Hey, Hey We're The Monkees

In the late ‘80s, MTV and Nickelodeon began airing reruns of a show called The Monkees. This would be my first exposure to the band. Originally airing from 1966-1968, the show was something of a hit. The concept behind the band and TV program was to satirize the popularity of acts like The Beatles and their comedic films such as A Hard Day’s Night. The Monkees were not a band that formed independent of producers. Instead, each member was chosen for their given roles.

British actor/singer Davy Jones was the first person chosen for the project. The rest of the band came from auditions held in September of 1965. Americans Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, and finally, Peter Tork were chosen to round out the group. All of the members had experience with acting and singing to various degrees. The music for the TV show and their first couple of albums were written by outside songwriters, much to the chagrin of the band members, who wanted to write their own music.

Although the TV show only lasted for 2 seasons (and 58 episodes) it was a cultural phenomenon. The show even won two Emmy awards. The hit records and tours that proceeded it jolted the band to a new level of fame. That is until fans began to find out that the whole thing was a charade. None of the Monkees played their instruments on the albums. They only provided their vocals. This hurt their popularity.

After the TV show ended, the band would later make a psychedelic-inspired film called HEAD in 1968. Jack Nicholson, yes, THAT Jack Nicholson, actually provided much of the funding for the project and was a co-writer of the film. It was a mess of a movie and was panned by critics. It lost money and pretty much confirmed the end of Monkee-Mania.

That didn’t mean the band was through. They would continue to make music and tour for a while. Eventually, Peter Tork quit the band in 1969, followed by Mike Nesmith in 1970. Jones and Dolenz released one more album as the Monkees before the whole thing stopped. The group remained dormant (aside from a few semi-reunions throughout the ‘70s) until the late ‘80s, which is when MTV began airing the show once more.

I LOVED that show when I was a kid. Looking back, I can’t remember anything specific about it. I don’t recall any particular scene or moment from the show. I just remember being obsessed with watching it when it was on TV and laughing a lot. They were so silly! And for a kid who’s 8-10 years old, silly was all the rage.

It was weird, but not in a scary way. The show was trying to emulate a kind of British humor that was madcap, wild, and often times surreal. My love for the show naturally led me to their records. My parents had one album, a greatest hits album of sorts that was released in 1986 called Then & Now... the Best of The Monkees. I still have it and am listening to it as I write this.

It’s mostly old songs with a few new tunes included (hence the Then & Now part of the title). The Monkees would have a number of reunions and partial reunions over the next few decades. They’d put out the occasional new song or album. After the death of Davy Jones in 2012, the three remaining members recorded an album of new material. And guys, I have to say it’s not bad! It was produced by the late
Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne fame. It also featured songs from artists like Rivers Cuomo (Weezer), Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), Neil Diamond, Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Carole King, and others. My favorite tune from the record is called "Me & Magdalena".

The Monkees are such a weird thing to have had success for so long. We’re talking 55+ years of being an artistic endeavor. For something that started in a TV producer’s office as a satire of The Beatles, that’s pretty damn impressive. Peter Tork passed away in 2019, leaving Dolenz and Nesmith as the last surviving members. The duo is embarking on a farewell tour this year. As they both approach their 80s, they are not keen on doing any more big tours going forward. The music they leave behind will be legacy enough.