Hi John, I’m May, Izzy’s niece. I wasn’t at home during the filming, but I've had the chance to watch the video. I just want to express my heartfelt thanks for creating such an amazing video. Izzy was absolutely delighted when he saw it. Thank you for skillfully crafting and presenting story in such a wonderful way. It means the world to both Izzy and our family. Thank you. ❤❤❤
@@vorrapanna Thank you so much May 🙏🏻 I am still in the process to send you guys a small thank you package incl. a DVD for Izzy. (because I noticed that he has a copy of Flying Men, Flying Machines as well, which is also available on RUclips) But please don't tell him and spoil the surprise 🙏🏻😅
Wow this is a wonderful history story and ppl nowadays don’t know at all. I am glad that you guys found Izzy, because he is probably the last history teller that used to be on duty of CIA after my stepdad passed away last year (one guy in the group photo at opening story). He must be happy if he can watch this video from another side. Thank you and keep doing kind of this content. Good job.👍🏼
Yes I was really happy Izzy was welcoming and excited to talk to us 🙏🏻 It was also as much fun as it was interesting, because he has a really unique character. I could've listen to him for days, even after already spending more than 8 hours with him 😃
When I stay i Bangkok (every year for Holiday since 1991) in try to get a room in these old family owned Rest & Recreation Hotels. But there are only a few left.
John, I was the one who gave Izzy's contact details to you via K. Jenny, and I've gotta say that you've done a good job with this video. The Madrid was the first place I went (on a recommendation from Bubba Strahan, who was another legend on Patpong from 1980-1985) in 1993, and Jack Shirley was the first person I met that night. He had MANY stories and was always fun to drink with. Jack and Tony Poe worked in different arenas in Laos. But Jack followed orders better than Tony did. Legend has it that without fail, those two would get into a huge brawl about once a year. I think the video of Tony that you shared is from a story (from the BBC, I think) where they also have an interview with Jack. My wife and I were in the background of that video as we were there the day of the interview. But I've not been able to find it recently. Thanks for putting the time and effort into this. It brings back many fond memories and is something that I'll be sharing with many of my friends. Billy
Hey Billy, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I would've loved to be around during those times 😅 Yes, I've heard from Izzy that Jack & Tony would get into brawls (bad ones too), and then hang out drinking together later that evening 😃
Awesome video. I was lucky enough to visit the Patpong Museum in 2019 which brought to life the Patpong Story. Bars such as Madrid, Cosmo, Mizu's Kitchen and Safari sadly closed down during "Covid Lockdown" and Patpong has never been the same since. My first visit to the area was in 1993, when it was still viewed as the No1 entertainment area in BKK, ahead of Soi Cowboy ...and a new emerging place called Nana Plaza.
Happy you got to see the area in 1993! It's sad that the Patpong Museum closed, I couldn't believe how well put together and informative it was when I first visited.
Loved this video, going into detail of Pat Pong showing a great insight of Bangkok’s history. I have been living here in bangkok for the past 3 years and always researching and wanting to know the history of this wonderful city. I would love to win a copy of “Bangkok Babylon”
This makes me miss Bkk! I started a yoga school on Patpong (probably the only one ever) between 2001 and 2006, then moved to another part of the city. Madrid was still open then
Would've loved to visit the old Madrid - But Jenny does a great job at the new Madrid. I think there's no other place that serves home-cooked style western food quite like her place does!
Hi John, I've seen multiple of your vids in an evening as I just discovered you. I wanted to say these are really good. If you ever thought of going RUclips fulltime, don't think twice... Hope to run into you sometime! keep it up.
Hey Hey, thank you for that nice comment 😅 Yeah, I would love to do this full time one day, but there are a ton of things I still do outside of RUclips and I think I'd love to take my time producing longer & more thourough episodes that take time to make... or maybe produce 2-3 shorter ones for each longer one, idk 😂 Still figuring it out, but very encouraging 🙏🏻 Thanks again
Bangkok Babylon. Well-made video. Subbed for the channel, not just the free book. I think i'll go on a walking tour of Pat Pong after seeing this. Haven't been there in ages.
