• OPINION

  Elton, a madman and a ghetto blaster

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/07/2019

  » During the early 1970s, my main source of recorded music in Bangkok was a little shop called Rex Records on Phetchaburi Road. In addition to having a decent collection of vinyl albums, it also provided a useful service by transposing albums onto cassette tapes which was then the most common form of listening to music.

• OPINION

  Thailand not the worst place to go ‘troppo’

  Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 21/04/2019

  » The Songkran festival seems to have gone on forever this year. There are definitely an awful lot of city people who slipped away for a “long weekend’’ about 10 days ago and haven’t been seen since. Not to worry. By the time they get back they should be just in time for another long weekend.

• OPINION

  Wonderful world of drongos and warblers

  Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/11/2018

  » Having a small garden I am fortunate enough to wake up most mornings to the sound of birdsong rather than pile-drivers or cement trucks rumbling on their way to feed the latest condominium. Taking advantage of the recent beautiful weather, I spent some time loafing about on our porch observing the wildlife. Sounds like old age is really setting in.

• OPINION

  From baby boomers to grand old dogs

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/02/2018

  » With the Chinese New Year celebrations in full swing, it will probably come as no surprise to learn that Crutch was born in the Year of the Dog, which might explain a few things -- the mug shot for this column for a start. However, to be fair, that photograph was taken after I'd had a bit of a rough night.

• OPINION

  All you need is love, and a sense of the absurd

  Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 11/02/2018

  » The approach of Valentine’s Day means we are heading into the annual silly season, although some might argue that in Thailand it is the silly season all year round. Valentine’s is admittedly one of the most spurious celebrations of the calendar, which probably explains why it becomes more popular here every year. However, it serves as a desperately needed break from the daily diet of depressing news.

• OPINION

  Soggy socks, sandbags and rising damp

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/10/2017

  » All week, we have been listening to dire warnings from meteorologists of big storms and heavy rains, countered by Bangkok officials reassuring us everything is under control and the Big Mango won't sink without a trace.

• OPINION

  It's not much fun being a sardine

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/09/2017

  » The skytrain (BTS) has been a qualified success since its introduction in 1999, but regrettably it is getting severely stretched, a victim of its own popularity.

• OPINION

  Great escapes … and some not so great

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 03/09/2017

  » Recent events have got me thinking about some of the great escapes that have occurred in Thailand over the years, although I think the latest episode is the first time someone like political philosopher Montesquieu has found himself in the thick of things.

• OPINION

  How to deal with ‘thanks, but no thanks’

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 03/04/2016

  » The touchy topic of rejection slips surfaced last week when JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, released on Twitter some slips she had received from publishers. Her stated objective was to encourage aspiring authors not to give up after receiving rejections.

• OPINION

  When things didn’t go like clockwork

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/03/2016

  » A couple of years ago there was a fuss when it was decided to introduce digital clocks into the Thai parliament. Centre of the storm were 10 parliamentary officials responsible for spending nearly 15 million baht on the clocks, a sum many thought was exorbitant.

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