Talking Muay Thai With Fighter Matt Lucas [Season 3, Episode 50]

Greg interviews writer, commentator, and Muay Thai fighter Matt Lucas about the life of a foreigner in Bangkok practicing the Thai national sport.

Matt begins with his background story - living in San Francisco and choosing between working in a bar and being becoming a drunk or practicing Muay Thai and only drinking on weekends. :) Muay Thai won out, and he Matt became serious about the sport, travelled to Thailand, and eventually relocated here. Matt is not only a fighter, he’s also a chronicler of the sport, a proper ‘Muay Thai journalist.’ Matt talks about how Muay Thai has changed over time, moving out of the pure gambling context into the world of being a popular sport, and a form of entertainment.

Greg and Matt talk about the difficulties he’s faced as a foreigner practicing the national sport of another culture, the natural barriers expats encounter, such as use of Thai language, and the way the Muay Thai is ingrained in the culture of the rural countryside, which also makes it hard for foreigners to participate directly.

He also discusses the difficulties that foreigners have when trying to understand the world of Muay Thai, including some of its problems (like injuries to children), while lacking a deep understanding of Thai culture in general. Foreigners, as he points out, don’t always know better. :)

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