How different is it performing now than it was 10 years ago?
Not much at all. I had a different band 10 years ago. This band I have right now is probably the best band I ever had. Musically it’s just tighter than tight, which is great for me because it gives me all the freedom to move around, do all the things I want to do.

What's one of the most bizarre things to happen to you onstage?
Occasionally, we bring a snake into our show. One time, the organizers wouldn’t let me bring my boa constrictor into Brazil. They said, “We’ll get you a snake!” and just went out there and found a wild snake! Well all the snakes I ever used were in captivity all their lives, so they’re used to being around us. But they went into the jungle, took the snake off the tree, put it in a bag, and when I wanted to take it out, it almost took my hand off. It’d never been held by a human before.

Are there songs you ever get sick of playing?
You’d think that we would get tired, especially when you get songs like “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out,” that we’ve been doing for 40 years. But once you get in front of the audience with your makeup on, you become Alice Cooper, the villain. You've also got this great band behind you so it's really impossible to get bored. We do those songs every night, but you have to keep in your mind that the audience is seeing us perform them for the first time in maybe five, 10 years. It’s new to them, so that’s why you have to keep energy up on it and make sure that everybody knows that you’re having fun playing that song. If we look bored, the audience would be bored. So we make sure that that song we play is like the first time we ever played. The energy, every bit of it, your body language speaks very loudly. You have to be projecting it as much as anything.

Let’s talk about tight leather pants. You still perform in them. Doesn’t it get old?
I still have the body for it! Doesn’t get old. Never.

Is there a line between you and Alice?
During the day, I’m me. I’m running around going to the movies and going for dinner. I’m just me. At night, I get to be him; I get to be that Alice character. He’s like very…grrrr, you know. His body language is different from my body language. His posture’s different, his voice is different. We have the same sense of humor – that’s about the same thing that we have. But the rest of being Alice is really taking on the character of a villain. So when I go on stage everybody knows I’m not going to be the same guy they were talking to that afternoon.

If you were to die tomorrow, what would you want to be remembered for?
A really good dad and a really good husband. Thirty-five years and I’ve never cheated on my wife; I’m a bit of a romantic. But I think in music I would go down as being the guy who brought theatrics to rock. That’s fine with me. I don’t mind that. I was before Kiss, before Bowie, before anybody. So we literally did bring the whole theatrical experience to rock ‘n’ roll. Nobody had ever done it before us. And I think that’s what we’ll probably be known as. That’s fine with me, I’ll be the Ziegfeld of rock ‘n’ roll.

Get tickets to see the man himself at his concert, No More Mr Nice Guy.

I had a place in Beirut, but I just let it go, because I hadn’t been there in a year. A four-and-a-half-hour flight is just a bit too far. It’s not the city’s fault. It’s more of a lifestyle issue. Beirut is a great place. If Beirut was where Rome was, it’d be great.

I think all the time which architect I would commission to have a place in Tokyo or somewhere else in Japan. [But] I would really find the climate a struggle. I really would.

Aviation sites, New York Times, FT [Financial Times], Der Spiegel online—those are my daily online diet. But then there’s enough of us now [at Monocle] that I get pointed in the right direction. A lot of things are links or photocopies that are brought to me. So my media diet is broadened by the fact that I have the research desk bringing me things.

It’s more passengers than crew who recognize me. And it depends on the airline. On Swiss, because of all the work we did with them. Sometimes on B.A [British Airways], ANA. The Japanese are very discreet so it’s a knowing nod. Sometimes with Swiss it can be a bit of both ways. I worked with the airline so I’m seen as staff. So I’m viewed with contempt as well.

Europeans and North Americans suffer from airport space out. You take the same aircraft, same number of people, and it takes them four times the time to board the plane at Heathrow than it does at Haneda. No one is prepared for travel, no one is considerate of their fellow passengers, no has taken their jacket off—simply have your passport open, at least.

It’s interesting to see how quickly people started saying, “Oh this is so Monocle.” When you launch a brand—when we launched Wallpaper, and certainly when we launched Monocle as well—it has to be very top down. I’m always amazed, because we consult with a lot of other magazines—or maybe that’s why we’re called in, because editors just aren’t strong enough. And you go into these story meetings and there’s no leadership. There’s no one saying this is what our story is, this is what it isn’t.

I look back at how I’ve co-edited with Andrew [Tuck] since we launched [Monocle]. The first 2-3 years, 70% was commissioned out from the top. Now we’re on year five and maybe it’s only 40%, and 60% proper up flow. Maybe that’s part of it: it’s the vision of one creative director… and it’s maybe four people really driving it. Now that I’ve consulted with other publications, I’m surprised how leaderless [they are]. It gets put into one big stew.

