The Really Amazing Thing About Ed Sullivan's February 9, 1964 Show!

Let's start by talking about the obvious reason why this show this night was important. 

Davy Jones.

He had just hit Broadway in OLIVER!, fresh from the West End.  On his opening night in America, Judy garland took him to the roof of the theater to look out at the city lights.  "This is all yours,' she said.  The night on TV was his first exposure to America, and America's first exposure to the Artful Dodger.  His song was "I'll Do Anything", which seems to set the willing tone of his attitude for the rest of his career.

Another great performer that night was the impressionist Frank Gorshin, aka The Riddler from the Batman TY series starting in 1966.  His IMDB Number is 142, so he was in a TON of other things-but not the Monkees. NOTE: he is NOT to be confused with the impressionist David Astor who played in "Monkees on the Wheel" and had a James Cagney faceoff with Dolenz.  They are definitely the same type. And poor David Astor probably got confused with the RICH David Astor-British newspaper publisher and member of the famed Astor family.

Buried in this cavalcade of stars was Toni Basil's family, she was due to be the Monkee's choreographer just a few years later.  Her family was showbiz all the way, performing most of their act on the show here. She also went on to have her own Gold record with the smash hit Mickey in the 1980's, and to choreograph the Playboy Bunny Mansion dance scene in Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood.

Oh, and there were some boys from Liverpool.

Okay, so there are SOME TV Critics who will ONLY mention this one night in Ed Sullivan's career, trying to reinforce the night that changed music as the night that changed America. Despite the fact that Sullivan had already been active in show business for 32 years. And certainly had enough cache to create a show full of exciting acts-more than just the single event he may be remembered for.

So yeah, yeah, yeah. There's that.

Manchester

This brave (cowardly?) new world gets more complex.

Monday night, 22 people were killed at a concert. Including an 8 yr old girl. By a 22 year old man (kid?)

At an Ariana Grande concert, but if the terror wanted to strike preteen girls, it could have just as easily been The Beatles in 1964, (or the Monkees).

Or the next concert you go to. 

The 8 year old girl haunts me. She haunts the 8 year old me, and the grown woman I am that she will never become. 

Davy was from Manchester, an immigrant jockey/entertainer who came to America and was assimilated into a "Cowboy". A smiling nod at the truth.

All the girls screaming, their throats sore from screaming in happiness at music. 

The trauma & re-traumatizing of the original audience, and the viewers at home.

And lest you think this is about the terrorism of the moment, 1968 was a year of death & assassinations. It just gets edited out.  

But now you understand why they included that shot of a Vietnamese soldier getting killed in HEAD. It was as "popular" then on TV as the Zapruder film.

The media is the message. Everything is more immediate now, including the context of history.

Never forget.  Never forget that this is not new.

Charles Manson as a Songwriter

Okay, granted, this post is going to be creepy.  But I hope to bring in Manson as an example of the dark side of the 1960's.  The instigating event that made everyone put up high fences on their houses in the Canyon.  Also, as a warning to be wary of ANYONE who demands an overly loyal following, has a mental illness which demands murders of innocents (seen nowadays in mass shootings, although we as a society want to be vigilant about preventing the same).

The initial link to the Monkees is the FALSE rumor that Manson had auditioned for the tv show.

There are also influences from the Beatles in Manson's belief system, according to his concept of "Helter Skelter" and interpretations of the White Album.

Here is the link to him singing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhSUrg88ZC0

And another version of the song called, "Never Learn Not To Love", sung by the Beach Boys (!!) on Andy Williams.

Theories state that the murders were revenge on Terry Melcher (Doris Day's son!), a prolific producer who didn't sign Manson after a failed audition. Melcher produced the Byrds'"Ballad of the Easy Rider" (the theme for the movie which was NOT written by Peter Tork, although he has played his version on his most recent solo tour).  Candice Bergen was living with Melcher in the house 10050 Cielo Drive, the site where they met Manson and where the murders later occurred.

From Wiki:"Melcher also worked with Paul Revere & the Raiders, Wayne Newton, Frankie Laine, Jimmy Boyd, Pat Boone,Glen Campbell, Mark Lindsay and The Mamas & the Papas."

This topic came up because of the publication & publicity around a book written by Jeff Guinn.

You can't make this stuff up.

BeatleFest, 2013

Just in case there are Beatle fans out there who imagine that anyone who likes the Monkees is just plain nuts . . . and you know who you are . . . sometimes there is a tremendous amount of crossover.

The same organizer, Charles Rosenay, who brought the 2013 Monkee Convention to fruition, brought 10 tribute acts together to perform a day of Beatles-Covers. The proceeds all went to victims of Sandy Hook, which was close to where the festival took place.  It was held in Danbury, at the Charles Ives Concert Park, named for an incredible American Composer (my personal favorite of his is the Concord Sonata)

Here's a review by Fred Velez, all around Monkee-guy and blogger for Monkees.net.  Pictures of Ringer Star here, there's a reason there is only one "R", Fred.  It's a pun!

