Interview: GOLF & MIKE

Brotherly love
By Ubonwan Pongpat

Golf and Mike share their sibling secrets

The Nitipaisalkul brothers — Pichaya (Golf), 18, and Pirat (Mike),15 — may be young, but lots of fans think they’re the promising new face of Thai pop.

The boys got their start back in 2002 when they performed in Thongchai McIntyre’s For Fan concert.
The brothers wowed the crowd with their boyish charm, acrobatic dance moves and down-to-earth personalities.

With the recent release of their debut album, Golf-Mike, the talented family act is once again impressing music fans with its upbeat pop and fresh-faced looks.

Like other teen-pop favourites, the boys don’t get much respect from music critics. Golf and Mike have been condemned as pretty-boy crooners with lousy voices. Regardless of their detractors, the brothers are adored by tons of fans, most of whom are adolescent girls, of course.

Recently, Student Weekly sat down with Golf and Mike for a light-hearted chat about singing, secrets and brotherly love.

Student Weekly: The media describe you as bubbly idols trying to copy the J-pop style. How would you describe yourselves?

Golf: I’m talkative and very confident. Perhaps too confident. I’m trying to lower it. I’m also a goal-setter. I like setting goals for my future and trying to reach them.

Mike: I’m the opposite. We’re like black and white. I have low confidence … kinda low. I don’t talk much, and I’m a little bit funny. Umm … that’s all.

Student Weekly: So, what’s it like working with your brother?

Golf: It’s fun working with my brother. If you work with a friend, OK, you can talk. But it’s not as deep as talking to a sibling who you can share everything with.

Mike: I’m happy to work with someone who’s super close. You can’t trust anyone the way you can trust a family member. We live together, play together, eat together, fight together and share everything together. And yeah, that’s kinda fun.

Student Weekly: And when you guys fight, who’s the first one to make up?

Mike: Mostly me. I just say sorry. That’s it.

Golf: When I get mad, I won’t talk to him. And when he knows, actually he rarely knows, he just comes to apologise. It’s very hard to make him say sorry.

Student Weekly: Golf, according to your press release, you’re afraid of plugs. What’s that all about?

Golf: When I was young, I got a lamp as a birthday present. When I plugged it in, I got a shock. Since then I don’t dare plug anything in. I have to ask my friends to do it instead.

Student Weekly: What about you, Mike? What are you scared of?

Mike: I’m scared of Golf. I hate him. He keeps teasing me. He usually makes me cry. [Laughs.]

Golf: No, dude. Shut up. You’re going too far. Take this seriously.

Student Weekly: Easy boys. Let’s go to the last question. Do either of you have any gossip about your brother?

Golf: Mike always worries about his image. Every morning when he wakes up, the first thing he does is work on his hair. When he comes downstairs, I’m like, “Oh! Are you going to do some modelling or something?”

Mike: No, it’s not true. I just need more confidence.

Student Weekly: What about you, Mike? It’s your turn to pay him back.

Mike: Golf likes bullying me. [Laughs.] He once hit me with a baseball bat and cracked my head open. He’s also a thief. He steals everything from me.

Golf: Shut up, dude. I never do stuff like that.

By the way, what he said is totally untrue. He didn’t know what to say and came up with nonsense.