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The Monkees - General Discussion


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This girl I knew in grade school, whose dad was Air Force, lived in Japan for a few years in high school, and she said that she met the Monkees somehow,  and Peter came onto her, but I never believed her, cuz, IDK. 

Peter seemed high ALOT. 

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The irony is that Mr. Jones was a talented drummer and even guitarist but they insisted on him being a singer and tambourine player while the guitarist Mr. Dolenz was made the drummer mainly because TPTB were afraid Mr. Jones wouldn't be seen by the audience behind the taller members of the band if he stayed in the background!

Edited by Blergh
because Davy never BECAME a tambourine
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5 hours ago, Tosia said:

Peter seemed high ALOT. 

It's very possible.  Peter admitted in a DVD commentary that Mike, Micky and Davy had never used drugs before and he was the one who "turned them on".  I'm glad he's sober now, but for many years he was using pot, LSD, alcohol, cocaine and heaven knows what else during those days.  I've heard from long time followers of both the band and Peter's solo band projects that Pete was also a very angry drunk and unpleasant to be around.  He sobered up in 1981 and still appears at [AA] meetings and speaks to other sobiety groups.

I can't help but think that from what little I know about his home life growing up, it sounds like his parents (or at least his father) were very cold and distant folk.  In another commentary, when Peter mentions his telling his parents that he got hired as a Monkee, he described them as being "congratulatory" but not really happy for him about it.  It also makes me wonder that's why Peter was such a rebellious soul - wanting to be more open emotionally (and expanding his mind with drugs), but his attempts nearly destroyed him. 

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I'm not sure.  If anything, I think he would have played the character far straighter.  The closest I can think of how the character might have been would be from an episode of Adam -12 in which Micky played a biker ("Dirt Duel").  He tended to play the character cool and subtle.  I don't think the character or Happy Days would have turned into what it became had Micky won the part.

 

Funny that in an interview years later, Henry Winkler thought he'd lost the part of The Fonz because he'd heard/seen Micky audition for the part.  

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For a guy who didn't come from an acting background, his line delivery, comic timing, and nonverbal acting were all pretty great. Especially given that the other guys were given "roles" - Mickey the crazy one, Peter the dreamy dope, Davy the cute ladies man - Mike was sort of the "straight guy" who made them all better.

And, he was wearing hats inside 40 years before the hipsters picked it up!

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I LOVED this show as a kid/teenager and recently started watching them again when they pop up on retro channels. I admit that they don't hold up to my childhood ideal, but they are inventive, high-energy, and a fun way to spend a half-hour. And, the songs more than hold up.

I find that the later eps of the first season and the early eps of the second season are the best. They had found their groove and hadn't tired of the show yet. The later eps of the second season show their weariness with the conceit (altho that last Wizard Glick episode is very trippy and amusing and they all seem to be having fun.)

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Ditto to what 17wheatthins said ... LOVED his songs and he was (and frankly still is) a very talented and, dare I say it, sexy man. "Papa Gene's Blues" remains my favorite Monkees song to this day ... 

Also, I don't think he is given enough credit for really being one of the true pioneers of what became the modern-day music video ... 

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Definitely my favorite video clip ... this is the actual original version ... the episode ended up airing later than planned and by the time it did, "Little Bit Me, Little Bit You" was the big hit so they dubbed that in in place of "When Love Comes Knocking At Your Door" (another one of my favorite Monkees songs). So I like this one more because ... 

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"Monkees on Tour" was a strange hybrid -as the opening scene was a comedic introduction to the episode's actual plot ( a mini documentary showing them as the successful performers they were  on a tour date). What was especially odd about that first scene was that not only were all but Davy wearing obviously fake beards for no given reason but also that it was filmed in (of all places) the Stephenses' living room in  Bewitched  and they made their exit via the back patio (what did Mrs. Kravitz have to say about that?! LOL).

