Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Fringe 2014

Very Thai, Very Volatile: 20 Years of Change in Popular Culture

Illustrated talk by Philip Cornwel-Smith, author of Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture
at Bar Luna, below Casa Luna, Jalan Raya Ubud, Ubud, Bali, 29 September, 7.30pm-9pm, free entry.

Bangkok-based British writer Philip Cornwel-Smith will give an illustrated talk about the dramatic transformations in Thailand he has witnessed as author/editor of Bangkok Metro magazine, Time Out Bangkok guidebook, and the influential bestselling book Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture (www.verythai.com). Instead of the sensational oriental clichés, he views Thai ways through the lens of its hybrid pop, social tensions and quirky urban culture. There’ll be time at the end to discuss how Thailand’s transformation compares to Bali.

Recent upheavals in Thailand have brought world attention to new stories as ordinary people express themselves and as Bangkok went chic and became the most visited city on the planet. The tropical rural idyll has urbanized and globalised, and taboo things gone mainstream, from yaa dong tonic whisky to magical tattoos. Yet everyday life in Thailand continues to beguile with its wacky hybrids, sense of fun, and unexpected quirks.