Speaking to Top earlier, we assumed Transaction was part of an ArtdeGround project, but it’s actually going to be hosted by Democrazy Studio. What’s the deal with that?
I’m an independent artist. I work for many troupes like B-Floor and Democrazy Theatre but I’m not officially a member of them. So, basically it’s my independent project but I asked Top for help on it as he works as an economics lecturer.

What’s the inspiration behind the performance?
It comes from the Occupy Wall Street movement a while back. I didn’t pay that much attention to it at first until it spread to many countries all over the world. I began to think if one incident could affect so many other countries, there surely must be something that links them together. And that’s economic inequality. This brought me to the world of economics, something that controls our lives, so I was convinced to do a play about the issue.

What exactly are you focusing on?
Human or even animal behavior can be looked at through an economic perspective. With monkeys, for example, when they’re helping each other looking for ticks, this can be explained as give-and-take behavior—they treat others the way they want to be treated. For humans, our decision making is so often determined by money. Economics for me, then, is the story about desires and values. The play looks at the bigger picture of society. Since we’re living in a market-driven economy where everything can be traded for money—how do we find a balance that pleases everyone? And is there an alternative economic system that could change our lives?     

How does Transaction stand out from your previous work?
Well, I’d call it contemporary dance; it’s conceptual in that it is driven solely by a concept not a plot. Here, I focus more on composition than dancing. To give you a clearer picture—I think the most successful choreography in the world is namaz. The way Muslims from all over the world do the same ritual five times a day speaks to me. It’s not the act itself but the ideas embodied in it that drives them. I’ve attempted something like that in my choreography. Even though there’s no solid story line, all the performers react to one other. It’s the most interactive piece I’ve ever done.   

What do you expect audiences to get from the show?
I want the audience to gain an idea of where their money goes. During a trip to India, I bought a bottle of water from a street vendor and she used the money I gave her to pay for her food, immediately. I asked myself, what would have happened if I didn’t give her that money? Every time we meet someone, there is money to be spent.
 

I was drawn to music by friends who loved listening to rock bands like Deep Purple, Queen and Black Sabbath. My parents objected to me being a musician but that didn’t bother me. I played around Pattaya before I met friends and formed The Olarn Project.

Being unsuccessful can lead you astray. After The Olarn Project broke up, I faded away, got a white collar job and had a relationship with a rich girl.

Walk away when things aren’t right. I could have led a wealthy life with her as we ran a business together but it wasn’t right for me.
It was like a curse. I was still passionate about songwriting and wanted to play music, but I couldn’t do it when I was with her.

I even cried when I left her. I didn’t know whether it was the right decision or not, but I couldn’t go on living like that. Then I formed Hin Lek Fai and we became very famous in the 90s.

The digital age changed everything for artists. Now, there are pirates everywhere. We used to invest B4-5 million per album. But now we can’t do that, as we can’t make money from selling records. We now rely on concerts for revenue. We’re playing 15 shows a month. Thankfully, the strict booze laws in Thailand mean many alcohol brands turn to musicians to promote their products.

Rock will never die. This phrase is so true. We’ve played for more than 30 years but we’re still gaining new fans who love rock. It’s so great to see our old fans bring their kids to our concerts.

This reunion has me reliving the old feeling of rocking out 20 years ago. Our vigor may be reduced as we get older but our intentions remain the same.

I love small gigs. Big concerts let you take in the enormity of the venue and the power of the audience, but small concerts are more intimate. You can see your fans singing along to your songs. You can even see tears in their eyes. It’s amazing to see these true feelings up close.

Music is so powerful. I’m so proud that my songs can help people. I once got mail from a fan who said her friend tried to commit suicide. When her friend came to, she played my song “Ya Yud Yang” (“Don’t Give Up”). Her friend promised to forget the troubles of the past and move on. That’s so cool.

My music can save people’s lives. That’s a better feeling than selling millions of records.

I always feel a bond with my songs. Each one comes from my true emotions.

Songwriting soothes my soul. I hope to encourage my fans when they are feeling weary.

Be honest with your audience. I never plan for my songs to be big hits. I just want to share good feelings with my fans.

You can’t live like a rock star forever. It’s good to be a famous rocker but at one point you need someone to be with.

