Legendary nightlife columnist Bernard Trink dead at 89

[ratcatcher]

6 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

The link loaded fine a few days ago,but now I get: This page is an outdated user generated.....

 

Is it working for others or is there another site?

Did you read only the :This Page is an outdated, user-generated website brought to you by an archive.It was mirrored from Geocities at the end of October, 2009.
For any questions concerning this page try to contact the respective author. (To report any malicious content send the URL to oocities(at gmail dot com). For question about the archive visit: OoCities.org.

The page below has the articles  Why a Nite Owl archive?

[3NUMBAS]

the back door of the thermae was a cracking place to be in the am

 

 

some gent wrote to the BKK post letters page in the 80s accusing trink of being a badly dressed slob  and being an inconsequental onanist .to which trink replied may you live in interesting times

[3NUMBAS]

On 10/18/2020 at 11:53 AM, balo said:

It would be interesting to read his old articles back in the 1970's and 80's. If anyone have kept some of the old newspapers and want to upload. 

bkk post are very touchy about such things as copyright ,they will hound you to hell and back

 

i have a selection from the 80s but they wont stay up long if i posted details

[balo]

3 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

bkk post are very touchy about such things as copyright ,they will hound you to hell and back

 

i have a selection from the 80s but they wont stay up long if i posted details

I don't think there will be a problem uploading old newspaper clips printed on paper 40 years ago.  Can upload to anywhere really.   

Edited October 19, 2020 by balo

[IvorLott]

On 10/12/2020 at 8:51 AM, phantomfiddler said:

Every, and I mean EVERY, Farang read the Trink Page every week, and many including myself missed his highly informative page. R.I.P. Bernard !

Yes, correct. Often controversial, Rarely ignored. A true Bangkok institution has passed.

I once had the pleasure of meeting him, his tales of a bygone, changing Bangkok were fascinating. What a book his memoirs would have made. 

I'm sure like many, reading his column, before heading out on the sauce every Friday, was almost a ritual of our times there 'back in the day'. 

RIP Bernard

[off road pat]

22 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

So sounds like you still stay there time to time.

Yes it is still the cheapest around, I think about 1000 baht per night. I stayed there a few and a couple of years ago with different friends from the US who were on a budget and who wanted to have fun in Bangkok. I always thought she was the owner and part of the family and the Mercedes parked outside was hers. Sweet old gal. Still worth a stay there if in the area and extreme comfort is not your quest. Anyway, her and I still remember each other, and I have seen the son. Now there is, or before CV 19 was a short time place almost directly right outside with gals you pick and take up for a bang if that is your thing. Just before it leads out to Soi 8. 

 

Yes, it was something back in the day there at the Crown and has lost some appeal as you said, but then again so has Bangkok over the years as well.

Yep, I'm a regular visitor. Couldn't find a more convenient place with a big parking for my 4x4 and close access to the highway on my ways to North or South. Extreme comfort is not my thing. Just a clean bed and a bathroom are sufficient. The proximity of many restaurants and "Foodland" off Soi 5 on the opposite side of Sukhumvit are a very big plus as well !

Best Regards, Off Rod Pat.

[holy cow cm]

22 minutes ago, off road pat said:

Yep, I'm a regular visitor. Couldn't find a more convenient place with a big parking for my 4x4 and close access to the highway on my ways to North or South. Extreme comfort is not my thing. Just a clean bed and a bathroom are sufficient. The proximity of many restaurants and "Foodland" off Soi 5 on the opposite side of Sukhumvit are a very big plus as well !

Best Regards, Off Rod Pat.

Yeah. it is definitely situated for everyone's needs. Soi 8 is out that little back door slide and they really don't care what you do there for the most part. Good to talk to another person who shares same memories. I will still maybe stay there with a visiting friend in the future. Still the best located and low cost.

Cheers.

[IvorLott]

On 10/18/2020 at 1:34 PM, josephbloggs said:

I had no issue with his writing about the night trade, but I have never understood the adulation of the man or his column.  The quality of his writing was extremely poor and his column was mainly a re-hashed selection of emailed chain "jokes" and pathetic one liners sent in by readers.  Nothing of interest, nothing of substance, just a load of copy and paste rubbish.

