What’s your new book about?
My work is about the meaning of time and desire and our self-deceptions when thinking about these aspects of our existence.

What motivated you to write it?
I felt the world needed a “scolding” for the ugliness resulting from our desire for power, conformity and material possession. I scold the world and bemoan my own place within such a world.

When you write, who do you imagine as your audience?
Other readers like me who like absorbing poems with honest emotion and hard-earned revelation.

Which of your works are you the most proud of and why?
I like them all in different ways. I am least proud of my first poetry book; it was too hastily written and printed for my liking. 

What do you think of the local poetry scene?
It’s growing. Publishers need to increase the range of the kind of poems they print. The themes are often limited to the social and the public. A greater diversity would be good. 

How do you feel about being identified as a gay poet?
I don’t really care. It is how many readers choose to see me, which is fine if it gives them comfort to relate to me in this way.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you do?
Sing.  

What does your future hold?
Moving house, writing more poems and a reading/performance at the Castlemaine State Festival in Australia in 2013.

Get Straw, Sticks, Brick for $16 at Books Actually.

Having just turned forty, I’ve been doing lots of introspection. It’s so easy to get sucked into the rat race and get hung up on materialism.

The biggest thing I’ve learnt is not to be so angry anymore and not let myself get worked up about small, minor things.

I read anything and everything from brainless mystery thrillers to books about cooking and food to medical- and health-related stuff.

Happiness is highly overrated.

Simplicity in life is hard, so my philosophy is to live well, live for the moment and be kind. I just do what I love and try to be healthy.

I’m like the princess of The Princess and the Pea. I hate crumbs on the bed and if there’s something as small as a particle of sand on my 1000-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, you can be damn sure I’ll hunt it down.

One of the toughest things in my life was losing a very dear friend last year. It’s been nine months, but I still don’t think I’m really coping.

Cockroaches terrify the crap out of me. I can’t even scream, I just run.

I was a big wine and whiskey drinker, but after being introduced to craft beers by a friend two years ago, I’m now a bona fide, true blue beer monster. The first craft beer I had really changed my perception of beer, it blew me away.

Quitting my job as an event director of Forbes to be a hawker was insane. I hadn’t a clue what I was doing, with no F&B experience whatsoever. I figured, if I didn’t try it then, when would I take that jump?

When I started, my fellow hawkers in Maxwell really helped me out. I think they looked at me and thought, this ang moh pai, jiak kantang (eat potato) girl needs it. But it was a great experience and there was a very steep learning curve.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman in a hawker center; there isn’t a gender divide in my opinion.

Singaporean women juggle a hell of a lot and I think women tend to think that they have to prove more than ever that we can hack it, but I don’t think that’s necessary.

I’m a total romantic and the sort who cries during soppy movies.

My parents got divorced when I was eight and as with all children of divorces, I think it really affected my future relationships, for better or worse.

Growing up, I had epic battles with my mother during mealtime. It used to take me two whole hours, sometimes more, to eat a meal.

I used to be bulimic and wanted to be skinny and girly. Quite ironic really. Obviously I learnt to love myself more and be more confident about how I look. Frankly, I stopped caring about what other people thought.

My mom’s my role model; she really had to do it all.

When you’re young, everything is so black or white and feels as intense as a non-stop emotional rollercoaster.

My first kiss was when I was 19. He was the hottest, cutest boy in school—oh yeah, I win.

True love’s hard to define, but you should wake up in the morning, look over at your partner and think: “How lucky I am.” That should never change, ever.

Hell would freeze over before I ever become a vegetarian. 

I relish being alone now.

read our restaurant review of Wok & Barrel

How did Green Messengers come about?

I talked to a childhood friend and cycling buddy of mine about it for years, but it only took off when I was back in school studying finance and got acquainted with my classmate, now my business partner. I was complaining about how bad the courier service provider was for the bank I was working in. It was then that we decided to set up Green Messengers. 

Why do you think no one thought of this before here?
Leonardo Da Vinci said, “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do.” I’m very sure tons of people have thought of this, but we're the first to make it happen.

What is it with Singapore not having proper cycling paths? 
I understand that the government mentions the park connectors as cycling paths, but they don’t serve the same purpose—using the connectors for daily commute may result in much longer routes. We have plans to work with the proper authorities to construct a feasible platform for cyclists and drivers to commute on the same roads safely. 