Having children is the best thing that’s happened to me. I never dreamed that having a family would be so great. It’s something you have to experience for yourself.

I now love the internet. I used to spend tens of thousands of baht to call my parents whenever I went on tour. Now I can just do Facetime.

I dream of having a movie based on this novel I’m writing. I’m in such a frenzy about writing it. It’s called “Sanya Peesaj” (Devil’s Vow) and it’s for Banterngkadee Magazine. Manoch Puttal (the magazine’s editor, a DJ and a musician) promises me he will put it out if I finish it.

Many people sell their souls to the devil. They are willing to trade anything to get what they want, especially politicians.

You can’t always get what you want, but the bad never lasts forever, either. So don’t take things too seriously. No matter how bad it is, other people have gone through the same shit.

Death is the coolest thing about being human. No matter whether you’re good or bad, greedy or giving, you must die someday.

How did your fight against the system begin?
I was always a good boy in my school, Nawaminthrachinuthit Triam Udomsuksa Pattanakarn, and hardly ever got punished. But I saw a lot of my friends getting very harsh reprimands. Being publicly ridiculed in front of not only your classmates but in front of the entire school is torture for a lot of people. Getting your head shaved because your hair grew half a centimeter during the week is absurd. Our hair grows. We cannot help it. Some parents can’t take us every day to get it trimmed. Why do they want us to all look alike? We are all different and should be allowed to show our uniqueness. Appearances aside, students only learn by rote and then vomit it back out on their exam paper. They don’t actually learn anything in the process. So I took advantage of being a writer in my school’s newsletter to get my viewpoints across when I was in the 8th grade.

Did you get in trouble?
The principal at my school could not tolerate my writing, so I decided to change schools. But my marks were too low for the schools I wanted to join; and my parents could not afford to send me abroad or even to an international school. Home schooling was never an option because I wanted to be in the Thai education system and be able to rant about it and hopefully bring about change.

You have a lot of followers, but what about haters?
Believe it or not, I have never had anyone come up to me personally to abuse me regarding the student movement. Of course, on my Facebook page, I often see a lot of negative comments with people cursing my family and wanting to burn my house down; but I simply ignore most of them. I do not pay attention to them. I have more than 10,000 followers. I don’t have time for the haters.

What do you wish to achieve?
What have rules and regulations in schools brought to Thai people? Are we advancing in any way? What good has this education system done for us? I don’t see anything. I want to not only reduce the strictness level in schools but I want to elaborate on changing the way Thais think. Teachers are supposed to be the ones who help us make a brighter future for ourselves. They’re not here to order us around. Thai schools need better interaction between students and teachers. 

What are your future plans?
I am still very unsure about whether I want to pursue my bachelor’s degree here or abroad. I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to study here, actually. There are many things I want to be in my life but primarily I think I want to become an activist for all the right causes.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/Thailandstudentmovement or his personal page, http://ow.ly/nj5C3

What's the concept of this performance?
Wilson: From what i understood from (the director) Goh Boon Teck, it really is about giving a voice to men involved in all the (high-profile) scandals the past year. Also, scandals really capture the attention of the masses. People love to read and talk about it.
Ryd: It is about time that someone wrote about this hidden agenda. In the great hands of the director, I reckon the idea was to give the common man and woman an undisclosed and open conversation about this particular genitalia and its daily adventures.
Prem: All good comedy tend to be based upon darker allegorical themes and I’ve approached this particular text from that perspective and am basing a lot of what I bring to the table upon the greater and baser truths of being a man in a metropolis.

What if you woke up one day without your jewels?
W: I would mourn first, maybe hold a memorial for them, but after that I would probably get over it. I think life would be a lot easier actually, without sexual urges.
R: I’ll scream, hopefully not in falsetto, and immediately slap myself to check if I’m asleep.
P: After 30 minutes of high-pitched screaming and much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I think I might start getting practical and start making a list.

Some say men have been tamed over the times with the popularity of monogamy. Do you think so?
W: Are you saying that men are by nature polygamous? My tamed mind cannot fathom anything else other than monogamy.
R: If that’s the case, isn’t that a good thing?
P: Monogamy is a cultural construct that exists in Hollywood, romance novels and in myths.

