The Monkees - General Discussion

[Orillia]

4 hours ago, magicdog said:

David Letterman had a Top Ten list of greatest tambourine players.  I think Davy won 1st, 3rd and 5th.

 

I had the fortune of meeting Davy twice and he was kind to me both times.  He signed an autograph for me on a napkin after a solo performance about 15 or so years back.  The second time occured during my time at a local TV station.  I heard he was in town and suggested we get him on.  He obliged.  Being a big Monkee fan I offered to make to set look better with some props - my personal Monkee memorabilia collection!  I included Davy - specific items like his solo album he recorded in 65 before officially joining the Monkees (Davy joked on air that the album cover showed him during his Frankie Avalon period!).  I was so thrilled to meet him again!  He even autographed everything I brought and gave me a warm hug!!  I was on Cloud 9 for days!!  Maybe I caught him on good days?  I had figured he was accustomed to dealing with fans and signing memorabilia for them.  I'm not saying that's easy to deal with (I'd be annoyed by it after a while), but I'm glad that my meetings with him were good ones.

 

 

And deservedly so. One thing you can say about Dave, he knew a good tambourine player when he heard one. I love your tv station story. I'm glad the station agreed to your excellent suggestion. I can only imagine what was running through your mind. I like to think that if you treat the person respectfully they will do the same. Davy could tell that you weren't just some casual fan but someone who knew what they were talking about, liked his work and treated you accordingly. He probably enjoyed it as much as you did. Well done

Edited February 25, 2018 by Orillia
grammer

[funky-rat]

His DUI busts - at least in my area - were before he married wife 3, but I believe after he divorced wife 2.  He ticked a lot of people off in this area when he escaped punishment for one of the DUI's by performing at a local music festival as community service....and then accepting payment for appearing.  I never heard anything good about wife 3 either.  I never saw her on tour - after seeing them 7-ish times, the show would be identical each time, and I grew kind-of tired of it, so I skipped a tour or two.  I wouldn't have been tickled with her dancing either.  Bleh.  I'd also heard rumors about her and domestic abuse (on her part).  I know for a long time he was trying to start a museum in that town - he bought an old church and filled it with his stuff.  Then after he died some woman bought it, saying she was a huge fan.  She and her husband moved in and said they would be working on the museum, then the place burned to the ground.  There was a rumor going around that this wasn't the first time a place that woman owned burned down, and more rumors swirled that she might have gotten in over her head and wanted the insurance money, but I  STRESS that was a rumor, and remains unproven at this time.  As much as I wasn't a huge fan of his, it's a shame a lot of his personal stuff burned up.

He was decent to me one time - a fundraiser for a local high school that I went to with a friend (wouldn't have gone by myself).  But another time, when he was doing a small intimate performance at a local restaurant he was rude to pretty much everyone, and we assumed he had  too much to drink.  The daughter of a friend of my mom's ran in to him at a bar.  She asked him if she could have an autograph and he said no, but if she gave him her address, he would mail her something.  She did, but never got anything.  He showed up at Wal-Mart a lot, usually having had a bit too much to drink.  He wouldn't sign autographs, and was really rude to the photo lab (this was a number of years ago) when he brought in some film to be developed.  He ordered them not to look at the photos (but they have to, to be sure they process correctly).  When they explained this to him, he got belligerent.  I got this story from several people that I worked with and knew for years, so I know it's true.  At any rate, one of the photos was of him with The Spice Girls.  Since he was so rude, the photo lab staff all made 8x10's for themselves, as kind of a middle finger to him.  I've seen the photo.  It's kind-of funny.

I've never met Micky, outside of that one time my mom and I encountered him and he wasn't really nice, but later in the day he apologized for it (but still wouldn't sign an autograph or stand for a photo - but at least he apologized), but I know people who have met him after shows, and they say he's very nice.  Must have caught him on an off day.  Never met Mike - would love to, but I fear I won't get that chance.  Thankful to have met Peter a few years ago.

