Nightmarch

[PattayaPete 530]

When Two Dolls Go To War: In this column in the 1-15 April edition I made mention of the unfortunate dispute between the erstwhile partners in the pair of Living Dolls ogling dens, nick-namely ‘Captain Picard’ and ‘Alan Ladd’.

 

Since then I have had a fairly lengthy conversation with ‘Alan Ladd’ and have been privy to much of the correspondence between him and Captain Picard and others. It is labyrinthine but what appears clear from sections of the material is that. Their partnership began when Captain Picard, who was then managing The Dollhouse, agreed to take on the management of what would be the first Living Dolls (formerly Dream). Alan Ladd purchased Dream in his name in April 2002 using all his own funds. The deal with Captain Picard was that, as manager, he would receive the same wage as he had been collecting when at The Dollhouse but once Alan Ladd had recouped his purchase price they would become equal partners.

 

Everything went well and the pair decided to purchase the old Blackout den, now the highly successful Living Dolls Showcase. They formed a second company to effect this purchase and- an important point- sold investment shares to achieve this. These people are not registered shareholders, but, should the company have been wound up for any reason, been legally regarded as creditors.

 

While the Captain ran the new operation, Alan Ladd kept the other one under control. Soon after, Alan Ladd found himself in big trouble with authorities in Hong Kong and was banged up for 12 months. This is where the problems began. Alan Ladd claims he contacted Captain Picard and told him to add his- Ladd’s- monthly share (a six-figure sum) to his wedge, considering this more than made up for the extra workload.

 

Alan Ladd’s businessman father came to Pattaya to see what was happening and asked Captain Picard to keep him up to speed with events in the bars. According to Alan Ladd, his father agreed to a deal hammered out by Captain Picard. However, for reasons that not clear, the Captain failed to complete the deal in the time frame he had set.

 

It is alleged the Captain began claiming his partner would be unable to return to Thailand and even if he did he would be unable to take up the running of what were, after all, his own businesses. Despite his problems with Hong Kong authorities, Alan Ladd was not persona non grata in Thailand and therefore remained a director of the legally constituted companies that owned the two dens.

 

Since his return, Alan Ladd has not had any direct contact with Captain Picard (as I erroneously reported) and, according to him, was prepared to do a deal and split the pair of bars between them: he would take the original Living Dolls and leave the show bar to the Captain. Alan Ladd has indeed taken control of the first Living Dolls, but claims that when he did so his former partner had stripped the joint of all booze and poached the staff.

 

While I still believe Captain Picard is entitled, by virtue of his hard efforts, to a fair slice of the substantially profitable cake owned by the pair, the important fact to remember is it was Alan Ladd’s initial individual monetary investment and his willingness to then form a company and give Captain Picard a shareholding, giving the latter the sort of start most people can only dream about. From my peripheral reading of events it certainly appears as though the Captain has succumbed to that deadly sin named Greed.

 

Beaut New Set: Apropos of the above, I took a quiet wander into the recently re-opened Living Dolls ogling den (Walking Street), now under the roving management of Khun Biak, who also divides his time between the Happy and Peppermint chrome pole palaces.

 

The happy hour is the same as that offered by those two very successful operations: 45 baht for draught amber, house liver wasters and Thai rotgut and it the ambiance in the den was noticeably better than it has been for some time with a large number of Living Dolls Showcase dancing damsels having defected to the newly constituted operation.

 

The place was busy and I get the impression that many punters appreciated being able to get an eyeful of the showgirls without paying through the nose for a libation. The music was OK, the damsels friendly and, surprise, surprise, none pushed for a drink, which are industry standard at 90 baht. I’m told there are people wandering Walking Street handing out leaflets offering a free drink of either draught amber or Thai rotgut. Frankly, given the quality of the crop when I went in I don’t think they need to give away freebies although I accept the need to promote the fact they are now back with a vengeance.

