Meet Brother Tony, Nana Plaza’s Nighttime Evangelist

If exposing oneself to an onslaught of public ridicule were a well-paid profession, Brother Tony would be the richest man in Bangkok. If you’ve seen this fire-and-brimstone evangelist delivering his sermons at the front of Nana Entertainment Plaza on his frequent, but unscheduled appearances, you won’t soon forget him. With his crew cut, short white shirt, black tie, and ever-present Bible, Brother Tony is a throwback to the American tent-preacher, and he’s rarely the only one speaking, as punters hurl epithets, Thai bouncers get in his face, and bar girls watch with bemused expressions, wondering if this is just some sort of new-fangled American theatre.

Born James Anthony Webb, Brother Tony is the son of a Vietnamese mom and a US Army Ranger/Green Beret who founded Special Forces Combatives. Tony was raised in Bangkok. After graduating from the International School of Bangkok in 1992, he started boxing Muai Thai on Thai television fighting for 12 years under the fight name of “Tony Sasiprapa-gym.” His original plan was to move back to the U.S. to open a Muay Thai gym. That all changed when he became a Believer.

Once he found his calling as a preacher, he vowed to preach “on the streets, in parks, in churches, in drug rehabs, in prisons, in temples, in mosques, and even in some Jewish synagogues.” He is not affiliated with any church or organized religion, and lives what amounts to a hand-to-mouth existence, depending on the occasional donation. He notes: “As we preach the word of God, we witness all sorts of reactions from Thais, Americans, Africans, Europeans, Arabs, Jews, and Gentiles. I have had guns, knives, sticks, fists, broken bottles, and axes pulled on me before. Plus, I have had just about everything that you can imagine thrown at me. But we love it.”

Like many a punter, he lives the life he wants, enjoying the world that is the maelstrom of nightlife in Bangkok, contributing to the character of a city unique in the universe.