[funky-rat]

17 hours ago, magicdog said:

This is the second time I've heard about Micky being a jerk to people.  As you mentioned, everyone has bad days and all, but it hurts when one is treated badly.  The Blockbuster Buster was doing a review of The Tick cartoon series (in which Micky voiced The Moth for the first season) and mentioned that Micky had a bit of a jerk reputation in the VA community.  He related a comic con in the past in which voice actors were talking about their experience with Micky.  Click here and go to 11:17.  Based on how VA Candi Milo reacted to him, I think she sounded like a 6th grade mean girl!  To be fair, I think Micky was going through his second divorce around that time so it could have made his attitude a little less than chirpy.  I'm not excusing it, though.

It was after he and wife 2 divorced that we bumped in to him.  He was with a woman who was much younger than him - we assumed later that they were on a date or something.  But the other person I know that he was jerky to was way back in 1986.  She had gone to another state to catch early shows on the reunion tour.  She stayed at a hotel that was attached to a venue they were doing 2 or 3 straight nights at.  She bumped in to him on day 2, at the hotel restaurant, at breakfast.  He was at the table with wife 2 (still married then).  She was polite, and didn't freak out, and said she was in his fan club in the 60's, and would he sign a napkin for her.  He saw she was wearing an '86 tour shirt.  He asked her to model it.  She was embarrassed.  She said he probably thought he was being funny, but his wife elbowed him, he signed the napkin, and went back to eating.  So I'm guessing he just has some off days where he has no patience for people.  And that's OK to have off days.  You can say no to autographs or photos, but I appreciate it when they're nice about it.  It's off-putting when they're less than kind.  I have a good friend who has met him a few times after solo shows, and she says he's very nice then.

[funky-rat]

It was such a good experience for me, and will always give me happy memories.  I have 2 photos of him somewhere back in either 86 or 87, from that time I encountered him before a show (there were other people around) and was just too embarrassed to talk to him, and then he had to go when I worked up the nerve.  It was a bit of disorganized chaos after the show to meet him.  We just staked out a spot near a security guard.  My husband made chit-chat (he's a salesman - and he can sell ice to Eskimos) and he related the age 13 story to the security guard.  He said "Well, since you've been standing here nicely, and not causing problems, and you've waited this long, I'm going to make you first in line".  I was SO excited.  I also told him about the 1996 show when he asked the theater to seat us early because of my broken leg.  I told him I knew he wouldn't remember, but I always appreciated the kindness.  During his one man show, he talked about a lot of stuff, including that he wrote a potential theme song for the movie Easy Rider.  It was bluesy, and I liked it.  But the producers didn't.  He thought his "in" with Nicholson might help, but it was not to be.  They wanted a more rocking song.  So he played the opening footage of Easy Rider and subbed his song in.  It was a lot of fun.  He and his brother used to use the home movie camera to make short films, and they'd involve the rest of the family. They made a funny one about putting stuff in drinks that would make people fall in love, but it ended up in the wrong drink.  He showed that too.

[funky-rat]

5 hours ago, magicdog said:

It's one of my faves as well.  I prefer the one that sounds more psychedelic rather than the country-ish one. I also enjoy St. Matthew and "If I Ever Get To Saginaw Again" (even though he didn't write that one).

Yes.  I much prefer that version too (there are several - the less country one is my favorite).  I forgot about Saint Matthew, but it is quite awesome.  I first heard some of those unreleased songs (Rosemarie, Saint Matthew, Saginaw, and a few others) on a bootleg video a penpal (remember those?) sent me back in 1987 after we met at a convention.  It had old 8mm home movie footage (black & white) of a pre-TV show promotion.  They rode a train, played on the train, then showed up at some venue that was jam packed. 