 

The Next Generation: In order to concentrate on promoting and building up his new disco CEB (Walking Street), Big Andy has handed Captain Picard the poison chalice of running the Hooty’s chrome pole palace (located next door). Strong rumours suggest Big Andy has actually sold his share in the den, although I was unable to confirm this prior to going to press. The Captain has been associated, one way and another, with Andy since the opening of The Dollhouse ogling den a few years ago. That den is rightly credited with beginning the renaissance of Walking Street and Captain Picard managed the place with aplomb. Since then he has been operating the pair of Living Dolls ogling dens (see above). It will be interesting to see if the Captain can draw the early birds into Hooty’s. The shows, which kick off after 9:30 pm, are generally busy enough, but from the opening bell at 8:00 pm the place struggles to attract much business.

 

Piece of Pith: It takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.

[davethailand 91]

I'm quite familiar with the ongoing saga here and IMO Mr Nightmarch should concentrate on other matters in pattaya and keep his nose out of this matter. (or any other personal bar ownership/ management subjects for that matter)

Edited April 21, 2005 by davethailand

[Sammy 30]

davethailand,

 

Piss off. Some of us want to know the goings on in Pattaya and the GoGo scene. If you have other information than post it and refute the other claims.

[davethailand 91]

davethailand,

 

Piss off. Some of us want to know the goings on in Pattaya and the GoGo scene. If you have other information than post it and refute the other claims.

You concentrate on where to drink and enjoy yourself mate leave the running and personal stuff concerning the bars to the bar owners.

It's not yours or anyone elses business.

Do you really think i'm going to post the personal info I know on a public forum?

 

Oh and piss off back

[Emil 0]

Dave,

 

You seem to be a little testy ever since your favorite FLB hostess Mod has left the scene.

[davethailand 91]

Dave,

 

You seem to be a little testy ever since your favorite FLB hostess Mod has left the scene.

I just think Nightmarch should stick to providing customers with info regarding prices, shows, events and value for money. Not giving out private details, hanging out others persons dirty laundry and slandering bar owners.

I miss Mod so much (don't even know the girl. met once and she seemed nice enough)

[rawlins 0]

Looks like you have to 'be in with the in crowd' to even start to understand what these 'nightmarch' posts are all about so I wouldn't worry about too much dirt being spread around.................

 

 

[aqua4 2]

Dave it can only be slander if it is not true.

 

 

However, the issues has little to do with me and does not give any info as it did before about the night life scene. This report was actually boring.

[davethailand 91]

Dave it can only be slander if it is not true.

 

 

However, the issues has little to do with me and does not give any info as it did before about the night life scene. This report was actually boring.

Its a one sided report that makes accusations.

The other party has'nt had a chance to put his side across yet.

Rawlins has hit the nail on the head along with you aqua4, Not understood and boring?

Exactly, that is'nt what nightmarch should be about. It should be about the fun side of the bars, whats hot, whats not etc.

[RIP Rakit 1]

Personally I was surprised to read the contents of this Nightmarch post. Don't get me wrong, it was good to get a little gossip about the history of the 2 Living Dolls as I had always wondered how they were connected.

 

However, having seen the size of some of the guys who hang out in Living Dolls, I will definitely not be repeating any of the above story in Pattaya and particularly around Walking Street.

[mastaloopz 0]

Yeah, I was hoping for a bit more in this Nightmarch.

 

I have to admit, it was interesting and high-end gossip considering the places involved. I have met the "Captain" and am a HUGE fan of both Living Dolls. I don't think I've spent one night in Pattaya without at least stopping by and I love the women at the showcase...absolutely gorgeous.

 

That said, I don't know if anyone involved would appreciate this being broadcasted to everyone, and many people have no idea who any of the people are involved anyway. Do "Captain" and "Alan" know about this? I'd hope someone on here isn't going to walk up to them and give them a piece and cause MORE drama!

 

Just go enjoy your drinks and the ladies; Pattaya is a living organism that's always changing. So yeah, this read was pretty boring and uninformative for most people. I thought there'd be a little more variety, at least in the other sections and can only assume that in the past two weeks or month or so nothing really interesting has happened, or there's some Living Dolls-coated goggles being worn.

 

Hopefully there'll be a nice catch-up in May!

[davethailand 91]

Yeah, I was hoping for a bit more in this Nightmarch.