  Perhaps the most ironic thing about this docu was that it showed parts of their live show in front of their audience who never stopped screaming to deafening levels and it's likely the viewers at home got to actually HEAR what numbers they'd played far better than the audience members did.

Edited by Blergh
covered s via e
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Funny too how both Micky and Davy were the most singers and how Peter and Mike did the most acting. Funny because they both could sing very well, but then again Mike was the serious musician and person both in the group and in real life off the set. Micky had this great sense of comedic timing and movement even when he sang. He just lived up the room. 

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Mike was always a favorite of mine too. He just was the straight man who had great chemistry with the entire group. You saw their relationships and Mike knew how to talk and work with all of them. I remember in the final episode of the series when they were doing their personal walks with them. Mike was talking about how he never envisioned a life like this and it wasn't what he really wanted, but was very happy he came to be friends with everyone. 

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Yeah, Peter has the most "true hollywood" story out of all four members. His talking in interviews about his drug and drinking towards the end of the series and afterwards. I know when he was doing guest spots on shows playing of all things a musician. He wanted to have them fit in about his sad past even in passing basically saying: "I made a lot of bad decisions, but there is hope, so believe you can do better." 

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8 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

I just loved Micky; he was my largest childhood crush, lol. I find it interesting that the two actors who also sang - Davy and MIcky - did the most singing by far, and the two musicians who acted - Peter and Mike - sang very rarely.

At the time, TPTB (Kirshner in particular) thought Mike and Peter were the weakest vocalists and thought Micky and Davy were the most commercial in terms of selling records.  I still enjoy Mike's vocals  - as he tends to shine best on the country rock he helped pioneer but he's far from awful.  Here's his vocals on one of the earliest recording of his song, "Girl I Knew From Somewhere".  While I understand going with Micky's rendition, it's still pleasant to hear and is a nice switch up from time to time.

Peter was a decent vocalist (you had to be able to sing to audition for the group after all!) but at the time it was more limited compared to the other three.  He could do folk tunes well enough and he sounded great singing his part of "Shades of Gray", and hilariously OTT for "Auntie Grizelda".  But  he was limited in register - especially for rock and pop music which as The Monkees bread and butter.  There's a song which was not included in original release of More Of The Monkees album called "I Don't Think You Know Me".  The song had three different vocal versions - one for Mike one for Micky and one for Peter.  I think Mike's version is the best and honestly it should have been included on one of their early albums back in the day.  I do admit Peter's version has been growing on me despite its flaws.

Peter has improved a lot over the years and he can still wow-em at concerts.

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23 hours ago, Blergh said:

What was especially odd about that first scene was that not only were all but Davy wearing obviously fake beards for no given reason

It was because the other three had grown beards during their film break (they had been busy recording Headquarters during the time they filmed the intro).  I guess someone thought it funny to make them wear fake beards over the real ones (since they had a clean shaven image to keep) rather than make them shave.

 

Also to note that much of the action that took place off stage was faked for the episode.  Sort of a proto-"reality TV" thing.  Peter acknowledged in a DVD commentary that their director (Bob Rafelson) would tell them to remark about the area around them,  to make things look interesting for TV ("Say something 'green' Peter" was one of those).  The hotel the group stayed at was completely booked for the guys and the crew.  No other guests whatsoever.  

Edited by magicdog
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On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 1:36 AM, Blergh said:

The irony is that Mr. Jones was a talented drummer and even guitarist but they insisted on him being a singer and tambourine while the guitarist Mr. Dolenz was made the drummer mainly because TPTB were afraid Mr. Jones wouldn't be seen by the audience behind the taller members of the band if he stayed in the background!

They also wanted him front and center.  British accent was worth it's weight in gold then.  And they needed a cutie-pie up front, like McCartney for the Beatles.

