Naked Persimmon Waxes Poetic

Their FB post about the 2013 Tour ending last week.

Cause It Looks Like We've Made It Once Again...

//Yes, it looks like we’ve made it to…the end?//

It’s been exactly one week since The Monkees played the last show of their A Midsummer’s Night with the Monkees 2013 tour. The tour provided a sense of magic for so many of us—Monkee Magic, if you will—and reminded us of exactly why we love these boys so much. An event that one year ago seemed so unlikely has now become the highlight of the year for many a Monkees fan.

It was (and arguably still is) believed by some that the death of Davy Jones also meant the death of the Monkees, as any sort of collective touring or performing entity. Much like a phoenix, however, the three remaining Monkees rose from the ashes of Davy’s untimely demise and went out on the road, holding the Monkees banner high and continuing on the legacy that Davy had infused with his unforgettable spirit.

//It cannot be a part of me, for now it’s part of you...//

And when we, the fans, sat in the seats or danced in the aisles at those shows, there was not a single doubt in our minds that Davy Jones was very much on that stage, spiritually if not bodily. We watched Micky, Peter, and Michael play, sing, and laugh together, their camaraderie fully eclipsing any previous Monkee drama and stripping away the pretense to one very simple core principle:

No matter what happens, the Monkees will always be the Monkees.

They will always comfort us in our darkest times, bring smiles to our faces when we need it the most, delight and surprise us when we rediscover them again and again. Because the Monkees are part of our lives, we have been changed for the better, and nothing can undo that.

Seeing the Monkees on stage this summer brought us back to that safe place inside—that childlike state of being where life makes sense and isn’t as hard when you have your friends there with you. And it gave us a glimpse—however brief—into what it would have been like to be in that audience forty-five years ago, heart pounding and pulse racing as four young men with seemingly boundless energy gave us the show of our lives.

Just as they did this summer.

//If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance...//

This would be the place where it would be entirely too easy to become maudlin. To ponder, moderately-sized lump in throat, whether or not this was the last Monkees tour. We could speculate, hypothesize, deliberate over the numerous possibilities…but it almost seems a disservice, both to the Monkees and the fans.

There are not enough words for how grateful we are to have been given the gift of this tour. So many things stood to go awry—as we know from Monkees tours past—but whether through design or fate, this tour started and concluded without a hitch. Egos stayed under control, and what was most important was made and stayed important: The music, and the happiness of the fans

If there is one thing we have learned, it is that, when it comes to the Monkees, never say never. Ultimately, the decision to tour again rests solely with three particular men…but it is our feeling that Davy’s passing has made Micky, Peter, and Nez see that life is still there to be lived, and that as long as the spirit is willing and the body is able, there are still places to go and songs to sing. 

And as long as they are singing, we’ll be listening.

John Ware, Drummer of The First National Band reviews the 2013 Tour

The reviews about the 2013 Tour keep pouring in.  Mostly just random fan ravings, excited bubbles about which songs they put in ("Door Into Summer") and which they took out ("Daily Nightly").  The Boys are full of energy and as great as ever, etc, etc...

So when I happen across a genuine and completely unique take on a concert, I pay attention.  And so should you. Not just because it is from a contemporary of The Boys.  Or because he's a musician.  Or even that he's played with Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band (which included member's of Elvis' band, TCB).  Or even because he's from Nez's First National Band.  Or because he's really interesting, as this rare interview from WheresThatSoundComingFrom .  To help you get situated, there's also connections to Red Rhodes (Nez's Pedal Steel Player) and the Flying Burrito Brothers, who famously scoffed at the former Monkee and his Alt-Country pet-project. Just because you have 2 former Byrds, doesn't mean you should throw stones at glass houses . . . (or whatever metaphor you'd like to use)

Read John Ware's take on things: a positive review for an entirely different set of reasons.  You don't have to be a fanatic from the '60's craze, or just another appreciative musician.  You just have to GET IT.  He got it.