@@Bowery1916 Yeah! This episode only features a very small portion of the Interview we had with Izzy. He told us so many fascinating & funny anecdotes - he definitely lived a very vibrant life! 😅
@@JohnRunaway.Official One topic that could use a dedicated episode or series would be this American pot smuggler that operated out of the Superstar Bar in Patpong in the 1980's. He got busted and the U.S. government tried to seize property in his Thai wife's name in like 1995. The Thai government rejected this attempted seizure by the U.S. This guy's name escapes me...but if you Google, I'm sure he'll come up.
Agree, there is not much out there, except maybe "Rescue Dawn" (2006) - If you like the last part of the vlog, I would encourage you to checkout the Serpent on Netflix. It's a well made true crime series! I think I watched it 2 times already 😅
You did excellent research, and presented the history well. Kudos. I would give you a super A plus…but….you didn’t apply what was truly an extraordinary research effort into scratching the surface on the Tony Po movie inspiration story. That has been shown not to be true, and the movie makers have said as much (which you can find online). That’s okay, most videos have a least one mistake, including mine, The US Secret War in Laos, which I noticed you had watched ;-)
Ah damn it :D I did not dive beyond Tony Po being the inspiration for Colonel Kurtz. It is mentioned in a lot of places and it was also displayed at the Patpong Museum (and those guys, so I've heard from around here, do their research on the Patpong history well) Thanks for clarifying and the Kudos 🙏🏻
@@JohnRunaway.Official when I find a mistake in my video John I just add the clarification/correction in the video description. These things happen to all of us. Your video really was professional, first rate. I sent it to alot if people. Keep up the good work and if I can help you - seriously - please let me know. I live in Chiang Mai.
@@CarterOnConflict Yup, I'll add it on when home! Will need to research first to get a source / link to the clarification - Happy to drop by when in Chiang Mai next time :) Thanks
I think you are from Germany, just like me. Try to catch a copy of Peter Scholls Latour´s : Tod im Reisfeld. I´ll bet you find a copy in these used Bookshops at the Khao San Road.
good video. good to see someone looking at the history side of bangkok and thailand. I am personally interested in learning more about the history and will looking to visit anywhere there which can illuminate to me some passed stories.. "Bangkok Babylon" I would to read this book. Learn some history from it on the side of my own research via google. I was in bangkok for 11days last year but was not so well and will be returning 2025 to stay a number of months before proceeding to visit the rest of Asia..
Bangkok Babylon. Just to say what a great and very interesting video. I've been looking into the CIA history in Bangkok for sometime now. Your video just popped up onto my timeline. I'll be in Bangkok next month and would love to win a copy of the book. Stay safe
I enjoyed the mention of author Tommy Thompson. He was a marvelous writer who died far too young. His true crime book Serpentine about Sobraj is a classic of its kind. I loved Southeast Asia of the 70s when anything could happen. Sorry to hear Bangkok’s sleazy side is being erased, but the whole world has changed.
Yeah it's not the wild west as it used to be, but I'm happy some sites still remain. Bangkok's also a huge city! I'm curious what else goes on in all the other pockets nowadays :)
Unfortunately I have to reach a certain number of subscribers before I can add different sound tracks for dubbing, but let me check this week if I can add subtitle tracks to it!
My father, Herbert Theodore Stephens was a pilot in this campaign. Wish I could find out more, fantastic video. I was a child when we lived near Pat Pong. Great video.
I do, my father would take me to the bars as a kid; I specifically remember a fiber optics light lamp. The girls would take care of me as my dad did business. He would tell me about flying everything from pigs to opium. He was a phenomenal pilot.
You're in the draw! I will post the random winner on RUclips Community tab next week! Good luck :) ...and thanks for watching the episode! Happy you enjoyed it 🙏🏻
My GrandPa was Kuomintang Forgotten Army. After ww2 there is civil war in china between kmt and communist. My grand pa and their group lost the territory at Yunan and retreated to Thailand and Myanmar. Air America CIa used to help with Supplies run operations back in the days. My grandfather would hide in the mountains back at that time which is around Golden Triangle regions now days. CIA will drop the weapons and supplies to us while the opium and heroin were shipped back to the state that time. The Lost Army of kuomintang, later after from the Pressure of USA, KMT leader Chang Kai Sheik ordered to retreat the troops for good to Taiwan, while the remaining soldiers including my Grand Father was given secret missions to stay back and wait for Further Instructions to invade Communist China, they were promised Supplies from Air America CIa and the supplies never came and later onwards they were all listed as Treasons, this history most people dont know.