What are the pros and cons of working as a bike messenger?
Nothing is better than doing the job you love. But the paradox is, a chore is still a chore. There’s also the possibility that the traffic can and will kill you.

I dreamed of being a policeman when I was a kid. Living up-country, it was so cool to see a cadet in uniform walking down the street. But I wasn’t good at studying and ended up playing football to gain entry to a good school.

Books can teach you about all aspects of life. Even though I was a poor student, I loved reading. I would walk 2km to the public library every day just to borrow a book. As a result, I knew a lot more about life than other kids my age.

I was totally taken with music as soon as I joined my school band.

I quit playing football and dedicated my time to the band. We had shows almost every night and I started earning money from playing music. Soon I dropped out of school to pursue my dream of being a musician.

Playing original music is far better than covers. I got bored with the band because the other members always wanted to play hit songs, while I wanted to play material that I had written.

I quit the band and packed my bags for Bangkok, where I hooked up with Nga (Surachai Chantimathorn of the band Caravan), who I had met when he toured Khon Kaen. 

Thai record labels treat artists like slaves. It’s really backwards that they take advantage of them. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to change any time soon.

Being an artist means you must have honor. You must be able to put a value on yourself and also deal with the record companies.

I’m independent. I’m not signed to a record label and I have no sponsors. I’ve done well to stay in the game this long, which is why I’m throwing a 25th anniversary concert. I’ve been lucky to have good friends who have helped me out along the way.

The Thai music industry is dead. We must admit that. We can only survive by playing live shows now. I continue to release music because I want to preserve my status as a musician, but there is no revenue to be made from releasing albums anymore.

The best moment of my life was when I released my first album, Tueng Puen, in 1987. But the joy was short-lived. It flopped and made me scared to continue my music career.

I had to earn a living by selling steamed buns until Nga Caravan recruited me as a backup musician and I had the chance to release my second album, Sue Tua Tee 11 (Tiger no.11), which turned out to be my big breakthrough.

I didn’t realize that I was such a success until people kept asking me to sing my songs. Receiving my first check from the record label was a complete shock. I had never seen B10,000 before in my life, but they handed me B300,000.

I love to be called a musician, not an artist. I love being on the road touring, playing live and making audiences happy.

The phua chivit [music for life] genre is dying. There’s no new generation coming through and we don’t know how to create new things. It’s still popular, but we’re waiting for some new talent to bring change to the genre.

The musicians of phua chivit can’t be fabricated. Record labels can’t make us up. We’re born like this. We love exploring the meaning of life.

Our country is shit now. There are so many conflicts. We used to be free to express our opinions, but now it’s impossible. It’s really wrong. We need to put our problems up for debate.

People often expect me to say things just to please them, but I don’t do that. It’s a pity to see this from people who are old enough to know better.

No matter how much we fight, all our problems are dealt with by politicians in parliament, not us. It’s simply a waste of time to protest or fight one another.

We’re not ready for the AEC. Our crime rate is high and our law enforcement weak. Look at the South, when is it going to end? It’s been deteriorating for a long time and our social problems are worsening.

Let’s look ahead to the next three years; if Aung San Su Kyi becomes the Prime Minister of Myanmar, can any fool in our parliament compare to her? Hell no!

I’m happy that my music can reach new ears, as most of my fans of my own age just sit at home.

Our teenage years determine our future. Right now, I’m only concerned with how to help my five daughters live their lives to the fullest.

Being on the road for over 20 years has been pretty exhausting. But I’ll keep doing it until I die.

BK: What’s your job like?
Pond: The first thing we do is change into our uniforms, and then we say hello to the owner downstairs. We work from 5pm to 11pm and have one day off per week. Our main job is to simply serve beer, but we also take drink and sometimes food orders. We also take the used glasses to the kitchen.
Mai: The job is like a waitress basically.

BK:  Why did you become beer girls?
Pond: My friend recommended this job to me. I also have a full-time job as a cashier, from 7am to 4pm. My salary was not enough to be able to send money back to my parents in my home province, so I’ve also worked this job for three years. It won’t be for much longer, though, because we’re getting older.
Mai: I also got a recommendation from a friend. I started this job five to six years ago. I used to work another job full-time, but I quit, so being a beer girl is my only income now.

BK: What are the advantages and disadvantages of being beer girls?
Pond: Advantages include learning languages and getting to chat with new people. But this job is risky; sometimes men take liberties and touch us.

