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Book Review: Chiang Mai’s Shopping Secrets
by Lang Reid
 Chiang
Mai’s Shopping Secrets (ISBN 974-94715-1-2) has been produced in Chiang Mai
by the Track of the Tiger Tourism Resources Development Company and is also
printed there by ACTS company. The writers are all also locals, so the book
begins with every chance of being authoritative. The paper stock is gloss
and the majority of the book is in color.
The man behind the project is Shane Beary, and interestingly, his Track of
the Tiger has just won the Skål International Eco-tourism award, which was
presented at the recent world congress held in Pattaya. Shane has been a
great proponent of the ‘hidden’ side of Chiang Mai and has been
working towards making the city and environs a ‘destination’, rather than a
two day stop-over.
The subtitle is “1001 reasons to spend another day in Chiang Mai” and for
that reason alone, enterprises in Chiang Mai should have got behind this
publication. (I note that the Chiangmai Mail is well featured on Page
49!) BoI and the DEP are on board, so they have also seen the importance of
the “another day” concept for the local economy. The “Inside Tracks” idea
which provides reviews of shops and products and new items, so that you can
actually shop-on-line (see www.chiang-mai-shopping-secrets.com) is another
good idea to help the northern economy, and provide a service for
non-residents.
The book covers almost everything to buy that you could think of in Chiang
Mai, and divides the city into geographic areas to indicate what you can get
in each area, as well as dissecting the services and goods such as vehicle
hire, restaurants and dining out, medical and dental care, décor, antiques,
lacquer ware, ceramics, celadon, gold, silver, carvings and much more, even
Thai tea and coffee.
Because the book is so comprehensive, it is even difficult to know just
where to start, or even how to go about it. Shane Beary has realized this
and page 7 states clearly “How to use this book” beginning with “browse
through the book slowly reading the short one page overviews. Next go
through it again, reading the write ups on the 14 markets.” Having done
that, only then should the potential shopper go further in the book by
researching the product and after that, finding where the outlets are that
sell the product. At the back of the book there are also some very
interesting articles on many products, which should also be read.
At B. 595 it is not cheap, but the satisfaction that any visitor can get
from Chiang Mai, by using this reference book, is priceless. There are
enough bargains between the pages to cover the cost multiple times. There
really has been no ‘in depth’ publication of this style before. Its ambit is
far greater and wider than a Lonely Planet guide, for example. The map
inside the back cover shows the relativity of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae
Hong Son, whilst the reverse is a fairly ‘busy’ Chiang Mai city map, with
map references for hospitals, hotels, markets etc.
If you are going to Chiang Mai, get this book first! (See
www.chiang-mai-shopping-secrets.com)
Mott’s CD review: Kevin Ayers and the Soporifics,
with Special Guests
June 1, 1974
 by Mott the Dog
5 Stars *****
Kevin Ayers after recording the fantastic concept album ‘The Confessions
Of Dr Dream’ with a bunch of session musicians in 1974, decided to form
a new band called ‘The Soporifics’ (Soporific means having a tendency to
sleep!). Instead of doing the natural thing of taking the band into a
rehearsal studio, Kevin Ayers being the free spirit that he is took the
whole band off to the Rhone Valley for a nice little summer holiday,
using the advance on Dr Dream to finance the jaunt. This was a great
idea until the money ran out, and Island record label got in touch to
say that the album sales were going well, and that they had booked the
band into the prestigious Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London, in
three weeks time - 1st June 1974 to be exact, and the gig had already
sold out! This is the moment that panic set in.
The band gathered up all belongings, family members, girlfriends,
hangers on, etc, and got themselves back to London immediately and
decamped to the Walpole Picture Theatre in Ealing to set about
rehearsals. After a week Kevin Ayers realized that this was just not
enough time to get ready, especially with the band’s not exactly
regimental time keeping for the rehearsals. Drastic measures were
needed. Kevin Ayers decided to get on the phone to a few friends.
First up was Nico, the intoxicating Diva from Velvet Underground’s first
album, and through her Kevin Ayers contacted one of his own heroes, John
Cale, also of the Velvet Underground, who happened to be in town
recording his own album. He was only too pleased to help out; as it
turns out he had been a long time fan of Kevin Ayers himself. When John
Cale arrived he brought with him his buddy Eno, perfect.
