An American in Bangkok Since 1977 ("the Longer I'm Here, the More I Realise the Less I Know") 

My dear deceased Irish father visited Bangkok in 1952. There were no foreigners. He would walk down a street and the restaurant owners would usher him into their restaurants and feed him for free. It was an honour for them to display him in the front window so that people could see him eating there. He travelled down to Malaya, sleeping in Buddhist temples, and he was drafted into the British army, posted at Butterworth across the water from Penang.

As a thai born in 1983 the very last era of black plate cap. Wow such a nostalgia listening to his story.

This guy has a fantastic voice, personality, and a great story teller. Could listen and listen. Thanks for sharing JB!

The most underrated channel on the tube! Awesome! Russ will have reams of stories.

Taxis without meters and aircon were still the thing in to the 90s. It was brilliant when metered/aircon came in. Woodstock was where you went to eat and avoid being pestered by the girls. Never realized Nancy Chandlers map was around in the 70s. He's probably like me; you forget way more than you can remember its so long ago - i really regret not keeping a diary. The journey to Pattaya through Chonburi through Sri Racha was ....long and boring back then. Enjoyed the memories.

What a character. Brilliant video!

I absolutely appreciate you for interviewing the old man an American who has been living in Thailand since 1977 absolutely amazing stories of him living there until nowadays . I called him an old man I myself a few years old then him and left Bangkok before he went to Thailand I had lived in the United States for 55 years now , and he happened to be living where I was born and from I was going on lim khlong samsam bang kapi makkasan district Bangkok thailand .

Congratulations to these wonderful experiences in Bangkok at that time. My Father brought me over in 1979 and we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Silom - round windows. I was 9 years at this point of life. Believe it or not - I am living in Thailand since almost 20 years now - first in Bangkok and now in Najomtien. It was the right choice. Great to see this very interesting interview - most of my friends sis not have the chance to be here in these days. My respect and all the best wishes from Frank

Great interview and great channel. Glad I found it.

I arrived in March 1977. Was an extra in The Deer Hunter. Still here.

Bangkok was quiet and hardly any traffic. We had trams everywhere in Bangkok. Good old days. I was there last month for a month and so many high rises, buildings, and lots of traffic.

Great video. Been going there for 36 years, it's good to hear how things have changed.👍

First visited Bangkok in 1982. Lived there from 1987 to 2007 - I know Shrimp well - he was my first client. I once assisted with the baby oil for a calendar photoshoot.

Those of us who have lived here since the mid 70s definitely have a lot of stories but they can be very very different. It is very hard to really paint a picture of what things were like back then. I was always a little surprised by guys who married quickly. I stayed single for the first 20 years.

Great one , Jim. Really interesting look at the old days.I saw, Russell's T-shirt and I really fancied a cider. Hopefully a part two !

The Russel from the Apocalypse movie, he indeed has some good stories. The more I watch JB wanders , the More I Realise the Less I Know. Yes bring back Digging Deeper With JB 🙏

Enjoyed watching and kistening to this video. Such fun days way back when. I also live near Bang Kapi

The word Russell was looking for near the beginning is "jetway" or "jetbridge". I remember those days of getting off the plane and having to walk down the boarding stairs at Don Muang. I didn't know there was a Miami Hotel on Petchaburi. The only I remember was on Sukhumvit Soi 13. I think Russell's memory is slipping. 3,000 baht wasn't "crazy money" for renting a house in those days. I came in a few years after he did, and people were paying over 3,000 baht for an apartment. A bit of hyperbole there. Dusit Thani was 23 floors, not 10. The video makes it sound like Soi Cowboy didn't exist in those days. It did. It was an "R&R" spot for American G.I.s during the Vietnam War. R.G. "Cowboy" Edwards wasn't the first person to open a bar on that soi. It was Bernard Trink who coined the name of the soi after Edwards and his iconic hat. Russell is referring to the name of the soi. True, it wasn't called Soi Cowboy in the beginning, but it was a hangout spot in the '70s. Air-conditioned bus service started in 1978. There were many around by the mid-80s. The "dee" in "Tom and Dee" does not mean good, it's short for "lady". "Tom" is short for "tomboy". Russell has some great stories, but it would've been better if you could've reined him in a bit more. The old-timers tell some great stories but don't look at them as a wealth of information when they can't get their facts straight. Still, I'll give the video a thumbs up for making the effort to provide some original content and not just following the crowd. 👍

Arrived Dec 5 1977 been here ever since

I first arrived in Bangkok in December 78,we drove through rice fields from Don Muang to downtown Bangkok.Stayed at the Asia Hotel and there was a curfew in Bangkok at midnight and it was still there in 79.Went again in 82 and it had gone.Married the girl i met in 78 who worked for the Asia group in 79.She was at the demo that the troops shot the students at Tammassat.She is still in touch with many of her Uni friends and they tell some great stories.

How about that 😊 The American guy from the 70s in Thailand until now; so awesome 🙏👍🇹🇭

Great to hear about Bangkok in the past, and feel goodand wonder at the same time how Bangkok has been developed through these years till today. Thanks for the incredible story.

should make a documentary about this man’s life

Couple of thing wrong there about WoodStock and White Rabbit. Kevin did not have a big pile of Vinyl nor was he the DJ. Kim Fletcher started the White Rabbit in Nana.

I came to Bangkok in 1999 nana area still here ever since every year back home for vacation and come back to the sois. Miami hotel 🏨 on petchaburi road is not like before now a lot has changed in Bangkok since 🤗✌🏾🎩❤️

I always liked the 80's Jaguar XJ6 in classic British racing green of course. I owned a TR7 of all cars, it was my first car back in the 80's.