I read some of the stories during the Chiang Kai-shek era and I think covering Taiwan would be a whole episode for itself as well! It's also unfortunate how soldiers get abandoned & displaced afterwards, sorry to hear that happened to your Grandfather.
Absolutely fantastic video. I live in bkk, with my laos wife. I know patpong really interested in the history. Ok now I'll go deep. The US have a duty of care to CLEAN UP THEIR SHIT. Laos people to this day are still finding unexploded ordinance ,I'm speaking from experience. I hate it when the US vets claim to be heroes when basically they ran away. US sort it out
Yes, I have missed to mention the bombing campaign part in my video, just because I thought it's already presented in every documentary or report I read, and it's an entry to go deeper and deeper into this topic. I've basically started this Episode to dive into many diverse parts of that history and the effects on the Patpong area, but you are absolutely right - the entire history of the secret war in Laos, it's beginnings and the aftermath is a very long story, deep story to tell and I could've tell it more whole. As to Soldiers or Pilots presenting themselves as Heroes, I don't believe that applies to Izzy - He wasn't flying for the military, he was flying cargo. I got the overwhelming sense that he just genuinely enjoyed being a pilot. There are a lot of parts of the interview I had to edit out (because not relevant to the story) where he pivoted towards all the specific planes and models he was flying or story's from the airstrip. He really loved planes, and I believe he would still be a pilot somewhere if he could. A sort of fun anecdote I missed to include, because I did not fully caught it on camera is that he was awarded with rescuing the first POW in Laos at some point. That government certificate is standing on the shelf, covered by another certificate from a Golf Course for a Hole-in-One 😅 When I asked him why that hole-in-one certificate is more front and center on his shelf, he said: "Well, that's a really difficult thing to pull off."
![Run Away - Tzuyu(TWICE) ツウィ 쯔위 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 240906](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KnHNNyAYiu0/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi John, I’m May, Izzy’s niece. I wasn’t at home during the filming, but I've had the chance to watch the video. I just want to express my heartfelt thanks for creating such an amazing video. Izzy was absolutely delighted when he saw it. Thank you for skillfully crafting and presenting story in such a wonderful way. It means the world to both Izzy and our family. Thank you. ❤❤❤
@@vorrapanna Thank you so much May 🙏🏻 I am still in the process to send you guys a small thank you package incl. a DVD for Izzy. (because I noticed that he has a copy of Flying Men, Flying Machines as well, which is also available on RUclips) But please don't tell him and spoil the surprise 🙏🏻😅
@@JohnRunaway.Official Thank you very kindly 🙏🏻
Hi May!!! John, I am Izzy's cousin! He is one of my closest even though we are 24 hours apart. Love this!
Ditto John! And May, thank you so much for your wonderful endorsement.🙏
Wow this is a wonderful history story and ppl nowadays don’t know at all. I am glad that you guys found Izzy, because he is probably the last history teller that used to be on duty of CIA after my stepdad passed away last year (one guy in the group photo at opening story). He must be happy if he can watch this video from another side. Thank you and keep doing kind of this content. Good job.👍🏼
Yes I was really happy Izzy was welcoming and excited to talk to us 🙏🏻 It was also as much fun as it was interesting, because he has a really unique character. I could've listen to him for days, even after already spending more than 8 hours with him 😃
When I stay i Bangkok (every year for Holiday since 1991) in try to get a room in these old family owned Rest & Recreation Hotels. But there are only a few left.
John,
I was the one who gave Izzy's contact details to you via K. Jenny, and I've gotta say that you've done a good job with this video. The Madrid was the first place I went (on a recommendation from Bubba Strahan, who was another legend on Patpong from 1980-1985) in 1993, and Jack Shirley was the first person I met that night. He had MANY stories and was always fun to drink with.
