Bangkok Beat is a compilation of short stories, interviews, literature reviews and author profiles, plus the previously unpublished history and pictures of the iconic Bangkok cabaret nightclub, Checkinn99 located on Sukhumvit Road. In reading Bangkok Beat you will get up close with many well-known and not so well-known expats and characters staying in Thailand and Southeast Asia. You'll also find a section of noir poems by John Gartland, in which the author depicts life in the city's dark zone. Between the covers of Bangkok Beat you will get to know: champion male and female Muay Thai boxers, a surfing historian, a legendary mamasan, Chris Coles - noted expressionist artist of the Bangkok night, and a gold chain snatching ladyboy. You'll also encounter the inside of Baccara Bar on Soi Cowboy, an Australian front man for a Khmer band, a smiling waitress named Mook, a spirit house for a Hollywood screenwriter and producer, and the biographer for Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. Plus world class musicians including Jason Mraz. In addition you'll find interviews and profiles of many well known novelists living in and writing about Thailand and Southeast Asia. (Contains 54 black and white photographs.) This book of non-fiction is ably assisted with an introduction by Bangkok pulp fiction author, James A. Newman, a short story by T Hunt Locke titled The Beauty of Isaan and a chapter of noir verse written by the poet noir, John Gartland. Many of the 54 black and white photographs found in Bangkok Beat were taken by professional photographers Eric Nelson, Alasdair McLeod, and Jonathan van Smit. There are a variety of interesting tales chronicled in words and pictures in Bangkok Beat. "If your interest includes a roundup of the expat artistic side of Bangkok, you'll want to read the interviews and articles found in Bangkok Beat . " - -Christopher G. Moore, International Crime Authors Reality Check, and author of Crackdown "This is a fun read, told in a warm and humble voice devoid of literary pretensions or highfalutin prose, reminding readers of one of Bangkok's chief virtues: It's teeming with all sorts of eccentric expat characters endowed with hugely entertaining backstories." --Jim Algie, Bangkok 101 Magazine "Cummings has also accomplished what another published writer tells him, that a writer can't be "true" (as Hemingway would put it) without injecting something of his own personality into the telling. "Bangkok Beat" is whole-hearted, and all the warmer for its frequent glimpses of the author's irrepressible spirit." -- Paul Dorsey, book critic for The Nation newspaper, Sunday Leisure section "Bangkok Beat doesn't sugar coat things, it tells you how it is. But not all ... it provides you the merest glimpse of what there is out there in Bangkok. It lights a fire under you to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes no matter how dark that hole may get. It does what any good media does - it leaves you wanting more." --Simon Skey, United Kingdom Book Reviewer "Bangkok Beat is witty, engaging and very well written." -- Matt Carrell, author of Thai Kiss "Bangkok Beat is thoroughly entertaining, full of wonderful characters and talented individuals. A must read." --Trevor Bide, The Life Design Detective at Engaging Thailand "I lived in Bangkok for ten years and really enjoyed this look at a part of the 'foreign experience' that you don't often hear about." --Niamh Griffin, Journalist from Ireland and writer at Inspiring Sports Women "Cummings writes squarely and details the Bangkok ex-patriot artist community well, both between and within the lines - inviting us to join in the scene." -- Culture writer Schoodles - Seattle, Washington Bangkok Beat is dedicated to the two best teachers I ever had during Act 1 of life, Tom Barry and Chic Wallgren.  "A fascinating collection of interviews, literature reviews and stories from Thailand and the region. Kevin focuses on one of his favorite expat nightlife venues -- Bangkok's Check Inn 99 -- with accounts about musicians, poets, authors and other night owls." Melissa Ray, 4 Time Muay Ying Champion in Thailand and blogger at Muay Thai on the Brain "Checkinn99 has been awarded one of Trip Advisor's Top Twenty Hidden Gems in the World for two years running." TripAdvisor.com "Bangkok 2015 is like Paris circa 1900 or Berlin in the 1920's & 30's, a vortex of noir where artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, journalists and musicians search deep into the darknesss for a glimpse of humanity and hope.....Kevin Cummings is one of the brave souls walking on the edge of the darkness in order to document its depth and breadth." Chris Coles, artist & author of Navigating the Bangkok Noir "In a Bangkok which is quickly destroying all signs of its past glories in favor of shopping malls, Checkinn99 stands as a beacon of hope to those of us old enough to remember it in all its mutations and still young enough to enjoy it as it is now. Bangkok Be