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
No camera tricks here! This is exactly how the cat looked like! Can you see the distinctive separation right down the middle?
Dear Bunny, I'm so sorry I didn't get to you in time. I was just too late. I'm very very sorry.
