I stumbled upon these rare archival photos of our friend and compatriot Z. while doing some research on the history of gray wolves at the National Institute for the Study of Indigenous North American Animal Species (aka NISINAAS.) Enjoy!
Here’s a rare photo of Z. as a babe. Aww, isn’t he cute?
As a young man, a more hirsute Z. served as a grenadier in the 1st Infantry Division under General Ulysses S. Grant! (Third from left (including blurry fellow in background))
After the war, Z. became a park ranger in the Yukon where he battled a gray wolf:
Z. defeated the wolf and devoured its heart, thus consuming the beast’s spirit. After a mystico-religious experience with some local Quechwa Indians, Z. was transformed into a gray wolf himself!
After two years as a wolf, Z. was transformed back to his human form. While the experience was “pretty cool,” it was also taxing on both Z.’s mind and spirit, and so our hero decided to take a few years for himself “to clear [his] mind and just try to figure a few things out.” He further stated at the time: “There’s more to life than just doing things.”
But Z. couldn’t stay out of the public eye for long. After five years “relaxin’” in the Caribbean, he soon returned to civilization and became the drummer of a popular rock act that cannot be named for copyright reasons.
But, alas, Z. can never be kept in one place for too long. Citing the fact that his band was growing “too commercial,” Z. decided to join a new group, one that was more “authentic” and which reflected where he saw his own art moving in the near future. (Pictured fourth from left)
Where will Z. turn next? No one can tell. The only thing one can say for sure is that his next move will be utterly unpredictable and will challenge the foundations of not only the way we look at art, but also the very way we function as human beings: spiritually, intellectually and biologically.
