Recently I watched on television the 1992 film Chaplin, starring Robert Downey Jr as the great English comic actor, best known in Thailand simply as Charlie. It brought back happy memories of the mid-1970s when a series of the Chaplin movies were re-released in Thailand and proved a huge hit. The Thai public loved Charlie.
I was fortunate enough to be writing film reviews at the time and remember sitting in the packed cinemas with audiences falling off their seats and collapsing in the aisles with laughter. It was a wonderful experience being amongst so many happy people. It was all the more remarkable considering the films were in black and white and made 40 years earlier, back in the 1930s.
Charlie simply walking into a door or tripping over a dog sparked howls of laughter. And the famous scene from Modern Times where he dives into a pond which is only about a foot deep prompted unashamed hysterics.
It got me thinking that one of the reasons that makes living in Thailand a pleasant experience is that most Thai people have a great sense of humour -- and they certainly need it with the politicians they have to put up with.
In Thailand if there's any hint of something to laugh at there will be laughter and if the joke is repeated it gets even funnier. Slapstick humour of the banana-skin variety goes down particularly well. In former times, no self-respecting Thai comedy film could be released without it containing someone falling into a khlong, preferably with a big splash.
Taking the plunge
I experienced an early taste of Thai humour shortly after arriving in Thailand. I had got off a bus in Pratunam during the rainy season and didn't realise that the puddle I was stepping in was in fact a water-filled crater.
As I plunged into the muddy water and picked myself up I noticed my misfortune had prompted considerable mirth amongst the bus passengers. One fellow even gave me a thumbs up. All I could do was laugh with them as I must have looked pretty silly.
It wasn't long after that when Sukhumvit was under water I witnessed a lady take a tumble in the murky floodwaters. She picked herself up, looked at her friend and they both burst out laughing. Somehow if I had been in her position I don't think I would have been laughing.
Bald facts
Tourists sometimes unwittingly provide entertainment for the locals. This was particularly the case in the past when all you needed was a large beaky nose or a shiny bald head to create a stir.
Bald and bearded foreigners are a common sight these days but there was a time when they were a real curiosity. I recall being on a bus years ago somewhere near Chiang Mai. Sitting down the front was a bald Caucasian fellow. He was attired in standard "hippy" gear and his very presence was already causing much discussion.
When the bus stopped at one village an animated debate took place between the bald fellow and a roadside egg vendor. The tourist then proceeded to bash an egg on his bald head. Some of the passengers thought he had gone completely bonkers, but this quickly turned to laughter when they realised he was just testing to see if the egg was hard-boiled.
The real comedians
It is hard to beat local politicians when it comes to humour, albeit unintentional. Prompting quite a few laughs was an influential politician accused of concealing vast wealth. He explained that he had no idea he was so rich because his wife took care of all money matters.
Then there was the politician who explained that when MPs are spotted in Parliament with their eyes closed, they are not dozing off but actually "deep in thought" -- even when they are snoring.
We must not forget the politician who announced to Parliament that he no longer wore a bullet-proof vest because all his enemies were now dead, prompting rather nervous laughter.
Nowhere man
Afraid it's that time of the year for a shameless plug.
If you are desperately looking for a Christmas or New Year present and can't think of anything, you can always try my book The Long Winding Road to Nakhon Nowhere about which much has been said, not all of it printable.
Actually, it's not all that long but perhaps a little bit winding at times and actually an ideal present for someone you don't particularly like. Sentencing them to reading 26 chapters of unadulterated Crutch should sort them out.
It's available at AsiaBooks and Amazon.com and includes an account of my overland journey from England in 1969 and subsequent early experiences in Thailand.
Last word
For some reason, every time I mention the Nakhon Nowhere book the following words of American critic Dorothy Parker always come to mind:
"This book should not be put down lightly but hurled across the room with full force."
If you do that to my book it would probably fall to pieces. But if you happen to take the good lady's advice please make sure you don't hit the dog.
Contact PostScript via email at oldcrutch@hotmail.com
