A Quick Bernard Trink Quiz

[tombkk]

Regardless of opinions about Trink the man he is nevertheless part of the history of Thailand's nightlife (arguably throughout the very best years).

He has also done something few people living have, added a whole bunch of words and phrases to the expat lexicon.

Rest assured expats will be using 'Trinkisms' long after he's dead and forgotten, long after all of us are dead and forgotten and I expect we'll all be forgotten before Trink is.

Quite so, it was an era in Bangkok that came and went, Trink was essential weekly reading. Remember visting here with friends back then, good times, just isn't the same anymore and age has nothing to do with it, things were better.

Nostalgia simply isn't what it used to be.

Neither is discussing a bar in Soi 19 - open a new topic if you must. This one is about Bernard Trink. (This remark is not directed at Rancid.)

[Chivas]

Is he still alive....??

I think his weekly round up was a Thursday or Friday in the Bangkok Post before the Internet........

Used to grab the paper to see what was going on down....!!

[andrew]

Is he still alive....??

I think his weekly round up was a Thursday or Friday in the Bangkok Post before the Internet........

Used to grab the paper to see what was going on down....!!

Trink lives. He must be in his eighties now, but the Great Man lives.

[andrew]

I have mentioned the Country and Western Bar on the corner of Soi 19 a couple of times over the last few years, nobody except me seems to remember it.

Country Roads (as others people have said already).

Pool table over in the corner; very low ceilings; dim lighting.

I did a hostess from there back in 1999.

[p_brownstone]

I have mentioned the Country and Western Bar on the corner of Soi 19 a couple of times over the last few years, nobody except me seems to remember it.

Country Roads (as others people have said already).

Pool table over in the corner; very low ceilings; dim lighting.

I did a hostess from there back in 1999.

Most of the (very) Old Hands on here are, I think, referring to the Joker Club and Cock and Bull Country and Western Bars which, in the early 70's, were indeed on the corner of Soi 19 - long before "Country Roads".

The Joker Club was downstairs and featured Mukda and her Go-go Team, wearing ankle boots and fringed "bikinis" which today would generate massive scorn in Soi Cowboy or Nana and often performing a sort of Thai "Texas Line Dance" routine..

Upstairs was the Cock and Bull C & W Bar (I cannot remember if there was a direct staircase from the Joker Club, but I think not). The Lead singer was the Bass guitarist (an American) Freddie, a Filipino, was the other Guitarist - and sang occasionally, and a rather crazy (American) Drummer - imaginatively nickname "Sticks" - made up the Trio.

Not sure when it closed.

Patrick

[Spaniel]

I have mentioned the Country and Western Bar on the corner of Soi 19 a couple of times over the last few years, nobody except me seems to remember it.

Country Roads (as others people have said already).

Pool table over in the corner; very low ceilings; dim lighting.

I did a hostess from there back in 1999.

Most of the (very) Old Hands on here are, I think, referring to the Joker Club and Cock and Bull Country and Western Bars which, in the early 70's, were indeed on the corner of Soi 19 - long before "Country Roads".

The Joker Club was downstairs and featured Mukda and her Go-go Team, wearing ankle boots and fringed "bikinis" which today would generate massive scorn in Soi Cowboy or Nana and often performing a sort of Thai "Texas Line Dance" routine..

Upstairs was the Cock and Bull C & W Bar (I cannot remember if there was a direct staircase from the Joker Club, but I think not). The Lead singer was the Bass guitarist (an American) Freddie, a Filipino, was the other Guitarist - and sang occasionally, and a rather crazy (American) Drummer - imaginatively nickname "Sticks" - made up the Trio.

Not sure when it closed.

Patrick

I think you have that backwards. The Joker was upstairs and the Cock & Bull ground floor.

[p_brownstone]

I have mentioned the Country and Western Bar on the corner of Soi 19 a couple of times over the last few years, nobody except me seems to remember it.

Country Roads (as others people have said already).

Pool table over in the corner; very low ceilings; dim lighting.

I did a hostess from there back in 1999.

Most of the (very) Old Hands on here are, I think, referring to the Joker Club and Cock and Bull Country and Western Bars which, in the early 70's, were indeed on the corner of Soi 19 - long before "Country Roads".

The Joker Club was downstairs and featured Mukda and her Go-go Team, wearing ankle boots and fringed "bikinis" which today would generate massive scorn in Soi Cowboy or Nana and often performing a sort of Thai "Texas Line Dance" routine..

Upstairs was the Cock and Bull C & W Bar (I cannot remember if there was a direct staircase from the Joker Club, but I think not). The Lead singer was the Bass guitarist (an American) Freddie, a Filipino, was the other Guitarist - and sang occasionally, and a rather crazy (American) Drummer - imaginatively nickname "Sticks" - made up the Trio.

Not sure when it closed.

Patrick

I think you have that backwards. The Joker was upstairs and the Cock & Bull ground floor.

You may well be right - it's over 40 years ago and my memory is affected by copious consumption of Singh during all that time!

Patrick

[Digitalbanana]

Is he still alive....??

