For most of the past month Hua Hin residents, Thai and farang, have been in mourning. Once again, we have been reminded that the truism that death is part of life is of no help whatsoever. Death is evil, the ultimate pain that we who are left behind must suffer over and over again and, most cruelly perhaps, more frequently as we age and approach our own end.

All funerals are nasty, but I find the Thai version even worse than the ones we must endure in the West. For one thing, like most Thai Buddhist ceremonies, they go on far too long, with endless chants meaningless to those of us who understand little Thai and less Pali, and rituals whose significance no one seems to understand nor care to discover. Inevitably in such a circumstance, the mind wanders and, because of the environment, thinks morbid thoughts that of course do nothing to soothe the pain of the great loss that necessitated the funeral in the first place.

This was the third sudden death of someone in my Hua Hin circle in about two years. A fellow survivor, a longtime Hua Hin resident, remarked that he was getting tired of burying people. It struck me that these incidents, when they occur within the expat community, have their own special twist, like the thrust of a dagger designed to eviscerate.

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David was born in the summer of 1965 in Oldham, The youngest son of Jean and Bill Boycott. Growing up, Dave’s mission in life was to annoy his three older brothers whenever possible, however he soon found another passion; music. Spending his youth in Manchester, Dave started Deejaying locally, and he became a part of the Manchester music scene that put the city on the map. With influences including Madness, Joy Division and The Jam he soon found his next passion in life; the Mod Scene. Following on from his idol Paul Weller, he became part of this new culture, whose symbol is one we can all associate with Dave, the Vespa.

A twisted ankle during his first try out on the rugby field ended his interest in that sport, and he took to a sport far more safer; racing high powered classic Italian scooters, and hanging off racing standard sidecars trying to maintain a balance for greater speed. Mods, scooters racing and soul music became Dave, and Dave became “Dr Dave Soul Monsta”.

Scooter rallies took him everywhere in the UK and off across Europe. His travels finally landed him in Thailand 8 years ago, and after a stint in Bangkok, Dave moved to Hua Hin in 2003 and met the love of his life, Oe.

Still Deejaying and working with scooters, Dave’s influence slowly spread across the town and he settled here. Determined to get most of Hua Hin riding scooters, and listening to soul music, Dave started working with a local radio station and an internet media company. His soul show attracted listeners from all over, and it provided him with an outlet, and a voice.

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