Bangkok was definitely one of the cities we looked at [for Monocle’s roundup of desirable cities with poor livability]. It has every opportunity to be there next year. Bangkok is slightly hidden and unknown and everything just seems so multi-layered, from the overpasses to what happens on the street.

It’s very hard [to improve such cities]. It’s very hard to do what, let’s say, Mayor Oh did in Seoul. And I think it’s debatable whether he succeeded. He certainly improved elements of the city but he certainly didn’t make Seoul cozy. Because you can’t really rethink the scale. The grid is the grid and that was prescribed a long time ago.

Winkreative is a business of scale now. There are so many designers from different backgrounds. None of them are skiing too off-piste. They’re all largely on the right slope and know where they’re going. But it’s fine. Sometimes some people might weave in and out of the trees a little bit. That’s good. It pushes the design at the edges, as it should. But they’re very separate [from Monocle]. Actually I wish there was more crossover but there’s a very healthy rivalry between them.

The only problem heading both is that clients of the agency think they’ll get a preferential ad rate or something. But those issues can get dealt with rather swiftly and diplomatically.

If you want something gothic with skulls, you’re probably at the wrong agency. It’s not in our DNA; it’s not what we do.

From doing Wallpaper, I learned cash flow. God, I was 25 at the time. I hardly had a bank account. I went to Barclay’s and just got a loan. There was no magic in it. Whereas now, businesswise it’s a very different setup. And I’m very happy that it is much more of a family structure that we have now.

Invest early in creating a sound environment for people to be in. It took four years to get to the dream office at Wallpaper. And there is a part where you have to be able to live the brand and host people. That’s a challenge. People have such high expectations. You put yourself out there and it better be pretty good when they come to see you.

Interview by Gregoire Glachant with the kind support of TCDC.

BK: How did you end up forming a band with your brothers?
When I was ten, my older brother got signed to a Thai record label, but just after signing the papers, he passed away. I’m fulfilling his legacy. My two brothers and I had always been musically inclined and we would always talk about forming a band, so when we were all old enough, we decided to pay respect to my brother by making an album for him called Fulfill The Dream. The band’s name is actually his name, which is Note.

BK: What did you do before you formed the band?
I was actually a parking valet in California, where I grew up. I’m from Temucula, which is right between Los Angeles and San Diego. My job as a valet let me drive some cars that I could only dream of. I also had to drive some real POS every now and then, but overall it was fantastic money, and it allowed me some free time to do my own thing. In a way, I really wouldn’t be here without it.

BK: So what was growing up in California like?
I was actually born in Hawaii. My father was the first real DJ at NARZ, DJ NOP. He moved to Hawaii after a stint as a DJ in Bangkok and started a successful career as DJ Kea Aloha. My mother owned restaurants in Hawaii and Los Angeles, so eventually we moved to the LA area. I absolutely love LA. It was all beaches all the time, with a little surfing, boogey boarding and fishing thrown in.

BK: So what brought you back to Thailand?
I always wanted to come back ever since I was young. Unfortunately I had a knack for going too fast in my Charger SRT-8, and I guess some people considered it street racing. One thing led to another and I decided that the time had come to make the move. I speak Thai at home, but I feel like a baby because I still can’t read or write it. It’s still a new place even though it’s in my blood. I love it here. I really haven’t thought about going back to the USA. Maybe one day, but for now everything I need is right here.

BK: What do you think about the Thai scene? What are you bringing to the table?
Thai music is awesome, but it might be afraid to change, because from what I’ve heard, this “popular Thai formula” has been around for ages. It is changing for sure, but it’s happening slowly. It seems there are a few companies who hold the reigns to the industry. What we’re bringing is American pop rock that’s produced and played by Thais. You have a lot of international artists that can make it to the Billboard, so why not Thais? I’m sure we can do it too.

BK: What will we see next? What’s in the works?
This new album is a different side of The Note. You’re going to see a matured sound with more thought being put into the conceptual side of things. I really think this album could take us somewhere. I wrote all the songs and I put a lot of thought into the arrangement. This should have been the album that we first came out with, but we had to start somewhere and we had to grow.

Shoulder pads, poodle perms and neon tights…
I don’t think shoulder pads looked good on anyone, not even models. Poodle perm, we never had one though they were a necessity for most bands, although only Jon Bon Jovi got away with it because he had a cute face.

Would you ever work with the Stock Aiken Waterman (SAW) crew again?
The beginning of our career was very indie-based with songs like “Cruel Summer” and “Robert de Niro’s Waiting”. We approached SAW mid-career and wrote some great pop songs. We then moved on to producers Youth, Murlyn (Swedish) and Ian Masterson for more electro dance material. I don’t know if SAW is still working as a team but we enjoyed working with them.

