Gaybutton

I would have said, "As long as you're inconveniencing everybody, bring orders of chicken nuggets for all of us. And since you didn't have the courtesy to even ask if the rest of us mind the stop, no matter who the fuck you think you are, since I do mind, you're paying. Oh, and I'll have an iced tea with mine."

Speaking only for myself, when I go to a go-go bar, the main factors that influence how long I'll be in there and how often I'll go are: 1. Types - Are at least some of the boys my type? Since everyone has his own preferences, I think a successful bar needs a diversity of types - to be able to please the widest range of customers. 2. Music volume - Anyone who has been reading what I've been harping on for years probably knows one of my biggest complaints is excessively loud music volume. I won't repeat all I've already said in the past so many times other than to say if the music is excessively loud to the point of discomfort, then even if every boy in there is my type, I'm going to quickly be out the door. 3. Mama-sans - To this day I'm still trying to figure out the necessity of some bars having mama-sans, especially the aggressive ones who try to sit down with me, uninvited, doing little more than trying to solicit drinks and tips for themselves. Many bars have no mama-sans at all and they're doing just fine without them. I can certainly do without them. I always shoo them away. And while I'm at it, why do some bar owners tolerate their mama-sans pushing only the boys who give them kickbacks when they're taken off? 4. The "One-knee Shuffle" - Oddly enough, when I go to a go-go bar, I actually want to see the go-go boys dancing. Isn't that strange? In the bars where most of the boys are just standing there on the stage, looking bored out of their minds, and doing nothing more than rocking a knee back and forth, usually while staring at themselves in a mirror, my attention span is, shall we say, limited. In other words, bye bye. 5. Drink prices and off fees - Sorry, bar owners, but I'm not going to patronize a bar charging 180 baht for a watered down drink when I can get the same drink - not watered down - at another nearby bar for half the price. And if you're going to try to charge me 400 baht on up to take a boy off, guess what - I'm not taking a boy off. Not at your bar, anyway. 6. Bar shows - That's another one I've been harping on for years. I don't like bar shows in the first place, but obviously many do. I'm not going to suggest doing away with bar shows (although I wouldn't have any objections if that happens), but I am going to suggest, yet again, to do something different in the shows. Is there a bar show anywhere that doesn't include lady-boys with breast implants lip synching . . . ? If you just must do bar shows, please - how about some genuine originality for a change. 7. Aggressive street touts - I don't mind so much the street touts shouting "Have BOY, sexy BOY, have new BOY," along with "Welcome inside Mister." But if you have street touts trying to physically pull me into your bar, I'm not going into your bar. 8. Fun - What happened to the "fun factor?" Where did it go? I often find it difficult trying to distinguish one bar from another. I think for a bar to really succeed, bar owners need to pay much more attention to making sure it's fun for the boys and fun for the customers. As far as I can tell, in Pattaya two of the very few go-go bars doing that are Happy Place and often Funny Boys. Can anyone figure out why those bars are usually packed while if you go to some of the other nearby bars, you'll probably be the only customer in there? 9. Individuality - While many like the idea of all the boys wearing precisely the same attire, unless it's a theme bar or a special theme night, my preference is letting the boys decide for themselves what they're going to wear. To me, that makes a statement and is a large part of my decision making as to whether I want to call a boy over to sit with me and/or take him off. 10. Furniture and cleanliness - Another factor for me is the furniture. Some bars have very comfortable furniture while in other bars, by the time I leave I'm also leaving with a backache. If you're going to invest in a bar, invest in some decent furniture too, willya? And while you're at it, what's so difficult about having clean, odor free restrooms? If I need to use a restroom, for some strange reason I like it a lot better if it's clean. In some bars, the restrooms are as if the last time anyone cleaned them was the day the building first opened. And is providing paper towels really such a major expense? In some bars, there is a community terrycloth towel that God only knows how long it's been there and what was on the hands of those who used it before it was my turn. No thank you. With those kinds of towels, I think you're better off just drip drying. For some bar owners, here's a new word for you: Sanitary. If anyone out there is seriously considering opening a bar, I hope you'll give consideration to those factors. If you do, again speaking only for myself, I'll be much more likely to be a customer of yours rather than spending my money elsewhere.

"He was so old, when he was in school they didn't have History." - Rodney Dangerfield

That one is probably right. That sounds like something I would say and although it sounds very familiar, I can't remember whether I actually said that or not. Something I know I said, because I've said it many times and still do: "When I was young my grandfather took me aside and said, 'The best grandfatherly advice I can give you is - don't get old.' I should have listened." Here's another one I like: "I'm not afraid. At my age there's not a lot left to be afraid of." - Helen Hayes (Ada Quonsett), 'Airport'

The guy is on my "I Don't Get It" list. He's in Thailand trying to hide from serious felony charges in his home country, the kind that will cause the embassy to go after you and the kind that causes Immigration to revoke your visa and deport you without so much as a hearing, so he buys a bar and remains conspicuously visible?

