He has been recognized as the dek naew godfather, but a wise man is always humble. Though he never received a Bachelor’s degree, Yuthana has proved that learning is not limited to the classroom. He started his career as a DJ in 1982. Unlike other DJs, Yuthana preferred to play good songs that weren’t hits. Ten years later, his unique style played a major role in the music business when he founded the highly regarded indie music station Fat Radio. This 39-year-old DJ is also a co-founder of art house cineplex House, founder of DDT Magazine, managing director of Click Radio and host of Nang Na Mic on 104.5 FM.

The one thing I would like to change most about my life is that I never received my Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University. I wasn’t good at arranging my time. Anyway, I would have never come this far if I hadn’t been in Chula for six years.

Things I talked about on my radio program have inspired some audiences. I always promoted looking at the world in a multitude of ways in order to figure out which one was right for them. The director of Puen Sanit, Komkrit Triwimon, told me that I helped him realize what he really wanted in life, and it was making films.

We had never intended to create the dek naew trend. Fat Radio was established to play good music that we liked. I just thought that if I like these kinds of music, other people will probably like them, too.

We never said we were an “indie radio station” or we were against pop music. We listen to all kinds of music and if we find it interesting, we play it. Our listeners also help us by voting for songs online.

I hope Fat Festival will someday be like Glastonbury, but it has a long way to go. Actually, I have never been to Glastonbury... but it’s a symbol of a great festival featuring a spectrum of music. It also attracts foreigners to visit.

I am now a cultural ambassador of Fukuoka, Japan. My duty is to visit Fukuoka three times a year and come back to inform Thais about their culture. We plan to have music exchange programs. People in Fukuoka are creating a program in Thai to introduce Japanese bands that will broadcast on Fat Radio this year. Likewise, we will record a program in Japanese to introduce Thai bands over the air in Japan.

I was initially surprised about the response of Thai moviegoers to House Theatre, but I now understand that Thais don’t pay serious attention to movies. Few moviegoers are willing to travel farther than the closest mall to see a film. In any case, we won’t give up, even though it’s not worth running in a business sense.

It’s really important for me to do what I like so I can make it excellent. If I had to do what I didn’t enjoy, I would never know what to tell my staff to make things work. The risky part is whether or not what you enjoy can actually succeed and sustain you.

My ultimate dream is to be a film director. I’ve dreamed about it since I was young, but making a film isn’t a hobby. It takes a lot of time and money. I can’t leave the company to direct a film now, but I will someday. I may achieve my dream when I’m 67 years old, but that is fine with me.