BK: How did the “Trasher” videos get started?
Trasher has been throwing parties for five years now. At first, the people joining the parties were my friends and seniors at Silapakorn University. It grew to include other people but then it kind of plateaued. So we decided to make some videos to promote the events. We throw parties once a month and started shooting the videos once a month, too. We do it all by ourselves. The producer, the cameraman, the editor, the actors—they’re all from the Trasher gang. And we pay for it! In the first spot, we did Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Xmas is You.” And since I’m a total Rihanna lookalike, I got to be her in “We Found Love.”

BK: Your channel has nearly two million views on Youtube.
We were just doing the videos to promote our party. We didn’t think it would be that popular. The number of people watching us in Thailand was a shock, but the fact that our videos are watched worldwide is an even bigger surprise. More than half our views are from abroad. Perez Hilton, the famous blogger, even blogged about our parodies. And Katy Perry tweeted about our parody of her “The One that Got Away,” saying, “This is a bold statement. But if you haven’t seen this, you haven’t lived.” I was amazed and impressed.

BK: How do you deal with negative comments on YouTube?
I only care for people who criticize politely. But for those who are rude, it just gets worse if you reply, especially if you’re emotional. So I just ignore them, or give them an ironic or funny response. Sometimes my fans will stand up and argue for me.

BK: What did you get out of doing these videos?
People recognize me from the videos. They greet me in public places and ask to take my photo. I’m very happy with the response. Also, more sponsors are coming in. However, the sponsors are not just for the videos, they are mainly for the parties. There are even some projects being discussed: a gossip show on cable TV asked me to be their guest and some people asked me to be in their movie.

BK: What’s your plan for the future?
I want to work in the entertainment business. It’s very different being onstage and working behind the scenes. Being onstage is much easier and better paid. Working behind the scenes, in contrast, requires more hard work and brings in far less income. But I love both kinds of work. I dream of having my own TV show, maybe something like an outdoor and adventure program. If possible, I want to do everything—from producing to hosting—by myself. The show must be fun and cheap to produce. Benjamaporn Meekaeo

See Trasher’s clips at http://www.youtube.com/user/trashtele.

You started dancing when you were young, why not join a more traditional troupe?
Robert Carter: With this company I found my home. The repertory and the artistic freedom I’ve been given cannot compare to dancing for another company. Then, there is the added bonus of seeing the world, which to me is priceless.

Is it easier than being in a classical ballet troupe?
Robert Carter: It can be hard, too. This is definitely not a company for those who need a normal routine. I’ve always said that the traveling can be more tiring than the work itself.

What is it like performing female roles?
Robert Carter: The difficulty lies in the execution. I focus strongly on fluidity and eloquence of movement. Women have a light quality in their dance that can be very hard to emulate, especially with more technically demanding roles. The advantage of being a man doing these roles is the ability to combine the elements of the female role with masculine strength to create something new.

What do you look for in a new dancer?
Tory Dobrin: Someone with a sense of humor. A team player, who can function well in the group. A good dancer.

Do you ever feel you’d earn more respect doing a classical ballet?
Tory Dobrin: Comedy is a very important side of theater, just as vital as drama. Both are equals before the public and both deserve the respect of the public.

Why don’t you have women in the troupe?
Tory Dobrin: There were women in the early days of the Trockadero. Seeing a man in a tutu was very funny, especially when the heavy body tried to appear light. A woman in a male outfit was just not so funny. And the women could also not really perform the male roles with enough strength to fully achieve the gender switch.

How has Trockadero evolved?
Tory Dobrin: Compared to 1974, things have changed a lot. Drag has become something that is not so unusual. However, as an-all male ballet troupe that uses drag as a vehicle for comedy, we are able to maintain a good balance between comedy and ballet. We remain close to our initial goal: to bring the joy of dance to the widest possible audience.

Tickets cost B1,700-3,000, and are available from Thaiticketmajor.com.

What’s your all time favorite band? Who inspires you musically?
Elizabeth: Mine is Blur.
Jeremy: Mine is Radiohead. We are inspired by many people, but no one directly. David Bowie, Debbie Harry, John Hughes, even the TV show Freaks and Geeks—they are all important reference points for us.

