Indie Book Award Finalist - Humor/Comedy
Los Angeles Book Festival Award - Honorable Mention Best Memoir
San Francisco Book Festival Honorable Mention
I never intended to become a professional gorilla. It happened by accident, like the story of the starving artist whose cat spilled paint on his blank canvas. A wealthy man happens by and proclaims the artist a genius—his paintings begin to sell and he goes on to become a world-famous artist. To a much lesser degree, this is what happened to me. Only my fame would be slower to arrive, and my canvas would be a $35,000 gorilla costume.
What People Say
“Gorilla Tales is a hilarious collection of stories that only a person that experienced a
lifetime career as a professional ape could tell. A stranger (and funnier) than fiction world
told by the ape master himself, Donald McLeod. Get the bizarre behind the scenes stories
(from an ape’s perspective) on the films Trading Places, Tanya’s Island, and The Man with Two
Brains just to name a few. Hold your breath, fasten your seatbelt—this is wild boozy ride
through the vivid memories of a master storyteller!” —Adam Meir, Actor, Director and Movement Artist
“Donald McLeod‘s journey as the world's foremost professional primate delivers the
ultimate backstage peek into his gonzo adventures. Who knew a gorilla could write with such
style and wit? This book is bananas!” —Jeffrey Weber, Author of You Sound Amazing!
Every Single Lie Of The Music Business
“Donald McLeod’s Gorilla Tales is the best read I’ve had in decades! It’s an adventure
from beginning to end. A fun and very unique story of one man’s wildly adventurous life. I
highly recommend it!” —Craig Scott Lamb, Founder of the Ape Suit Cinema website
“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel the world in a state-of-the-art
gorilla suit, get highly paid, and not have pay for things you break? Then Gorilla Tales is the
book for you. McLeod brings these bizarre and humorous tales to life with a keen eye for
detail and a masterful use of language. From smashing suitcases on national TV, to frolicking
with geishas in Tokyo, to drinking tequila with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders...his stories
will captivate even the most jaded reader of literary humor.” —Stone Buddha Books
Fred Puglia –
A great read. .Fun and and enjoyable change to what is called human interest books. I recommend that you enjoy reading this amazing story of one of our iconic movie and TV celebrities.