I mention this because an ogling den may possess all the requisite elements to be successful, yet it may fail or not realise its potential due to the ability or otherwise of the mamasan, the woman who exercises control over the dancing maidens.

In recent times I have been told by more than one person of a disturbing trend creeping into a few ogling dens around town in which the mamasan seems to be figuring rather prominently, and not in a good light. Interestingly, all of the chrome pole palaces mentioned to me are foreign rather than Thai owned.

Also, this trend seems to involve maidens who have only recently become employed as chrome pole huggers in a particular establishment.

Basically, when punters ask a newly employed pole-vaulter what sort of remuneration she is seeking to go out she will answer with a set fee. When pressed as to why these figures have more digits than a telephone number, the girls reply that this is what the mamasan has instructed them to charge, and no correspondence will be entered into.

In the past, an ogling den would receive the bar fine and the dancer kept whatever she asked from the punter. Now it’s being alleged that some of the little dolls, vixens and pussycats are being told by the mamasan what they must ask from a prospective folk dancing partner.

This raises a couple of questions. Are the mamasans intimidating the new dancing maidens and demanding a cut from the money the girl receives from a punter? Are they threatening the girls with dismissal if they don’t hand over a portion of their earnings?

The experiment is over: The Pussycat ogling den (Naklua Road) has ended its Sunday nights 60 baht all drinks experiment. Whether it brought many more punters into the chrome pole palace is debatable. Refreshments are now back to the regular 85 baht (including Lady Drinks).

To be honest, I don’t think the price of booze and other liquids is the problem. The playhouse needs to take a look at its music. It’s not just that it’s the usual jangled techno and the other less than pleasurable music they play, but also the sound system needs a bit of tweaking as the speaker closest to me sounded more like a skewered walrus than a device for filtering bass tones when the music volume was turned up.

Decade that style forgot: This coming Wednesday (June 13) the Planet Rock ogling den and late night boogie barn (Pattayaland Soi 2) is holding a Re-Live the Seventies ‘Night Fever’ Dance Contest.

In order to encourage as many people to attend in clothes that last saw the light of day in 1979, the boogie palace is offering, among many other incentives, prizes for the best costume. I’ll be wearing a pair of mauve and yellow striped flared corduroy jeans, white platform sole shoes, a brown body shirt with white-trimmed large collar - admittedly a tad frayed at the edges - and a pale blue safari suit jacket. So, beat that for sartorial elegance.

There is also a prize for the worst dancer (I’ll go close in that), the best dancer and for the first person to predict the judge’s choice. The competition should be tough as the local dancing maidens as well as a number of persons of the second category will also be performing.

I can’t wait to hear old classics like Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’; Village People’s ‘In the Navy’; Gary Glitter’s ‘I’m the Leader of the Gang (I Am)’; Tony Orlando and Dawn’s schmaltzy ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon round the old Oak Tree’.

No frazzle in Fazal: Dave, the part owner of the relatively new Fazal Indian nosh-house in Soi Chaiyapoom, celebrated his birthday in style on May 29 by having a jazz band belting out tunes. The munching den offers up Indian dishes done the way the denizens of the English midlands city of Birmingham like.

Indian cuisine seems to have really taken off in recent times here in Fun Town with places like Sher E Punjab II and the Royal India and now Fazal hanging out the curry pot shingle.

From the interesting but ultimately useless Fact File: Did you know that donkeys kill more people each year than are killed in plane crashes? The figures are unreliable but it’s also believed more people are trampled by water buffalo than are eaten by goldfish.