[funky-rat]

A lot of people like the early version of Valleri - it's just not my favorite, but that's just me.  I also prefer the fast version of "I Want To Be Free" - I'm weird.  There are several versions of "Circle Sky" and I prefer the non-live studio version, which seems to also put me in a minority.  I've never been a fan of live music on records (I only like live music when I'm there - yes, weird), and that version has no screaming, and I can hear the song clearly.  This was the first version of the song I had - before I saw "Head" in 1987 and bought the soundtrack at the convention I was at when I saw it.  It was on the Monkee Business Picture Disc (which I got in 1986 when we  were on vacation.  This was the one I was used to, and still my preference.
 

I also didn't like when you'd hear a song on the show, like "All The Kings Horses" and then find out it was never released (well, back in the 80's - that one is more plentiful now).

Edited February 25, 2018 by funky-rat

[PamelaMaeSnap]

10 hours ago, magicdog said:

David Letterman had a Top Ten list of greatest tambourine players.  I think Davy won 1st, 3rd and 5th.

Clearly this had to be before Partridge Family started airing. Tracy should certainly have at LEAST won 2nd AND 3rd. 

[Orillia]

8 hours ago, PamelaMaeSnap said:

Clearly this had to be before Partridge Family started airing. Tracy should certainly have at LEAST won 2nd AND 3rd. 

I have to admit, she was pretty good.    

[magicdog]

14 hours ago, Blergh said:

Funny thing is that Mr. Nesmith's character was to be CALLED 'Wool Hat' (and was in the Pilot by the one-shot manager)

 

I remember that!  Did you know that the manager, "Rudy" was played by Bing Russell - father of Kurt??

 

11 hours ago, funky-rat said:

It had old 8mm home movie footage (black & white) of a pre-TV show promotion.  They rode a train, played on the train, then showed up at some venue that was jam packed. 

I'd heard about this promotion (it was recreated in the VH-1 TV movie about he Monkees).  I had also read about it in Micky's memoirs;  it mentioned that they would take on passengers, travel up the line and back  while they played.  Unfortunately, the drums weren't tied down and Micky had a heck of a time trying to keep stable.  On the deluxe version of their first album, a radio announcement for that event is included between songs.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

In all seriousness, though, (well, as much seriousness as is appropriate for a fun thread), Susan Cowsill, who WAS relegated to tambourine for her first few years with the Cowsills (and on whom, therefore, Tracy is based), was and is a fantastic musician, singer-songwriter, etc. So she really COULD have and SHOULD have given Davy Jones a run for his money ... but other teen girls voting in those magazines (and I had my share of 16, Tiger Beat, etc.) would not share my line of thinking.

Hell, I was probably 7 or 8 so I wouldn't even have shared my line of thinking were it not for the fact that I DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE SUSAN COWSILL ...

I shared that memory with two of her brothers years later when I was writing a story about them and they said straight out "Oh, no, you would NOT have wanted that at all!" ... That family has quite a story of their own!)

[ChicagoCita]

When I was a Monkees-idolizing kid, I was insanely jealous when I'd read the Letters section of Tiger Beat and 16, and all these little girls would be writing in to say, "I'm taller than Davy!" He was, according to the album cover, 5'5" -- and I topped out at 5'3-1/2". Nope, never was going to be taller than Davy. It burned, it burned!

In 1986(ish), a friend and I drove to Vegas to see the Monkees' reunion tour. I was close to 30, still not tall, but had mastered high heels. We found ourselves next to Davy (in a crowd) at a gaming table. I looked over and noticed something odd - I was looking down at the top of his head. I very surreptitiously slipped off my shoes and I was still looking at him from a slightly higher angle.

So take that, all you bragging little heifers who wrote your letters: I TOO was taller than Davy!

[Sharpie66]

Mike was always the height of cool for me as a kid, watching these shows on rerun in the ‘70s. He was so unflappable. 

