Lawrence Osborne on his Bangkok days and much more!Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ 
James Pillion
 

MY FAVOURITE THINGS | You Could Be More As You Are

β€œThe Buddhist idea of the self is dependent on the doctrine of annata, which means the absence of self. Nothing in the universe has isolated selfhood because nothing is truly alone.”

β€” LAWRENCE OSBORNE
 

Over the past few months, I’ve dropped ten kilos, a feat I’ve tried, and failed, to achieve for most of my adult life. While the catalyst was prompted by a spiritual slump and a growing waistline, the transformation has kick-started an awakening of sorts. It’s also whet my appetite for new mindfulness practices, like this daily Qi Gong routine, and has paradoxically got me a whole lot more excited about food, especially after returning to the Land of Smiles last month. While the weight loss has inevitably stroked the ego, this NY Times Sunday op-ed has helped me accept that delayed gratification brings me a level of joy that rivals my tastiest snacks.

 

Bangkok Days πŸ“š

I got so much more than I bargained for with Lawrence Osborne’s Bangkok Days, a collection of diary entries of a peripatetic writer living in the Thai capital on a budget. Purchasing my Kindle copy in search of hot tips, I instead came to better understand why this equatorial megalopolis always leaves me inspired. One answer lies in the quote above, a Buddhist precept that relegates the ego to the background in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Thailand not only welcomes strangers and farangs (foreigners) alike but makes them feel seen through every interaction. Every returned smile reminding that we’re all in this game of life together. I also loved learning a local nickname for Western tourists, the kind dressed in Bintang wife-beaters, worn flip-flops and Arsenal shorts. Pigeon-shit farangs. How fitting. 

β€œWesterners choose Bangkok as a place to live precisely because they can never understand it. It’s this ignorance which comforts the farang. However conversant in Thai culture, he will never get close to the bottom of it.” β€” Lawrence Osborne
 

The Forgiven πŸŽ₯

It was John Michael McDonagh’s new film that first alerted me to the diverse talents of its writer Lawrence Osborne, whose 2012 book of the same name inspired this new film. While this exotic dramedy was not my top pick at the Sydney Film Festival (Goran Stolevski’s stunning debut You Won’t Be Alone took the cake) it was by far the most visually inspiring flick I’ve come across this year. Set in the depths of the Saharan desert, it features an all-star cast headed by Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes and boasts the talents of Matt Smith, Caleb Landry Jones and Christoper Abbott. It was the dry wit and gallows humour that piqued my interest in Osborne who explores the raging disparities between the haves and have nots in our globalized present.  
 

Prehistoric Planet πŸ“Ί

It’s been an Apple TV+ kind of month, diving into Dan Erickson’s Severance, dipping back into the second season of Rose Byrne’s Physical, and sampling Samuel L. Jackson’s passion project The Last Days of Ptolomy Grey. Yet I’ve found myself putting this new CGI-series on right before bed in the hopes of inducing lucid dreams about dinosaurs. Blue Planet meets 1990s cult-series Dinosaurs, it captures the prehistoric curiousities of the natural world with all the majesty of a BBC production. There’s something comforting in bearing witness to the daily lives of creatures, all while being serenaded by Hans Zimmer’s OST and David Attenborough’s measured cadence. While it goes against my better judgement, I’m excited to re-watch the show on Apple’s all new VR headsets, due to release next year.
 

Come and See πŸ“Ή

I enjoyed this doco in the departure lounge of Suvarnabhumi Airport this week. Much like the zeitgeist hits Wild Wild West and Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, this documentary, directed by Nottapon Boonprakob, proves that Thailand’s predominant religion isn’t immune to its own controversies. The film explores the corrupt practices of Dhammakaya Temple, a UFO-like structure on the outskirts of Bangkok, and its aging celebrity abbot Dhammachaiyo who has been haunted by allegations of financial misconduct and has since gone walkabout. While the doco left me with more questions than answers, I was dismayed to learn that public opinion around monks has soured in the hearts and minds of younger generations.

 

The Full Monty πŸŽ₯

As I approach the end of my PhD, I’ve been consuming an array of dissertations including Steven Vidler’s thoughtful treatise on the power of tacit knowledge as held by expert screenwriters. Yet it was his conversation with Simon Beaufoy that inspired me to seek out this nineties classic. Re-watching The Full Monty as an adult inspired an array of mixed emotions. While I was struck by the abject poverty of Sheffield, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this ragtag troupe of ex-steel workers desperately adapting to a changing world. One of my favourite traits about the English, particularly those from far-flung counties, is their ability to make light of the darkness. It also inspired me to finally sit stream Salmon Fishing in The Yemen.
 

Qi Gong Monthly Challenge πŸ–₯

I recently signed up for Lee Holden’s 30-day Qi Gong challenge, after coming across this clever immune system hack. If you’re anything like me, it’s not uncommon to wake up with stiff joints, a dormant frustration that often carries into my day. As I approach the tail end of this monthly challenge, I’ve been bowled over by how these seven-minute videos and their simple exercises not only clears stress and tension by stimulating circulation and flow, but leaves me tingling all over. Not only is the course great bang for your buck (each daily clip is made downloadable for future use) but it can be enjoyed in nothing more than a pair of budgie smugglers. 
 