I lived near him when he was here in the US.  I liked him OK enough at one time (he was never my favorite), but after meeting him a number of times, and talking to other people who had met him/bumped in to him, he really turned me off.  He just wasn't friendly - even at events he was paid to be at, and I have little patience for people who rack up multiple DUI's while driving in my area.  The person who helped him write his books also lived here.  He was a doll - I liked him.  I knew someone who worked for him at one time, and had nothing but good things to say about him.  And people didn't mob him - he'd be at Wal-Mart or the mall, and people might discreetly talk to him, but mostly left him alone.  People here understand and value privacy and personal space.  But still, he was often less than kind, sadly, and that tarnished him in my eyes.  Micky was snippy with my mom once, but later apologized.  A little of that goes a long way.  

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I've met Peter.  He's the most kind, humble, compassionate person I've ever met.  Highly intelligent.  He does a one-man show where he talks about his childhood, and his parents, and his time in show biz.  He says nothing but good things about his parents and brother.  He freely admits he messed up for a number of years.  He had a hard time adjusting to fame, and being forced to play a dummy, which is a complete 180 from who he is).  A lot of people have trouble with fame, and they end up dead (suicide, OD, murdered through risky behavior, etc).  He's also highly sensitive, and as such, is most likely easily manipulated (falls for sob stores that may not be true, etc).  He did say his parents were reserved - his father was in politics, and that life has you having to keep up appearances, etc, and they weren't exactly thrilled about him dropping out of school to go to New York and the Folk Music scene, but most parents wouldn't be.  As smart as he was, and as good at music as he was, they probably wanted him to finish school and go on to something more stable.  Plus, they probably worried about him being in LA, and the scene out there, and they were right to be worried.  In 1996, I was at one of their shows in a wheelchair.  I had broken my leg, and was not allowed to walk on it, but the tickets were purchased.  He saw me sitting in the lobby with my husband, and  told the theater to have me come in and sit down so I wouldn't be trampled, or have difficulty.  We watched him do his sound check and warm-up.  It was awesome.  He played some classical stuff on the keyboard, and said jokingly "Any requests?".  I said "Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor!".  And didn't he play it!  Got to chat with him after his one man show a few years ago, and I told him of how I encountered him when I was 13, but was too star-struck and awkward to talk to him and then he left when I finally got up the nerve, and I always regretted it.  He gave me a hug and said "Well, I'm here now!  What did you have to say to me?".  I was just floored.  So was my husband, who thanked him after I got up for being so kind.  He told my husband the pleasure was all his.  :)

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7 hours ago, magicdog said:

At the time, TPTB (Kirshner in particular) thought Mike and Peter were the weakest vocalists and thought Micky and Davy were the most commercial in terms of selling records.  I still enjoy Mike's vocals  - as he tends to shine best on the country rock he helped pioneer but he's far from awful.  Here's his vocals on one of the earliest recording of his song, "Girl I Knew From Somewhere".  While I understand going with Micky's rendition, it's still pleasant to hear and is a nice switch up from time to time.

Peter was a decent vocalist (you had to be able to sing to audition for the group after all!) but at the time it was more limited compared to the other three.  He could do folk tunes well enough and he sounded great singing his part of "Shades of Gray", and hilariously OTT for "Auntie Grizelda".  But  he was limited in register - especially for rock and pop music which as The Monkees bread and butter.  There's a song which was not included in original release of More Of The Monkees album called "I Don't Think You Know Me".  The song had three different vocal versions - one for Mike one for Micky and one for Peter.  I think Mike's version is the best and honestly it should have been included on one of their early albums back in the day.  I do admit Peter's version has been growing on me despite its flaws.

Peter has improved a lot over the years and he can still wow-em at concerts.

Peter has a voice for folk music, and that's where his passion was.  He doesn't have the power to do rock music, which can make his range appear limited.  I played in pit orchestra in high school - we played the music for musicals.  There was a girl who had a nice voice and a big range, but no power.  And this was the days before headset microphones were cheap, or readily available.  They'd put her in a prominent role, but we'd have to quiet down when she had a solo so people could hear her.  His version of "I Don't Think You Know Me" is my favorite, followed shortly by Mike's.  He sang it as his one man show, and I loved it.

