Irreverent, informed and downright eclectic crime fiction and reportage from Southeast Asia and beyond
“I tried to capture not just the devotees’ tattoos but who they were. My models were rather shy at first. Most of them were male and taking their clothes off for a female photographer was definitely a challenge for them. But after I had taken a few shots, their confidence increased and they conveyed a [...]
Check out new travel magazine Wicked World which launched this week! Great stories that originate off the beaten path, far away from guidebooks and iPhones… Wicked World exists to promote the kind of travel related writing that wouldn’t normally find an outlet in more mainstream publications. We’re not here to sell expensive guided tours, round [...]
Here’s one for the budding and seasoned photographers. A new online photo service has just been launched called LightRocket (www.lightrocket.com). The service is the brainchild of Peter Charlesworth and Yvan Cohen, good friends both and the co-founders of OnAsia Images an online photo agency created over a decade ago representing a select group of professional [...]
I will be talking, from the hip and to the hippest at tonight’s Bombyx Stories, a regular spoken word even at the WTF (what the fuck) Bar (on Sukhumvit Soi 51) in Bangkok tonight. Other performers include John Gartland, Aaron Grieser, Wesley Hsu, Andrew Kingham, Donald Quist, Mrigaa Sethi, Chris Wise and James Yu. Show [...]
Photographer Aroon Thaewchatturat shoots the Bangkok Night of Noir at Check Inn 99, legendary Vietnam era haunt on Sukhumvit Road (and once a watering hole (pun probably intended) for Bob Hope, on April 17th. The evening featured local literary luminaries James Newman who organized the event, Dean Barrett, Christopher C. Moore, John Gartland and me. [...]
Last month, we had a visit from veteran tattooist Bruce Bart and his wife Jennifer. They were on an Asian road trip and were looking for a tattoo master in Thailand. Their search, quite an adventure, eventually led them to Sacred Skin and to the house I share with my wife, photographer Aroon Thaewchatturat. This [...]
I will be reading from my second novel, The Cambodian Book of the Dead, published in Thailand and Cambodian by Crime Wave Press, and from June world wide by Exhibit A Books in the UK. The Bangkok Night of Noir is the brainchild of writer James Newman. The venue, the Check Inn 99 is legendary, [...]
Natalie Paris reports in The Daily Telegraph on the state of Phuket, Thai holiday island, long in the grip of mafias and gangsters. I add my two Baht worth. Read the full story here. Tom Vater, Telegraph Travel’s expert in Bangkok, said that while Thailand remains a safe and attractive destination overall, visitors to Phuket [...]
Professor Kinski remixes Pussy & The Learjets from Bangkok! Bangkok based writer and journalist Tom Vater’s Garage Rock band in a very loungy trip hoppy easy listening version! Nothing Can Bring Me Down! Stay tuned for 2 more punchy mixes soon!