When I learned about his role in the evolution of the music video, especially that it was financed by Liquid Paper (and the whole history of that is really fascinating—I had never really known of too many women inventors as a kid, and Bette Nesmith Graham was an excellent entrepreneur if a not-great typist), well, that just made him even cooler. 

[PamelaMaeSnap]

Nothing to see here ;)

Edited February 25, 2018 by PamelaMaeSnap

[PamelaMaeSnap]

19 hours ago, ChicagoCita said:

When I was a Monkees-idolizing kid, I was insanely jealous when I'd read the Letters section of Tiger Beat and 16, and all these little girls would be writing in to say, "I'm taller than Davy!" He was, according to the album cover, 5'5" -- and I topped out at 5'3-1/2". Nope, never was going to be taller than Davy. It burned, it burned!

In 1986(ish), a friend and I drove to Vegas to see the Monkees' reunion tour. I was close to 30, still not tall, but had mastered high heels. We found ourselves next to Davy (in a crowd) at a gaming table. I looked over and noticed something odd - I was looking down at the top of his head. I very surreptitiously slipped off my shoes and I was still looking at him from a slightly higher angle.

So take that, all you bragging little heifers who wrote your letters: I TOO was taller than Davy!

I always read that he was 5'3" so that makes sense!

[magicdog]

On 2/25/2018 at 11:12 AM, PamelaMaeSnap said:

I was probably 7 or 8 so I wouldn't even have shared my line of thinking were it not for the fact that I DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE SUSAN COWSILL ...

I shared that memory with two of her brothers years later when I was writing a story about them and they said straight out "Oh, no, you would NOT have wanted that at all!" ... That family has quite a story of their own!)

Yes, I saw the documentary about the family.  I felt awful for Susan!

[Blergh]

23 hours ago, PamelaMaeSnap said:

I always read that he was 5'3" so that makes sense!

One thing for sure is that Mr. Jones was by no means intimidated by taller women- in fact all his wives were taller than him and it's interesting that he never seemed to wear elevator shoes and rarely boots to attempt  to bridge the gap!

[funky-rat]

On ‎2‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 9:44 AM, magicdog said:

I'd heard about this promotion (it was recreated in the VH-1 TV movie about he Monkees).  I had also read about it in Micky's memoirs;  it mentioned that they would take on passengers, travel up the line and back  while they played.  Unfortunately, the drums weren't tied down and Micky had a heck of a time trying to keep stable.  On the deluxe version of their first album, a radio announcement for that event is included between songs.

You can tell in the footage that he's having a hard time staying put while he's playing.

[SleepyAndClumsy]

Micky was my absolute favorite in the 80s, when MTV was replaying the show (that chin dimple?! Swoon!), and now he is my fourteen-year-old’s favorite too. She has actually been able to meet him after concerts a few times — she’s very shy, and he has always been wonderfully sweet to her. He gushes over the drawings she makes him, gives her hugs, and always asks her about her life. She adores him. 

[magicdog]

He did wear lifts for while.  He mentioned in his memoirs that he had lifts put in his shoes to make about 5’8.  He said he was so obsessed with being caught “short” and would slip on his shoes the minute he heard a knock on the door!

[scootypuffjr]

Five inch lifts? I don't know much about lifts, but that seems like an awful lot. How exactly would that work, I wonder? Like the "elevator shoes" of old?

[Blergh]

On 2/28/2018 at 11:54 AM, magicdog said:

He did wear lifts for while.  He mentioned in his memoirs that he had lifts put in his shoes to make about 5’8.  He said he was so obsessed with being caught “short” and would slip on his shoes the minute he heard a knock on the door!

OOPS, I stand corrected (but not in lifts).

[Blergh]

If we're going to go into his offstage life, I thought it was intriguing that he admitted falling instantly in lust on his first British tour with Samantha Juste- then waxing about how much in love he grew to be with his first wife  before his own excesses doomed their union. I also thought it poignant that when she died of a stroke in 2014, despite both of them having since remarried, Mr. Dolenz was quite upset over her death. Moreover both his current wife and one of his daughters by his 2nd ex paid tribute to how they much liked her as a person  not just everyone being civil for her daughter's sake and feeling sorry for said daughter but how welcoming and wonderful the late Miss Juste had been to them!