How has online social networking helped your music career?
Jeremy: Well, when we started in 2009, Myspace was still quite a strong force in terms of online music. Now, radio stations, labels, and consumers use Facebook much more. We like Facebook a lot, it’s a great way to have direct contact with the people who like your music. 

Elizabeth, you’ve contributed to iconic music magazine NME. What’s it like now being focus of media scrutiny?
Elizabeth: I definitely never considered myself a music journalist, I just wrote a few pieces here and there. When we started the band we didn’t think anything would happen with it, we were just having fun. I’ve always been a fan of music though, so it’s nice to go from being a fan to someone making it.

When writing about music, you must have dished out some critical reviews. Have you been on the receiving end of any negative comments?
Elizabeth: We’ve seen loads of them! We are at the point now where we are comfortable with negative press—any feedback is useful. We want to be the best band we can be! Usually negative comments comes from a place of truth.

How do you define your music?
Elizabeth: Weird pop.

If your songs were people, what would they look like?
Elizabeth: Our songs are different people, we write about characters.  They’re probably a bit like us, just more extreme, more handsome, taller, funnier. 
Jeremy, you’ve had a number of solo projects.

Is Summer Camp just a side project? 
Jeremy: Summer Camp has overtaken my solo stuff. I always wanted to be in a band, so it’s fantastic to have finally found someone I can make that happen with.

What are your thoughts about your upcoming Bangkok gig?
Jeremy: We’re so excited to come to Thailand, it’s a dream of ours. We can’t wait to meet lots of lovely new people, plus we think Thai food is the best food in the world. We’ll be bringing our drummer Willliam, he’s great.

Q&A: Chavaporn Laohapongchana

Owner, P’s Material

How was the brand started?
P’s Material was launched in May last year, spurred by my love of hair accessories. At the time there was a large demand for flower headbands but very few options.
What is the inspiration behind your designs?
Everything around me plays a part: my friends, lifestyle and personality, as well as the environment.
Who are your customers?
Teenagers and adults who love fashion and value being unique.
What makes your brand different from others?
P’s Material focuses on handmade products, which are all made by me. It’s quite different in terms of the designs and materials, so our customers are guaranteed exclusivity when they buy from us. When designing items, I prefer to have lots of materials in front of me; they can be anything—once I see the material, it brings me the inspiration and creativity to make

Q&A: Nattawan Komolkittipong

Co-owner, Pakamian

How was the brand started?
My family runs a weaving factory, so we looked to use materials that we were familiar with and started to make products from pakaoma (Thai traditional plaid cloth). After playing around for a while, we realised that to be successful we needed to fuse our own style with the out-of-date colors and patterns of pakaoma.
What was the motivation behind the products?
Our motivation was to create something that people feel isn’t clichéd. We asked ourselves how could we take something commonplace like pakaoma and use it to gain people’s attention. We decided to use it to create everyday items like bags, notebooks and pillow cases.
What makes your brand different?
Quality. Many people perceive pakaoma as cheap cloth. That might be true in some cases but not in ours. We only use 100% cotton. People buy our products because of the unique colors and patterns but also the fine weaving.

Q&A Sasiwan Siriviroj

Owner, Labyrinth

Why did you decide to start selling scarves?
One day, after I had quit my job at an art gallery, I was playing with a scarf that I always wore and started to really notice its beauty. I decided to learn more about them and eventually made one. I later won a young designer contest held by the Workshop fashion brand and my scarves are now on sale at their stores.
What is the inspiration behind your products?
I was inspired by the idea that no matter how an object looks, it’s always more complicated than you think. The creative ideas and products are designed by my brother and I, so our inspiration comes from our backgrounds—what we have been through, seen and felt in our everyday lives. For instance, we decided to incorporate our own pet french bulldog into the latest collection.
Who are your customers?
We target people who love art and new designs, but also want practical products. I believe our brand is high-street fashion; we place a lot of emphasis on the clarity of each print on the scarves as well as the quality and material of the scarves themselves.
What makes your brand different from others?
The concept of our brand is to make art something that is tangible and practical. We focus a lot on artistic creativity. I don’t want us to forget that the birth of our brand came from a desire to create more artistic products.

