Shake Appeal is a column that highlights new garage and garage-adjacent releases. This week, Evan Minsker talks to Keenan Marshall Keller, writer and co-creator of The Humans—the forthcoming "ape biker gang" comic series from Image. He also shares two songs that soundtrack the series by Zig Zags and Smelly Tongues.
The Humans is a comic series about a biker gang of apes. There's blood, gang wars, drugs, strippers, skin fighting (an ape-world variation on cock fighting), corrupt cops, and 'Nam flashbacks. So yeah, it's an exploitation flick in comic book form.
I haven't even gotten to the best part: Each issue will come with a new song. The prequel, issue #0, is out now, and it's soundtracked by two Shake Appeal favorites: Zig Zags (whose very good self-titled album was released earlier this year on In the Red) and Smelly Tongues (whose very good Slack Heep LP came out last year on Urinal Cake). Find both tracks below.
Issue #1 is out November 5 via Image. Below, find email interviews with Keenan Marshall Keller, the writer and co-creator of the series, plus Zig Zags and Smelly Tongues.
Pitchfork: What do you have planned for future Humans soundtracks?
Keenan Marshall Keller: With each issue released, we are hoping to have a free, downloadable track to continue creating a full soundtrack for the series. Then at the end of the comic series (nine issues), we're going to look into collecting it all into a 12" record...but that might just be a pipe dream. We also are open to doing more 7-inches, and have one in the works with the ape band: Boss Kong. It'll be a 2 track (written for The Humans) 7" coming out around November from Magic Bullet Records.
So far we have tracks from Boss Kong and Goblincock (Rob Crow) but we will be getting other tracks soon from Gary Wrong Group (AL), Mueran Humanos (Berlin), Erin Wood (of the Spits) and Witches of God (L.A.). We're lookin into more.
Pitchork: Do you have a wishlist for who you'd like to see contribute a track for these?
KMK: I'd love to get Quintron, Manateees, Ty Segall and/or Cuntz to do a track for us! I think Tom would dig getting Lords of Altamont and or Ghost to do us a track too! I know any or all these artists would kill a "biker" track for it!
Pitchfork: Why do you think Zig Zags and Smelly Tongues are a particularly good fit for The Humans?
KMK: And that's exactly what they gave us and then some. The track screams of gang mayhem and is a killer anthem to start off The Humans soundtrack.
Smelly Tongues is one of my favorite bands. My wife Lesley "Destroyer" Ishino is their drummer so I'm good friends with them all and know them well. When I talked to them about doing a track, Brian (the bass player) wanted to do something that was akin to "the weirdo track" that is a staple of some biker soundtracks—the kill hippie chanting freak song. When I heard that, I was fuckin' sold. And the track they came up with really fulfills that niche. It's the whisper in yer ear as you sit around a bonfire after a long days ride, just as the mushrooms start kicking in.
Pitchfork: What do you think of The Humans?
Zig Zags: The Humans project meshed well with Zig Zags' love for peripheral subculture. We all are inspired by lo-fi cinema, so when Keenan gave us some sketch drawings we had an idea for what we wanted to do. Sixties and '70s biker movies like Cycle Psychos, Werewolves on Wheels, and Devil's Angels came to mind. All those B-movies are pretty cool. Back in the '50s, there were biker gangs all in Malibu which is weird because of what it has become...anyway Hollywood's interpretation of the biker gang is pretty comedic and I think we could share that identity with The Humans. Not to mention Keenan is a talented artist and did art work for our "Brainded Warrior" single. When they asked us if we wanted to write a track we were excited to get on board!
Pitchfork: How does your Humans track fit the tone of the comic?
Tia Fletcher (Smelly Tongues): Well, before I met Brian, I really just cared about music and being a biker haha. I've seen ALL the '60s/'70s biker flicks, decent and horrible, and The Humans really captures that kind of satire I like in the films. As for the song, every biker flick has a campfire party scene where you get closer with the characters and their way of life, why they ride, etc. So knowing that the Zig Zags would probably do a rowdy riding or crime scene jam, we wanted to capture the cult-ier side of things.
Lesley "Destroyer" Ishino (Smelly Tongues): I have not been as excited for a comic book since Eightball. The Humans is weird. Smelly Tongues are weird. We're a perfect match.