Thailand Confidential

Jerry Hopkins

Μαΐ 2011 · Tuttle Publishing

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"Wanna stand in the face of a charging elephant, get hit by a motorcycle, eat giant water bugs, blowtorch your mouth on some of the hottest chili peppers on earth, then go watch a sex change operation? Of course you don't, but, happily, Jerry Hopkins has done all that and more--lots more--in this darkly humorous, deeply affectionate, clear-eyed but never patronizing portrait of Thailand, his adopted home. Highly recommended." --Tim Cahill, author of Lost in My Own Backyard, Hold the Enlightenment and Jaguars Ripped My Flesh

"After over a decade in the country, Hopkins knows and loves his subject dearly--that much is obvious--and his vivid portrait projects that love from every page." --Jann Wenner, editor and founder of Rolling Stone Magazine

"A loving expose of everything that's wonderful about Thailand, and much that isn't. Should be required reading for all newcomers." --Joe Cummings, author of the Lonely Planet Thailand Guide

Writer Jerry Hopkins came to Thailand for a visit in the 1980s, and ended up a permanent resident with a temporary visa--a big, white farang haunting the bars and back alleys of Bangkok. His essays explore the mystery and mayhem of "The Land of Smiles" to hilarious--and sometimes disturbing--effect. Travel with him to a place where whisky is rum, water buffaloes are gay, insects are dinner, dildos are lucky charms, and your wildest adolescent fantasies can come true (for a nominal fee).

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Jerry Hopkins was born Elisha Gerald Hopkins in Camden, New Jersey on November 9, 1935. He received a bachelor's degree from Washington and Lee University and a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. He wrote for The Twin-City Sentinel in Winston-Salem, The Village Voice in New York, and The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. In the early 1960s he was a writer-producer for PM East, a television talk show hosted by Mike Wallace, and a talent booker for the syndicated Steve Allen Show. In 1966, Hopkins and a partner opened Headquarters, a shop that sold drug paraphernalia in Los Angeles. He was also writing freelance articles for various publications when he responded to a 1967 ad in an early issue of Rolling Stone asking for submissions of music reviews. He became a music writer for Rolling Stone magazine and became the magazine's London correspondent in 1972. He wrote for Rolling Stone for about 20 years. He wrote several biographies of musicians including Elvis: A Biography, No One Here Gets Out Alive with Danny Sugerman, and Behind Closed Doors. He also wrote books and articles about exotic food, sex, travel, hula, and Hawaiian musical instruments. His memoir, The Ultimate Fish, was published in 2014 and focuses on his relationship with a transgender prostitute. He died of heart failure on June 3, 2018 at the age of 82.