From John Ware's Facebook post, 8/6/13, 5pm Eastern Time:

OK...we all know the truth. It was a goddamn television show. It stole it's look from Richard Lester's HARD DAY'S NIGHT...wholesale. Three of the four principals were actors with modest skills beyond clowning and frowning, and Michael Nesmith didn't get the gig because he could write memorable songs. He got it because he was funny and showed up at auditions wearing a $2 knit watch cap...a gimmick. It "HAPPENED" because the time was right. The POP music business has always been a squirrelly bitch. The public knows what it likes, and it quite often likes garbage. The public especially likes garbage fed to them regularly on a TV screen, and THE MONKEES were a banquet for the masses. I barely knew they existed. I was in college, and television was not my drug. I also didn't listen to much pop music radio. I had my own recorded stash, and I DID inhale. Mainly I blissed on a band from "back home." It was the backing band for a white devil named Ronnie Hawkins. My college classmates HATED the shit I had - not that any of them were glued to pop radio. I discovered Mike Nesmith quite circuitously. I got a job right out of grad school playing drums for the Stone Poneys (a logical progression if ever one were offered), and Mike wrote Linda Ronstadt's hit single, DIFFERENT DRUM. He was "around" the band, because we were working his material. Over a period of months Mike and I became friends, and (this is well documented) we eventually made music TOGETHER. I had nothing to do with the MONKEE-shines. I certainly became aware of his part of the TV boy band, but it wasn't the music THEY promoted. It was the music that HE wrote. I missed what had been produced to capitalize on the synthetic fame of the group, and, by that, I mean I missed the complexity of the songs "they sang." It's easy to dismiss the MONKEES and yet very hard to deny that the records (the radio assault) were exceedingly well crafted fare. That fact was hammered home to me at the Monday night show the "boys" presented at the Paramount Theatre in Denver. It was a sensory BLAST in keeping with the TV heritage. The entire "concert" was accompanied by a non-stop jumbo screen montage (sometimes synched to the show and sometimes NOT), and the 100 running minutes was also non-stop. There was no room for daddy...no coming up for air in the backseat of my Chevy. Those guys WORKED HARD FOR THEIR MONEY, and, whether one likes the tunes or no, it was a recitation of perfectly sculpted POP MATERIAL. I'm here to say there were no ONE/FOUR/FIVE songs on the playlist, and, if you have to look that up, do so now. Onstage the players looked like a gathering at a neighborhood bake sale, including the moms and your strange uncle, Bob. They may have looked bizarre, but the ensemble played a tight, musical, exuberant (bet you're surprised by THAT one), and memorable tunestack that deserves a STANDING O.

"All Roads Lead to The Monkees"; The Economics of Merch

Interesting post about one fan's perspective on the band, on why using their real names started a trend but killed the rest of their careers.  Jerry Seinfeld, case in point.  Glee, America's Got Talent, American Idol, etc.  Larger media viewpoint.  What else does this reveal about their current "value" in the market?

I've been pondering the idea of the "20 Year Silence" the author refers to.  Roughly the time in between 1970 and 1986 (give or take 4 years).  Considered by this culture to be "prime entertainment years", the band became sensations again in their 40's.  And again in 1997, with a tv show and more touring.  And now in their 70's, they are more popular than ever.  Is it because the original marketing in the 1960's was innovative and now the brand is continuing that objective?

Looking at the Current Net Worth of the individuals: MN=$50 Mil, MD= $7 Mil, PT=$4 Mil, DJ=$5 Mil, the enterprising economist in me wonders what the comparison would be to 1960's, 1986's, etc. (Also the idea of "Net Worth" is essentially unrelated to "Personal Value", significance to fans, etc. Just a financial calculation of their holdings, potentials in contract negotiations, etc. Don't be offended!!)

Literally, I have been "coming out" about the Monkees to friends only recently.  Afraid that people who take themselves "too seriously" about music would react negatively, especially in favor of the Beatles or the Stones.  Some people still do that (mostly men older than 50).  But I find that anyone under that, especially women, hold no grudge.  At dinner the other night, I was talking to some friends from MIT about guilty pleasures in music.  The Monkees were assumed to be mainstream.  Which makes me re-evaluate their outsider/underdog status.  With the recent tour, they are getting to be just too popular.  When in doubt, I will always refer back to the original TV show.

Of all things, the TV show is almost an area of ANTI-Merchandising for the modern fan.  Kellogg's, sure.  But Yardley Soap?  And all of the memorabilia is offered only at Yard Sales, Conventions and eBay. There has got to be a peculiar area of Economics that is ripe for dissection about residual loyalties of old television shows.