Jack and Tony Poe worked in different arenas in Laos. But Jack followed orders better than Tony did. Legend has it that without fail, those two would get into a huge brawl about once a year. I think the video of Tony that you shared is from a story (from the BBC, I think) where they also have an interview with Jack. My wife and I were in the background of that video as we were there the day of the interview. But I've not been able to find it recently.
Thanks for putting the time and effort into this. It brings back many fond memories and is something that I'll be sharing with many of my friends.
Billy
Hey Billy, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I would've loved to be around during those times 😅 Yes, I've heard from Izzy that Jack & Tony would get into brawls (bad ones too), and then hang out drinking together later that evening 😃
Hello, I was in the US Army during the 70's. While in I spent much of the time in Thailand. I have great memories. :-)
Awesome video. I was lucky enough to visit the Patpong Museum in 2019 which brought to life the Patpong Story. Bars such as Madrid, Cosmo, Mizu's Kitchen and Safari sadly closed down during "Covid Lockdown" and Patpong has never been the same since. My first visit to the area was in 1993, when it was still viewed as the No1 entertainment area in BKK, ahead of Soi Cowboy ...and a new emerging place called Nana Plaza.
Happy you got to see the area in 1993! It's sad that the Patpong Museum closed, I couldn't believe how well put together and informative it was when I first visited.
Loved this video, going into detail of Pat
Pong showing a great insight of Bangkok’s history. I have been living here in bangkok for the past 3 years and always researching and wanting to know the history of this wonderful city. I would love to win a copy of “Bangkok Babylon”
@@sitesuite Thanks for the nice comment 🙏🏻 You're in the draw for the book 📕
Hey Hey, you won the book :)
Send me an email or write me on instagram with your address - I'll send over a copy 📕
@@JohnRunaway.Official ok will do, wohoo I won 💪🏼
Great watch. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
This makes me miss Bkk! I started a yoga school on Patpong (probably the only one ever) between 2001 and 2006, then moved to another part of the city. Madrid was still open then
Would've loved to visit the old Madrid - But Jenny does a great job at the new Madrid. I think there's no other place that serves home-cooked style western food quite like her place does!
Great documentary! I would love a copy of "Bangkok Babylon" because I've met Jack Shirley and Tony Poe :) My grandfather was Thailand-based OSS.
@@marisamarchitellifilms3270 wow, strong reason! (and first one in the draw :)
@@JohnRunaway.Official I happen to be currently doing research on this very topic so was very excited when a friend sent me the link today.
Hi John, I've seen multiple of your vids in an evening as I just discovered you. I wanted to say these are really good. If you ever thought of going RUclips fulltime, don't think twice... Hope to run into you sometime! keep it up.
Hey Hey, thank you for that nice comment 😅 Yeah, I would love to do this full time one day, but there are a ton of things I still do outside of RUclips and I think I'd love to take my time producing longer & more thourough episodes that take time to make... or maybe produce 2-3 shorter ones for each longer one, idk 😂 Still figuring it out, but very encouraging 🙏🏻 Thanks again
Good video, thanks. I've read Bangkok Babylon. Currently in Bangkok and will check out some of the places you've mentioned.
@@simondonovan9669 Nice! Thanks 🙏🏻
Hey, I enjoyed this. You've got some good content. Look, keep up the good work and you'll see incremental success I'm sure.
Thanks so much 🙏🏻 Appreciate it, I will try 😅
Bangkok Babylon.
Well-made video. Subbed for the channel, not just the free book.
I think i'll go on a walking tour of Pat Pong after seeing this. Haven't been there in ages.
I genuinely want to read that book. :)
Nice! You're in the draw for the book! 📕
great documentary, imagine living them guys' lives, woulda been crazy
@@Bowery1916 Yeah! This episode only features a very small portion of the Interview we had with Izzy. He told us so many fascinating & funny anecdotes - he definitely lived a very vibrant life! 😅
I read Bangkok Babylon years ago - good read. This is a good video. More in a similar vein, please.
@@tradeyourselftowealth7149 thanks :) will do! If you have anything you'd like see covered, let me know!