Mike has a lovely powerful voice (he sounds amazing live), but I was never in to country, so it took a number of years for me to warm up to him, but I love him now.

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Carlisle Wheeling is probably my favorite of his - you need to go to albums with unreleased tracks to find that one.  Love Oklahoma Backroom Dancer too.

Saw Mike with the group on the tour after Davy passed.  Drove 5 hours for that show.  It was worth every penny.  He was right back in to his show persona (which I think probably isn't far off his real persona), playing the voice of reason, and straight man.

He and Micky are hitting the road this summer, but only a handful of dates, and the only one near me is a theater I absolutely hate, and won't go to.

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I loved them, but it would annoy me when they'd swap songs out.  I'd also really get irritated when there was a TV version of a song, and the version on the album was different.  I'd get the cassette back in the 80's and be surprised that I wasn't hearing the version I was used to.  Mostly, I'd prefer TV versions (especially "You Just May Be The One" and "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet"), but sometimes the TV version wouldn't be as good ("Valleri", for one).  

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5 minutes ago, bad things are bad said:

Mickey was my boy. I was in sixth grade when the show started and I was already too tall for Davy, who just about every girl I knew was in love with. 

But alas, Mickey didn't wait for me :( and went off and married that British chippy. 

He was my mom's too.  She just graduated high school when the show started, and she remembered him from Circus Boy (which she also loved).  So when the 80's rolled around, I liked him too and he was my favorite at first, but we bumped in to him once, and he wasn't very nice to my mom (she was very quiet, and not trying to mob him or anything).  My mom wasn't very nice back.  Then we found out he wasn't nice to someone else we knew, so that kind-of turned me on him, and Peter ended up being my favorite (and still is).  I will give him this:  Micky apologized to my mom later, and that redeemed him to me.  Everyone is entitled to a bad day - the apology helped a lot.

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14 hours ago, funky-rat said:

we bumped in to him once, and he wasn't very nice to my mom (she was very quiet, and not trying to mob him or anything).  My mom wasn't very nice back.  Then we found out he wasn't nice to someone else we knew, so that kind-of turned me on him, and Peter ended up being my favorite (and still is).

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.

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I don't think I have it anymore, but it might be available online somewhere. There was a video of them (minus Mike) answering questions on stage with an audience (this was from a long time ago- maybe late 80s).  I do recall Micky & it was the same thing. There was a program from a concert (& I used to have that too but not anymore) with a picture of Micky & Peter in front of Micky's Jaguar. Someone asked him what kind of car it was & he put up his hand & made a face while he answered 'Jaguar', in a you idiot tone of voice.  At another point the audience was cheering & he stopped, turned a bit with his hand up again & asked someone behind him 'Why are they screaming?', sounding irritated. 

I've been a Monkees fan forever (although Peter was always my fav), but that struck me about Micky because I didn't expect him to be that way with his fans.

Edited by gonecrackers
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On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 1:36 AM, Blergh said:

The irony is that Mr. Jones was a talented drummer and even guitarist but they insisted on him being a singer and tambourine player while the guitarist Mr. Dolenz was made the drummer mainly because TPTB were afraid Mr. Jones wouldn't be seen by the audience behind the taller members of the band if he stayed in the background!

I remember back in the day when the teen magazines would have a poll Davy would always win for best tambourine player. I never did find out who came in second. He also got high praise for his maracas playing.

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I remember back in the day when the teen magazines would have a poll Davy would always win for best tambourine player. I never did find out who came in second.

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.

