Well put mon ami DC!!! On the money for sure.
I've spent time in Chiang Mai and it is a very different groove to the scene we enjoy and explore in all of the other obvious places. It is not as apparent or in your face like Bangkok, Pattaya, or Phuket. It is not so much a survival business. You need to find it, massage it, and hone it accordingly. But it IS there for sure.
AND I agree, "less documented and less shagged...", yada, yada, yada.