BK: Do you often have weird customers?
Pond: Yes, they are usually drunk. One foreigner was pestering me for my phone number, so I walked away. Another said, “If you let me touch your breast, I’ll buy a Tiger beer,” which I just had to ignore.

BK: So, many guys try to pick you up?
Pond: Yes, a lot, but we never go home with them. However, sometimes if I get to know nice customers, I go out drinking with them after the pub closes. We are not allowed to drink with them while we’re working because we would get fired.
Mai: Also, we’re not meant to talk too much to customers.

BK: Do they tip more if you are flirty?
Pond: Sometimes, but most customers never leave tips.

BK: What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
Mai: After I retire from being a beer girl, I want to open a grocery shop or a cafe.
Pond: I already have a full-time job.

What are some special considerations when throwing an end-of-year party?
Everyone’s going to be busy, so send invites early to make sure guests don’t have prior commitments. Also, be mindful of your budget. Prices tend to go up at the end of the year.

What’s the secret to putting together a good guest list?
Inviting people who already know each other. It’s a party after all, not a networking session. The idea’s that wherever your guests are in the room, they can chit-chat, mingle and really let their hair down.

How do you build the right atmosphere?
You should have a theme and there has to be continuity throughout the event. The invitations, decorations, music and even door gifts should all match.

How do you avoid having too many no-shows?
Have two guest lists: list A (for those you really want there) and list B (for the rest). If you don’t hear back, you’ll have time to invite list B.

Can you tell us a bit about Lost?
Lertsiri: Our films depict people who are lost in various ways. We specifically focused on people losing their memory, becoming lost in love and lost in their own ego. In the first, an elderly man tries to walk to a different province, thinking it is his home. Along the way, he befriends a runaway girl who has lost hope in life and has turned to drugs. The next story is about a couple, soon to be wed, going through a period of uncertainty. The situation escalates when the groom-to-be runs into his old girlfriend, and, for a moment, becomes lost in love. Finally, we have a story about an egomaniac working at an ad agency. He’s climbs the ladder of success and reached the top, but today he discovers what it’s like to fall. The movie is set in Bangkok and told within the timeframe of one day.

How did the project come about?
Lertsiri: I thought back to the days when I lived in NYC with my mom working at a nursing home. Seeing elderly people being left behind sort of drove a nail through my heart. When I came back to Thailand and lived in Bangkok, I saw that the hectic way of life meant many elderly people were being left behind. And every now and then you would hear news of people being lost in the city as they went searching for their loved ones. I decided to base the movie on this, and to take it up a notch by expanding the theme of being lost to feeling lost in love and getting lost in your own ego. Vutichai shared this vision and we wrote the script together. 

You're screening Lost at the Lido Theatre but only for one day. Why such a short run?
Lertsiri: Our film was sponsored by True Visions and they actually helped us with the project, so that it would become a feature presentation on True Visions this Christmas. But as filmmakers, Vutichai and I agreed that we should at least give it a shot on the big screen to realize our dream. So we forked out our own money to screen it at Lido. Due to our financial resources, we could only afford that one screening. But if demands are high, who knows.

Which films first got you excited about the possibilities of the medium?
Lertsiri: Run Lola Run, Jaws, The Killing Fields.
Vutichai: Cinema Paradiso, The Last Emperor.

Would you liken your style to anyone in particular?
Lertsiri: We really wanted to be unique from the start, but like, you know, everything has been done before. It is not so much of a style but rather our topics and issues that both Vutichai and I like to go in depth with. We both agreed that our interests in social issues is what defines our writing and vision. 

Do you predict any big changes for Thai cinema in the near future?
Lertsiri: We think that Thai films will eventually gain a more global audience. Thailand has so much to offer with many bright young directors. If only they were given the chance to prove their worth. I doubt that change will happen fast, but it will eventually come.

Finally, do you have any more projects in the pipeline?
Lertsiri: Before working on Lost, we had been building up a list of ideas and synopses for many movie ideas. Currently we are returning to our list of scripts and we’re working on three different stories at the moment: a romantic comedy, a children's fantasy and drama). For us, the process starts all over again, and it might take some time to find the right sponsorship or funding. But, hey, at least this time around we have some experience to guide us. interviewed by Dominic Hanratty

How did Citizens! form?
We formed when Tom [Burke, vocals] and I were fighting over a stereo at a house party. We were both trying to play the songs we thought would get the party started. We had slightly different ideas about what would get people up and dancing—the fact that it was the Flaming Lips or Suicide means we were probably both wrong. Mike was at the party, too, and when he saw us in heated discussion, he sat us down, poured us a whiskey and suggested we join forces to form a super-pop band that could combine all those influences and more.

