From the Monkey Vault - "Feel Good" by Gorillaz

Feel Good by Gorillaz. An awesome video with excellent graphics!

Andy McKee plays "Drifting".

Drifting played by Andy McKee. He is an exceptional talent! You can find more about him at http://www.candyrat.com/artists/andymckee/ You may also want to check out Into the Ocean. This post has nothing to do with monkeys, however I am confident that you will enjoy Andy's music! I couldn't find his albums at any record retailer, but you should be able to get them from the Candy Rat website.

Poetry From Ape Girl

Three posts ago, I presented a conceptual art piece by New York artist Shiri Sandler. This piece was Ape-girl performs "fools gold". Shiri has generously offered to share some of her poetry with the Monkey Prose readers. You will find this below. I hope that you enjoy it!


I wouldn't take my word for it
/ The Poetics Of The Absurd.

Quickuick in a hurry,
suddenly streched beyond galaxies,
a bubbly shelter.

We are not safe here in this forest.
scratching claws on a tree trunk -
maybe they'll stick.

A claw breaks in the trunk
so she takes it with her.

Touch the mossy side for north.
the moss has become precious
They spin gold from it
these days

She uses her force field
and plants a new forest.

I draw lines throughout dimensions,
Some is invented and some is staged for this event.
All that's left are traces
Of memories/ dreams/ places

I write and re-write my story as I go.

Today I reached a spot where art imitated life,
And life imitated it back.

You know I love you.

Ape-Girl

Ernie Kovacs - Nairobi Trio

Ernie Kovacs - Nairobi Trio Classic early TV! If you've never heard of Ernie Kovacs, check him out at http://www.erniekovacs.net/. He was a genius!

Mighty Joe Old

What happened to Mighty Joe Young after his blockbuster movie in 1949? Thanks to the godlike powers of Google, I was able to locate him and (believe it or not) he is still alive!

Mighty Joe Young was born in 1930, in Ottawa, Ontario. His Canadian heritage does a lot to explain why he was so much nicer than King Kong. Canadians are the nicest people on the planet, with the possible exceptions of Mother Theresa and my second grade teacher, Miss Walkowsky.

His father, Mighty Quinn Young, was a stage director, who was passionate about Eugene O'Neill. His production of Mourning Becomes Electra (with an all chimpanzee cast) stunned the Canadian critics. His mother, Loretta, appeared as an extra, in a number of early Tarzan movies.

With such strong dramatic roots, it was inevitable that Joe would gravitate to the theatrical profession. This talent manifested itself early in his life. Picking up a coconut was transformed into Alas, poor Yorick! A breast beating would be accompanied by a piercing cry of Hey Stella!

Zookeepers recognized his talent and encouraged him to participate in the animal park's theatre productions. Along the way he developed a passion for dancing. His greatest love was the tango, at which he excelled. When performing La Salida Simple, Joe became the very embodiment of fluidity and grace.

But by the time Joe was 18, he recognized that Canada was far too limited a jungle for him to develop his talents. He was drawn to Hollywood like a chimp to bananas. His parents supported his move, and six months later, he attended his first casting call.

Joe quickly discovered his greatest auditioning skill - It's tough to say "No" to a 500 lb. gorilla! Joe won small parts in film noir flicks, typically playing "the heavy" His performances impressed Ernest B. Schoedsack, who directed King Kong.

In 1948, Schoedsack was developing a sequel to King Kong, and realized that Mighty Joe Young was a natural for the part. Merian C. Cooper, who wrote the screenplays for both movies, actually rewrote the script to accent Joe's rugged good looks, and animal magnetism. He even adopted Joe's name for the movie title. The result was, as we all know, box office boffo!

But what happened to Mighty Joe Young after his movie success?

After the movie run finished, and he was no longer invited to A List parties (Hollywood has such a short memory!) Joe became disillusioned with Tinseltown, and realized that his happiest memories involved dancing the tango in the Argentinean nightclubs that Ottawa is so famous for. No one in Hollywood could perform a decent el Paseo, or even a rudimentary la Caminata.

Joe made the most important decision of his life. He turned his back on Hollywood, returned to Ottawa, and opened up a dance school. His movie fame and exceptional dancing skills quickly made it a success! And there he remains, to this day.