Q&A: Nalintip Warutai

Co-owner, The Sleeveless Garden

How was the brand started?
It began with three friends—all architecture graduates. We were bored of our jobs and wanted to design our own fashion products to show off our distinct style.
What is the inspiration behind your products?
We all love the vintage style, but aim to add our own unique touches.
Who are your customers?
When we first started selling our products, we thought we’d target people who have a unique fashion sense and don’t follow trends. But now we’ve been in the market a while, we’ve found that most of our customers are young office workers and university students. We aim to offer limited edition accessories that most people can attain.
What’s unique about The Sleeveless Garden?
I’d have to say the materials that we use, the shape of the bags and the fine design process. The materials are the only thing pre-determined before the actual design process starts because everyone loves genuine leather. We’re very open too, so if some new inspiration hits us, we’ll adapt it into the bag before it actually comes out.

Q&A Kanit Tantiwong

Co-owner, Container

How was the brand started?
In 2011, two friends and I got talking about starting a business to create high-quality bags to match our personalities. As one of us knew some craftsmen who had been making bags for a long time, we decided to give it a try.
What is the inspiration behind the products?
Creating bags that represent who we are. At first, we were all about timeless, elegant styles, made to fit our needs, as we love classic Japanese and Scandinavian designs. We are also trying to add quirkiness and colors to our bags, since the feedback from younger customers has been pretty good.
Who are your customers?
I would say anyone who cares for quality bags. They are not cheap due to the fact that they are handmade by qualified craftsmen. Each bag takes longer to make than mass-produced alternatives by other brands. You can see the difference in the seams and details.
What makes your brand different from others?
Our bags don’t scream “look at me.” We believe there are men like us out there who want bags that sort of keep them company and don’t go out-of-date no matter how many years go by. We want to see men carrying bags, and we are proud that our bags are made here, in Bangkok.

Are you all close?
We've all been best friends for a long time and have even lived together the past two years. So maybe we're a little too close!

How has being from New Zealand influenced your sound?
I think New Zealand breeds a lot of musicians who aren't afraid to experiment and to be 100 percent themselves. That's definitely the case for us.

What bands do you listen to?
We listen to a huge range of music but recently we've been influenced a lot by the nineties sounds of The Verve, Stone Roses, Pearl Jam, Jane's Addiction and Oasis.

Has your music changed since recording the first album, The Brave Don’t Run?
Our music has become what we are as a live band—heavier and more “rocky”.

Which artists would you most like to go on tour with?
Pearl Jam, Jane's Addiction, The Killers, Kasabian and Bruce Springsteen.

Best gig you've ever played?
The biggest festival in New Zealand is called Big Day Out and we were lucky enough to play on the main stage to 20,000 people (all singing our songs back to us). It was incredible.

Have you had any embarrassing moments onstage?
Yes, having a complete mind-blank on the lyrics of our biggest song.

How do you feel about digital downloads and music piracy?
Most of us see illegal downloading as the new way people discover music. It's a reality of the music industry now. It doesn't look like it will go away, so we may as well view it positively and work out ways to exploit that exposure.

How do you feel about performing in Singapore?
We're really excited. It'll be our first show here and only our second visit to Asia. We've had a taste and can't wait to be back for more.

What’s next for you?
Our plans basically revolve around touring and recording as much music as possible, to become a successful international act.

Midnight Youth will play at Music Matters Live! 2012 on May 24-26 at Clarke Quay.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my life when I was a teenager. I didn’t have someone to be my advisor. I lived with my grandpa, an old soldier who wasn’t home very much. So it was hard to communicate with him.

I had to leave King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB) because I had no motivation to study. I had just followed a friend who wanted to study there.

I even ran away from home because I was so bored. I didn’t know what to do.

My aunt saved my life. She said, “You used to love drawing. Why don’t you study art?” I was like “Right, I love art.” So I signed up to Silapakorn University to study fine arts.
Studying art gave me happiness. It’s real fun to live with art all the time.

