Thundercat is closing a difficult chapter with the release of his best work so far. If there’s one thing the past few years have taught the LA virtuoso, it’s that life is as fleeting as it is precious – so he plans to continue living it to the fullest, regardless of where that journey takes him.
Text: Niall Flynn – Photography: Kendrick Brinson
Thundercat is relaxing at home in Los Angeles. Outside, the morning is shaping up nicely, though he’s perfectly content indoors, spending time with his beloved pet cat: Tron (short for Turbo Tron Over 9000 Baby Jesus Sally). “This is when I’m happiest,” he says. “Chilling… sitting next to a beautiful cat.” The 35-year-old musician is, all things considered, an unusual man. Some examples. He once began an interview by telling the journalist in question that their call had interrupted his morning Tantric masturbation ritual. In another, he admitted that he regularly unnerves his friends by referring to Tron as “sexy”. When he collected a Grammy for his work with Kendrick Lamar in 2016, he did so with a lightsaber strapped to his belt. (His personal style, generally, floats somewhere between high-end hippie and Mortal Kombat boss.) More recently, the lo-fi clip he shared to announce his 2020 tour – since cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak – concluded with a scene that saw him dry-humping one toy Pokémon (Snorlax) while another (Pikachu, understandably distraught) watched on in horror. →
“I’m still just here. I’m kind of like Garfield. I’ve been watching a lot of cartoons, reading a lot of comic books, looking at a lot of weird shit on the internet. The only part I’m missing is the part where I get a chance to play music, which is basically my whole entire life. But I’m alright.
I’m trying to take it easy.”
“I think growth and time allow things to change and close. It’s not always the way you want it to happen, but it does happen. I’ve gotten better at handling the emotions that come with what has been.”
There are plenty more, of course. Because in an industry full of painstakingly managed personalities that are either squeaky-clean safe, plainly manufactured, or both, Thundercat stands tall as a genuine modern-day eccentric. “I guess I just have a sick sense of humour,” he says with a knowing giggle, the kind of throaty laugh that starts low and spirals higher with each beat. “I’ve been told that… a few times.”
Born Stephen Lee Bruner, Thundercat grew up in a family of musicians. His father is