Any new sounds we can expect from Bananarama?
Personally we would really like to make a country and western album with some folks in Nashville.

Your secrets for pop longevity?
A passion for music, ambition, drive, belief in your own talent. Enjoying the highs and accepting the lows as a natural part of any career. Friendship, sense of humor and writing our own songs.

Biggest non-musical influences?
Don’t know if they were influences but we love people who challenge and open minds. Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Plath, Noam Chomsky, Martin Luther King, Dali, Denis Diderot and Michelangelo.

Bananas or cucumbers?
We don’t like bananas. Cucumbers are good in a Greek salad.

Famous last words.
If you don’t ask you don’t get. F**k it lets do it!

Don’t miss out on Retrolicious on Oct 8 at Fort Canning Park.

What must a bonafide model possess?
You need to have at least one attribute. It could be your attitude, amazing beauty, vibe, height or platinum blond hair. I’m not statuesque but I think my distinct look helped me stay relevant in the industry.

What’s your advice for wannabe and aspiring models?
To be blunt, it’s unfortunately an aesthetic industry so you have to be aesthetically pleasing to be able to make a career out of modeling. After that, everything can be learnt, even confidence, so fake it till you make it; experience is the best teacher.

How would you define your style?
I like to switch up my look every two years, especially my hair. I currently sport a very short boy cut. You need to maintain a freshness although you’re a veteran, so changing your look is really important to stay relevant.

What’s your one item that you swear by and can’t live without?
Any piece from my Michal Negrin jewellery collection and, more practically, my L’Oreal concealer.

What’s a foolproof style tip from you?
If you have great long legs, flaunt them! If I did, I’d be in Daisy Dukes everyday! But on a more pragmatic note don’t be afraid to let your personality shine in the way you dress. Who wants to look like the next cool kid in rolled up jeans, deck shoes and a checked shirt?

Famous last words…
You don’t need to follow trends to be trendy. Experiment, shock the world even, have fun and be comfortable with your own personal style. The world will respect you more for it.

I got expelled for throwing a chair at a teacher. You could say I was a kid with a lot of issues.

My one real weakness is Champagne. Two glasses make me happy, a bottle makes me extremely happy, anything more and I hit the floor.

A lady who knows how to drink and can differentiate between quality and something that’s just mediocre really gets me hot.

I’m a perfectionist, a stickler for details and a full-on control freak. I’m not comfortable in situations when I’m not in charge. On that same note, I don’t do well being controlled.

When I’m out, I always, always put coasters under a glass, for myself and the people around me. If there aren’t any coasters around, I’ll use a napkin. Occupational hazard, really.

I don’t use pick-up lines, I just say hello. At the risk of sounding arrogant, my success rate is about 75 percent.

I spend way too much money on food. I dropped 600 bucks the last time I was at Osteria Mozza.

A few weeks ago while I was out with some friends, I stepped on the stem of a broken Champagne flute. It punctured my Dr. Martens, broke off and lodged itself in my foot. The piece of glass was a good inch-and-a-half long, and so there I was at 6am in the hospital, drunk, in pain and cussing my ass off. Not fun.

Ethics are very important to me. I’m big on a set of rules that I stick to. Simply, do unto other what you want others to do unto you.

Growing up, my parents made sure I associated punctuality with respect. So it’s a real deal breaker for me when someone’s always late.

My friends think I’m funny, punctual and an asshole.
I’m a firm believer that there’s no such thing as a man’s drink or a ladies drink.

Although that being said, I can’t help but judge my customers by what they drink.

I once made a tequila-based coffee martini for one of my female customers which she described as “hot prison sex.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

Sex is like air, it’s essential. Love is like penicillin: You don’t need too much of it.

I’ve been known to throw people out of the bar, literally. I won’t tolerate abuse to my staff.

Autobiographies are the only books I read. They really inspire me.

Never, ever give up. Always put your head down and keep on trucking.

I have dreams of owning my very own sugar cane plantation and distilling my own rum. I’d move to Sri Lanka for that.

If the world was going to end tomorrow, I’d pull up a nice beach chair on the highest peak of the Grand Canyon with a very, very good aged rum and a massive sphere of ice in a nice, crystal vessel and watch it all happen.

My mom and I are like friends; there’s a level of mutual understanding. We even meet up for lunch.

My parents named me and my twin brother after a brand of detergent. Our names are “Top” and “Tide” on our birth certificates. At first, they planned to use Chettha and Anucha (older and younger brother in Thai-Sanskrit), but they changed their minds because we got really sick when we were little.

