MORNING! Hello everyone, sawasdee took kon... to... i guess Raymonds after–party.
Yassou Malakas... hello Jesters, TQuans, Rayongers, Mae Phimmers, friends, loved ones. Hello rotterdam, amsterdam, holland, belgium and france. Hello new castle, the gong, australia, hello mexico simone, hello england, danmark and sweden. Hello to The world, hello to rays world.
My name is Martin or FC and i am nervous but i was told by Ray's oldest friend Hein that if you cant do it wrong, you will be okay. So here we go.
Our friend Ray needs words. Ray's life needs ....a summary so to say. As everyone here knows Ray, one for a few years, one for a decade, one for his adult life. I will try to do his special life justice by giving it a small walk through.
Raymond Arthur Curt Matti
Ray in short
Lemon
Lemoni
malaka
Bolletje
Kees kardesian
bbqRay
Hangmatti
viagray
Manow
Rayray...
Or just Matti...
Blue eyes, blue blood, golden heart, golden taste and golden dreams.
Ray was colorful. A True bird of paradise, very rare in rotterdam.
A son, a brother, a husband.
a Feyenoorder, a friend, a nuisance.
A grafter, a gambler, a go better.
A risktaker, a drinker, a smoker, a traveller, a cricketeer.
A businessman, a luxurious lover, a charlatan, a bon vivant.
He was clever man and a dumb boy. A lover, a fighter.
A wise owl & stubborn dude.
A bird of paradise, an alley walker, a night creature, a sunsetter and sunriser...
an enigma, a bonifide legend.
Picture Ray. Piercing blue eyes. Big smile. At least 1 or 2 drinks or even three in hand in his favourite bar TQ. He was so happy, almost proud he could hold 2 whiskey glasses in one hand and drinking the third. "Are we there yet?"
Many here and out there know Ray much longer than me.
Many old school Pattayans know him for almost 3 decades.
The Rotterdam connection even longer: Hein, Ben, Hendrik and his first and only wife Cynthia.
I was introduced to Lemon by our dear friend Hendrik many years ago, when i was living in bangkok.
"Ray Matti, call me Ray. Hello." We hit it off like he has done 1000s of times before and since with friends all over the planet.
Ray was born in the beautiful city of Rotterdam on a Friday in April, 1964. And here we are, on a Friday in April. His family was hit by tragedy when his brother passed away at a very young age, something that scarred the Matti family for their lives.
This tragedy made Lemon to the man he became: sensative, introverted, tough but full of energy to take on the world.
And with that comes compensating in social life to a joker, a proper lad and a loyal ladiesman.
...always on a quest to the next party.
All gass, no brakes.
At 14 years old Ray was old enough, he said, to hitchhike from Holland to Spain following his older cousins to a big boy holiday he wasnt invited to. He made himself look like a midget to play on the sympathy of the passerbys and made it to Spain 2200km further. Lemon was unique at 13, at 31, and at 61.
His first Rolex at about 16, his first car a Porsche. If he trusted you, he wasnt shy to tell these stories. But did that without bragging, there was no real pride, no negative posturing, making sure you would not feel shitty or jealous. He knew how to make you comfortable.
It shows in the 100s and 100s of friends he made, that are here now, or watching around the world or from above.
As an adult travelling became his thing and he must have travelled the world 10 times over ...but 2 places stole his heart the most: ios greece & Thailand.
But he loved Nepal, France, Spain, Aussie, and far beyond.
On ios he met amazing people like Terry And Jenny, a legendary couple. He met Max and the Aussie Kiwi gang. Which he will be partying with for the next 4 decades.
He knew about half the island. He partyed and partyed more, year in year out. He befriended 100s maybe 1000s of people: Greeks, Sweeds, Danes, Cloggies, Pommies, And many other party minded spirits.
Thailand stole his heart too. The islands, Bangkok and of course Pattaya. So much so he moved here with Cynthia in 1996 or 7. Never without the next party on The agenda. Living life how only a true rock star can. But a rock star without any songs...
In Thailand he met his close friends like Bjarne, Kim, Bob and of course Neil. Stuart, JK, TQ tom, ET, too many to name. Pattaya became home.