Congratulations on the release of your debut album. Does it surprise you how quickly Citizens! have picked up popularity and praise?
It's weird because we did everything back to front. We wrote the songs first, then we recorded them and then we played live. Normally the gigs come first. So the fact that people are finding us and enjoying what we do is, of course, a massive pleasure and a surprise. It's only a year since our first live gig so to have been to four continents in as many months is crazy.

How did you come to sign with Kitsuné? What are they like to work with?
Gildas [Loaëc, label co-founder] was one of the first people to hear our band and he had the confidence to put one of our earliest demos on a Kitsuné compilation before we even had a name. That's pretty cool and you just feel inspired to work with people like that. He also had great shoes—we can't stress how important Gildas's shoes were to us working with him.

What was it like recording your album with Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand? Is he a tough taskmaster?
Alex made us have cold showers every morning, during which we had to sing our favorite Celine Dion song in B-flat, note for note, pitch perfect, or we weren't allowed in the studio that day. Stuff like that makes you bring your chops up to speed double-quick.

How was your recent Australian tour? Parklife is a big deal!
Parklife blew our mind. We regularly wake up and can't really believe it happened. Just hanging out drinking Bundaburg rum with Tame Impala, Chairlift, Passion Pit, St Lucia every day, then partying every night till the wee, wee hours. It made everything slightly surreal and twisted. We also got to know that the string vest, commonly known as a onesie, is the accepted clothing for getting very drunk in a field in Australia.

What’s been your most memorable tour experience?
Tom danced on stage in Switzerland with Mark Ronson, Johnny Marr and Quincy Jones. He just pretended he was a member of Earth, Wind & Fire and they let him on. I’ve never been so jealous.

I’ve read that you guys want to be a real pop band that makes the genre credible again; what makes good pop music?
I think great pop is integrity, adventurism, the desire to break new ground, not to follow anyone else, and a desire to reach out and connect to people and not be afraid of that. Jay Z and Kanye West are total heroes, and we love the 15 key changes that Beyonce fits into an average song. Back in London bands like Theme Park, Alt-J, Django Django and Kindness are really inspiring to be around.

You’re signed to Kitsuné, which is also a fashion label, and here in Bangkok you’ll play a show as part of a clothing showcase for the nexttoNORMAL store; do you see fashion and music as inextricably linked?
Of course. We would get arrested if we played our gigs without any clothes on, and that would be a disaster for our career. Though I reckon Mike would end up bossing his wing. He'd be like a godfather figure within a month.

Is image or how you look something that the band takes seriously?
We just dress how we always dressed back in London. We didn't want to be a band that just recreated a style from another era so that everyone would be like "Oh they're a mod band, they're a psych rock band, they're a synth pop band" we just wanted to be us but with instruments.

Finally, what can Bangkok expect from a Citizens! live show?
It's a giant blancmange of passion, kissing, dancing, singing, hula hoops and handstands. It's like the album in four dimensions. Hold on, maybe it's five dimensions. It's pretty special. You should come.

My mom abandoned me when I was two years old. She ran away from my father’s family because they didn’t like her job as a singer. I only found out the truth when I finally met her just before she died from cancer four years ago.

I have been transgender for as long as I can remember. I had to switch my personality between home and school. I would be a normal boy when I was with my family and a toot when I was at school.

My father played an important role in my life. Even though he was really clever and could speak at least eight languages, he couldn’t hold back from gambling, hard drinking and smoking. He passed away before I took the entrance exam for university.

I’m so proud that I created the first Thai boy band, U4. I recruited all three members by myself before walking into the record label KITA, who signed us on the spot. We released our first album in 1992.

I had no qualms about having to act like a handsome guy while in U4. That’s what I had done all my life.

I’m an unlucky transgender. Whenever I feel that my life will get better, there’s bound to be a disaster waiting to happen.

Make a living. That’s my only motto. No one cared about me when KITA ended. I desperately needed money. I had lost my home and my properties. I could have gone into meltdown but I didn’t because I had to take care of my family.

I had to sing at massage parlors and restaurants, earning about B600 per night. I had to eat instant noodles and drink tap water for years to repay my debts. But I made it.

There’s no point pretending to be someone for others. I waited for five years hoping that the entertainment industry would welcome me back. Eventually, I decided to expose myself as a transgender because I had nothing to lose.