Thank you for that, but I hope this thread will stay focused on Pattayamale's idea about starting a new board. That's what I thought this thread is supposed to be about. I doubt anyone is going to come up with anything new in their attacks directed at me that hasn't already been said a million times anyway. I would suggest keeping this thread on topic and let those who want to turn it into an "I Hate Gaybutton" thread simply start a new topic and post their attacks there.

Especially posts such as yours. I'm glad to see we're not going to use one board to criticize another. Is that so? Pray tell, on which board is Pattayamale a moderator? I must have missed it.

So far they haven't. How long should 'eventually' take? I've been posting about the excessively loud music for years. In that time I don't recall seeing more than a very few responses saying "I like the loud music." The vast majority of responses have always been that customers don't like it any better than I do. Next logical question: Who's the loud music for? The most common answer is "The boys like it." I never see anyone questioning that. Maybe you should. Have you ever asked the boys if they really do like the overly loud music? Many don't. I've spoken to many boys who also dislike music as loud as that. It's one thing when they go to a disco for a few hours of fun, but it's quite another when they have to work in that kind of environment every night. Some have quit working in the bars that play the music too loudly after they go home enough times with their ears pounding and suffering from headaches nearly every night. Some stopped being go-go boys and started working outside as doormen, apparently preferring to spend their working hours calling out "Welcome inside, Mister. Have BOY, sexy BOY" instead of going deaf. I too think the particular bar that spent a lot of money on a high quality sound system made a mistake by doing so. Unless a lot of customers were asking for a higher quality sound system, what purpose was served? Are you attracted to go-go bars because of the music system? Is the music system even a factor for you when deciding which go-go bars to patronize? Speaking only for myself, when I'm in a go-go bar, I'm there because of the boys and I couldn't care less about the sound quality. I don't even pay attention to it. For me, the music is there for the boys to have something to dance to - when they're actually dancing instead of standing there doing the "One Knee Shuffle." Whether it's dancing or the "One Knee Shuffle," neither requires excessively loud music. The only bar owner ever to post a response saying he is listening to his customers and will turn down the volume was Krazy Dragon. As for the rest of the bar owners, I don't understand what the problem is about keeping the volume at a reasonable level. For me, if I can at least talk to the person sitting next to me without having to shout or talk to the waiter taking my order, that's loud enough. No matter how fabulous the bar might be, if my ears are being tortured I'm not staying and I'm not coming back. I hope the bar owners finally start listening - that is if they can still hear . . .

Yes, come on. There is no flooding at all anywhere in Pattaya where you're likely to be. Bring an umbrella with you and you should be fine. And if the weather pattern doesn't unexpectedly change, most of the time you probably won't even need the umbrella.

I would have replied to him with, "I know you feel. The same thing happened to me. I'm on Gay Romeo trying to find someone to help me with money too."

"My compliments to the general. Please inform him I do not care to drink with him, or any other Russian son of a bitch." - George C. Scott, 'Patton'

It took me a few tries to figure it out too. I finally did, but I won't post it because I don't want to spoil it for others. I've sent you a PM just so you know I really did figure it out.

There is only one man - one true statesman - the man destined to lead the USA out of this mess:

Well, at least we agree on that part . . .

No, he didn't. He said he is not in Pattaya. That doesn't mean he's not in Thailand. It also doesn't mean he was not in Pattaya the night this happened. But no matter where he was, for me the issue is not the fact the bar was closed. That could have happened for any number of reasons. And I don't agree that it's a "little thing" that ought to be water under the bridge and forgotten. My problem with this is not that the bar was closed. My problem is the lack of response afterward. I'm sorry, but when people respond to an ad, but the venue is closed and no explanation comes in a timely manner, maybe it's just a little insignificant thing to you, but to me it's no little thing and if he expects people to be attracted to his bar via ads in the future, then it also isn't a little thing for him. And I repeat - if you had come down from Bangkok for the purpose of going to this bar in response to the ad, I don't think you'd be calling it a little thing either. I'm sorry to keep harping on this, but I really do think if a venue posts an ad and then doesn't live up to it, then that venue needs to explain why and needs to do that right away, not only for the sake of customer service, but for the sake of his own credibility. By the way, according to his current ads, there will be another "thong night" tomorrow (Friday). I plan to be there. I have a feeling this time the bar will be open . . .