 

I have to admit, it was interesting and high-end gossip considering the places involved. I have met the "Captain" and am a HUGE fan of both Living Dolls. I don't think I've spent one night in Pattaya without at least stopping by and I love the women at the showcase...absolutely gorgeous.

 

That said, I don't know if anyone involved would appreciate this being broadcasted to everyone, and many people have no idea who any of the people are involved anyway. Do "Captain" and "Alan" know about this? I'd hope someone on here isn't going to walk up to them and give them a piece and cause MORE drama!

 

Just go enjoy your drinks and the ladies; Pattaya is a living organism that's always changing. So yeah, this read was pretty boring and uninformative for most people. I thought there'd be a little more variety, at least in the other sections and can only assume that in the past two weeks or month or so nothing really interesting has happened, or there's some Living Dolls-coated goggles being worn.

 

Hopefully there'll be a nice catch-up in May!

The Captain knows, I'm not saying any more than that.

Hopefully the next nightmarch will be more interesting.

[jambo 0]

I ...........am a HUGE fan of both Living Dolls.  I don't think I've spent one night in Pattaya without at least stopping by and I love the women at the showcase...absolutely gorgeous.

So am I!

 

I have made four trips to LOS and in every one have spent several highly enjoyable nights in Living Dolls (1) and to a lesser degree in Showcase.

 

The former might not have the best looking girls in Pattaya but for evenings of "dirty" fun it takes some beating. It is the only place I have had three girls fighting over whose turn it was to be b/fined by me for the night! The solution, at my age, was to b/fine two of them and put the third on the subs bench for the next day! and she found a friend to join us!

 

I hope the recent changes in "ownership" do not change the overall ambience.

[exwannabe 1]

I hope the recent changes in "ownership" do not change the overall ambience.

I think you should be OK there. After having frequented both Dolls many times the last year, I was in there late March after "Alan" was back in charge.

 

These guys do differ on how they picture the business.

 

"Captain" seams along the lines of daveinthailand, he wants the girls to stay in in order to collect more drink revenue. Expect top notch lookers, but not the easiest girls to fine. I personally tend to like this bar as a place to go just to watch (since I put down many beers and ladydrinks, they are happy).

 

"Alan" seams to think more along the lines that the guys will flock to the best bar fine action. Expect this place to remain a good choice if you need something to go :-)

 

Daveinthailand:

 

I understand your view that private matters should stay private, but I will say this story was circulating lively amongst the patrons before pete had anything to say here, and some versions implied far worse (for both) than anything written here. Hopefully pete will allow Captain to respond, then drop the whole story.

[davethailand 91]

The captain no doubt will respond, not on here though.

Edited April 27, 2005 by davethailand

[MM 6,562]

I understand your view that private matters should stay private, but I will say this story was circulating lively amongst the patrons before pete had anything to say here, and some versions implied far worse (for both) than anything written here. Hopefully pete will allow Captain to respond, then drop the whole story.

Reading your paragraph gives me the impression that you think Pete is the author of Nightmarch. That is not the case. Pete reposts it from another source as a courtesy to the board.

[monkeyman 1,604]

I understand your view that private matters should stay private, but I will say this story was circulating lively amongst the patrons before pete had anything to say here, and some versions implied far worse (for both) than anything written here. Hopefully pete will allow Captain to respond, then drop the whole story.

Just for the record, Pete doesn't write Nightmarch, he just posts it here for the benefit of the boardies.

 

It's actually part of Asiabugle, which also covers BKK and other areas of LOS.

 

The value of this service provided by Pete has increased considerably as Asiabugle is no longer available to Hotmail users. See my thread in The Members Bar if you want to know more.

 

be seeing you

monkeyman

[PokerUpFront 0]

I want to see a report about current Pattaya nightlife not the Pattaya legal section.

[kikc69 45]

I would have to say the report really does nothing for me. As a person who only gets to visit once or twice a year I am not interested in the squables among the bar owners. The only ones who I think would have an interest are other bar owners and expats living in Pattaya. So I read it, shrug and move on.