[scootypuffjr]

FETV has a mini-marathon of 4 or so episodes every Saturday morning, I try to catch a few when I remember and I have the time. It's kind of funny, for the first few minutes of the show, I'm like, "This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen; I can't believe I used to like these so much." And then a few minutes later, I'm in the right frame of mind and enjoying the silliness all over again, lol. "The Monkey's Paw" episode just ended, and I have to admit I enjoyed it thoroughly

[magicdog]

My Dad and I used to watch the show too.  He watched it first run (far from being the target audience, as he was just a few years older than the Monkees themselves), but he thought they were funny and the music likable.  Before he passed away we were watching the show again one weekend and he laughed himself silly during "The Chaperone".  He pointed to the TV and said, "It's corny, but those guys make it work!  They help make it funny!".

Totally true.

[magicdog]

When The Monkees' 20th anniversary rolled around, I became one of the 2nd generation fans.  As such, I became interested in all things Monkee - including their only big screen appearance, "Head".

I wondered what the film was like since it wasn't turning up on TV or cable and it wasn't on home video yet either.  Most fans (even first generation fans) had never seen it.  Any books detailing the summary were nebulous. 

I had the chance when I picked up a bootleg copy on VHS. 

When I watched it for the first time, I was stunned, confused and utterly bewildered!  The movie was nothing like the show (at the time I didn't know that and in my mind, it would have made sense to do something similar to the show for what could have been the first of several films)  and I found myself wondering what did I just see.  What were the vignettes about?  What were the filmmakers trying to say?  Why are the guys so unlikable?

When I learned that the film was comprised of ideas spouted into a tape recorder during a weekend filled with Jack Nicholson and Maui Wowie, that helped explain some things.  

In hindsight, I think Raybert wanted to destroy the monster they'd created.  They made a lot of money from The Monkees entity and now they wanted to be taken seriously and become part of the "New Hollywood" scene.  That was the end goal, and to have a Monkees film be a success, that meant being saddled with the guys for longer than they wanted.  First they get Jack Nicholson to write a trippy script (rather than get some writers from the show), then arrange for an ad campaign which never showed or mentioned the Monkees were in the film.  The second trailer corrected this but IMO, it was too little too late.  One of the books on the band (I believe it was "The Monkees, a Manufactured Image") mentioned that the movie originally was rated "R" (even though there's nothing in the film that would have garnered such a rating) when first released which hampered fans from seeing it.  It was changed to "G" sometime afterwards, but I don't think it would have made much difference if fans had seen the film in '68 because it wasn't like the group they'd come to know on TV.  I suspect they would have rejected the movie anyway.

Mike was quoted as denying that the film was meant to be the band's swan song - at least from the band's perspective.  They wanted to do what the Beatles had done - make a series of films as well as music.  I can't blame them for wanting to take things further, but Columbia and Raybert were ready to move on and didn't give a whit about them anymore, beyond having them fulfill their remaining album commitments.

 

The only thing that seems clear about the film is that the guys to some degree wanted to poke fun at their "manufactured image" ("Ditty Diego War Chant"), and that of Hollywood itself (like the scene in which Micky is hit with a fake arrow and gets annoyed and bursts through the fake backdrop in anger).  I remember Davy said in an interview that it was a movie the Monkees should have made but not at the time they made it.  Essentially they should have popped the proverbial balloon later rather than sooner.

Micky said in this interview (forward to 16:30) that the Monkees we saw in Head weren't "our" Monkees, but an alt-universe Monkees.   It's a three part interview so I recommend listening to all of them to hear his thoughts on the Monkee experience.