 

I had heard about the heavy drinking that occurred in the years before he died.  There was a rumor some of it was related to his last marriage to one Jessica Pacheco.  No one seemed to like her and thought her an opportunist (even the other Monkees and Davy's older daughters chose not to attend their wedding).  There was also a rumor (never validated) that Davy's brother in law (his third wife's brother) was involved in shaking down venues for money during the 2011 tour and pocketing it.  His wife was also suspected of physically abusing him.  During one of their last Monkee tours, his wife would do flamenco dances in between sets and fans were not too pleased seeing this "interloper" perform.  I've never been at those concerts, but from what I'd heard this was her way of horning in on the act and few if anyone in the audience enjoyed the performance.  TBH, something like that doesn't fit into a Monkee concert anyway.  The concerts for decades never changed significantly in that it was the Monkees as a group singing songs from the show/latest album, and each Monkee separately singing a song that was more personal to them.  Peter sang folk songs (like "Cripple Creek"), Mickey would do an R&B tune (although in the 90s he used to love to sing "Since I Fell For You" by the Vogues), Davy would do a show tune (although many fans begged him to sing "Girl"!), and Mike would do Country or R&B ("Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover").  Flamenco dancing was never in the equation.

I'm no expert, but based on rumor alone, it seems Davy was lonely and didn't want to grow old and alone, which lead him to marrying the wrong woman.

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3 hours ago, gonecrackers said:

Someone asked him what kind of car it was & he put up his hand & made a face while he answered 'Jaguar', in a you idiot tone of voice.  At another point the audience was cheering & he stopped, turned a bit with his hand up again & asked someone behind him 'Why are they screaming?', sounding irritated. 

I can't understand why anyone would scream about it either.  Jags aren't THAT hard to get (expensive, but not unobtainable).  

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The "Deluxe" versions of their albums tend to have more versions of certain songs or alternate takes.  Believe it or not, I liked the first version of Valleri more than the polished version that was eventually released on The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees album.   

 

As far as romps go, I'd always enjoyed the one from "The Spy Who Came In From The Cool".  It seems to have all the relevant clips of them at their zaniest and it flowed well to the song, "Saturday's Child".

I do wish that current repeats would try to dub in the more current tunes (from their 2016 Good Times album).  It would make sense since it was normal to do that when the show was in its original run to boost new releases.  Some YT fans dubbed in "Our Own World" over the romp from "One Man Shy" and it fits almost perfectly!  

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1 hour ago, magicdog said:

I can't understand why anyone would scream about it either.  Jags aren't THAT hard to get (expensive, but not unobtainable).  

Yeah, that might have been what they were screaming about but I can't recall. He was visibly annoyed though & could've been nicer even if the audience was being a bit silly. They were excited fans; no need to be rude to them.

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And, he was wearing hats inside 40 years before the hipsters picked it up!

Hee!  As a matter of fact, in the beginning, I didn't know that his wool cap was indeed his!  I had thought when I first saw the show as a child that it was a gimmick for his character.  When I saw his audition video, there he was wearing it!  I had since read his grandmother made it for him - and he'd often wear it to keep is hair out of his eyes when he was on his motorcycle. 

 

I also remember an interview in which he had mentioned he'd lost the cap at some point, although wardrobe had given him at least two other knit caps during the show's run.  He also mentioned someone actually had reunited him with the original many, many years later.

 

On 2/23/2018 at 8:31 AM, funky-rat said:

Carlisle Wheeling is probably my favorite of his

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).

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Funny thing is that Mr. Nesmith's character was to be CALLED 'Wool Hat' (and was in the Pilot by the one-shot manager) but, thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and he was just 'Mike' regardless of how much he wore that hat! 

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Obviously, I don't know the late Mr. Jones's daughters or last wife but I found it a bit telling that when he died, his daughters started a relief fund to keep his beloved horses that he'd raised and considered family to be well-maintained and fed while his last wife does not seem to have participated in this. It should be said that his learning to care for horses as a teen somewhat saved him from total despair when his mother died and gave him a reason to think his horizons could be beyond having to spend his entire life struggling in a working class neighborhood. 

Edited by Blergh
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