Don’t believe everything you see. I decided to get cosmetic surgery at what turned out to be an illegal clinic. Their fake silicone destroyed my face.

This disaster put me back in the spotlight as a boy-band member-turned-transgender. Finally, the entertainment industry gave a shit about me.

I still didn’t have that many jobs so I clung to my life as a singer at nightclubs. My emotional state really deteriorated. I tried to take my life with a whole bottle of sleeping pills. Luckily my friends got me to hospital on time.

I tried being a prostitute in Germany. My friends bought me a ticket there so that I could get away from my shit life here. I just did it for fun, but I didn’t find any buyers. One foreigner came up to me and told me that I should do something else with my life. After this I decided to focus again on being a singer and a fortuneteller.

I promised myself that I wouldn’t pay for male prostitutes anymore. I felt so guilty when I found out the first guy I bought was just 15 years old. It’s pathetic seeing a young man try to sell himself for just B300.

I regret only two things in my life: not ordaining into the monkhood for my parents and smoking. I hope to quit one day.

Seeing bad role models makes you stay away from bad things. I’ve done all the drugs but never become addicted. It’s too expensive. I saw all walks of life when I went around town to the dirty nightspots with my dad who was a cabby. I know how it ends.

I got married once back in 2001. He was my first man and he really loved me. But I broke up with him after he became too jealous and had a brawl with my client, so that we both lost our jobs. Our love couldn’t survive this.

A near-fatal car accident brought an end to my addiction to cosmetic surgery. My face was all messed up and it made me realize that living life must come first.

I don’t want a sex change because I love being a katoey.

The idea of a transgender changing their title to Mrs. or Miss is idiotic. You can never ever compare to a real women who can give birth to a child. And wouldn’t you feel sorry for any man who marries someone who isn’t a real woman despite what their ID claims?

Thai society gives katoey very few options to earn a living. Sometimes they’re forced into being a prostitute. I’ve never seen a transgender get a good job like an engineer or an architect.

For those transgender who want to get respect, prove yourself by finding a good job.

It’s a real honor to have a role in Lam Sing Singer even though I had to give up other jobs for it. I’m so glad to finally have the chance to show that I’m still capable of working in entertainment.

I dream of doing an annual stand-up comedy show, just like Udom “Note” Taepanich or Apaporn Nakhonsawan. It must feel great to make thousands of people laugh at the same time.

I believe transgenders can find true love, just stay away from guys who can’t earn a living.

How did you become a journalist?
I dreamed of being a journalist since I was young. I studied communication arts at university in Chacherngsao, my hometown, before getting a job as the political journalist at Naewna Newspaper where I started off as an intern about 20 years ago. I’ve worked for Channel 7 for more than 10 years.

Why are you so outspoken?
I think this job is all about serving the people. I have a duty to tell people the truth and uncover the lies or bias. We need to protect the rights of the public, not the sources. No matter if they are Chalerm, Yingluck or Abhisit, I stick to these principles. 

How do you feel about being branded a biased journalist?
It’s really awful for an individual to be branded and pushed to one side just because they think a different way. I try to be honest to myself and my profession.

Have you ever felt threatened doing your job?
Many times. The time that stands out the most was after the coup in 1991. There was a rumor that there would be another coup, so I called an air force general to get the truth. He told me the situation and I put all his quotes in the newspaper the next day. Then I got a call to say he wanted to meet me at the air base where I was confronted by 10 officers. I explained to him that what he said wasn’t off the record. We talked for about an hour before they released me. My boss told me never to do that again, saying I could have been abducted and no one would have had a clue about it. But honestly, I feel more vulnerable today as our society is so fractured. I occasionally get threats from the Red Shirts, too.

What has been the biggest change in journalism over the past 20 years?
I’ve followed every prime minister and government over that time, and I can say that the state of our journalism has never been so poor. Back when I started, there were politicians bribing journalists, but now it seems that lots of journalists have sycophantic relationships with their sources because they are afraid that they won’t get inside knowledge or benefits from them. We’re currently experiencing what it’s like when gatekeepers don’t function properly. Journalists let false news fly around without screening it, so that people can’t tell right from wrong.

What’s your daily routine?
I wake up at 5am every day to update myself on all the news before going to work. My destination depends on what I’m assigned to, but it’s mostly parliament, political party offices or political events. I love to say “Bye, mom” to my mother every morning because she always blesses me back.