When the Monkees 20th anniversary came around, there was talk of a Monkees movie again, but nothing came of it, obviously.  I had heard it was to be titled, "The Monkees Save The World". 

If one could have come up with a better idea for the first Monkee movie, what would you have done?  I can think of a multitude.

There were times I had thought that they could have gone up against all of their defeated foes from the show (who would have banded together like a sort of "Legion of Monkee Doom") and be constantly on the run while trying to save their lives.  While dealing with that, they learn their friend, Millie Rudnick (Rose Marie) was the twin sister of one of the villians - Bessie Kowalski, aka, "The Big Man's Wife"  (aka, "The Big Woman").  The sisters were estranged due to the fact that Millie married a decent guy and lead a decent lifestyle while Bessie became a torch singer and ran off with a gangster.  Meanwhile, the guys round up some allies of their own (some from the show, others written for the film - plus more celebrity cameos) and find a way to come out on top.  

 

Another, slightly darker version, might be bringing in Monte Landis who played the Devil (aka, Mr. Zero) who was back for revenge against the boys for beating him out for Peter's soul.  Perhaps calling it, "The Last Temptation of Peter".  Peter is being tempted again somehow and has 24 hours to resist falling to it.  If he fails, he'll either be condemned to Hell for eternity again or perhaps in a switch, Mike, Micky and Davy are presented with their own temptations and it's Peter who has to prevent them from succumbing and save their souls. 

[magicdog]

On 3/1/2018 at 10:29 AM, Blergh said:

If we're going to go into his offstage life, I thought it was intriguing that he admitted falling instantly in lust on his first British tour with Samantha Juste- then waxing about how much in love he grew to be with his first wife  before his own excesses doomed their union.

Yes, Micky admitted he was surprised she put up with his antics for as long as she did before they split.

 

On 3/1/2018 at 10:29 AM, Blergh said:

I also thought it poignant that when she died of a stroke in 2014, despite both of them having since remarried, Mr. Dolenz was quite upset over her death. Moreover both his current wife and one of his daughters by his 2nd ex paid tribute to how they much liked her as a person  not just everyone being civil for her daughter's sake and feeling sorry for said daughter but how welcoming and wonderful the late Miss Juste had been to them!

I had heard it was several years before Micky and Samantha were at "friend status".  From what I understand from Mick's autobiography, hey did eventually get close again, even though they remarried to others but it took time.  I'm curious what Amy had to say in this.  

I hope Micky writes a sequel to his autobiography.  He admitted in the forward that he thought he was too young to write one (he was about 48 at the time), and now that he's 73 (!), maybe he can reflect more on events since the 90s.

[Blergh]

I vote VERY Bad Decision (and I went into some detail in the Movie Section: Subsection- Unpopular Opinions).

 However; I'll just add that, considering (as per the 'Monkees in Concert' footage), the bulk of the show's viewing audience then were preteen girls, what were they thinking/smoking in making this?!

  Not only did this prove confusing and depressing to the audience they had but virtually everyone of other demographic groups found it pretentious and pointless! 

 

 To each one's own re those who want to believe that this was an overlooked treasure but, IMO, this (and the last network special 33 and 1/3 Monkee Per Revolution) not only trashed everything they'd worked hard for but also are simply chapters best remaining closed re appreciating the band's work on the show, the music and their projects from 1970 onward.

[funky-rat]

I love it.  First saw it in 1987, and went "HUH??", but I appreciate the abject silliness of it, so I stuck with it.  The older I get, the more I appreciate it.

They're railing at everything they never wanted, and are essentially trapped in some alternate reality.  "The Box" represents this reality in a tangible way.  They want out of the box, but keep ending up back in it.  In the end, they commit suicide (career suicide) and STILL end up back in the box, to be trapped there forever.  They'll never get out.  They pushed the nuke button on the show and their image, and 50 years later, here they are, still trapped in the box, so to speak.

If you throw reality completely away, and look at it a little differently, it may make more sense.

