Even singing in the choir, Pu's still "the one and only"

Her first album, “Nueng Diew Khon Nee” (“The One and Only”), is a mainstay of every formidable record collection 31 years after it was released. That was the music that rocketed Pu to fame – in the movies, on TV and in fashion modelling, as well as singing.
By the time she starred in the blockbuster movie “Duay Rak Kue Rak” opposite Thongchai “Bird” McIntyre (before he’d even released his first album), there was a genuine Pu craze gripping the country, and countless young women copied her short tomboy hairstyle.
So it was great to see Pu again recently, as a guest on the Channel 7 variety show “Tee Nee Morchit”. “We’ve been a ‘couple’ on the silver screen ever since,” she giggled about Bird.
Pu still looks terrific at age 60, so naturally she was asked about the secret of her youthful appearance. By the sounds of things, a worry-free lifestyle has to be a big part of it.
She admits life is easy. She lives alone with her pet dogs in a condo in the Asoke area, near the church she attends and where in fact she often sings. “I go to church and pray every morning and then go and work at my restaurant,” she said. Pu credits her conversion to Christianity with pulling her out of a despairing period. Her barbecue restaurant is in the same vicinity and she does everything from running the place to waiting on tables.
In her free time well Pu is the goodwill ambassador for the blood bank at Chulalongkorn University’s pet hospital (yes, pets need transfusions too).
And she’s never lost touch with her mostly female diehard fans, having become close friends with some of them.
Okay, so what about her fantastic figure? “I’m lucky that I have high metabolism, so I just need to exercise for 15 minutes a day in the gym to keep the muscles firm,” she said. She long ago gave up her daily swim because it was damaging her skin.
And get this: Pu’s a major fan of Bodyslam. “I enjoy watching Toon Bodyslam perform because I can learn from him about the younger generation. I told him he’s a rock legend, but he’s very humble and shy. I like talking to him!”
She’s not too proud about being called a rocker herself, though. “The first three albums [“Nueng Diew Khon Nee” in 1984, “Sadud Rak” in 1986 and “Kayao Lok” in 1987] weren’t perfect – I don’t think I did my best,” she said.
Just the same, her rocker reputation got her into a video with Tina Turner in the 1980s as part of a global advertising campaign. Pu was picked to “represent” Thailand for a brief clip onstage with the American superstar, who was then at the height of her fame.
Tina memorably remarked afterward that that Thai kid was something else. Well, yes, because Pu had exactly the same kind of powerful voice – and the same range as Tina’s!