Tuesday, May 29, 2007

In loving memory: Wayne “Thunder” Seah 1977-2007

I’d like to share with all of you, a little about a beloved friend and brother of mine, Wayne Thunder, who passed away on May 21st 2007, and the life he shared with a special cat called Robert.


Robert first stumbled into the life of one of Singapore’s pioneering and legendary bands, The Suns, as a shivering, skinny and very hungry kitten. After being told that he would most likely be put down because he was “so ugly, no one would want to adopt him”, the band, who were also struggling to feed themselves in a foreign land at that time, after being banned from performing in their homeland, found their lucky star in that little furry heart.


Named after Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin, Robert the Cat didn’t just bring with him good feng shui, but also taught the boys a thing or two about being a real rockstar. Despite 2 members of the 3-piece band having to rely heavily on Ventolin (a drug that combats asthmatic symptoms) just to pat the guy, Robert soon owned the boys.

Robert the Rockstar is a really sweet, loving cat. But just very occasionally, when he’d notice that the band was starting to slack, Robert would morph into Norman (after Norman Bates, also from Led Zep). It was Norman’s job to give the boys a good beating to remind them that success can only be built through hard work... and lots of scritches behind the ears and on the fleshy rump.


Robert would often wait by the front door mewing, or scratching at Wayne’s bedroom door, for hours whenever the band were on tour or were performing. You could tell whenever the band were about 45 minutes away from home because you would find Robert perched on the top of the main door frame, like a cruel prank involving a bucket of ice water and an unsuspecting victim. Robert was always ready and happy to give the boys a few welcoming 'rock-scars' as he pounced and slid down the back, with claws unsheathed, of whoever was lucky enough to walk through the doorway first. The boys would always have immense respect for their winter coats.

The band's drummer, Wayne Thunder, was Robert’s favourite Sun. While Wayne did also get an occasional good sounding out whenever his drumstick twirling wasn’t as smooth as it should be (a move synonymous with the legend of Wayne), Wayne was the only one who could pacify the Norman in Robert. And at slumber time, Robert would have it no other way, but in Wayne's arms or cosy bed. If you have never seen a hardcore, long-haired rocker go mushy, teary-eyed and sentimental over anything, I wish you could’ve seen Wayne and Robert together. When Wayne was not thundering on the drums, you could always find him cradling Robert in his arms, showering him with kisses and baby talk.



Robert’s bed was a queen-sized bed with pure silk and satin sheets and pillows, which he allowed Wayne to occupy a tiny corner of. If Robert was snoozing, Wayne wouldn’t allow anyone to sit on the bed for fear that it would disrupt the Rock God’s slumber. Sometimes he would even boil chicken wings for Robert and de-bone them. The rest of the band would never understand why or come to terms with having to eat the cat’s leftovers.

Robert, in turn, gave Wayne the kind of unconditional love and inspiration that made it possible for Wayne to dedicate himself unceasingly to the music industry and charity up to the very end of his life. Wayne will always be remembered for his tireless toil for the past decade and more, against impossible odds, striving to gain recognition and support for local music, creating new platforms for struggling musicians to be heard, and successfully hoisting Singapore music on the international front with the band’s cult following in Australia and many other countries. Through all that, there was a cat that kept the legend going...




To the cat and his drummer... ROCK ON!!! \m/



~The Flyer

19 comments:

Victor Tabbycat said...

That is a lovely tribute, showing a side of Wayne I'm sure few others knew. Cats have a way of knowing what's inside people and won't choose just anyone. Best wishes to Robert and all those who miss Wayne. Purrs

Rosemary B❤️ said...

Wow. so nice to read this about Wayne Thunder. An amazing kitty!
We like to imagine him frolicking happily now, just like when he was a kitten!

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

A very touching tribute to Wayne Thunder. How could anyone could say his kitty Robert was ugly, he's cute and reminds me of Flynn.

mister jeter harris, hizself said...

What a lovely tribute to Wayne Thunder.
I especially liked the picture of him with Robert, who, I'm sure, misses him terribly.
Mickey

Just Sharlene and the Spice Cats said...

Such a wonderful story. Robert is such a handsome cat, I cant imagine him being ugly as a kitten.

Daisy said...

What a wonderful tribute to Wayne Thunder to read about the special relationship he had with Robert. You can tell a lot about a person's true character by how they treat animals. Wayne Thunder sounds like a very kind and gentle soul. I hope Robert is not too sad without his special friend.

Parker said...

What Daisy said. That was lovely. You can tell a person's character by how they treat animals.

calsifer said...

Nice. I over-rambled and decided it shouldn't clog up the space here. Thank you for this.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely tribute to Robert.

To the cat and his drummer! I'll have a bit of nip to that.

Lux said...

That is a beautiful true story. Thanks so much for sharing it, and the pictures.

Around Your Wrist said...

that's a love story if i've ever heard one! we need more love stories!

love
--suz
(creating a love story right here...)

Shaggy and Scout said...

What an awesome story & tribute.

snowforest said...

Great tribute. Robert and Wayne both appear to be wonderful cats :)

Forty Paws said...

What a wonderful tribute to an awesome cat. He lived a very long life.

Luf, Us

Tommy and Teaghan said...

It's very good to get your stories out. It helps to go through the grieving process. Loving thoughts of owr feline friends and humans too brings more loving in our lives.

Anonymous said...

this is beautiful. thanks for sharing.

Christine and FAZ said...

How could anyone think he was ugly, he was beautiful. FAZ

Toffee K. Ripple Fuzzypants & Feline American Angels said...

I can't imagine how sad you must be to have lost such a dear friend. You have all our sincerest condolences on your loss. May time ease your grief.
DMM

CynnedCynner said...

Join our Wayne Thunder Memorial at Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8781946661

Luv,
Cyn