many others like themselves.

I cannot really comment on the current bar side too much, but this always used to be the automatic view of those from Bangkok after a brief visit to one or two bars in Pattaya (a bit like the "boys of Pattaya vs men of Bangkok" comments). It is certainly true that there is an increasing proportion of fem/ladyboy types in Pattaya in the general population (not bar boys / freelancers, and not interested in farangs) than before - the staff at HomeWorks (a hardware store) are a prime example!

Oooh errr....

Where's Homeworks? Have a sudden interest in buying some timber/pipe fittings/it doesn't really matter what......

J

[catawampuscat]

In Pattaya/ Jomtien, there are many shows in the various boy bars.
Much publicity was given to the new management of the show at Top Man in Sunee Plaza. There are two shows every nite
and it is called the Chippendale Boys show. Have heard it is busy but that the go go boys here are lackluster. I will check it
out soon for myself.

On a more comical note, I heard that the Rear of the Year show at Villa Rouge was ghastly. Endless and the usual mass buying
of roses by the bar owner to push his favorite boy. The weird part was none of the boys would show their rears and the only one
who did, won the 10,000B. prize. Seems crazy to have a contest for best ass and no one willing to wear a thong but the boys
seem far more willingly to show what is up front than what is in the back.. These "Best ...." shows are only for those with massive
amounts of patience and Thais who love beauty contests of any sort, in my humble opinion.. :cat:

[thaiworthy-old]

Hey, for 10,000 baht I'd have shown them my beautiful butt.

Actually, Krobbie and I had our own "Rear of the Year" contest. Krobbie won. I got the booby prize. I mistakenly offed a guy with real boobies.

[krobbie]

... you're too generous by far, which is why we're well acquainted. But have you really seen my bum? What I mean is has anyone seen my bum? I haven't actually seen it for some 5 years. It simply vanished, or I left it somewhere (carelessly) after a one too many.

I have left posters around my neighbourhood offering a reward to the finder but so far, nada. There is only one thing left to do and that's buy one in BKK next visit ... or the one after. I will give my bf one more chance to laugh it up when I arrive (in 13 days), then will seriously consider ART (arse replacement thrapy). I shall take him with me to the surgery and tell them I want same same him. The chances of that are remote but dreams are free.

Thanks TW for your kindness though. Just for your info ... in the past I have shown my arse for considerably less than 10,000 baht. I know that will come as a surprise ... NOT!

Cheers
krobbie

Yes i like shows - so long as they change the routines regularly.

The old extreme bar dancers in BKK used to do this well.