[davethailand 91]

I'm glad people finally agree with me.

As i chat to "the captain" almost everyday its obvious that there was a payment involved as to the printing of this article.

I wonder if the otherside of the story will be in the next nightmarch?

[bigfoot 0]

Dave then what has the Captain got to say about this story?

 

if its true then he(Duncan) has every right to print it as he is writing for an online newspaper and thats what hes paid for.

 

the foot

[davethailand 91]

Dave then what has the Captain got to say about this story?

 

if its true then he(Duncan) has every right to print it as he is writing for an online newspaper and thats what hes paid for.

 

the foot

A typical journalist/ writer so of course its one sided.

Dave then what has the Captain got to say about this story?

Buy the new pattaya today and you'll see it.

I don't care really about what Duncan writes, i've also met him on numerous occasions and he's ok and although i find Nightmarch a bit tacky at times I failed to see how printing this has any relevence on the nightlife of pattaya.

[GeorgeK 0]

Dave,

I wonder if the Captain's response is in the online edition of Pattaya Today as well as the print version. Had a quick check but couldn't find it:

http://www.pattayatoday.net/

 

Cheers.

[davethailand 91]

Dave,

I wonder if the Captain's response is in the online edition of Pattaya Today as well as the print version. Had a quick check but couldn't find it:

http://www.pattayatoday.net/

 

Cheers.

The captains just asked me to post it.

 

This is from the latest Pattaya Today.

I've deleted The Captains name for obvious reasons.

 

Living Dolls, The Truth

IT'S A cardinal rule of journalism that both sides are

necessary to provide a balanced account. As regular readers

of Nightmarch (April I) will know, there have been

lengthy comments regarding the fall-out between the two

former partners in the Living Dolls pair of ogling dens.

The article was a misrepresentation as one of the partners,

Alan Ladd, supplied Nightmarch contributor Duncan Stearn

with selected documents which do not represent the whole

picture. . In fact, the two partners were equal partners from day

one: Alan Ladd providing the initial capital and Captain

Picard the expertise necessary for a successful business.

One could not succeed without the other, an ideal business

arrangement. Alan received back 50% of the funding within

4 months of the business formation and a format for the

second club Living Dolls Showcase was implemented with

the purchase of Blackout.

The purchase of this bar was funded entirely by other

investors who purchased shares in the company backed

up by legally binding documents signed by both partners.

They are not, as reported, creditors. The Hong Kong incident

is well documented and the management fee for the business

was indeed paid to the Captain, as he was the only person

managing, for obvious reasons.

During 2004 the Captain purchased shares from two of

the initial shareholders and also agreed a deal to purchase

Alan Ladd's father signing the relevant documents utilizing

the power of attorney signed by Alan. A significant sum of

money was deposited into Alan's bank account, in excess of

50% of the agreed amount, with the remainder to be paid

upon receipt of signed documents prepared and sent to

Perth, on his release from the Hong Kong authorities.

In fact, these documents were never signed, despite an

incredible amount of correspondence between the two

parties, with the Captain understandably not finalizing the

settlement without the security of legally owning the

businesses.

The Captainwas the instigator of the proposal to split the

bars, not as previouslyreportedAlan. This is backedup bythe

relevant documentation and, in an effort to help the two

individuals, Duncan Stearn contacted Alan to arrange

a meeting with the lawyers to assign the two bars to

individual partners. Despite Alan's claim that this was what

he wanted, he declined. I wonder why?

In conclusion, the Captain has invested the majority of

the capital, almost all of the time and effort, with Alan receiving

back his initial investment five fold and having the opportunity

to own Living Dolls I 100%, not 50% as was his initial

shareholding. Not a bad deal I would suggest. One other item

was mistakenly reported - that a large number of Living

Doll Showcase dancing damsels have defected to LID I. This

is incorrect and none have so moved. I would like to suggest

that Nightmarch should stay well away from personal disputes

and concentrate on reviewing the nightlife of Pattaya for the

benefit of readers.

Captain Picard

[bigfoot 0]

two conflicting stories now all you have to do is work out who is telling the truth

 

the foot