Having heard on the grapevine that Kevin Ayers was in a bit of a jam,
two of his old allies rang up to offer their services, which were also
gladly excepted. They were Robert Wyatt, who had been an original member
of both ‘The Wilde Flowers’ and ‘Soft Machine’ with Kevin Ayers. Robert
Wyatt had a terrible accident in 1972, falling off a balcony, and was
henceforth confined to a wheelchair, but it says a lot for his character
that he was still an excellent percussionist and vocalist. The other
friend was none other than Mike Oldfield now at the height of his
commercial success after the release of his ‘Tubular Bells’ record,
after starting of his recording career in one of Kevin Ayers earlier
bands ‘Kevin Ayers and the Whole Wide World’. To round things off the
delectable services of Lisa Strike, Doreen and Iris Chanter were added
as backing singers.
Now if this is not enough, you have to remember the quality of the
Soporifics themselves, on lead guitar you had Ollie Halsall, one of the
most respected guitarists on the circuit, who later went onto a very
successful solo career, as well as stints with ‘Boxer’, ‘Tempest’ and
‘The John Otway Band’. Eddie Sparrow on Drums, one of the greatest
session drummers ever; in fact after this concert he handed in his
notice to the ‘Soporifics’, as he just could not turn down all the money
he was being offered outside the band, and he could not do both. Archie
Legget on bass who has been on so many Canterbury sounds albums before
and after the Soporifics, that they are to many to mention. Then on
keyboards was Rabbit Bundrick who went on to join ‘Free’ and since then
has been ‘The Who’s keyboard player since 1979. With this amount of
talent you had the ultimate avant-garde super group.
Fortunately, Island records to the eternal gratitude of all music lovers
had the sense to record the event. Unfortunately, all that has ever been
released is the highlights, but what highlights they are. We can only
hope that somewhere in Island’s vaults are the complete tapes, which
will someday see the light of day. But that is a minor quibble
considering what we get.
First up are a couple of numbers from Eno (with Kevin Ayers merely
playing bass) that prove that, had he wished to go down that path, he
could have been one of Glam Rock’s greatest stars. The two songs are
very Roxy Musicish but then what do you expect as Eno had been a founder
member of the band and had only left less than twelve months before,
after appearing on their first two albums.
Next John Cale slithers on stage to crawl his way through Elvis
Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. John Cale growls his way through the song
slowing the tempo down almost to a stop, as well as giving completely
new meaning to the words, with his emphasis going as far away from
Elvis’s as is possible. If you think that the treble speakers have gone
out of your equipment fear not, it’s just that Cale only uses the bottom
end. Such is John Cale’s mastery of his craft that by the time the song
finishes you feel so dirty you need a wash.
Then Nico takes centre stage to drag out Jim Morrison’s ‘The End’,
accompanied only by some spine-chilling keyboards. It is one of the best
choices Nico could have made, as you can hear that she has the audience
in the palm of her mind as she recites the words. Big Jim would have
nodded his approval.
Finally Kevin Ayers breezes onto the stage to give us a collection of
songs from his back catalogue. Opening with ‘May I?’ from ‘Shooting at
the Moon’ (1970) followed by ‘Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes’ from
‘Whatevershebringswesing’ (1972), then ‘Shouting In A Bucket Blues
(wrongly titled ‘Standing In A Bucket Blues’ on the slip sleeve of this
album) from ‘Bannamour’ (1973), wrapping things up with a couple from
‘The Confessions Of Dr Dream’ (1974), the bluesy ‘Everybody’s Sometime
And Some Peoples All The Times Blues’, encoring with the totally
irreverent ‘Two Goes Into Four’. The Mike Oldfield guitar solo on the
former song is mesmerising, as it was on the studio version. Kevin Ayers
free spirit roams throughout his songs, and all leave you feeling
cheerful and carefree. The band is still a little under rehearsed, but
in a funny way it just adds to the charm of it all.
Today Kevin Ayers has not changed, still arriving back in his native
England, getting some cash together, which he never seems to have a
problem doing considering his enormous talents, and then flits off again
on his world travels. I just would like to think it is as idyllic as it
sounds, one would hope so, as the joy that Kevin Ayers has brought to
the world through his music, he deserves to live life with a permanent
smile on his face. A very classy British eccentric.
The Musicians
Kevin Ayers: Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Eno: Vocals, Synths, Noises
John Cale: Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Nico: Vocals, Percussion
Mike Oldfield : Guitar
Robert Wyatt: Percussion, Vocals
Ollie Hallsal: Guitar
Archie Legget: Bass guitar
Rabbit Bundrick: Keyboards
Eddie Sparrow: Drums
Lisa Strike, Doreen and Iris Chanter: Backing Vocals
Songs
Driving Me Backwards
Baby’s On Fire
Heartbreak hotel
The End
May I?
Shouting In a Bucket Blues
Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes
Everybody’s Sometime and Some People All The Time Blues
Two Goes Into Four
To contact Mott the
Dog email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mott-the-dog.com
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