Around the same time I bought a security guard uniform at a thrift store. Walking around as an Ape-Cop gave me a little authority in my run-down neighborhood.
I joined the Fourth of July parade as an ape on a unicycle. I also rode that way around the campus of the University of California at Berkeley, where I was an anthropology major.
The gorilla mask proved useful during the final exam of my primate social behavior class. All through the semester, the professor had made a big point of proving that gorillas are really gentle, intelligent creatures, not aggressive monsters. I arrived on day of the final exam day carrying the head and hands of the gorilla concealed in a paper bag. I sat in the back row.
Somehow I finished the test about 20 minutes early. I quietly pulled on the mask and gloves. I stood up and started down the aisle gripping my papers. With a growl and a little table-pounding in the front of the room, I handed in my exam to the professor.
Then I turned to the class, put my fists in the air and hit my chest a few times and marched out the door.
It must have taken a few minutes for the class to refocus.