I think his weekly round up was a Thursday or Friday in the Bangkok Post before the Internet........

Used to grab the paper to see what was going on down....!!

Trink lives. He must be in his eighties now, but the Great Man lives.

Unless he is working from beyond the grave, Trink is still writing for the Bangkok Post today. I just noticed his book review from yesterdays online edition.

[andrew]

Is he still alive....??

I think his weekly round up was a Thursday or Friday in the Bangkok Post before the Internet........

Used to grab the paper to see what was going on down....!!

Trink lives. He must be in his eighties now, but the Great Man lives.

Unless he is working from beyond the grave, Trink is still writing for the Bangkok Post today. I just noticed his book review from yesterdays online edition.

Thanks for posting that. I'll go and take a look. Some of his book reviews were quite good.

He also did film reviews.

[andrew]

Most of the (very) Old Hands on here are, I think, referring to the Joker Club and Cock and Bull Country and Western Bars which, in the early 70's, were indeed on the corner of Soi 19 - long before "Country Roads".

Amazing -- some of you guys have been here for sooooo long.

[Digitalbanana]

Is he still alive....??

I think his weekly round up was a Thursday or Friday in the Bangkok Post before the Internet........

Used to grab the paper to see what was going on down....!!

Trink lives. He must be in his eighties now, but the Great Man lives.

Unless he is working from beyond the grave, Trink is still writing for the Bangkok Post today. I just noticed his book review from yesterdays online edition.

Thanks for posting that. I'll go and take a look. Some of his book reviews were quite good.

He also did film reviews.

Yes, his film reviews and nightlife column were axed but they let him keep his book reviews ... his retirement pension if you like. I think his only forte was the night owl spread in the Bangkok World every Friday (or was it Saturday?) that would span three pages of the afternoon tabloid. For the rest no one gave a hoot.

[rene123]

He sounds like my grampa I used to know and love for his stories.

[p_brownstone]

Bernard Trink was also well known for two other contributions the Bangkok nightlife scene in the early 70's - again published first in the old Bangkok World: His Restaurant Reviews and his "Reviews" of Massage Parlour Girls, usually at the old Takara Massage Parlour on Patpong 2, at that time run by Ladda who later went on to open the Thai Country Club Golf Course with an Australian chap whose name I now forget (used to run the Golfers' Lounge on Patpong, anyone recall? Lloyd something?), including his opinions on their technique providing "Specials" ....... Trinkese for BJ's. I never understood how his wife let him get away with that!

He used to take his wife with him to review the restaurants and the amount of food they ordered between them was very impressive - though I doubt the Accountants at Bangkok World were happy at the expense. His favourite word to describe good food was "Sapid".

Patrick

Edited December 26, 2012 by p_brownstone

[Boksida]

Readers would wait with morbid fascination for the Trink Bangkok World restaurant reviews to see how much free food the self-described "trencherman" could put away at a single sitting. He used to supplement "sapid" with "toothsome" where required. There was no greater criticism than being served too small a portion.

I think the Golfers' Lounge guy was Lloyd Thomas. At one stage he also had an interest in the bar next to the Golfers (can't remember the name) and later on, Bobby's Arms.

I found Trink's information on "specials" very informative and was in Bill Book's Cellar Bar several times when he came in to update his reviews. When doing his Nite Owl rounds, he had a photographer trailing around. This guy was equipped with a Kodak 110 camera with the square rotating flashcube on top. It could have easily been operated by an 8 year old so I could never quite figure why he didn't do it himself.

For all that can be said about Bernard Trink, he was a man of the times (Vietnam War) and must have doubled Friday's newspaper circulation. Bachelors relied on it to plan their weekends.

[p_brownstone]

Readers would wait with morbid fascination for the Trink Bangkok World restaurant reviews to see how much free food the self-described "trencherman" could put away at a single sitting. He used to supplement "sapid" with "toothsome" where required. There was no greater criticism than being served too small a portion.

I think the Golfers' Lounge guy was Lloyd Thomas. At one stage he also had an interest in the bar next to the Golfers (can't remember the name) and later on, Bobby's Arms.

I found Trink's information on "specials" very informative and was in Bill Book's Cellar Bar several times when he came in to update his reviews. When doing his Nite Owl rounds, he had a photographer trailing around. This guy was equipped with a Kodak 110 camera with the square rotating flashcube on top. It could have easily been operated by an 8 year old so I could never quite figure why he didn't do it himself.

For all that can be said about Bernard Trink, he was a man of the times (Vietnam War) and must have doubled Friday's newspaper circulation. Bachelors relied on it to plan their weekends.

Lloyd Thomas!

Thank you Boksida, that has been bothering me all morning, my attempts at recall just could not get past "Lloyd Webber" and" Lloyd Bridges" so "Thomas" never registered!

I forgot "toothsome" too!

It's easy now to denigrate a man who was, at the time, a real character, and hopefully he will be remembered in the annals of Bangkok Night-life by those who were there; sadly that era was eventually subsumed by the PC brigade and had him squeezed out.

A Flaubert he was not, but he will leave a legacy all his own.

Patrick