For the record, there was no requirement for bars to close that night. None were even asked to close. All the bars were allowed to open and serve alcohol. Some bars voluntarily chose to close - the Mor Lam concert also took place that night. YaYa bar had posted a notice on the boards that his bar would be closed. I don't understand why you did not do the same since you had advertised for that night or why you waited until nearly a week later to respond to the complaints. I agree with Michael that it is good business practice to offer some sort of compensation to those who went to your bar in response to your ad, which I'm guessing is the reason why you asked for a PM from people who went, but in my opinion that in itself does not excuse the fact that nearly a week went by before saying anything about it. That aspect of it is not my idea of good business practice. My feeling is it would have been much better business practice to, on the same day, have posted something about it on the boards on which you advertised and also to have taken the time to go over to your bar and placed some sort of explanatory notice on the bar door so people who went would at least have understood why this happened. However, I'm one of the people who tried to go to your bar that night and I have sent you the PM you requested.

That's very good. Are you planning to start doing that any time soon . . . ?

I'd say unless the moderators or the board owner asks you to stop, then post all the photos you want. Again, some of us are really enjoying your photos and don't want you to stop. Those who don't like have the option of bypassing this thread.

I can't remember the last time I saw a problem, or rather "non-problem" so incredibly simple to solve. Some of us enjoy these pics and some don't. You certainly know by now that ChaseLB is going to post more if he has them. If you're among those who don't like the pics, just bypass this thread. What's the hard part?

Wonderful. Keep right on viewing a thread you dislike and keep telling us all about your opinion. After all, nobody had any idea what your opinion was. Now we know.

Way overboard? According to who, you? All these photos are being posted on a grand total of one thread. Again, if you don't like it, why do you keep coming back to this thread? Is somebody forcing you to view this thread? You already know what's here. Are you trying to spoil it for those of us who enjoy the photos? Why don't you just bypass this thread instead of complaining about it? I, for one, like this thread and I hope he posts as many photos as he's got.

Another little point: If I remember correctly, you live in Bangkok. Suppose a Pattaya venue places an ad and because of the ad you came from Bangkok to Pattaya - only to find the venue closed and no explanation whatsoever. When would be the next time you respond to one of their ads? When would be the next time you would ever set foot in that venue at all?

He does have the geographic coordinates on the web site. 13° 51' 16" N, 100° 32' 53" E. I copied and pasted those coordinates on Google Earth and it worked perfectly. If you have a GPS, it will be easy to get there. Even if you go by taxi, with a GPS that has a Bangkok map in hand you can tell the driver where to turn from wherever you are.

That's my point. You have to guess what happened and why the bar was closed. Maybe you're right about why and maybe you're not. Plenty of other bars were open and plenty of boys were working in those bars as usual. As I said, if the bar owner has time to advertise, then as a courtesy to his customers how much effort would it have taken for him to post a message saying the bar is closed? How much effort would it have taken for him to at least have placed a note on the door of the bar? I think as a bar owner that's exactly what he should have done. To me, failure to do anything at all and letting this amount of time go by without so much as a single explanatory post on any of the boards is a slap in the face to his customers. For me, it's between a 30 to 40 minute trek just getting to Sunee Plaza, not to mention another trek to return home, fighting traffic all the way and not always being able to find a nearby place to park. If I had gone to Sunee Plaza for the sole purpose of going to this bar because of the ad, and then found it closed, I would not have been happy. I don't think anyone else would have been happy either. If he can't live up to what he advertises, then he either shouldn't advertise or should at least provide an explanation. Again, the fact the bar was closed is not the issue I'm making. Many other bars were open. It's the lack of response, which to me is a tacit "I don't care" attitude - that's what bothers me. If it turns out that something happened to him that caused him to be unable to open the bar or unable to post an explanation, that's one thing. But if he was physically able to take a minute to post an explanatory message, that's what he should have done, and certainly by now. But at the time of this post there is still nothing. I think it's well known that I strongly support Thailand's gay venues, but it's a little difficult for me to support a bar owner who can't be bothered to let us know why he had time to advertise, didn't do what he said he's going to do, and hasn't explained. That's the wrong way to treat customers.

Limburger. You can joke about it if that makes you happy, but that doesn't change the fact that the bar owner advertised, didn't deliver, and hasn't bothered to explain. Oddly enough, I don't like that. I doubt very many people who might have made a special trip or altered other plans would appreciate it any more than I do. It's not the fact the bar was closed that bothers me. It's the lack of consideration for customers.