I became enchanted by motion pictures after a friend asked me to help make a documentary. I was thrilled every time I went onto the movie set.

It lit a fire in me. I wanted to study motion pictures but my university didn’t have a faculty. The dean told me to get 250 students to sign up and then he would open the new faculty for me. I got 270.

Directing is magic. I can give life to my imagination through sounds, color, light and pictures. I feel I can compose all these things better than others.

I am lucky I started doing what I love sooner than others. I started working as a director when I was in my third year of study.

I was a millionaire before I became a movie director. I earned more than B30 million being a commercial director for twelve years. But I got bored with my wealth and everything around me.

I felt like my work had become a routine. I just got a brief and did it. It wasn’t me anymore. So I rejected the money to become a movie director.

Life is yours. You have to fight for it, respond to it and take care of it. I told my daughter that I would help her until she graduated. Then, she had to create everything on her own. I started from zero so she can too.

I lost all my savings to my first two films: Dang Bireley’s and Young Gangsters (1997) and Nang Nak (1999). But I was so happy.

I don’t like to repeat things. People say I would be rich if I did a sequel to Dang Bireley’s but I think it’s a waste of time.

I don’t put my life into things that are tried and tested. Life is all about moving forward. Making new things is more of a challenge.

After four years making The Tsunami Warrior (2008), I moved from movies to do lakorn. It was like going back to school, because the art of making lakorn is hugely different. I had to learn everything anew.

People buy tickets to watch a movie while lakorn needs to cry for attention from an audience who are always doing other things, like the laundry or eating, while watching. So you have to make the story easy to follow. Now I’m directing Nue Mek II which is going to air on Channel 3 this July.

I’m getting more isolated as I get older. Some days I don’t want to turn on my phone. I don’t want to talk to anyone.

The lowest point of my life was a year ago. I had to pay a friend’s debt. I was his guarantor on a B4 million loan and he defaulted. I had to sell my stuff to pay it off. This lesson made me scared of trusting people again.

People in this world are pitiful. We change a lot and sometimes lose our minds because of the stress of society. Kon-Lok-Jit (Distortion) is based on the winning script from the Thailand Script Project 2010, which touches on this topic. It made me decide to direct movies again.

I think 98% of people in society have mental problems. It’s just a matter of how severe. This movie shows that everyone is at risk of going insane, so you should seek help before it’s too late.

I love diving. I have a diving school, Blue Shark Diving. I love to dive at the Similans. It’s one of the most beautiful diving spots in the world.

I don’t like Bangkok. I feel sick every time I come home to the capital.

I think one day cinema will be like likay (street theater). Movies will screen on the internet which everyone can watch anywhere. I think it’s going to happen within two years.

Being a director takes everything out of you. But if you keep doing what you love you will be successful.

BK: What was it like playing a mentally ill person?
My first impression after reading the script was, “Whoa! What a challenge!” And that’s what it really was. To get a clear understanding of how Kwang thinks and feels, I had to dig deep into her complex background. People who have mental disorders tend to be quite quiet and speak with their eyes instead. So I had to learn how to communicate more with my eyes. There were workshops between the director, the actors and the crew. And there was an acting course with M.L. Pandevanop “Mom Noi” Devakul. I also did more research by watching films and reading books about mentally ill people.

BK: Did it affect you, having to enter her personality?
Of course it did. Sometimes during the shooting, I would be too deeply involved in the character’s mind to tune out. I wasn’t aware of it until the crew noticed that I was so absent-minded that they had to pull me back to reality. As for my attitude towards life, the film emphasizes what I’ve always believed: you can choose whether to be happy or depressed, it depends on you. I never let miserable ideas destroy me as the characters in the film do.

BK: Do you feel any pressure being the daughter of famous entertainer Arun Bhavilai?
No, not really. I think my personal life doesn’t matter. What matters is my performance. The only thing on my mind is to do my best. I’m sure this film will prove how I really put in a lot of effort to this role. I want to let my work speak for me.

