The Bangkok Podcast Greg Jorgensen & Ed Knuth

In a possible new series, Greg and Ed discuss things that have become less important or meaningful since they began living in Thailand. In short, stuff that we used to value a lot that just seems not to matter as much anymore.
Ed begins with the somewhat obvious: clothes in general just matter a lot less. Never a fashion guy, Bangkok’s ‘uni-season’ is perfect for him since he can basically wear the same thing all year round. Greg - famous for his consistent shorts/t-shirt/vans outfit, concurs that it’s just much easier here to get dressed in the morning. No need for ‘winter clothes,’ giant snow boots, nor rainwear either - rains come and go so quickly, it’s simply better to wait them out.
Greg starts out with a much more complex topic: he thinks sex and perhaps even romance are given less significance in Thai culture, and it has rubbed off on him in the last twenty years. Many factors could be at play: Thais seemingly casual nature about just about everything, the advantage that foreigners seem to have in the Thai dating market, or perhaps the greater social acceptance of go-go bars and redlight districts. The guys do their best to delve into the nuances of the issue.
Ed responds by bringing up his total lack of interest in owning a car, something that would be unthinkable anywhere he lived in the U.S. Although Greg likes the freedom owning a car in Bangkok brings, Ed sees it as nothing but a hassle and is glad to be free of looking for parking spaces, paying for upkeep, and worrying how much he has had to drink. 
Greg then brings up another tricky topic: intellectual property. Back home fake goods were a hard no-no, but their prevalence here has devalued the importance of buying original all the time, with the caveat that you know what you are getting when you buy. 
Ed finishes off by admitting that he probably cares less about his salary living in Thailand than he would have if he stayed back home. Greg concurs that when the average salaries of nearly everyone else are much lower, it makes it much easier to be happy with what you are getting here, as long as you like your job. 
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg interviews Mike Tatarski of the Vietnam Weekly podcast. Mike begins by explaining the podcast originated out of his Substack newsletter of the same name. After taking a course in ‘entrepreneurial journalism,’ he got motivated to fire up the podcast, and the rest is history. He manages to produce a show per week as a one man band operation but has reached a substantial audience. 
Greg and Mike then go on to talk about similarities and differences between his show and the Bangkok Podcast. On the one hand, both are in English and therefore have a lot of listeners that are neither Thai nor Vietnamese and also have a lot of interviews, but on the other hand, Mike’s background is in journalism and his show tends to focus more on serious news stories. The BP of course is two clueless dudes trying to make each other laugh with an occasional dose of useful information.
The guys go on to address topics such as the podcast communities in Vietnam and Thailand, how to find good topics for shows, and the delicate problem of keeping a show fresh and authentic in countries that do not share the same appreciation for freedom of speech that most Western countries do. 
If you have any interest in learning more about traveling to or living in Vietnam, definitely check out the Vietnam Weekly podcast!
And if you’re wondering what that photo is, make sure to listen after the end music to hear how Greg’s supporting his son’s (now illegal) business with his school pals.
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg and Ed revisit the 2006 coup in Thailand and reminisce about the oddness but also impactfulness of the experience. Ed begins with a quick recap of the career of Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire business tycoon who swept to power (democratically) in 2000 on a promise to fix the Thai economy which was still reeling from the 1997 financial crisis. He did in fact manage to stabilize the economy and easily won re-election in 2004. Although controversies did mar his terms, his ability to repay loans to the World Bank and IMF lent him significant credibility. 
However, in 2006, a constitutional crisis ensued in parliament, and eventually, while Thaksin was away in New York giving a speech to the United Nations, the military seized control of the government. Ed relates his utter shock at waking up to headlines of “COUP D’ETAT,” and Greg talks about the strange expectation of tanks rolling through the streets and whether or not it was even going to be safe going outside. Alas, the coup was real but also almost entirely peaceful, with soldiers manning the streets accepting flowers and taking selfies with pedestrians.
The guys wonder at the difference between pre-coup Thailand and post-coup Thailand, the relative peace beforehand and the almost constant political drama since. In their time in Thailand, the guys can’t think of another single event that changed life in the Land of Smiles as much as the 2006 coup. 
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg interviews Clif from BangkokBeerGuide.com about the ever evolving craft beer scene in Thailand. Cliff begins with the basic premise for the website and related social media: to act as a guide for locals and visitors to all the beer drinking opportunities in Bangkok, especially craft beers made by locals. The guys then review the famously restrictive Thai laws governing beer and alcohol in general, such as the prohibition on purchasing alcohol from 2 pm to 5 pm in the afternoon, and high minimum requirement for brewing beer that effectively shuts out all but the largest companies. 
Clif then digs deep to explain his love of beer as an act of creativity of the brewmaster but at the same time a “common man’s” drink. Hence, Cliff’s desire to promote local craft beer as a way to connect with small-scale Thai brewers. Unfortunately, Thai laws, supported by powerful forces best not discussed, make it harder for Thai ‘little guys’ to get into the business of making beer. Greg and Cliff express hope that beer champion Taophipop wins his epic battle to reform Thai beer laws. 
The guys continue discussing various venues about town, how the scene has changed over time, and Cliff’s philosophy for the website. Listen in for a great overview of the Thai craft beer scene circa 2024.
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg and Ed try a new type of show in which they troll their memories for extreme experiences, something that expats in Thailand seem to have a lot of. Greg begins with his scariest experience in Thailand. As a relative noobie, he engaged the services of a shady visa firm and was later called out on it by the Canadian Embassy. At the time, he didn’t know if a heavy fine, deportation, or even jail was in order, but luckily he got away with a much smaller punishment. Ed follows with a different type of scare, when his then fiancee was in a horrible motorbike accident, and he didn’t know the extent of her injuries. They were severe, but luckily not life threatening or disfiguring.
Greg follows with his lowest point ever as an expat, when he lost his job in Bangkok just one week after his grandfather passed away. Ed then relates his weirdest memory ever as an expat, when government officials showed up at his house to verify that he was really married to his wife. Not only did the officials ask to see Ed and his wife’s bedroom closets, they also asked the couple to lie in bed next to each other, fully clothed, but holding hands! So strange! But it happened. 
Last, Greg tells his most extreme, throw caution to the wind story: when he was getting married, he at first was pinching pennies, worried about saving money for the future, but eventually he just realized, !#@% it! You only get married once and after splurging and having a great wedding, he realized it was worth it. Ed then tells of his wildest night in Thailand, which involved an outing on Koh Samed that turned violent and required a hasty retreat in the wee hours of the morning to find a safe place from local thugs. 
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg interviews Dr. Soraj Hongladarom on the intersection of AI, ethics, and Buddhism. Dr. Soraj begins by discussing his background in the study of philosophy in the U.S., in particular early modern Western philosophy. After returning to Thailand, he transitioned to the study of the philosophy of technology and science, which today of course, means AI. Dr. Soraj explains that different cultures certainly have different approaches to some ethical issues, and he is currently interested in how Buddhist thought might apply to the growing concerns over the use of artificial intelligence. 
Today, there is a ‘global conversation’ about AI, and although people might agree about some general ethical guidelines to apply to AI (that it be the truth for example), there are still many concerns over issues such as privacy and AI usurping people’s jobs, to name a few. Greg asks how Thais might see ethics differently from Westerners, and Dr. Soraj explains that he actually teaches Western ethics to Thai students and finds that initially they have problems appreciating concepts such as equality and the rule of law. However, eventually they come around to the Western perspective.
Listen in as the two delve into more interesting twists and turns in the fascinating intersection between ethics, AI, and Buddhist culture. 
Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.