And let's not forget the real reason he was axed was because of his continued (almost weekly) pushing of his dangerous and irresponsible notion that HIV did not lead to AIDS and you therefore did not need to use condoms with prostitutes except to protect against pregnancy or minor irritating STDs.  He should have been sacked the very first time he stated this as fact in a national newspaper but they let it continue for a long long time for some strange reason.

The fact that grown adults on this forum still use his TIT and 'Nuff Said is pretty sad really in my opinion.  

I am sure he was a lovely man in person and may he rest in peace, but a great writer, a great columnist, a great talent he was not.  

 

Twaddle, not to mention piffle waffle, he was not axed for any such reason other than the Nephew (Kong Rithi?) of the then new majority Shareholder needed a 'career', so in true Thai nepotism style,  'Uncle' gave him a job plugging his cronies'  fancy Thong Lor/LangSuan/ Mor Chit Hi-So eateries in the space formerly occupied by the Night Owl column...

 

......but, hey, don't let facts get in the way of your prejudices...

[samsensam]

16 minutes ago, IvorLott said:

Twaddle, not to mention piffle waffle, he was not axed for any such reason other than the Nephew (Kong Rithi?) of the then new majority Shareholder needed a 'career', so in true Thai nepotism style,  'Uncle' gave him a job plugging his cronies'  fancy Thong Lor/LangSuan/ Mor Chit Hi-So eateries in the space formerly occupied by the Night Owl column...

 

......but, hey, don't let facts get in the way of your prejudices...

 

i often used to see him at lido and scala in bangkok, he seemed decent enough, but as a journalist/writer he wasn't very good, the standard of journalism in thailand is, frankly, shocking, was he ever published in any reputable publications abroad? was he sought out by quality publications and asked to contribute? just read his columns in the BP; repetitive themes, lack of curiosity and critical thinking, no hunger for news - banging on about the same themes/topics, no burning desire to tell a good story. read roger beaumont, andrew biggs and the difference is stark.

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, IvorLott said:

Twaddle, not to mention piffle waffle, he was not axed for any such reason other than the Nephew (Kong Rithi?) of the then new majority Shareholder needed a 'career', so in true Thai nepotism style,  'Uncle' gave him a job plugging his cronies'  fancy Thong Lor/LangSuan/ Mor Chit Hi-So eateries in the space formerly occupied by the Night Owl column...

 

......but, hey, don't let facts get in the way of your prejudices...

Sorry, don't buy that at all.  His space had gradually been reduced (from two pages, to one, to half) as he became less and less relevant and his column became less and less interesting and more and more of a stain on the publication.  The constant banging on about HIV not causing AIDS became ever more of an embarrassment to what is/was supposed to be a respectable national newspaper until they could no longer ignore/tolerate it and he was quietly dropped.

But hey, if you want to believe the space was taken away from an amazing and relevant writer and given to someone else to write about Thonglor then please knock yourself out.  I must have missed that amazing half page Thonglor/Lang Suan/Morchit (eh?) column that appeared after he was axed - weird because I was a subscriber.  

 

Edited October 20, 2020 by josephbloggs

[josephbloggs]

27 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

i often used to see him at lido and scala in bangkok, he seemed decent enough, but as a journalist/writer he wasn't very good, the standard of journalism in thailand is, frankly, shocking, was he ever published in any reputable publications abroad? was he sought out by quality publications and asked to contribute? just read his columns in the BP; repetitive themes, lack of curiosity and critical thinking, no hunger for news - banging on about the same themes/topics, no burning desire to tell a good story. read roger beaumont, andrew biggs and the difference is stark.

Spot on.  There was no originality in his columns, no insight, not even any decent story telling.  Just copied and pasted email chains, quotes pulled from the internet, and annoying cliches.  And of course his dangerous misinformation.