BK: Has your father given you any advice about starting your acting career?
He tells me to be friendly and generous. At work, I always bring snacks for everyone. More importantly, he always reminds me that everyone in the film crew is equally important, not just the director or the actors. So he teaches me to respect everyone I work with no matter who they are.

BK: What’s your lifestyle like? Do you party a lot?
I rather stay with my mom and hang out at my father’s restaurant, Koona [in Ladprao 71]. Mom and I like to bake and we’re opening a new business, making tab bod [liver pate].

BK: What are your future career plans?
When I was a child, I often tagged along with my dad when he worked. So I’ve always been familiar with the entertainment industry. And now I’m studying Communication Arts in Bangkok University’s International Program. So my goal is crystal clear: I want to work in entertainment. I’m interested in it all—acting, singing and dancing. I would leap at any chance offered to me. I also want to work behind the scenes when I get older and have gained more experience. Benjamaporn Meekaeo.

Why switch to contemporary dance?
Actually, I’m still dancing both traditional Thai and contemporary styles. The thing is, after I got to watch contemporary dance shows, it kind of drew me in and I realized, this is it. This is what I want to do. I was off to a stumbling start, doing contemporary dance here and there. Then I got my first change to works with Jitti in a contemporary dance show called 18 Crowns.

Your prior work was quite difficult to understand.
As a dancer I’m positive that each kind of artwork has its own charm and you don’t have to understand everything. Nowadays, we have a bunch of stuff that’s easy on the eyes, so why not try something different. Our show tries to encourage people to think out of the box, move out of their comfort zone and see their world from a different perspective.

Contemporary dance doesn’t seem to attract a lot of people, though.
People don’t go to shows because they don’t know that we have one. For example, shows at the Thailand Cultural Center have large audiences because everybody has heard of them. Thailand needs to have ways to broadcast art news whether it’s public or private. It’ll help tremendously. Another thing is that to watch a contemporary show you have to be open-minded and accept that you’ll be challenged by it—don’t just be offended. I think that’s why contemporary shows are more popular in Western society.

Would you ever like to produce or choreograph your own stuff?
To be a good producer you need to have lots and lots of experience. I did a few of my own shows actually but I think I need more experience, so for now, I would say I’m a good performer. Maybe in five years, when I’ve gained more experience, I’ll do my own show.

How do you feel about this performance?
I’m concerned. Happy, yeah, but concerned because it is the first time that I’ll be acting without a mask. I’ve never done it before so it’s quite tough. But it’s good, too, because it gives the show a different dynamic, like theater. And then there’s my body. In a contemporary dance show, you need to have a very firm body on stage—it just looks more fascinating. So I need to lose some more weight! It’s never been a problem with khon where we wear all these beautiful clothes. Proudpisut Sang-ou-thai

Everyone in my family loved music in some way. My dad loved listening to classic songs while my mom used to be a singer in the Chulalongkorn University band. My brother was the one who taught me to play guitar.

Today, everyone plays the guitar. But back then, it was special. There weren’t many teenagers who could play, so it made me a very cool teen.

I was working as an architect for a year when we finally got a contract to release our first album, Friday I’m in Love, in 1997.

Friday is a fine day for everyone. It’s the day you know you can party all night and sleep all the following day. It’s a really colorful day for me.

Music is really powerful. I have faith in what I do. That’s why I won’t go back to being an architect.

I feel little regret that I threw away all that I studied in architecture to be a musician. I really don’t know what my life would be like if I were still an architect. And I’m happy with what I’ve done as a musician in the last 15 years.

It’s like you keep hacking at this big tree at the same point for 15 years and it’s finally paid off. I’m proud we’ve gone this far. We’re having our 15-year anniversary concert with Fat Radio and our full-scale concert later this year.

Being an artist isn’t easy. We have to cry for attention all the time which is not natural to me at all. I just have to find the right path for me.

Musicians must be survivors. The music industry is always changing so you need to find ways to adapt. But you also need to cherish your identity too.

I often feel downhearted as a musician. But it doesn’t go too far, like ever wanting to stop working or anything. I just feel jealous when I see other people’s work, and it’s cool. It makes me want to advance my work, too.