@@JohnRunaway.Official One topic that could use a dedicated episode or series would be this American pot smuggler that operated out of the Superstar Bar in Patpong in the 1980's. He got busted and the U.S. government tried to seize property in his Thai wife's name in like 1995. The Thai government rejected this attempted seizure by the U.S. This guy's name escapes me...but if you Google, I'm sure he'll come up.
What a story, this should be made into a movie or series.
Agree, there is not much out there, except maybe "Rescue Dawn" (2006) - If you like the last part of the vlog, I would encourage you to checkout the Serpent on Netflix. It's a well made true crime series! I think I watched it 2 times already 😅
It has see- Air America, with Mel Gibson I was an extra.
You did excellent research, and presented the history well. Kudos. I would give you a super A plus…but….you didn’t apply what was truly an extraordinary research effort into scratching the surface on the Tony Po movie inspiration story. That has been shown not to be true, and the movie makers have said as much (which you can find online). That’s okay, most videos have a least one mistake, including mine, The US Secret War in Laos, which I noticed you had watched ;-)
Ah damn it :D I did not dive beyond Tony Po being the inspiration for Colonel Kurtz. It is mentioned in a lot of places and it was also displayed at the Patpong Museum (and those guys, so I've heard from around here, do their research on the Patpong history well)
Thanks for clarifying and the Kudos 🙏🏻
@@JohnRunaway.Official when I find a mistake in my video John I just add the clarification/correction in the video description. These things happen to all of us. Your video really was professional, first rate. I sent it to alot if people. Keep up the good work and if I can help you - seriously - please let me know. I live in Chiang Mai.
@@CarterOnConflict Yup, I'll add it on when home! Will need to research first to get a source / link to the clarification - Happy to drop by when in Chiang Mai next time :) Thanks
I think you are from Germany, just like me. Try to catch a copy of Peter Scholls Latour´s : Tod im Reisfeld. I´ll bet you find a copy in these used Bookshops at the Khao San Road.
Oh damn, I havn't heard about it. Is it fiction or is it based on stories from Bangkok? (Yes, you guessed correctly... Deutschland) 😄
@@JohnRunaway.Official Non Fiction . He lived many years in South East Asia and reported from this war. He was also captured by the Viet Cong.
good video. good to see someone looking at the history side of bangkok and thailand. I am personally interested in learning more about the history and will looking to visit anywhere there which can illuminate to me some passed stories.. "Bangkok Babylon" I would to read this book. Learn some history from it on the side of my own research via google. I was in bangkok for 11days last year but was not so well and will be returning 2025 to stay a number of months before proceeding to visit the rest of Asia..
Nice! Happy to have you back here in 2025 😊 Thanks for the nice comment and I will add you in to the draw for the book! 📕
Yup. "Pink Panther", still going strong. Had some great nights there back in the day.
@@tradeyourselftowealth7149 It's a really chill go-go bar!
Really interesting, thank you John!
My pleasure!
Bangkok Babylon. Just to say what a great and very interesting video. I've been looking into the CIA history in Bangkok for sometime now. Your video just popped up onto my timeline. I'll be in Bangkok next month and would love to win a copy of the book. Stay safe
Nice! If you're looking for any particular places or areas of interest in BKK, let me know :) Happy to help out! You're in the draw for the book Sir 📓
@@JohnRunaway.Official Thanks I have been busy watching your videos and taking notes...
Top work - My Friend! Editing and Script are ( Ha Dao)
Thank you so much 🙏🏻 appreciate it
Great stuff, looks great! Nice dog.
You are so kind 🙏🏻
I enjoyed the mention of author Tommy Thompson. He was a marvelous writer who died far too young. His true crime book Serpentine about Sobraj is a classic of its kind. I loved Southeast Asia of the 70s when anything could happen. Sorry to hear Bangkok’s sleazy side is being erased, but the whole world has changed.
Yeah it's not the wild west as it used to be, but I'm happy some sites still remain. Bangkok's also a huge city! I'm curious what else goes on in all the other pockets nowadays :)
Thanks a lot- very well done documentary. Anyway to get Thai subtitles?