What if women ruled the world?
W: Don't they already?
R: I’ll follow their lead. They have what I want. If you can’t beat them, you might as well please them.
P: I absolutely believe that if women ruled the world, it’d be a better world. There’d be no wars, no famine, Malaria would go the way of the dodo and all men would be wearing fitted shirts, Italian shirts and suits.

Do you think you can handle a pregnancy?
W: Of course. Just get the epidural ready.
R: Definitely. I’ve made plans to wear costumes in the delivery room. One of which is a satay man. Truth.
P: That depends. Do I have a uterus that I haven’t known about since birth?

The Penis Society is on at Aquanova Restaurant Bar from September 10-29. Tickets from SISTIC at $26.

How would you describe your sound?
Loud, fast, rock n’roll music.

What’s the best thing about touring?
Playing a show for a room full of people who like your music is pretty much the most fun thing there is to do. It’s an incredible feeling to perform for people and have them sing along with the songs you’ve written. Getting to travel all over the world doing that every night is pretty much the best job in the world.

Worst thing? Any horror stories?
Life is pretty great these days, but obviously you have low points on tour. Mostly it’s just about how tired you get, which can lead to some negativity. Occasionally there are those moments where you have to deal with stupid people or technical problems. Under normal circumstances things like that aren’t a big deal, but when you’re hungover and exhausted sometimes you’re ready to burn a venue to the ground just because it’s on the second floor and you have to carry all of your gear up a giant flight of stairs. But honestly, at the end of the day, it’s a hell of a lot of fun and you just need to keep things in perspective.

What keeps you sane on the road?
Our tour manager Melissa keeps me from going insane on tour. She’s probably the calmest, most patient person in the entire world, and keeps Brian and I from getting lost, missing shows, disappearing down darkened alleys, etc. We probably would be dead in a ditch somewhere if she wasn’t around.

You guys were close to breaking up before putting out Post-Nothing in 2008; now, having tasted success, do you actually feel more pressure?
We felt we had nothing to lose leading up to Post-Nothing, since nobody knew who we were. By the time we got around to working on Celebration Rock (2012), everything had changed—all of a sudden we were a real band that had toured all over the world and had fans waiting for new material. When we were writing Celebration Rock, we wanted to prove that Post-Nothing wasn’t a fluke, and we pushed ourselves to create an album that was a clear improvement from the last record. We had a lot to prove, and a lot to lose with that record. 2011 was a very stressful year. It was not fun making Celebration Rock. I don’t think it will ever be easy for us to write and record music, but it won’t ever be as difficult as it was making that album.

On that note, any news on your third album?
We’ve been on tour since before Celebration Rock was released, and haven’t had any time to work on new songs, unfortunately. We’re still touring until September, and after that we’ll have some time at home and hopefully can start thinking about what to do next.

So many of your songs seem to involve girls and alcohol; is there really anything more to write about?
I suppose that’s what we spend a lot of our time thinking about, so it was natural to write songs about those two subjects.

Do you enjoy playing on bigger stages these days, or do you prefer the intimacy of smaller venues?
I think they both have their advantages. There is an incredible energy you get playing larger venues and festivals, since you just have so many more people together. But I really love the intimacy of smaller venues. It’s nice being able to interact with the audience on a more personal level, which is a lot harder to do at festivals and bigger shows. It’s good to play a mix to keep things interesting.

Society instructed me to be unconcerned about inequality. I grew up in the upper-class and never associated with poor people. I never walked on the street. I never took a bus because my parents had a driver to take me around.

Don’t even talk about democracy. We were under a dictatorship fully run by the junta. We had a vote but it meant nothing.

Thailand was extremely class-oriented. Even universities were divided by class such as Thammasat for rich kids and Ramkhamhaeng for poor kids.

I grew up eating rice but didn’t meet a farmer until I studied at Thammasat. They came to Bangkok calling for justice, as many farmer activists were killed when they tried to speak up for their rights back then.

The Thammasat University massacre of 1976 incited me to work in the humanitarian field. I was doubtful about the objective of the student movement in 1973 as there were a lot of negative portrayals of these students and even I was swayed by the accusations. But when I saw the killings, I just knew I couldn’t let such injustices occur.

Social disparity drives me to fight for laborers and women. I worked at a journal and an activist group for laborers, so I saw the injustices committed by rich people who owned businesses. As I am a lesbian, I notice the way society treats people differently because of their gender. It’s not only transgender people but women, too.