[Iju]

i always thought he was the prettiest in his sort of way.

 

he could looks weird to anyone else here but i always thought he looks rather girlish looking here, idk.

[Mumbles]

Well, it gave us the Porpoise Song, so it's got that going for it (used to great effect 30 years later in the movie "Vanilla Sky.")

[magicdog]

The Head soundtrack was fine!  Great even!  I o my wish the movie could live up to it.  Not the first or last time for a soundtrack to outshine the movie it’s meant to promote!

[magicdog]

I don’t think he’s bad looking at all!  Micky himself used to deride his “unconventional “ looks.  In fact I remember he used to joke that he was thankful Amy didn’t look like him!  Of course that was before his daughters with Trina came along and they all look just like him (FTR no I don’t think they’re ugly!  Just a feminine reflection of their dad)!

[Blergh]

The Subforum to discuss all current news re Monkees and their projects.

OK, here's some BIG news: On February 20,2018- it was announced that Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith will tour as a duo  for a 16-date schedule starting in June. Other surviving onetime Monkee Peter Tork will NOT be joining them. Quoting Mr. Nesmith , "He has his reasons. They are very private."

[funky-rat]

33 1/3 has awesome music, but I can't get in to that one too much.  I just look at it as a trainwreck.

[funky-rat]

I'm hoping that doesn't mean that he's ill again.  :'(

I'd love to see this, but the only venue they'll be at near me is one I won't go to.  Had a very bad experience there.

[funky-rat]

His girls from wife 2 are all very attractive.  Micky is too - he just has a more "exotic" look than a conventional one.

[magicdog]

No, Peter is working on a solo blues album and wasn't able to make the time for a tour this time.  

[Blergh]

On 3/7/2018 at 1:45 AM, magicdog said:

No, Peter is working on a solo blues album and wasn't able to make the time for a tour this time.  

Then I have to wonder why Mr. Nesmith didn't just say that instead of saying what he did.

[magicdog]

On 3/3/2018 at 8:30 AM, scootypuffjr said:

The Monkey's Paw" episode just ended, and I have to admit I enjoyed it thoroughly

It is pretty funny but it always bugged me how with Micky having lost his voice that the group couldn't still play.  Both IRL and in universe, all the guys could sing and I couldn't see them not being able to perform.   (I know.... logic in a Monkees' episode?  Heresy!)

It also saddened me that Hans Conried didn't like his on set experience with the guys! Micky confirmed it in his bio (he really should do another one!) and there's a clip in which Conried curses (bleeped of course) and announces how he hates these kids.  When I first heard it I thought he was just joking.  

Quote

“I was a huge fan of his,” Dolenz says, “and we had a number of scenes with him. In one of them, we’re out there, and they’re trying to record this scene, and Hans Conried is trying to do his lines. Finally, he looks at the camera and says: ‘I hate these fucking kids.’ [Laughs uproariously.] They shut down the set, and stopped filming! Years later, I was so embarrassed. … But that’s what they wanted.”

[punkypower]

The rest of the Micky and Mike tour has been cancelled due to Mike becoming sick.

Does anyone know what's going on????

[funky-rat]

2 hours ago, punkypower said:

The rest of the Micky and Mike tour has been cancelled due to Mike becoming sick.

Does anyone know what's going on????

No - they're being very quiet, and Nez is asking to respect his privacy.