I find it separately interesting that the "2013 Tour Merch" is so successful and predictably so, for the logo on anything can multiply its inherent value to a fan.  See 2012/2013 Tambourines selling and reselling for $20 to $30 (value without the brand, estimated at $5).  The Tour Book also includes any and all pictures of the current threesome, without any additional manipulations-which may or may not be an artistic decision.  There are pictures of the band walking down hallways, and for whatever reasons, Davy is blocked by another member (mostly because he is so short).  A vendor complained that the publishers did not bother to airbrush out his feet/legs/top of his head and attributed it to a lack of funding in not hiring a graphic artist to re-touch the photos (?).  There are also reports that the DJ Estate was asking too much to license his likeness for ay of the merch.  There is still a "Daddy's Song" tribute during the concert and much mention of honoring his memory, but Davy Jones fans are still bristling at the fact that he is not a bigger presence as part of their experience, i.e. Nothing for them to buy/invest in.

The Davy Jones Equine Foundation, run by his daughters, provides any number of items for purchase, directly or indirectly using Davy's image. The "Keep Calm and Ride On" tshirts were everywhere at the Monkees convention and the concerts I have attended.  Most fans I have run into are active on Facebook (all ages) and would be likely to have seen these shirts.  Notice that there is zero representation of this foundation at the tour merch table.

I would estimate that the average ticket price is around $100, and that the average fan probably spends an additional $40 at the venue for Merch or food/drinks. The current tour Merch Table offerings are here. (And I think my estimations are still conservative)  Other monetary factors include parking fees, time +gas, motels/hotels, multi-stop fans/groupies, and buying tickets for members of your family or friends who would not pay for the show (or attend at all) unless the main fan does all the legwork.

Applause Factor

A FB post from Nez on the road.  I agree with him, and even though I have decades to go, I'm trying to build my life with investments that will pay off exponentially the older I get.  Glad to hear him appreciating all that's coming his way.

Notes from the road -- summer 2013 Monkees tour

Austin 

A friend of mine out here told me a story I found interesting so I thought I would pass it on.

A famous composer and wife -- along in years -- recently applied for life insurance for him. They expected it would be expensive given his age.

The agent asked what he was doing these days and the composer shyly dodged the question, but she spoke up and said they were traveling quite a bit. They were going from city to city by invitation to attend performances of his works and accolades from his fans.

The agent hardly skipped a beat and said "Oh, then we can add ten years to his life expectancy. We call it the "applause" factor".

It made sense to me. Applause is appreciation and appreciation is increase. I think it is one of the reasons gratitude is such a powerful and happy state of mind.

I've certainly been getting my share on this tour. The crowds have been fantastic -- singing along and shouting and clapping. They seem to be having the best time. I see huge smiles everywhere we are playing -- young and old. I'm trying to give back as much as I get but its hard. I don't think I have ever been on the receiving end of so much joy. Appreciation, indeed.

It makes me very happy, too -- and it makes me feel good -- physically feel good. Sometimes I find myself spontaneously laughing with delight in the middle of a song. I look out at the crowds and they are beautiful. I tell them so -- but the comment pales in comparison to what they give to us.

It is a nice touch.

We are in Austin starting the Texas leg of the tour. Lots of friends here and lots to look forward too.

Austin is also the "hump" for us --- the point in the tour when there are fewer dates before you than there are behind you -- the halfway point.

We will celebrate with Aaron Franklin's barbecue and a friendly hang at the Hotel tomorrow -- a traditional "over the hump" road party. Just the band and crew and a few friends.

Another nice touch.

Funniest Gaffs

So the tour is going strong, with not too many mishaps.  In Red Bank, Peter was about to start "Daydream Believer" on his keyboard and it didn't work.  Micky came over and said, "Oh no!", Mike came over and said, "Oh no!"  Then Peter said (to the supporting keyboard player, David Alexander), "Take it away, David"

(Not that anyone in the audience might expect a different "David" to pitch in!)

Port Chester, NY then Boston then Red Bank, NJ (who planned this?  Someone who wanted to get in extra frequent flier miles?)

And last night, Friday, July 19, it was Westbury, Long Island, NY.

Here is the copy from the actual website of the venue.  How many errors & typos can YOU find?