My music is modern but I love look-tung. Look-tung is really melodic. Its sounds especially beautiful when played on an old record player. I love vinyl. I play look-tung as a side project called Fat Siam.

My life was at its lowest point in 2003. My dad died, Bakery Music closed, I broke up with my girlfriend. It was like I’d been hit by a tsunami. I never thought it could be that bad.

The dining table is a symbol of happiness for my family. My dad loved to cook and we always ate together. When he died, we had to sell our house to pay off our debts, and our dining table went as well.

Losing my niece was also a turning point for me. She was born with a kidney problem and doctors told us she would die when she was eleven. And that’s exactly what happened.

I knew we needed to get a new dining table, after we lost her. I built the house to put it in. And I got married to have a family.

Every time I feel down, I go back to my music and create new work. It helps me focus on what I want and what I feel in that moment. It makes me happy.

Everyone around me inspires my music. I’m not so self-centered as to only write songs that are about my life. Other people’s stories make impressions on me, too.

My wife is now my inspiration. She is confident and I’m always amazed by her wonderful attitude and what she has done. She is the magnet that makes me want to be at home.

I love to cook breakfast for my wife. Women have their daily ritual to look good every morning. So I have my ritual of cooking breakfast so she can eat when she finishes dressing up.

I’ve been a big fan of manga since I was a kid. Every year, I do a personal list of the best manga. My favorite comic now is Beshari Gurashi which portrays the real life of a comedian’s buddy. It’s really dramatic. I even cried when I read it.

Make music from the inside. You can’t just listen to hit songs and mash them up into your own. Tap into the things you cherish and you will float above the current.

I’m jealous of new musicians, in a way, but I also love to see new artists that have so much more talent than the old guys. Otherwise our music scene would never go anywhere.

To me, success is a safe place, earning a living by being a musician and having people who still want to listen to our songs.

BK: How do you become a band?
IT: Tonhom, Jane and I are all colleagues at Pen Publishing [Penthouse, Digital Camera and T3]. The original idea came from Tonhom’s ringtone. He is a really retro guy so he always has Elvis Presley songs, like “Jailhouse Rock,” as his ringtones. We always did parodies of those songs and we thought it would be good if we could compose funny songs and play them together; even though Tonhom and Jane don’t know how to play music at all. We just wanted to do crazy songs. We weren’t trying to be cool.

BK: How did you land a contract with a big record label?
Tonhom: We composed and played together but never actually played anywhere for two years. Then one day, in 2010, I heard about the Kodindy Music Festival #6 so we decided to send our demo CD in and they picked us to play on the small stage. But when the day arrived, Deep O Sea, a famous reggae band from Koh Samui, couldn’t fly to the show due to a thunderstorm. The promoter chose us to replace them on the main stage! We got lots of fans on Facebook from that night. Then we went and took part in the Bacardi Hitz Unheard music competition and were one of the finalists who scored a contract with Warner Music.

BK: What’s the idea behind the band’s name and music style?
It: S.O.D. means Simple of Details. And with Sod Tae Mai Sod, it means that we just we want to make our songs in a simple way and that we’re single, but not virgins [sod tae mai sod].
Tonhom: When people ask me what is our style of music, I just say, “I don’t know.” I just call it, “music that can create happiness.”

BK: Why does your band have such a vintage style?
Tonhom: Old stuff is so classic and so colorful. I don’t think a flashy new car is a cool thing for me. They all look the same. But old cars are really unique. I have an old Volkswagen Van from 1967.
Jane: It’s from Tonhom, because he lives in a real vintage style all the time. He dresses like an uncle and drives his old van.

BK: What are your day jobs?
It: I write for Penthouse, Digital Camera and T3 magazines.
Tonhom: I am a nude photographer for Penthouse and do some freelance work.
Jane: I am a freelance nude stylist and event organizer. I used to work with Pen Publishing but have been freelance for three years.
Pop: I have a homemade bakery shop named “Eat Me Please.” We sell our products at schools, universities and hospitals. Our popular pieces are crunchy brownies and custard cake.
Nut: I’m a backstage sound engineer at concerts or events.