Head honcho of the Chalochon hairdressing empire and more or less permanent fixture on hiso gossip pages, Somsak Chalachon is transforming his image from flamboyant gay icon to that of a more civicminded (but no less narcissistic) philanthropist. He recently launched the Somsak Only project to help needy people—but only if they are named Somsak.

I don’t say it’s good to be out of the closet. But it has one good side effect; it screens people who come to me. If they don’t like gays, they can stay away.

Be whatever you want to be as long as you know who you are and you are a good citizen.

People see me as a pompous gay man. That might be because of the media exposure. But I never feel angry.

If you read my interviews from six or seven years ago, they are full of nonsense. I talked about men and crazy stuff. But journalists don’t like to talk with me much nowadays; they feel like they’re talking to a monk.

Now I think before I say or do anything. I don’t think I was an idiot for doing all of the modeling and crazy dancing I did. I see it as a rite of passage to the point I am at now.

Somsak Only is a long-term project that will help fund the education of people named Somsak. You know, it’s a very choey name and people who bear this name usually come from the middle or lower classes.

My idea for the charity probably had its start when I was doing the Hiso Baan Nok show. I stayed in the countryside and found out that many Thai people lack access to basic knowledge from a very young age.

Helping others makes you feel piti [blessed]. It warms your heart and it gives you the drive to keep doing good works. 

I love to read. But knowledge doesn’t come from reading only. Knowledge is the result of
analysis, thought and putting the end result into action.

Thai people have a strange way of looking at reading: They read and then say, “I think I am clever.”

I’m now pursuing a doctorate in human resources development. I’m lucky I am able to use everything I learn in my life and work.

My slogan is “Duty, family, myself and then society.” I have my profession. My mom and dad are dead. I live my gay life happily—the only thing left for me to take care of is society.

Humans can develop themselves through thinking and learning while animals cannot. This is what I’ve learned and I want to share. Monkeys can learn, but that is the extent of it. If you set them free, they will run back into the wild. So if you are human, and you don’t try to develop…

One thing I want to do is to live in the countryside, helping needy people. I’ve seen too many things in Bangkok and in high society. It’s not like anybody hurt me or anything. It’s just that I now see this kind of happiness is not lasting. The happiness I have now, the feeling of piti, is true.

I always remember His Majesty the King’s words, “Problems create wisdom.” Simple. At work, I have problems every day, but I still smile. If there’s a problem, I fix it. If we run away from problems, we will never have wisdom.

Do you know what is the source of most problems? Ourselves. Because we expect things. You love someone, you expect him to love you, he doesn’t love you and you hurt. Who is to blame? You.

I think I’m what I am now because I never stop. I never think I’m successful because if you are successful you won’t go any further. I don’t want to boast, but how many other hairdressers do you see getting PhDs?