Robert Harrison on β€˜Juvenescence’ πŸ“»

Gone are the days when we sought out the advice of the oldest and wisest amongst us. As this KQED radio conversation with Professor Robert Harrison makes clear, the prevailing legacy of wisdom has been usurped by the exponential adoption of new technologies and cultural mores. As we obsessively seek to wind back the clock against senility and irrelevance, opting instead to remain forever young of heart and mind, it has inadvertently inspired a culture of denial around death. The erudite logic of this conversation hit me between the eyes and turned me onto Harrison’s Entitled Opinions podcast (this episode on depression was enlightening) and led me to seek out a copy of his new book. 

β€œβ€˜Life is long,’ we think, and the effort of exploration is worthwhile. In turn, the explorer is immune to the feeling of time speeding up as they age. The mindset is self-fulfilling. To lengthen youthfulness is to lengthen life itself.” β€” Brian Christian
 

Body Heat πŸŽ₯

I’ve been dipping in and out of Erotic 80s, the new season of You Must Remember This, Karina Longworth’s film-focused podcast on the forgotten histories of 20th Century Hollywood. A recent episode on two 1981 neo-noir pictures left the gears spinning after discovering that The Postman Always Rings Twice, Bob Rafelson’s S&M thriller was eclipsed by Lawrence Kasdan’s Body Heat. After sitting down with the erotic thriller, I couldn’t help but see what all the fuss was about. Styled after Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity, Kasdan’s remarkable debut hooks you right out of the gate and serves up an unconventional ending that left me smiling. It also transformed leading lovers William Hurt and Kathleen Turner into overnight sensations.

 

The Islander πŸ“š

Chris Blackwell, heir to a storied British Jamaican family, has put his incredibly life story to print in this brand new memoir. After tuning into this nostalgia-laced Fresh Air conversation with Terry Gross, I sought out a Kindle-edition of his new memoir. Don’t let his toff accent throw you. The Harrow-drop-out and founder of Island Records always moved to the beat of his own drum. While Blackwell’s charmed upbringing led him to rub shoulders with a who’s who of celebrated personalities like Ian Fleming and Errol Flynn, he never let it get to his head. I loved reading about Blackwell’s formative years as a young jukebox operator in nineteen-fifties Jamaica. As he laboured to stock his machines with the best tunes, he unlocked a passion that would lead him to work with the likes of Bob Marley, Tom Waits, and U2.
 

SaÒda Bonaire 🎢

I was posted up at Freaking Out The Neighborhood, a new vinyl bar deep in the backstreets of Bangkok, when this album started spinning. While the place was just about empty, the laconic pulsing melody and gravelly vocals of this German new-wave band made me feel right at home. Made up by the duo Stefanie Lange and Claudia Hossfeld, the early-eighties project was ignited by Ralph β€˜von’ Richtoven, a Bremen club DJ with a burning desire to realize a singular vision. While EMI would shelve the LP to devote their full attention to Tina Turner’s Private Dancer, this favourable Pitchfork review is further proof that they were hard done by.  
 

Anna Leonowens πŸ‘€

Anna Leonowens and her remarkable life came to my attention while digesting Lawrence Osborne’s Bangkok Days. A Welsh-born woman who became the first Westerner to live at the Grand Palace of Siam. The English governess was responsible for teaching Prince Chulalongkorn and his 88 siblings, (you read that right) whose compassionate humanism arguably inspired the future king’s decision to abolish slavery and overhaul the judicial position. It also granted her unprecedented access into the royal court of Rama IV, otherwise known as King Mongkut, and his 39 wives. Her personal memoirs led to the renowned 1951 musical The King and I and while the 1956 Hollywood blockbuster adaptation is banned to this day in Thailand, Andy Tennant’s luscious 1999 remake Anna and the King left me dreaming.
 

Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined 🎢

Ashley Clark’s newsletter turned me on to Jo Livingstone’s New Republic profile of Glenn Copeland, a Canadian transgender artist that has toiled in obscurity for his entire life. Until now. Listening to Keyboard Fantasies, his 1986 EP devoted to reclaiming the natural world, is a subtly transformative experience. All the same I found myself returning to this 2021 re-release with the likes of Bon Iver and Blood Orange (my personal favourite) remixing the album’s most iconic tracks. There’s something comforting in knowing that his message of eternal renewal has found resonance with a new generation. I also fell in love with this 1970 recording, which marked Copeland’s debut, a soulful ballad with traces of Joni Mitchell.

β€œMy purposeβ€”who knew!β€”was to encourage your generation about the fact that you all are going to change the world, and hopefully save us.” β€” Glenn Copeland

 

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WRITING | @jamespillion
FILM | @jamespillionfilm

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Bondi, NSW,
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