The G.R.O.D.D. Initiative – Day 1: Baby monkey, I ain’t so hard to please

What started off as an online discussion of a bizarre, borderline offensive golden age comic book panel has blossomed into a long overdue, righteous crusade. Too long have our primate cousins been portrayed by the media as monstrous threats or humorous caricatures. Whether they sported diapers and tricycles or city-killing Kryptonite eye beams, the apes in question were reduced to banal stereotypes by an unspoken, anti-simian conspiracy.

It for this reason that I’ve decided to launch the Gorilla Rock On Dubious Demand (G.R.O.D.D.) Initiative, a theme week entirely dedicated to monkeys, apes, and other primates misrepresented by an callously anthrophobic entertainment industry.

Before we begin the show, the management would like to ask that the audience refrain from throwing their feces during the proceedings, and to keep in mind the sacred dictum, “Ape shall not harm ape.” Chimpanzee on orangutan violence will not help the cause, comrades.

The Dickies – You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla) (from The Incredible Shrinking Dickies, 1979) – As my interest in hardcore has waned to near nothing over the years, my affection for cartoon punk, as exemplified by The Rezillos, The Dickies, and the Toy Dolls, has grown. Maturity can manifest itself in the strangest ways.

Toots and The Maytals – Monkey Man (from Reggae Greats, 1984) – The Specials’ version of this track is great, but sometimes it’s best to go back to the source.