I never dreamed of being an actor, even though my brother and I were big fans of Thai movies. We always went to the cinema near our home. We’d pretend to be two heroes fighting bad guys and saving the world.

We came to Bangkok to continue our education. Then my brother, Tide, got a job at a famous modeling agency. He asked me to join him, but I didn’t get as much work as he did. My hair was too short for modeling because of my army reserve officer training.

My big chance came when a famous director, Kom Akkhadet, decided that I should train to do action movies for a year. My first movie, Khamakabpra, was released in 1983. And I got a leading role in Tabtimtone in 1984. I’ve been acting regularly since then.

I started directing movies because I found that I often had a different perspective from my directors about scenes. My first movie was Tamnan Grasue in 2002, then Chang Puen Gaew (2003), The Groan: Guan Guan Phee (2004) and Panya Renu (2011).

I spent nearly B20 million out of my own pocket to shoot and promote Panya Renu because none of the studios were interested in the project. I begged Sia Jiang of Sahamongkol Film to help me get this movie in the theaters. I was convinced that it was a great film.

It was very warmly received by audiences. Word of mouth spread, and ticket sales kept
getting higher and higher. It’s now the most successful Isaan movie of the year.

None of my movies feature superstars. They’re all fresh faces. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want famous actors; I just want to have the right actor for the right role. Many of the actors who started out with me are now famous, like the Panya Renu actors who have gone on to tour the country. I’ve just finished the sequel that will roll out early next year. I am also on the pre-production of my new movie that will shoot in India.

I became a rescue volunteer because I really admired them. These volunteer groups used to give away stuff to my family and poor people in my neighborhood. I made up my mind that I would join them one day.

My time came in 1987 when a theater collapsed and people were stuck inside. I rushed to the scene after I heard the news. They needed help operating some of the machines and saving people. Ruamkatanyu gave me an official jacket and I’ve been a volunteer since then. Now, I serve as president of the RuamKatanyu Special Events committee.

I swear, I don’t want to be a hero. Recently, I intervened in a situation where a mother was threatening her baby at knifepoint in front of CentralWorld. But all I want is to help people. I’ve been saving people for decades without the media paying any attention.

I see huge positive changes in the public’s attitude towards volunteer groups. It used to be that many people didn’t want to associate with us because we worked with dead bodies. People believed it was bad luck. But now, people are starting to acknowledge that we help society.

I would rather be a volunteer than a husband. All of my ex-girlfriends begged me to stop doing this job. I wouldn’t then and I never will because my heart wants to go out and help people. I still haven’t found the right girl who can love me for who I am.

I gave up on politics after I found how dirty it was—and still is. I ran to be an MP in 1995 and the head of a sub-district showed me 10,000 fake ID cards. What kind of fair
election could come of that?

Pheu Thai recently approached me to become a member. I turned the offer down. I need to be neutral if I’m going to work for social
organizations.

I wish I could do a TV show about helping extremely poor people in our country. I wouldn’t want to ask the audience for money. I would just want them to help me find people in need.

Being a good person isn’t just a matter of duty. If none of us try to be a good person, then there won’t be any good people in the world.

What inspires you?
A lot of different things. Sometimes it will be a song that I love, or just a random song that I hear and it gives me a good idea. Sometimes it will be a movie or picture. You never know what’s going to inspire you. As far as idols go, I never had direct idols. I look up to creative and successful bands. Anyone who can play music every day of their life and make a living. That has always been my goal. Just play music and enjoy life.

Does “emo” define your band?
The word emo is short for emotional. I think any great band puts a lot of emotion and passion into what they do. We’ve been referred to as many different styles of music and I’m fine with any label that people want to put on us. We just consider ourselves a rock band, and yes, we put a lot of emotion into our music and shows. So I guess we can be an emo band.

Why are you changing to be more rock n’ roll?
We just write music that we want to hear. We never set out to write a certain style of music. As long as we love what we write, that’s all that matters. Of course we will always play some sort of rock music. I guess we’ve just gradually progressed more toward rock n’ roll.

You have been touring a lot.
I’ve learned a lot about music from touring around the world. The main thing I’ve learned is that music is the universal language. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, or where you live, we can all be brought together through music. I’ve found that most countries around the world really love American music. It’s a great feeling to travel to the opposite side of the world and have people sing your songs back to you.

What is your favorite gig?
I love playing Australia and Japan. They both have the most amazing fans and the most beautiful cities on the planet.