Thai society is very harsh on women. People have this perception that if you’re single and have a good career, you will never find a happy home and a husband.

Thai society is more accepting of LGBT these days but still treats them differently from heterosexuals. Just look at parents. They still don’t want their children to be LGBT. It’s pathetic—we should respect people’s choices in life.

My parents were fine with my sexual status but my girlfriend’s parents weren’t. They tore us apart. I wanted to escape this pressure so I decided to study my Master’s in the Netherlands.

Tasting freedom in the Netherlands blew my mind. It inspired me to form Anjaree in 1987. Up until then my friends and I used to conceal our identity from the public as society didn’t understand us. They thought homosexuals were freaks they could make fun of and be rude to.

Accept your identity. The hardest part about pushing for LGBT rights in Thailand is our LGBTs are afraid to accept their sexual identity. Many can’t distinguish their desires from their parents’ desires and it’s hard for them to accept themselves.

Cultures change. Society always judges people by referring to traditional culture. But the world is changing every day, meaning culture is dynamic. The LGBT lifestyle may not be consistent with former social customs, but it’s not a mental disorder. It’s not against nature.

Most Thai LGBTs aren’t aware of how the law affects their lives. It’s only when something drastic happens in their life or to their partner that they realize. In many cases when a partner passes away, the other is left with nothing. Everything is taken away—including children.

New laws should reflect present and future situations. But it seems our law makers are still only concerned with past approaches to human identity that are divided between men and women.

Laws are a product of society. As society changes, so too do the people, which means the rules of the game should change, too.

Everyone should be treated as a human no matter their sexual identity. We’re all part of the diverse family that is society.

Gender should be neutral in regards to the law. Our same-sex marriage bill should fix the problem at its root, which is the civil codes that still specify marriage as being between only a man and woman.

Many people hope that this marriage law that we are drafting will finally help them gain more acceptance from their families and society because it will recognize they’re a couple by law.

The young generation is much more open-minded. But, still, the youths in the city are much freer to follow different ways of thinking than their counterparts in rural areas, where the older generations still exert more control.

Eliminating discrimination is one of my biggest goals. There shouldn’t be discrimination of any form. Our fight isn’t only about lesbians, but all forms of sexual discrimination.

I cannot lead a happy life if there is injustice around me, if society is not fair to all people.

Has it always been your dream to get into acting?
Growing up on sets and being surrounded by actors definitely made me want to be a part of the industry. Lights, camera and action—I know that’s where I belong. I always knew I was going to get into acting, not only because of my father and his love of cinema, but because I enjoy it personally. It’s a great, fun-filled profession.

Do you want to be the next comedy king like your father?
It’s always a great feeling when someone walks up to me and asks me if I’m Mum Jokmok’s son and takes a picture with me. I definitely want to make it bigger than my father but not in comedy. Comedies are fun to make but I guess I’m just fonder of other types of films. I am more interested in making a name for myself in action and horror films.

What are your favorite pastimes?
I like to design t-shirts as a hobby, but aside from that I’m a movie addict. I watch all sorts of films—American, French, Thai or Chinese, I watch them all. I prefer to watch movies with drama and crime-related plots. At home I am also called “Kam Phan” (Isaan name) just like in Yam Yasothorn because I keep on begging for money to splurge on movies. My all-time favorite has got to be Léon: The Professional, an English-language French action thriller.

Do you like to watch your father’s movies?
No. He is definitely my role model but I do not like to watch his movies. I prefer to see movies like Cherm (2005) and Umong Pa Mueng (2010) where he isn’t doing a comic role but instead playing a role far removed from his usual genre, such as romance or drama.

What are your future plans?
I am currently working on the release of my first hip hop mix tape. It is sort of underground because it has a lot of foul language. There will be a new rap mix every month. More than satisfying my passion for music, I want to get Thai people more acquainted with hip hop and that can only happen if Thais create good hip hop music. I really hope to be able to make this genre more popular here.

How will you manage to balance both your studies and your career?
I always make my decisions with the guidance of my family. My father helps me in doing the right thing. I have been doing private studies, thus I don’t have many friends to distract me from my goal. I’m currently completing my GED studies and will soon start my college hunt.