Samuel Marcus Sejavka (born 2 April 1960) is an Australian writer, actor and musician. He was lead vocalist for post punk bands, The Ears (1979–81) and Beargarden (1982–86). He and the Ears were the inspiration for the 1986 film, Dogs in Space. The main character, Sam, was played by INXS vocalist Michael Hutchence. Early life Sejavka was born in 1960 in Melbourne. His father, Vilis Sejavka (1923–1980), was a labourer from Lasupag, Latvia, and a former conscript for the Latvian Legion during World War 2. Vilis migrated to Australia in September 1948 via SS Wooster Victory. He settled in Melbourne and became an Australian citizen in July 1954. Sejavka grew up in Mount Waverley, where he attended Holy Family Primary, a Catholic school. Sejavka spent most of his early working life singing and composing music. From 1979 to 1981 he was the lead vocalist of an art punk band, the Ears, which issued the singles, "Leap for Lunch" (early 1980) and "Scarecrow" (early 1981). Fellow band mates were Mick Lewis on guitar, Cathy McQuade on bass guitar, Charles "Chuck" Meo on drums and Tim McLaughlin on keyboards. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described their singles, which "echoed the sounds of David Bowie and Brian Ferry crossed with Magazine and The Boys Next Door." He observed, "[they] became one of the most popular bands on the Melbourne inner-city/Crystal Ballroom scene." After the Ears disbanded in late 1981 Sejavka became the lead vocalist for glam poppers, Beargarden (1982–86). Fellow founders were Ross Farnell on bass guitar (ex-Daily Planet), Carl Manuel on drums and Gus Till on keyboards (both former latter day members of the Ears). They were signed to Chase Records and had a minor hit with their single, "The Finer Things" (September 1984), and an album All That Fall (November 1986). McFarlane noticed, "[they] adopted a sophisticated, quasi-decadent look and style that drew from English antecedents like Roxy Music, Japan and Psychedelic Furs." The fictionalised bio-pic and musical film, Dogs in Space (December 1986), written and directed by his friend and former flat mate, Richard Lowenstein, drew inspiration from various episodes of Sejavka's life during the late 1970s. Its title is from a track of the same name by the Ears, which was co-written by Sejavka and Lewis. The main male character, Sam, was portrayed by INXS vocalist, Michael Hutchence as the lead vocalist of a band, Dogs in Space; Meo took