Unfortunately I have to reach a certain number of subscribers before I can add different sound tracks for dubbing, but let me check this week if I can add subtitle tracks to it!
My father, Herbert Theodore Stephens was a pilot in this campaign. Wish I could find out more, fantastic video. I was a child when we lived near Pat Pong. Great video.
Interesting! Do you remember anything from Patpong back in the days?
I do, my father would take me to the bars as a kid; I specifically remember a fiber optics light lamp. The girls would take care of me as my dad did business. He would tell me about flying everything from pigs to opium. He was a phenomenal pilot.
@@spicyduck3710 nice! yeah, the pilots flying there (from what I heard) all really enjoyed flying :)
He had some wild stories to say the least. Him and his co pilot had to throw pigs out one time due to losing an engine on a DC 6.
@@spicyduck3710 😢🐖
Insightful documentary, would look into Bangkok Babylon book, sign me up for the book draw please!
You're in the draw! I will post the random winner on RUclips Community tab next week! Good luck :)
...and thanks for watching the episode! Happy you enjoyed it 🙏🏻
Nice done John!
Thanks 🙏🏻
My GrandPa was Kuomintang Forgotten Army. After ww2 there is civil war in china between kmt and communist. My grand pa and their group lost the territory at Yunan and retreated to Thailand and Myanmar. Air America CIa used to help with Supplies run operations back in the days. My grandfather would hide in the mountains back at that time which is around Golden Triangle regions now days. CIA will drop the weapons and supplies to us while the opium and heroin were shipped back to the state that time. The Lost Army of kuomintang, later after from the Pressure of USA, KMT leader Chang Kai Sheik ordered to retreat the troops for good to Taiwan, while the remaining soldiers including my Grand Father was given secret missions to stay back and wait for Further Instructions to invade Communist China, they were promised Supplies from Air America CIa and the supplies never came and later onwards they were all listed as Treasons, this history most people dont know.
I read some of the stories during the Chiang Kai-shek era and I think covering Taiwan would be a whole episode for itself as well! It's also unfortunate how soldiers get abandoned & displaced afterwards, sorry to hear that happened to your Grandfather.
Interesting video
Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Absolutely fantastic video. I live in bkk, with my laos wife. I know patpong really interested in the history. Ok now I'll go deep. The US have a duty of care to CLEAN UP THEIR SHIT. Laos people to this day are still finding unexploded ordinance ,I'm speaking from experience. I hate it when the US vets claim to be heroes when basically they ran away. US sort it out
Yes, I have missed to mention the bombing campaign part in my video, just because I thought it's already presented in every documentary or report I read, and it's an entry to go deeper and deeper into this topic. I've basically started this Episode to dive into many diverse parts of that history and the effects on the Patpong area, but you are absolutely right - the entire history of the secret war in Laos, it's beginnings and the aftermath is a very long story, deep story to tell and I could've tell it more whole. As to Soldiers or Pilots presenting themselves as Heroes, I don't believe that applies to Izzy - He wasn't flying for the military, he was flying cargo. I got the overwhelming sense that he just genuinely enjoyed being a pilot. There are a lot of parts of the interview I had to edit out (because not relevant to the story) where he pivoted towards all the specific planes and models he was flying or story's from the airstrip. He really loved planes, and I believe he would still be a pilot somewhere if he could.
A sort of fun anecdote I missed to include, because I did not fully caught it on camera is that he was awarded with rescuing the first POW in Laos at some point. That government certificate is standing on the shelf, covered by another certificate from a Golf Course for a Hole-in-One 😅 When I asked him why that hole-in-one certificate is more front and center on his shelf, he said: "Well, that's a really difficult thing to pull off."
@@JohnRunaway.Official thanks for the detailed reply. Bombies, ning thought they were just metal tennis balls 🤔
Oh the US could do so much more to help, remember Obama's empty words
@@kevwandless of course, I don't dispute that at all
Is the Patpong Museum still open? Thought they closed
Unfortunately they closed a while ago 😓
Izzy Friedman died years ago. When was this interview filmed?
Izzy "Friedman" might have died years ago, Izzy Freedman is alive & well 😅
@@JohnRunaway.Official 🙏
#Operation Galdio