Why a Nite Owl archive?

Bernard Trink has been a fixture in Bangkok newspapers for decades: first in tabloids, then with the defunct Bangkok World and for many years since a staple of the Bangkok Post. His Nite Owl column has been the most-viewed feature of any Asian newspaper since the Post began publishing online in 1996. His weekly column remains a touchstone for expatriates in Thailand and Siam-philes abroad, reminding them all by turns of why they came and why they left.

Certainly he can be given much credit (or blame) for raising awareness of Thailand's nightlife and daylife scenes while regularly touching on many diverse themes: paid sex in Bangkok and Pattaya; bar and restaurant tips; popular entertainment and current events; scams, scandals and scoundrels; cab rides and khatoeys (ladyboys); prostitutes, punters and publicans; the price of tinned beef stew; and often the very personal and painful details of his own life.

More to the point, if he hasn't gored your ox at least once, either you're not living in the twenty-first century or you've never been to Thailand!

While Trink has his detractors and supporters in roughly equal numbers (they read him weekly, just the same) and has been the subject of a less than flattering biography, to be best appreciated he must be read, preferably with a larger frame of reference and through a longer timeline. It is to that end that this work is offered.

There has been no effort made to date to create a comprehensive "webography" and master guide to Trink's Nite Owl columns and we undertake this as our purpose. While the archive and search features of the Bangkok Post remain woefully poor, we've been able to locate a great number of articles using the Internet Archive "Wayback Machine".

As of this writing (mid-August 2002) we've located 290 of 328 prior editions of the Nite Owl (or Trink Page as it was styled in some periods) and will continue, time permitting, to add the most recent columns as they are placed into the Post's archives. We welcome all assistance in locating articles not currently listed. Our research efforts will go on as well.

Emergency Update!

We were afraid this day would come. The Bangkok Post has taken to charging for access to the full-text articles in their archives.

What this means most immediately to this page is that NONE of the links in pink below will work: the server formerly located at search.bangkokpost.co.th has been taken offline. To underscore this point, all affected links have been marked up with a line through them.

Fortunately we have preserved an independent archive, downloading all of the articles (though 29 August 2003) to which we were formerly linked and have stored them safely away.

Now we are faced with two challenges: the rather mundane technical task of presenting those articles in a readable format; and more importantly, the ethical implications of copyright violation, theft of intellectual property and undercutting the revenue of the Post to whatever degree.

We stand by what we wrote from the begining -- We definitely DO NOT say "I Don't Give A Hoot" about intellectual property rights...

However, the richness of this resource as well as the time invested in this site make us wonder if a middle path is available, something between outright theft and a full-blown scholarly project cum justification for retransmission. As a hobby project, making a purchase of the Trink archives from the Post is not within reason.

We're going to think about this for awhile. Thanks for your patience and please check back with us in a few weeks

DoxyBlue
7 November 2003

Adminstrativa

Scoreboard: through 29 August 2003 Total articles expected: 383 Missing: 7 Truncated: 8 Stored Locally: 11 Internet Archive: 226 Bangkok Post Archive: 131 We wish to thank: "Tintin of Sweden" for the 11 pieces now stored in the local archive.

©2002-2003 DoxyBlue. All Rights Reserved.
Text, layout, data and link compilation are protected original work products and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without express written consent. Contact doxyblue@yahoo.com.

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User Guide | Notes

Articles are organized by year and month.
Article dates in links are given in European/Thai format DD/MM/YY.
Clicked/visited links will remain 'Hyperlink Blue' for sake of readability but will lose underlining [in most browsers].

*The Internet Archive Wayback Machine is sometime unable to serve a given page. Owing to the complexities of maintaining an web-accessible document collection in excess of 100 terabytes this is understandable. Try again another time.
HINT- If an Internet Archive page comes back blank, try using the Refresh/Reload button once or twice before giving up.

**In the rare case where a weekly column is available but not linkable, most notably from a newsgroup posting, mailing list item or a contribution from our visitors, we've stored the article and provide a link to it on our site. We definitely DO NOT say "I Don't Give A Hoot" about intellectual property rights and we beg the indulgence of the rights-holders.

Articles which are particularly noteworthy are described following the year.
Your suggestions for other articles which should be pointed out are welcome as are your responsible comments and criticisms.

More Trink Online!

Serving as Guide to a Richly Tawdry Bazaar
Seth Mydans pens a fluffy piece for the Saturday Profile section of the New York Times.
Includes a rare photo of Trink on his rounds. [Registration may be required to view article.]
(Update: Fee now required to view this item in the Times' archive. Bastards...)

A Walk on the Wild Side
Robert Horn reviews Jennifer Bliss' biography of Trink for TimeAsia, October 16, 2000 Vol. 156 No. 15.
Another photo -- Trink on the job circa 1987 -- is the highlight here.

This is Trink!
Chris King, The Nation's "Farang Affairs" columnist, does a turn in the style of the master. (22 Nov 2002)

S. Tsow gushes in this Bangkok Post review of Bliss' book.

National Radio reprises Trink on Pattaya, plus a photo.