Shamelessmack in Thailand and around

April 2009:

Tawan Bar always has a steady following, but tonight it was unusually crowded. Arriving at about 22:15 h, the bar was already looking full, but the waiter managed to find me a seat, though it was at the right edge of the stage, where I had to share a table with three Chinese-speaking guys. That spot gave only a side view of the show, but it was also where the stage controller stationed himself, and watching him at work proved rather more interesting than the show itself.

On stage, about 27 guys – I don’t have to describe their beefiness, do I? – were on rotation, about 5 at a time, while around the floor waiters were scrambling to set up extra chairs to accommodate the ceaseless tide of customers. By the time the show began at 22:35 h, I reckoned there were 80 to 90 people in the bar, only 5 – 10 of whom were farang, the rest being Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other Asian tourists.

While other bars have steadily raised the slickness quotient of their shows – e.g. even the cheap-looking Classic Boys  had a better underwater show than Copa of Pattaya – at Tawan, they remained amateurish. There were no “dancing” acts to speak of, if “dancing” means choreographed and rehearsed steps set to music. At Tawan, many items took the form of throwing a few guys together, clad in leather, tumescent cocks strangled by rubber bands, and letting them to do their thing with minimal instructions as to what that act is supposed to be about.

The music was almost incidental. Not only were there no steps danced to the rhythm of the music, the item itself  did not have to coincide with the start or end of any song. When the stage controller felt that the performers had done enough of whatever they were doing, he would shine a hand-held laser at the DJ, who would then fade out the music and dim the lights. Taking the cue, the performers would stop doing whatever they were doing, give a wai to the seated patrons and leave the stage in any direction they pleased.

Then the DJ would put on another another song while the stage controller popped backstage to summon the next set of performers. It seemed that without that summons, they might have no idea they were on next. Even so, there were a few inordinately long gaps between items, indicating that the performers were not ready.

When they were, the stage controller would reappear at his command post, signalling the DJ to change the music. And so it went.

1. Four muscle guys in thongs do their body-builder poses on stage in no particular order, until signalled to get off the stage by the dimming of lights.
2. Seventeen guys do a big cock parade, one of whom looked like he had a silicone cock! I couldn’t be sure because I only caught a quick glance, but it was so out of shape, nothing else would explain it.
3. Five guys in leather gyrate on stage, one of whom has some candles in his hands. Erect cocks of the four supporting actors on full display.
4. Four guys in leather organise themselves into two couples and do a suckfest.
5. Then fuckfest. Two guys in leather fuck two slightly tubby femme guys in leather. No serious attempt was made to circulate among the audience, most likely because it was too packed.
6. Pon (#55) in leather caresses another guy in leather, who is bound at the wrist. Big cocks on display.
7. Three guys in leather do the rubber hose riot. Big cocks on display of course.
8. Pon (#55) does his fire-eating dance – the only item with some aesthetic quality,  i.e. he knows how to move. No cock visible, but we’ve already seen it in item number 7.
9. Eleven guys in a motley of disguises stand on stage to masturbate. The tip cup is passed around and generally 200 -400 baht is collected before someone ejaculates. All in, five guys squirt and six give up.

The show ended at 23:35 h, with the midnight show announced in advance, the announcement almost drowned out by the thundering rush for the exit by 80 percent of the patrons.

Drinks: 250 baht. Off fee: 400 baht.

For location, see Directions to Soi Tarntawan and Silom Soi 6.