Roger Beaumont is a good, entertaining writer.  He is still there even though he is old.  Why hasn't his space been given to the nephew to plug Thonglor and Langsuan and, erm, Mo Chit(?) even further as the previous poster alluded happened to Trink?

Andrew Biggs wrote a very entertaining and insightful column.  It is a shame that bit the dust as it was one of my favourite weekly pieces.  And yes, streets ahead of Trink's "journalism".

[NCFC]

Trink was a must-read for old Thai hands and all part of the setup for the weekend. A lot of the column was idiosyncratic and what I would today call 'Dad jokes' but there was few other sources of information in those pre-internet days. It wasn't just that his column suddenly disappeared (it went without any prior notice, if I recall correctly) but the internet truly killed off "Nite Owl" and commentary moved online with people such as Stickman.

 

I would imagine life must have been tough for Trink once his column was gone and I remember reading that he hadn't had a pay increase from the Bangkok Post for many years, and that was a lesson to me not to hang around in Thailand for too long without the funds to support the necessary lifestyle of an expat.

 

SO farewell Bernard Trink and farewell to the old Bangkok in which you lived. They were the best of times

[3NUMBAS]

i have reread my trink pages and i cant find anything which i would describe as copy and paste ..its all his own thoughts .he mentions LM boyd a lot and gossip from the rumour  mill

[3NUMBAS]

some more snaps

[balo]

Keep posting old stuff, interesting reading about night life back in the days for us that never experienced it. 

[KMartinHandyman]

On 10/12/2020 at 8:53 AM, webfact said:

OBITUARY

Legendary nightlife columnist Bernard Trink dead at 89

 

 

A legendary Thailand based journalist and columnist of a bygone era, Bernard Trink, has died aged 89.

 

For many decades from the 1960s to 2003 Mr Trink was a columnist commenting on the nightlife in Bangkok and Pattaya in the Bangkok World and when that publication closed in the mid 1980s in the Bangkok Post. 

 

Mr Trink was a controversial figure with strident views that delighted and irked in equal measure.

 

But it was fair to say that most expats who followed his column would always read it even if they disagreed with him or didn't appreciate his content. 

 

A New Yorker born in 1931, Mr Trink served in the Korean war and later was a journalist in India, Hong Kong and Japan before settling in Bangkok in 1962. 

 

He started his famous "Nite Owl" column in the now defunct Bangkok World in 1966.

 

Every Friday evening there would be news about the bar scene usually accompanied by gyrating go-go dancers whom he might describe as "comely lasses". 

 

His lack of political correctness - in an era when that expression had not yet been coined - angered many and ultimately led to the end of the column. 

 

After the Bangkok World closed his column moved to the Bangkok Post first as a full page then just a half page. 

 

In the late 1999's the management of the post cut the column but there was a public outcry and it was restored until it was finally shelved in 2003. 

 

Mr Trink was well known in the bars and clubs of Bangkok and Pattaya, famous for "doing his rounds" with pants hitched high up and a medallion on his chest. He was often accompanied by his wife Aree Trink. 

 

Despite promoting the bar scene he always warned foreigners not to hitch up with Thai "demimondaines" (his word for bar girls and hostesses) whom he invariably described as untrustworthy. 

 

He was famous for what could be described as "Trinkisms" - words and expressions that are still used by many expats today. One was "T.I.T." (This Is Thailand) that explained away baffling occurrences in the kingdom.

 

He always signed off his column with "And I don't give a hoot".

 

The Bangkok Post management eventually did give a hoot and he was sidelined though he continued to go to the office to work on book and film reviews. 

 

One controversial thing that angered people and the Post management was his oddball claim that HIV did not lead to AIDS.

 

But he also campaigned fervently for the removal of the Patpong night market saying that fire engines would not be able to gain access if there was a "conflagration" in one of the bars or discos of what was Thailand's leading red light area of the time. 

 

A close associate of the legendary columnist told Thaivisa that it was always hard to pin down Mr Trink because he had no phone or computer.