After their second gig at Club Culture last year, the musical collective Delicate Decibel returns with a much bigger event held over four consecutive nights at four different venues. They start this week with a collection of postrock outfits at Cosmic Cafe (Oct 5, 8pm, B250 with 1 drink) before continuing to the Motorcycle Emptiness Bar the next day (Oct 6, 7pm, B250 with 1 drink) See the full line up at facebook.com/delicate.decibel. Here, organizer and front man of electronic outfit Space360, Auttaratt “Benz” Photongnoppakun, talks about the concert series.

Tell us about the event?
The aim of Delicate Decibel is to showcase new, experimental bands, as last year, but I also wanted to add more variety for the audience. Last year I, as Space360, and Kijjaz joined the Fete de la WSK 2010 in Manila, Philippines, It takes place over 15 days in 15 venues and is dedicated to experimental sonic art and a diverse range of artistic activities in the context of digital culture in South East Asia. . I wanted our event to be exciting like that; people who come to the event truly come to appreciate the art of music. So, I came up with this idea to make it a big event, with four days and four venues where the themes are slightly different on each day.

How will the events play out?
The opening day will be held at Cosmic Café with live electronic, post-rock, experimental and drum n’ bass—and DJ sets [upstairs] in the Fish room. This is the first time I have a chance to work with Electrobacillus who will join us doing live visuals. The theme for the next day at Motorcycle Emptiness Bar is similar to the first, but with different acts. We return the third day to Fish Room [at Cosmic Café] with dubstep, drum n’ bass, techno and live electronic. We use live visuals as a tool to communicate with the audience. On the last day, at Nospace, it will be more like a music workshop that is also open for teenagers who want to experience and get started with music.

Some of the bands are playing for the first time with Delicate Decibels. Any rising stars to look out for?
Actually they’re all great in their own way. Jin always develops himself every time I see him live. Noah’s Tape is always shy on stage but their electro acoustic tunes are so catchy, they could get an impressive reaction from the audience. This is our second time working with Animal Machine, who play live electronic and could be defined as drum n’ bass, and they put on a very good show before. As for The GAD, they play a more experimental style but with instrumentals that are easy to get for new audiences.

How do you think the audience will react?
There are lot of music styles out there that might not fit the mainstream but are also good. There are a lot of bands that work really hard to make their albums. They should be supported, otherwise they might disappear from the scene. Even our neighbor, Vietnam, has an experimental music festival, Hanoi Sound Stuff, which I joined last year. They can have over 3,000 people attending so why can’t Thailand have a phenomenon like that?

BK: What was your childhood like?
I used to be very bold and outgoing when I was in elementary school, but that all changed when I went to junior high. The turning point was when I applied for the AFS student exchange program in Ohio in the United States. I decided to apply because I was really bored with student life in Thailand. There are way too many rules—you can’t even have long hair. At some point, it just doesn’t seem like you’re really living.

BK: Was life in the US as you had expected?
Yes, but I did have to get rid of some of my Thai politeness. You have to be very direct and honest about what you think, otherwise Americans won’t listen to you. American teenagers also love to do fun, crazy things. Like on Halloween, we were driving around in my friend’s car playing a strip game. My female friend flashed her boobs to other drivers. That’s crazy!

BK: When did you start liking music?
I’ve loved music since I was young. My dad used to be a folk singer in university. But my skills improved a lot when I took a class on harmonizing in the US. It made me realize that singing is my destiny. I wanted to be a singer. I also fell in love with soul music there. It’s really powerful both emotionally and vocally. There are not many techniques or instruments, but it has its own groove. It’s like it comes from your flesh and bone. Sometimes I feel my blood pulsing as I sing it.

BK: Why did you come back for an AF audition again after failing twice before?
I guess it’s down to my determination. This opportunity is open for everyone, so I figured why not try it until I reach my goal. I planned to keep auditioning until I passed their maximum age regulation. Since I failed for two years and went on to win a season, I’ve realized that there’s no such thing as easy success. You’re allowed to be sad about failure, but just don’t waste too much time moping. You’ve got to move on.

BK: How do you think Thai singing competitions compare to their US equvialents?
There are good and bad differences. Our shows are better at training the competitors, while in the US they don’t do this. It’s because all the contestants are talented and they can design their own show, while we have to be challenged week by week with different kinds of songs. The American standard for singers is so high and there are lots of opportunities, while Thailand isn’t like that, even though we do have many talented singers.

BK: How is your love life?
Honestly, I’ve never been in love. I’ve had crushes on people before, but I’ve never asked anyone out.

BK: What do you plan to do next?
I already dropped my studies at Thammasat University’s Communication Arts Faculty to join this competition. I am a third-year student there. I’m not planning on rushing back to school, because I want to do my best and be open to whatever opportunities may come next.