I can relate sooooo much! My beloved husband was a Directional Driller, gone a lot but lots of free time! We spent three winters in Thailand Hua Hin and Chiang Mai. One of the couple we knew stayed in Thailand near Myanmar and are still there. I am leaving in June to go visit her, her husband has recently passed. Looking forward to the visit, been 37 years! Hahahah damn I am getting old! Great video!

My first Thai girlfriend was also a Muslim. That was in 1981. I forget the exact neighborhood where she lived, but I remember that you had to walk on boards laying across mud to reach the old wooden house.

Happened the same to me ... 41 years ago. Malaysia Hotel, Blue Fox ... I am still here.

Nice oneThe Guy's accent, best $tateside one I've ever listened to, you guys could go on forever..... Bless you.

This is really good - you should do a podcast or interview channel... Maybe call it something like Digging Deeper With JB?

Great to hear about Thailand in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I can certainly remember some of the things Russell mentioned like the Nancy Chandler map, the Shrimp calendars and taxis before they were metered. Russell’s an interesting guy and it’s good to see this video get some views

More please !

Thanks- really enjoyed the interview.

Ask Russel if he remembers the all-night coffee shop in Malaysia Hotel, where you watch videos on a big screen eat the best cheeseburgers and frys , and also the love guest house across the street.

Fyi, Tom and Dee are actually mean Tomboy and Lady. Dee isn’t mean good. ดี = good ดี้ = short from lady. They are different word. It is very interesting to listen to him though. He knows about Bangkok more than me. Granted I haven’t live there for 27 years.

Interesting guy! I always get a kick out of the RU-vidrs that have been here a year or two and think they understand anything about this culture, the women etc. 20 years for me and I still don’t know squat!

In 1970-71 Bangkok I worked in a US military office (we were civilians) with a Black lady (think her name was Yvonne Edwards). Her husband was into opening bars. I’m pretty sure her husband was Cowboy. I wish I could meet someone who knew him and could confirm.

I arrived in 1970 stayed at the Miami Hotel which was on Sukhumvit Soi13 and still is. Yes a lot different than today. Came back for a visit in 1998 and came back every year for about 5 years. It is different today than before covid. All of the Japanese restaruants are a new arrival. There were Japanese restaruants but not to the extent they are today. Bangkok you either love it or hate it.

Interesting interview with Russel. Yes, Woodstock definitely had the best burgers in Bangkok at that time.

Good stuff.

Need more interviews like that mate. AWESOME STUFF. GET HIM BACK AND PICK HIS BRAINS 🧠. Ibet he'd have heaps more stuff about the old days of Bangkok

Wow…this is hard to watch jumping back and forth and skipping around. I’m moving along

Nice one, thanks for the content. I can't find the info/name or links for the guy who does the riding courses and the actual racetrack itself. Would appreciate the info, cheers.

Great stories!

USIS is usually pronounced /u-sis/. Russell isn't particularly well informed on AUA. It was not an American university, but a language centre set up by Thais who had been alumnii at universities in the USA. American University Alumnii (AUA) was set up with USIS (US Information Service) assistance and there have usually been US Embassy nominees on the board. It would probably be partially true to say that USIS has connections to the CIA, but I would not wish to make too much of that relationship.

nice one!!

I spent my teenage years in Thailand in the 60's and later worked on the UT pipeline there in 1978-80. My question is if Nick's number 1 is still there ?. It was my favorite restaurant. I lived there when Sukumvit had a klong down the middle.

My first trip to Bangkok was in June 1978 at the age of 21.. No traffic congestion so from Sukhumvit to Patpong was a quick 10-15 min taxi ride. I stayed at the Federal Hotel at the end of Soi 11. Before internet so didnt know about the Thermae until a few years later. Hung out mainly at the Grace Hotel coffee shop that had lots of hot freelancers. Back then many westerners still hung out there before it becoming a mostly middle-eastern hangout years later. Freelancers were around 500b for the hotties and down to 300b for the lesser ones. Sometimes took out girls from an MP called Happy Happy down the road from Nana Hotel. MPs back then had long term options for the girls, so she could stay with you till next day or longer. The GF experience was more genuine back then and the girls were more submissive and eager to please than later years. Nana Plaza was of course non-existent until around 1985.

“You had to negotiate the price with them(taxis)” “And tourist paid more, locals paid less” 😂😂 ok so the only thing that’s changed since 1977 is aircon got it 😊

How do you pay for your expenses in Thailand since 1978????

Woodstock bar food takeout eaten at the cathouse while drinking the 100 baht all you can drink beer chang daily happy hour from 1pm - 7pm 😘

What about the visa situation?

❤❤❤!

He didn't "buy" any large plot of land as that is prohibited in Thai national law. Just be open and transparent about it; how he circumvents. He also never really answered about how he made a living all those years. He shifted and diverted.

Could I move to Thailand with 30 grand

38:45 You are right that Tom stands for a tom boy. But Dee doesn't come from ดี meaning "good". Dee is shortened from "lady" instead.

Holy shit yes the ANTS!! Hahahaha

Amateur. Been here since '65.

Its not a competition 😂

Nothing as boring as old ex pats droning on about the good old days

28:15 I think you talked about USAID which Thai people called it "you said".

Still here??? Omg

Dusit was built in 1970, 23 stories, and remained the tallest building until 1978, with the opening of the 26-story Chokchai Tower. Chokchai was surpassed in 1981, with the opening of the 33-story Bangkok Bank headquarters on Silom Road.

Great interview. Interviewer talked too much, don't need all the rights and yes's while the interviewee is talking. Hard to hold back sometime though!