Krom Me Twice – A Conversation with Krom Lead Man Christopher Minko – Part II

“Krom is such a scream from a wounded soul. The lyrics consolidate into a dark pitch blasting our sensibilities in an echo chamber of pain. There is an existential scream and nothing prepares us for it in our cozy world of shopping malls, social media, offices, clubs and homes.” Christopher G. Moore

 Christopher Minko fields a question at the launch of Phnom Penh Noir – Christopher G. Moore is to Minko’s right

CM: Man – you throw them at me hey –  the hardest question comes last – onto it –OK: Firstly –Fact:  Human slavery (labor, sex and other) is at its highest point ever in the history of humanity – that’s a fucking tragedy – some of this I attribute to the horror of unbridled capitalism, particually since the collapse of communism, whereby we now have a world dominated by greed and selfishness, an ever widening gap between the rich and the poor ( which allow even greater exploitation of the poor and) power elites addicted to the worst traits of ego driven madness found in humanity

The sex industry – Nearly every one side steps the issue, they smile about it, joke about it, participate in it and waltz around it– but the blunt truth is this is an industry built on the sale of human flesh as an object of sexuality with exceptionally high profit margins and a high turnover of deaths as the women spiral quickly into a world of dependency on drugs and alcohol to numb the sale of their bodies over and over to aging old men on a daily basis  – let me give you a blatant example using Thailand and CNN – CNN run their well meant ( but naïve) Anti Human slavery campaign – It focuses on sensationalism usually through a Brothel Bust which involves a celebrity and the bust action is filmed – despite all the good intentions CNN fail to point the finger where it needs to be pointed – at the ruling elites of the South east Asian nations that have allowed the industry of sex trading to proliferate and flourish as cold hard profit is at the end of the equation..–Why doesn’t CNN point the finger as it should? – Easy – In the case of Thailand, Thai International Airways spend millions per annum on advertising on CNN so CNN don’t want to upset Thai International along with the Thai ruling elite who own Thai International……….and so it goes………….It’s all interconnected this world wide billion dollar industry of sex trafficking – airlines, hotel chains, tourism PR and so on – all complicit in what can only be described as a major international industry (of human trafficking)reaping huge profits for an elite few despite the human misery imposed on countless women who are nothing more than sex slaves in the final analysis  and usually subservient to a nasty pimp controlling them through a volatile mixture of drugs, alcohol and violence. I am not saying here that hotel chains etc are directly implicated in the sex trade- they are indirect beneficiaries ( accommodation, food etc) – (and may I add – those hotels in the “right locations “know exactly what their clients are up to – no matter how many stars they have….)…However – the real tragedy reveals itself when one sees how mainstream and integrated into society prostitution has become in many SEA nations over the past 5 decades ( I have watched the many many changes in Bangkok since the 1^st time I arrived there in 1972) – an industry that flourished during the Vietnam war and was recognized by the ruling masters as a viable ( and very profitable) commercial enterprise where the commercial benefits of a foreign clientele needing to purchase sex was recognized and a subsequent hospitality industry purposefully built around catering for the “sex Tourist” was allowed and supported at the highest of levels. In fact it is publicly recognized that this now mainstream integrated profession provides a significant % of the Cambodian and Thai GDP (sadly Cambodia is following Thailand’s footsteps into the lucrative sex trade industry) – again – no matter how mainstream ( or accepted) this trade has become –One can never ever deny or justify, that behind the scenes, it remains a brutal world of young women and girls forced by poverty and entrapped, enslaved or even kidnapped into a criminally led machine that constantly needs to be fed with new young stock to satisfy the ever growing international appetite for commercial sexual services. This is why I change the text in the final words of the lyrics to Krom song “Down Sukumvit Road/ Where many a body is sold” from using “I’m walking down Sukumvit Road” (singular) to We are all walking down Sukumvit Road (plural) – as truth is we are all walking down these roads as we all allow this horrendous industry of sexual enslavement to exist .and even to, dare I say,…flourish…………as a blind eye continues to be turned….and encouraged