 

Mr Trink, who passed away at Deleted Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from a blood infection, is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

 

Rooster

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-12

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

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That was a very dignified obituary Rooster. You’re a good man. 

[charleskerins]

On 10/13/2020 at 12:25 AM, mbenson said:

Rolling Stone magazine did a piece about them around the time that the barge was interecepted on the west coast of the US. I read the story then went down to the bar. Sure enough, there were the twins posing in front of a confederate flag in a large back-lit transparency. They had pictures of Montagnard soldiers on the wall too. Great story. I was honored to be there. And thanks to the Scottish guy he kept ringing the bell.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/10/01/Encounter-Bay-smugglers-plead-guilty/5705591681600/

Fascinating ,10 years for marijuana -what a joke American Drug Policy is.

[charleskerins]

On 10/12/2020 at 10:54 PM, couchpotato said:

I know everyone has their favourite times, but the 70's/early 80's in Patpong really was the best.  Park your car anywhere, no vendors and lots of characters (all written about by Mr Trink).

Plus of course the Mississippi Queen (and the Twins), Madrid in the daytime, 3M hotel and the kangaroo upstairs. 

I was part owner of the "Pit Stop' next to the Grand Prix for 2-3 years, and Trink would pop in every so often to find fodder for his columns.

So bringing his name to forefront this week, has dredged up some great memories.

 

Fascinating story about the twins and the drug smuggling.

[VocalNeal]

On 10/12/2020 at 10:54 PM, couchpotato said:

I was part owner of the "Pit Stop' next to the Grand Prix for 2-3 years,

 

So you may have known Frank from Superstar🤔

[couchpotato]

7 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

 

So you may have known Frank from Superstar🤔

Yes indeed. He was actually with 2 bars during his Patpong tenure, then he opened another place (it was either Soi 4 or a new bar soi across Silom..memory fails)

He was also a hasher (hash House harriers) with the hash name of Noriega.

I also believe he was burmese heritage, not Thai. 

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, couchpotato said:

Yes indeed. He was actually with 2 bars during his Patpong tenure, then he opened another place (it was either Soi 4 or a new bar soi across Silom..memory fails)

He was also a hasher (hash House harriers) with the hash name of Noriega.

I also believe he was burmese heritage, not Thai. 

 

Soi 4. He is still an infrequent Hasher. Father supposedly Armenian, mother Burmese.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/52792101@N04/14188607542/in/album-72157644269572179/ 

Edited March 26 by VocalNeal

[jts-khorat]

On 10/12/2020 at 3:53 AM, webfact said:

OBITUARY

Legendary nightlife columnist Bernard Trink dead at 89

 

Mr Trink, who passed away at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from a blood infection, is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

 

My condolences to his family, may he rest in peace.

 

During my first years in Thailand, his column was a weekly mainstay for me, even though I was not actually in Bangkok or Pattaya at the time. This was right before arrival of the internet, possibly the reason to why it gave such a strong feeling of belonging to some kind of "expat community" he informed us all about.

 

I am sad to hear of his passing, another small facet of my own life during my youth gone from the world.

[couchpotato]

On 10/13/2020 at 12:25 AM, mbenson said:

Rolling Stone magazine did a piece about them around the time that the barge was interecepted on the west coast of the US. I read the story then went down to the bar. Sure enough, there were the twins posing in front of a confederate flag in a large back-lit transparency. They had pictures of Montagnard soldiers on the wall too. Great story. I was honored to be there. And thanks to the Scottish guy he kept ringing the bell.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/10/01/Encounter-Bay-smugglers-plead-guilty/5705591681600/

Sorry not those twins. I was talking about the famous dancer twins who featured in the 'Deer Hunter' movie.

[VocalNeal]

There is or was a bar called Twins on Soi 23

[couchpotato]

Once again not the twins I was talking about.

These are my Twins. About 1977 Missis Queen.

Edited March 26 by couchpotato

[couchpotato]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

There is or was a bar called Twins on Soi 23

Closed before Covid. Nasty girls (as in totally slutty) so a good bar to visit..haha