Keith Nolan’s a hard guy to miss if you’re around the Bangkok music and writing scene. He’s at the sound board every Sunday afternoon for the jazz jam session at CheckInn 99 on 1/1 Sukhumvit Soi 33, between the Asok and Phrom Pong BTS stations. He also has a regular gig as a blues keyboardist on Soi 23.
He’s a well-read, enthusiastic, and engaging interviewer as well, who’s cobbled together a terrific series of interviews with some of Bangkok’s leading literary lights, including novelists Dean Barrett and Christopher G. Moore, and cultural writer Jerry Hopkins. They’re all on YouTube, in long and short versions, and serve as a wonderful archival chronicle of the Bangkok expat literary scene.
In addition, he’s interviewed tenor sax player William Wait, a legendary figure in the Bangkok scene who’s played with more international jazz greats than anyone would believe.
Nolan’s interviews are well-produced, with a nice use of in-frame graphics. The musical vignettes occurring mid-interview are a bit jarring to our ears, but what the hell, Keith’s a musician. Digging under the surface, Nolan’s made it possible to see and hear some of these very important cultural figures discussing their work.
Here they are, take a look…
Between the Lines author interview series:
Dean Barrett, December 2015 (8:32)
John Burdett, December 2015 (14:34)
Christopher G. Moore, October 2015 (17:16)
James Newman, December 2015 (7:59)
Jim Newport, January, 2016 Here, a Hollywood set designer becomes an author of vampire novels based in Thailand. Newport also sings a blues song with Nolan accompanying him on Melodion (26:10)
Access All Areas author interview series:
Jerry Hopkins, August, 2014 With a VW bus in the background, Keith Nolan talks to writer Jerry Hopkins about his biographies of Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, meeting Jimi Hendrix, his life in Hawaii, and ladyboys. (13:05)
William Wait, Noland interviews Chris Catto-Smith, owner of the historical CheckInn99 club, and alto sax player William Wait, who followed a monk to Thailand and has been here ever since. (8:13)
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