Musician, poet, and filmmaker Saul Williams publishes Martyr Loser King, a graphic novel illustrated by Morgan Stone. The project began in 2011 and now expands into this format, inspired by a scene in Dakar: a teenager used a smartphone while building a sabar drum. Williams reflects on how the ancient and the modern coexist without conflict.
The drum as the first wireless technology 🥁
Williams defines the drum as the oldest form of wireless communication, predating wifi and bluetooth. The graphic novel explores this technical paradox: an acoustic instrument that transmits signals over distance without cables, while the character uses a digital device. The work contrasts the logic of tribal percussion with the touch interface, showing how both technologies address human needs for connection.
When your smartphone competes with an ancestral drum 📱
The teenager in Dakar surely didn't imagine his artisanal multitasking would end up in a graphic novel. While he carved wood with one hand and scrolled memes with the other, unknowingly, he was providing material for a conceptual artist. Now, Martyr Loser King reminds us that before sending a WhatsApp, we were already sending rhythms. That is, with fewer emojis and more percussion.