[Happy Belly]

I’m not liking this hush hush. It makes me worried. Just hope Mike will be ok. Here’s my Mike story...Mike has always been my favorite Monkee. He, along with Bobby Sherman, were the boys who made my heart beat. So many years have past and in all that time I never had a chance to meet either one. Until this past October. There was an advertisement for Chiller Theatre con being held in Parsippany, NJ, and scheduled to appear, with a meet and greet, was Mike Nesmith. I convinced my sister to come with me so that day, we got there nice and early. At around 11:00, I saw him, but it wasn’t time for my meet and greet so I wanted to save my true reaction for when I was face to face with my teen idol. About an hour or so later, it was time. We went upstairs and waited our turn. When we were next, we were brought into a room and when the person before us was done we were let through. There he was...right in front of me. I started to cry and mumbled something about thank you for making my childhood dream come true. i reached out and he pulled his hands back saying, no touching. i was mortified. He started to laugh and said come here, which I did. He hugged me, I hugged back and wouldnt let go..lmao. He was very gracious about it, but it was my sister who reminded me to let him go. We then had our picture taken with him, and I am so happy we went that day because you never know what the future holds.

[Lava VaVoom]

Mickey and his new grandson.

https://www.facebook.com/PHTork1/photos/a.476297455718309.124966.212180508796673/2160806473934057/?type=3&theater&ifg=1

[punkypower]

On 6/26/2018 at 10:43 AM, punkypower said:

The rest of the Micky and Mike tour has been cancelled due to Mike becoming sick.

Does anyone know what's going on????

Here's our answer--wow!

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/monkees-michael-nesmith-recovering-from-quadruple-bypass-heart-surgery-703665/

[sigmaforce86]

Peter Tork has died.  Confirmed on multiple news sites and by his family on Twitter.  RIP Peter, another little piece of my childhood gone but the music lives on and it never fails to make me smile.

[magicdog]

NO!!!!

Not Peter!  No!!  No!! 

I'm in tears right now!!

[funky-rat]

The cancer he's been battling for 10 years returned....again.  I will be forever glad I got to meet him.  He was a genuine person.

[angora]

So, in the midst of my nostalgic Googling after Peter's death, the ad algorithms worked their magic and, based on my searches, threw up a banner letting me know that Mike and Micky would be performing about an hour away from me in less than than three weeks' time.  On a week night, but during my spring break (I work for a school district.)  The only seats that weren't sold out were near the back, but they were only $40.  I took it as fate and figured I'd better go (only logical conclusion, right?)

I've been a fan for about 12 years.  I'd never seen any combination of them on any of their live tours, but I'd felt wistful after Davy died that I'd never see him live, and make that double after Peter died.  I realized that, if I ever wanted to see any of them, I'd better do it now.  The show was last night, and I had such a great time.  I'd gone in not quite knowing what to expect, but I was super impressed.  While they both fudged a little (Micky didn't go for all the high notes, and Mike didn't hold some of the notes as long as he used to,) Micky was a force of nature - he caught every single word of "Goin' Down" (after which he applauded the sign language interpreter, which I thought was sweet) - and Mike's singing voice had hardly changed at all.  I bet they played at least 30 songs, me sitting there with the dumbest grin on my face pretty much the whole time.  Occasionally, one would take a break offstage while the other was singing lead, and they had a running gag where Mike would come back on plucking out the opening lick to "Pleasant Valley Sunday," with Micky first "reminding" him that they weren't doing that one yet, and later, that they'd already done it.  Hee!

The tributes were all lovely.  Micky highlighted their banjo player, saying it was Peter who brought the banjo to the Monkees' music (and maybe pop music in general,) then sang "For Pete's Sake."  The intermission started with a video of Peter singing and playing in more recent years.  And I'd previously read that, since 2012, they've paired "Daydream Believer" with video footage of the guys doing it back on the show, but it wound up being a really nice twofer now - Davy was front and center on the video, of course, but Peter was featured prominently too, on the piano, and it was touching to see the two of them together while Mike and Micky stayed more in the background.

So terrific - I'm really glad I got to see them.

[Annber03]

Agh, my mom would be so jealous of you, @angora! She'd wanted to go to that show, too, but wasn't able to get the chance. 

Sounds like it was a lovely concert, and the tributes sound quite touching. Glad you had such a good time!

[Ananayel]

Starting Friday April 7, the Monkees will be part of Retro Friday nights on AXS. Music and wrestling streaming app.