Click the YouTube link above to listen to:DOWN SUKHUMVIT ROAD by Krom

After all, Let’s not bullshit – anyone can take a walk down Sukumvit road and buy a woman ( or man or ladyboy – whatever suits you fancy) – yet the Thai regimes continue to deny that this industry even exists (“Soi Cowboy is just an illusion – remember we believe in ghosts”……….they say….). As I sing in Tango Traffic Tango – these are nations that quite willingly sell their daughters into the sex industry. As nations they are not yet mature enough to confront the tragedy that they impose on their own people – that requires real courage – and real change – unlike the ego and profit driven political charade currently taking place in the streets of Bangkok…

So many observe the Noir, …how many live the Noir I ask ?  – How many can truly acknowledge the brutal reality that 98 % of these women do not want to participate on this trade but have no other choice due to poverty and very often family pressure – often sold by their very own parents as part of the so called “poverty alleviation “process (as many foolishly argue). Again, just take a walk down Sukumvit and look at the numerous  deluded old white boys in their 60’s on a Viagra overdose drinking the morning beer with a scraggy 16 year old girl hanging on their wrinkled arms  – It says it all in its obvious brutality and I want these deluded old fools to hear these Kromsongs in order to make these people feel uncomfortable as uncomfortable they should feel.

And in its own way I can’t deny a morbid philosophical fascination with what I find is the ultimate exercise in nihilism-a nihilistic exercise that involves that most sacred of human entities we call “love”, an existentialist drama that plays itself out every day in thousand of bars, brothels and hotels through SE Asia (and the rest of the world one could say.) – here we find lonely pathetic ancient men looking to purchase romantic love in much younger Asian women yet this love is an unattainable objective as the very women they court are no longer capable of love as the brutality of the process of endlessly selling one’s body has destroyed that women’s ability to genuinely love – a bitter irony if I have ever seen one yet thousands of misguided fools, each year embark, on this fruitless and tragic journey.

Blunt truth is the Krom songs need to be sung and need to be heard and there will be more krom songs that touch on these uncomfortable themes however the reality behind the current tragedy of the sex slavery industry is that these women are not only rendered incapable of love ( ….those cold Sukumvit eyes…), their lives are destroyed including often a very early death

The more we speak out about these injustices the better – in a world that’s gone stark raving mad

What good comes from the work ? / I have devoted a lifetime to the causes of social justice and will continue to do so now focusing on Krom as the main vehicle for this along with maintaining the disability work – Bottom-line is the worlds a shithole in so many ways – you can either try to do some good and effect positive change or you can selfishly turn your back on it all – I just try to do my best with my music and with my disability work and  hopefully achieve some good things in a rather complex world acknowledging life’s horrors and beauties are so intermingled as to be beyond all understanding

In finishing I give you the best example of all that negates many of the bullshit arguments supporting prostitution and the sex trade through a myriad of questionable excuses – Look at Krom and Sophea and Sopheak, the Krom vocalists, who are a brilliant example of what can happen when a 12 year old girl is given educational opportunity rather than being steered down the path towards commercial sexual exploitation – Both Sophea and Sopheak grew up in one of Phnom Penhs most notorious slum / drug prostitution quarters – the legendary White Building-  Yet they managed to avoid the horrors that surrounded them through becoming pupils of the renowned Cambodian Living Arts program and now at the ages of 22 and 23 they are fast becoming internationally recognized musical stars – what I am saying here is that every 12 year old girl deserves a chance of an education and nearly always –chances are they will go onto to lead productive lives as contributing members of their respective communities  – after all – Look what Sophea and Sopheak have achieved… and imagine if all 12 year old girls were given the same educational opportunity……..

Anya Irmingard Minko. Born in Australia. Raised in Phnom Penh since age two. A third example of what educational opportunity can do.

KC: Thank-you, Christopher Minko for your blunt truth in this most interesting and for me most memorable two-part interview. Keep doing what you’re doing, mate. I hope to see you on a basketball court, at a recording studio, or at a live Krom gig soon. 

Krom albums: Neon Dark / Songs from the Noir are available via ITUNES / CD Baby / AMAZON / SPOTIFY