The Monkees are back! Join them on Fiday the 19th of July 2013! The show starts at 8:00pm at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, New York… Are you ready?

The American-British pop group, The Monkees were brought together from the casting process of a TV series aired initially between 1966 and 1968. The original foursome; Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Michael Nezmith and Micky Jones were talented musicians, actors and later in their career proved to be songwriters too. In 1966, they had their debut onNBC with the immediate hit ‘Last Train to Clarkesville’. By the mid nineties, The Monkees have proved themselves as having their own legacy to leave, releasing the first album solely produced by the fur band members independantly; Justus. Peter Tork left The Monkees in 2001, whilst the surviving trio continued to stick together. Since then Michael Nezmith has released a solo album and the three Monkees are setting the way touring during 2012 and 2013 with hits such as ‘Hey hey, we are the Monkees’, ‘A manufactured image’, ‘You know we love to Please’ and ‘No Philosiphies’. Time has undoubtedly vindicated their music, making it still as fresh as the day it was recorded.

Don’t miss out on some true music and entertainment. Tickets are on sale now!

http://www.westburymusicfair.org/events/376/#.UepjzFV7P2E

Check it out, really. The comments section is just as hilarious.  Fans call them on the errors: "PT left in 2001, whilst the surviving trio"-does that mean that Davy will be at this show?  Yahoo!  And who is Micky Jones anyway?

Set List-Port Chester, NY 1st Night of Summer 2013 Tour

Thanks to the Monkee Collectible Page on Facebook who attribute it to John Harris.  (I wasn't there, I hate to admit)  It does seem similar to the 2012 tour, and this time their goal seems to be "all those stops we didn't make last year".  They have such a huge catalogue (180ish songs recorded, give or take-but there are also multiple versions).  Fan comments still discuss lack of Davy (and how they can't do "Valleri").  I'm a big fan of the obscure numbers, but I don't imagine the crowds approving of a "Deep Cuts" concert.

It's a summer arena-style tour, with video projections and lots of fun getting the crowd riled up.  (I'd personally rather return to the shows at this moment and save my concerts for newer -to me- music)


Last Train to Clarksville
Papa Gene’s Blues
Your Auntie Grizelda
The Kind of Girl I Could Love
She
Sweet Young Thing
I’m a Believer
Steppin' Stone
You Told Me
Sunny Girlfriend
Mary, Mary
The Girl I Knew Somewhere (Michael lead vocal)
Early Morning Blues and Greens (Peter lead vocal)
Randy Scouse Git
For Pete’s Sake
No Time
Words
Daily Nightly
Tapioca Tundra
Goin’ Down
Porpoise Song
Can You Dig It
Circle Sky
As We Go Along
Do I Have To Do This All Over Again
Daddy’s Song (Davy video from Head)
Daydream Believer
What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?
Listen to the Band
Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky
Pleasant Valley Sunday

The Hampton Stop on Mike's Tour Tunnel

Personally, I love the way he takes funny little moments and focuses on them.  Being famous and semi-unrecognizable.  Sitting by a mirror and getting caught by the onlooker-"non-girlfriends" who flirt with him.  Beyond the idea of sexuality/fame/"meetings that are a touch strange".

Very eloquent in his own way, letting you know why he'd be wearing shades.  His head seems to be the most interesting at the moment. Peter and Micky seem content to just show up.  Mike's still thinking and out-putting.

To quote his latest FB post: (dated 7/15/13, probably noon Eastern Time, a few hours before their first stop in Port Chester, NY, the first of their 2013 Summer tour dates)

Notes from the Road – Monkees Summer 2013

I’m starting to feel like I live on a different part of the planet. This is not a nation state I’m talking about – it is actually not even a space – it is more like a space of states – like thay have over in the Quantum garage.

The constant traveling creates one long tunnel – and I am familiar with that now – but it also creates an insular community at its center with access now and then to little stops along the way to get out and explore the land and the people.

Latest for me was the Hamptons – up to visit a new friend with some time off – and we went to the Candy Kitchen for a meal. I little local’s place with pretty good breakfast and lunch. It looked like a real soda fountain but I didn’t try it.

We took a seat at the back of the restaurant where we could watch the people making a long walk from the front entrance past our booth to their tables. Pretty people, ordinarily pretty if you catch my drift. All shiny and all making eye contact.

