Another nice review, this one from Phronk.com.

The monkey-related theme was a concern to the reviewer, but it seems the novel managed to bridge the monkeys funny/monkeys never funny divide:

Let me make a confession: I don’t find monkeys inherently funny. Their similarity to humans is amusing, sure, but it’s been overdone. Given the premise of Marvellous Hairy, I was a bit worried that its humour would rely on “anything is funny if you mention the word monkey alongside it” school of thought. Luckily, its absurdity is only partially monkey-based, and it delivers some genuine funny. Many scenes had me smirking as hard as I have at any Douglas Adams novel (yeah, just smirking; it takes a lot for me to physically LOL at text).

You can find the full review here. You may also be interested in Phronk’s infamous side project: “Putting Weird Things Into Coffee”.

But they would be wrong!

Hilarious skit about what you can do with a room full of evil monkeys from the Kids in the Hall. Thanks to Shelf Monkey for pointing this one out:

You can find it at youtube too, if the embedded video doesn’t work.

This is not the same thing as having a lobotomy, though I imagine they are both somewhat disorienting experiences. The creative, funny, and dare I say paranoid genius at Predator Press was kind enough to interview me about Marvellous Hairy and The Amadeus Net, though LOBO was considerate enough to ask me about hockey, the existence of Canada, and inter-species romance as well.

The results can be found at Predator Press, and include such exchanges as:

LOBO: Have you repented to your clergy for all the sex in The Amadeus Net yet? I tried to get my penance reduced by ratting you out about it, but the church was skeptical: rather than take my word for it, they ordered a case of the books to be distributed among the congregation for review. Now they are all blind, and their palms smell like Gillette. All of this could have been avoided with the simple use of a praying mantis. Are you an atheist Mark?

MAR: If you mean, do I believe in a “Magic Sky Father”, then yes. If you mean, do you believe in a “Cosmic Unconscious Fun Monkey,” then the answer is: maybe.

The whole interview is here. And you should check out the blog — it’s very funny.

There’s a fascinating article about language and why monkeys don’t talk. According to the New York Times:

Monkeys and apes possess many of the faculties that underlie language. They hear and interpret sequences of sounds much like people do. They have good control over their vocal tract and could produce much the same range of sounds as humans. But they cannot bring it all together.

The poor little buggers are locked in. Chimps, for example, could really use language, especially while their planning a coup or other political moves. But they can’t make the jump. It makes you wonder if some day we may be able to help them do so, just as David Brin hypothesized in his Uplift series. Photo by ecmorgan.

Rule number one of monkey fight club is you turn on the humans!

A news story in the California Chronicle reports:

MONKEYS trained in the art of taekwondo turned on their handler – kicking his head in.

LoWung, 42, taught the martial art to primates so they could entertain crowds at a shopping centre in Nshi, China.

But shoppers found it even more entertaining when one sharp monkey floored him with a kick to the head.

Read the full story here.