Location Bangkok: about farang…

When in the heady fall of 2001, shortly after the Twin Towers had been blown to the Philistines, -it couldn't get much more heady again- I settled in the City of Angels to build a life as an English teacher/tour leader/boy scout/husband , I came across a monthly magazine of which I would have liked to have been the initiator seequu founder; Farang Magazine. I was late again…

The magazine was the prodigy prodigy of Canadian self-proclaimed journalistic delinquents, Jim Algie and Cameron Cooper. After countless crushing defeats in the Canadian media landscape, these two gentlemen decided, after certainly no less countless journey to Thailand, to set up a monthly magazine in Land van de Glimlach “that wasn't for everybody, let alone anybody”.

During the first year, the brainchild of these two unconventional media adventurers was still partly in black and white and the front page of the first issue featured - in color - the not-so-fresh face of the quintessential 'backpacker in Asia'; blonde dreadlocks over a set of eyes that said; 'fuck you dad, disinherit me if you wish, but these mushrooms are the best thing that happened to me since you left mum and me”.

The wink to hippie-dom turned out to be no more than that in later episodes, a wink.

In the following years, the monthly magazine developed into a stylish glossy road trip brimming with articles written by the gentlemen of the editors and a solid core of writers who took Asian paths where hippies rarely venture. The dark tattoo world of monks in Bangkok. The dark depths of the trade in endangered species at Chatuchak Market. The escapades of an Australian woman who made it a sport to fuck as many Thai men as possible and then dump them with a 'g'day'. Out and about with a Karen militia in the Burmese jungle, a militia that has been fighting the junta in that country for four decades.

After a few years, Cameron decided to rename the magazine “Untamed Travel”. The reason for that was that “Farang” is a Thai word meaning “westerner”. However, the stories submitted often covered other Southeast Asian countries and the title “Farang” became claustrophobic.

In 2004, the editors struck a deal with the Bangkok Post to handle distribution and recruit advertisers. The air conditioner had to be on. However, the advertisers declined. When asked why, Cameron said at the time; “I don't think companies can tie us down. Companies don't like things that are unclear to them. "Untamed" is not about it Thailand to sell even if it were a bar of soap. I started this to give Asia-goers a look at a part of the world that is fascinating for its shortcomings. The resorts will sell themselves.”

It ended in 2007. Cameron and his buddies could no longer afford the rent on the small office above the sweatshop on Thanon Samsen. His staff, Thais and Farang, offered to continue working without pay. Everyone felt that a form of journalism was being practiced here that had yet to be invented in countless countries. Unfortunately, the editor-in-chief threw in the towel. A top magazine, constantly winking at the reader and itself, with an infinite amount of self-and-other mockery, defunct.

Shame. Is there a nice job here…?