TQ his hang out but every other bar must have had him in at least once or twice.
He also loved koh payam and thats where he met friends like Morgan, Gunilla, young Melvin and Richard.
Ray joined Max and Terry to the Chiang Mai Cricket sixes and a new love was born.
The ios malakas were born!
Lemon & Animal, max his nickname, are absolute Legends of the 6s. Year after year. Slammer after slammer...
Together of course with Crash test dummy Ben, Harry, Solman, Herby, Jenny, the duck ladies and too many to mention.
Not sure how many runs he had, but he made that up with partying 8 days a week, slammers till you vomit, nightcrawling till the sun came up and back on the pitch to play cricket ...and repeat it all again.
He met 100s of people here over decades and most cricket teams loved his jokes and feared his thirst.
A true cricket legend, more off the pitch than on.
I was fortunate enough to be invited once, having no clue about cricket, points, runs, overs and ducks. I Could hold my liquor, had a few jokes, and loved a party, so Ray thought i would fit in.
He introduced me to his Malaka family, Max dubbed me Fat Cunt, FC for short, and they took me in to The Family. And i am for ever grateful. Yamas malakas.
During these years Ray made a move to Kanchanaburi. His good friend and original TQan Bob had a beautiful spot on a lake and Ray got a boat.
Well Ray being Ray it couldnt just be a boat. It had to be the most beautiful. So a house boat, boat house, speed boat, sea ray, jet ski, flat boat, pontoons, it was The Bollocks.
A floating paradise far away from the city lives of bkk and pattaya. Called marina del ray.
Over the years Ray had a few significant others, Bee i personally never met but i hear mostly positive stories of the older mates.
For a while he was with the Fillipino kersley, a certified spicy pepper, she sadly passed away so about the dead nothing bad, but in a Rays words she was 'a little loopy!'
And his last serious relationship was with Gaew. I guess the favourite of all his mates. The two could party like the royals and she was a match in positive energy, j&bs and having great times.
After Rays 50th which we celebrated in style in Hua Hin his partying far exeeded ...lets say his ahemm "work ethics".
In the years following he needed to get rid of the boatlife, as we all know, boats are exspensive. Ray twisted it nicely and said "That boat nonsense was for pensioners anyways", all of a sudden for old people. And Ray wasnt old yet.
He embarked on a new adventure: Laem Mae Phim. A sleepy small coastal town with one big perk: John! His friend from 4 decades before he met in Nepal.
His old friend lived there and he loved visiting over the years and John now had adult kids, Jack, Tarin and Tanya. Ray found his new or second youth with the Drift bar family.
With Jack, Simon, Pierre and Boy Lek they had epic times and he soon moved there perminantly and loved it. Covid came, the parties only intensified and good times went in to overdrive.
Pattaya would still get his love, going back and forth.
he mostly had the best of times with his brother from another mother Stuart, at Kims Fletchers Folly or at Bjarnes Kronborg, and of course always in TQ.
...and for the little food he ate standard at Peaky with ET, "the extra testicle" as he would joke more or less daily.
Sol would visit almost monthly and we all had great times, great memories.
I know he really loved this part of his life, even though the champagne lifestyle had finished.
I was a part of it often. And he introduced me to all of his new mae phim family. And to Stuart, and to another dousen, two dousen great people over these years....
....
And THAT was Ray. An artist in friendships. Brotherhoods. He always managed to introduce good people to good people. Maybe even his finest skill, his calling.
Partying with good people meeting good people.
Thanks Lemon!
Frank Sinatra did it my way, Ray did it the Ray way... and part of that way is that "it is better to burn out, than to fade away."
Just yesterday we received the autopsy rapport, and heart failure is the cause of death, with turbercelosis expediting the demise. Ray out partyed almost everyone, including his own heart.
You will most definitely be missed my friend, our friend.
Raymond Arthur Curt Matti
Ray
Lemon
Lemoni
malaka
Bolletje
bbqRay
viagray
Rayray
Or simply just Matti...
Oscar Wilde wrote
"To truly live is the rarest of things.
Most people mearely exsist and that is all."
Raymond Lemon Matti:
Addio malaka!
(Sweet Caroline)