In 1992, Joe made one brief return to Hollywood, to be choreographer for Scent of a Woman. Director Martin Brest, credits Mighty Joe Young with propelling Al Pacino to his stellar performance in The Tango Scene.

At 76, Joe can no longer bend with his dance partners like he did in his youth, but he still exudes el Alma del Tango (the Soul of the Tango)! I wish you many more tango years. Joe!

Banana Man by Tallyhall

Banana Man by Tallyhall. I think that they will definitely win the BEST USE OF ZOMBIES IN A CALYPSO MUSIC VIDEO category at the next MTV Awards! You can find out more about this group at Tallhall.com.

Will Liechtenstein Conference Deny the Existence of the Kong-ocost?

Today Liechtenstein one of the world's smallest countries, announced a Conference to examine whether The Kong-ocost (King Kong's 1933 rampage through New York City) ever really happened. The meeting is scheduled for February 2007. The announcement drew angry protests from some elderly New Yorkers.

Simon Plotsky, 96, voiced his objections. "We were there and saw with our own eyes what that monkey did to our city! It was Horrible! Horrible! We should never forget!" When Simon was asked where he lived in New York at the time of the incident, he could not remember. He also couldn't remember where he lives now.

CNN Reporter Mindy Lee spoke with Hans Frichter, the President (and also Mayor and Police Chief) of Liechtenstein about the meeting. Mr. Frichter said "We are a small country with limited income. Postage stamp sales to collectors have dropped off sharply in the past 10 years because of e-mails and the internet. Iran brought in a bundle of tourist dollars with their Denial Conference. Why shouldn't we cash in as well?"

When Miss Lee pointed out that King Kong was just a movie, not a real event, Mr. Frichter commented "Well, that is yet to be determined. You should come to the Conference and find out. I can get you a good deal on a hotel! Breakfast is included!"

Reaction to the Conference from the monkey world has been positive. P Monkey faithful sidekick of LonelyGirl15 said "The media should pay more attention to primate issues. After all, we've been around a lot longer than you humans!" The Bronx Zoo's Monkey and Ape Coalition also voiced support for the Conference. Spokesman Bongo Bongo (a 10 year old orangutan) commented "It's time to stop blaming us for the decline of Western Civilization. It's been more than 100 years since Darwin's book came out. Get over it!"

Hotel bookings and airline reservations for the tiny country have risen sharply. Mr Frichter is hoping for a slow news week, to increase press coverage. Or as he put it, "If nobody gets blown up, then Cha-Ching!"

Harry Belafonte on The Muppet Show - Performing "The Banana Boat Song"

The Banana Boat Song Performed by Harry Belafonte on The Muppet Show. Very funny!

"Shock the Monkey" by Peter Gabriel

Shock the Monkey An awesome music video by Peter Gabriel!

"Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz

Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz. Great song and even greater graphics!

Code Monkey Song

Code Monkey Song by Jonathan Coulton. This is one of the best songs that I've heard on YouTube! I think that you'll really like it - especially if you are a computer programmer! You can find out more about Jonathan Coulton at http://jocopro.libsyn.com

Rolling Rock Beer Ape Commercial

Rolling Rock Beer Ape Commercial Rolling Rock states that it couldn't run this commercial on television, because of complaints. However there is some controversy about this. Please see the comments for this post. I have invited Ron Stablehorn of Rolling Rock to comment on this matter. No matter that the truth is, I think that it is still a great commercial. The beer is pretty good too!

Chimp Skit from Whose Line Is It Anyway

Chimp Skit From Whose Line Is It Anyway. The funniest bit that I have seen on this show!

Crazy Chimp Man

Crazy Chimp Man What TV news REALLY should be like!

Elvis Costello - Monkey to Man

Monkey to Man Great song by Elvis Costello!

Not the Nine O'Clock News - Gerald the Gorilla

Interview With Gerald the Gorilla Hilarious comedy skit by Not the Nine O'Clock News

My Hands Are Bananas.

My Hands Are Bananas Video German rock video. Very surreal, but great!

LonelyGirl15 and Her Miracle Monkey

LonelyGirl15 Cartoon The L Girl talks about her vision correcting monkey.

Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood

Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood Their best known video. Great graphics!

Hockey Monkey Video

Hockey Monkey Video Another great monkey video by James Kochalka. This is the theme song for a Fox Network sitcom called "The Loop". James's work has also been featured on Nickelodeon.