When the lovely young girls came by and smiled coyly I got a little self-conscious but always returned the smile. I was surprised how unabashed they were – they would walk the whole concourse from the front door to the back room beyond our booth and never lose eye contact, and almost all were showing off – even posing a bit -- but, like I say mostly coy.

A group of particularly beautiful young women came in and all of them were staring, looking directly at me and turning this way and that showing off their best features. I was surprised at their recognition of me. I haven’t been recognized out of context in years. I am usually just another old guy about his business, having dinner or breakfast. The best I usually get is the Starbuck’s shout-out to no-one or the captured cashier at the grocery store and supermarkets wondering how I am.

I figured the recent Monkee concerts must be building the awareness and so I was happy to greet everyone as they came by with a smile and a nod, although the exchange was a touch strange. It didn’t matter. I was swept away by the open friendliness and the acknowledgement.

It took about thirty minutes of this until I realized I was sitting in a booth that was in front of, and just below, a huge mirror. I was invisible down in the booth – but the customers could all see themselves in the mirror as they walked by staring, primping, smiling -- making eye contact.

My friends and I laughed when I finally pointed it out and explained why I had been distracted for the last half hour.

My friends were not members of the Roadspace nation – they were landed gentry who lived among the locals – and they had a good laugh -- but not the same laugh I did,

I knew what this was. The beginning of the “twist” from here to there and finally to everywhere on the road, where all realities obviously intersect at the ego and pushes buzzers never felt before.

I had dozens of new non-girlfriends at the Candy Kitchen – quantum state girlfriends.

I am going to have to wear special glasses on this Monkees tour to make sure to stay out of the gentle traps – I can see that.

Port Chester NY tonight -- with a new video wall.

• 
  

Mike on Snowden, Yet Another Great Facebook Post

Mike's latest FB post.  This is how he discusses the upcoming tour, the king of non-sequiturs and ANYTHING except the matter at hand.

This just in from Mike.

I hardly know where to begin. We – Micky and Peter and I – are in rehearsals for the Monkees tour that starts in Port Chester New York next Monday and now we find out that Wiki leaks is keeping secrets. It boggles the mind.

You would think Wiki leaks would be more forthcoming about Snowden. After all, they are wiki leaks -- the preeminent secrets teller-- and that they would not stoop to keeping secrets especially when they know very well that Snowden is with us at the Monkees rehearsals as I write this.

Frankly I don’t care who knows it.

He came in even before we were set up and he is a bit of a pest but a real whiz on the computer. I didn’t believe it was him when he first told me but Peter insists that it is really him because he knows a guy that knew Micky that says it most definitely is Snowden. He also looks like him, a little. Same glasses. He is at the rehearsals with us and he says he is going to be on the bus reporting on the tour.

I can’t really tell. But all the signals are there. He came in and got right on line in the studio wifi, like, in seconds -- and it took me about an hour just to get somebody to tell me the password. It’s as if Snowden is a magician or something when it comes to code words and computer stuff. (I kept hitting the caps lock key and didn’t know it which is why I couldn’t get the password to work. I had the word right actually from the beginning – and don’t think I got it from wiki leaks, because I didn’t. Austin, the guitar tech told me.)

I’m really not one to talk. As many of you know I had the Higgs Boson for years under the bed at my house while everyone was looking for it. I wasn’t keeping it a secret though. I kept writing the guys at Cern and telling them I had it even before they built that big LHC for billions -- but they thought I was a crank. And it turns out that when I finally sent it to them it wasn’t the Higgs after all – even though they published that it was and had
this big party and all – and by then they knew it wasn’t the Higgs.

But this guy is definitely Snowden and he is at the rehearsal here with the band and all of us and I don’t know what the fuss is all about. He seems nice. He is eating a lot of the snacks we have.

He says the show is looking great and that he will help us promote it—he says he knows how to get the word out – and to encourage everyone to come. We can use the help.

We are working really hard to put together the best show ever. New video looks great, couple of new songs, the music sounds great and I have some new t shirts for the show. Hope you can get out to see it.

Snowden says that if he wasn’t committed to wiki leaks to keep his whereabouts a secret that he would actually invite everyone to the rehearsals. He thinks they are that good.

I like this guy – and I am sure it’s him now, after all those compliments.
See you on the 15th in NY with the Monkees!!