PS Here's Fred's description about the notoriously difficult Meet&Greets on Mike's solo(ish) 2013 tour:

In mid-March, there was a message on Nez’s Facebook page regarding the meet & greets. You had to log on to his Video Ranch website store, purchase a free Nesmith song download, and you were put on a list of folks who would get a special email of when to purchase the meet & greet passes, which was at the time limited to 25 people. The day the email message went out, it was at 4 in the morning. The first people to see it and purchase the m&g’s were insomniacs, and I didn’t look at my emails till 8am, by that time they were mostly gone. The week of the show at Rahway, I ran into a friend at Beatlefest in NJ who put me wise that he contacted someone at the Video Ranch store to see if there were any m&g passes left, and was told there was a limited number and he was able to purchase one for Rahway. I started calling and emailing Video Ranch and got with touch with someone at the store about the m&g, and finally was able to purchase a pair for myself and my Lovely Linda for the Town Hall concert in NYC. It took a little persistence, but I made it, Folks!

Here Comes The Sun

Last night I attended a marvelous (and recurring) event based upon the life & inspiration of George Harrison, run by Joshua M. Greene and Godfrey Townsend.  Joshua led the storytelling and the chanting, while Godfrey sang and played guitar.  Both of these men are highly accomplished.  For Joshua, in addition to being an accomplished musician, he also has an incredible bio & variety of books!  Godfrey has played and toured with a variety of bands, including the Alan Parsons Project (Zombie Connection!!)

The event itself was marvelous.  And I'm not the type who goes in for any kind of fluffy spiritual philosophy.  But Joshua M. Greene is a sincere practitioner and honors George's own discovery and history and belief in a way that offers an excellent balance to the PR HYpe that surrounds his legacy. Joshua himself played with George in 1970 and has written a George bio (Here Comes The Sun) which includes his own experiences & perspective of events.

They included a slideshow and video clips, which helped to give a strong chronology to the narrative.  The event filled the room, and the crowd was allowed to offer up questions in a low-key format.   There was good coverage of George's entire career, plus a portrayal of his spiritual side-which is difficult to get a handle on from the media reports of the time.

It was at the Open Center, description of event here.  If you are within the NYC area, it's a great idea to get onto their mailing list, just to keep an eye out for the next time they do this.  Apparently this was the 4th or 5th (or more?) time they have done it, and will probably do it again.

Additionally, Godfrey had been to the Monkees concert in Westbury, LI the night before and got into Mike's Dressing Room!  There were even a few Monkee jokes slipped into the act.  "A group of young men had invaded the scene . . . do you have the song cued up? . . . 'Here we come . . . Walkin down the street . . .'"

The Decade Between: July 6, 1957- July 6, 1967

Not that I post a lot of photos, there are plenty of sites for that, but here's a timecapsuled piece of Rock History.  The span of 10 years, from July 6, 1957 to July 6, 1967, the dead-center of Monkeemania.

July 6, 1957- The Quarrymen (founded 1956) play a gig at St Peter's Church in Liverpool.  They will become one of the best known Skiffle bands in history, along with Lonnie Donagan.  Ivan Vaughan, a bass player, introduces his classmate (Liverpool Institute) to his band.  The 15 year old kid is Paul McCartney.  The lead singer of the Quarrymen is John Lennon.

Fewer than 10 years later, a little film of theirs, Hard Day's Night (dir Richard Lester, who also did the films: Help!, Superman 2&3, The 3 & 4 Muskateers, Forum and Robin & Marian) would be released in the USA in 1965.

Side Note on Skiffle- Coined in the Chicago in the 1920's jazz scene for a style of home made music, Jug Band Music (yes, the Lovin Spoonful!!) and a "skiffle" was known as a "Rent Party".

And through the miracle of technology, we can date the picture below of the Monkees at the Warwick Hotel, at a press conference in NYC.  High as kites, riding on top of the world, the first season fully broadcast, 2 Emmys received a few weeks ago.  This year they will have outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, PUT TOGETHER.  Here they are at the top, thinking they can do no wrong, about halfway through their run (Auditions were announced September 8, 1965, shooting started in early 1966).  There will be a long downward spiral from here (Peter would buy out his contract 12/8/68), but this is smack-dab in the middle.

July 6 also happens to offer a connection as the birthday of both Bill Haley (1925-1981) and Pat Paulson (1927-1997).  

Bill Haley And His Comets had several famous recordings including "Rock Around the Clock", which served in the film "American Graffiti" and as the theme song for the first season of "Happy Days".  Glenn Ford would have a personal relationship with the song, him & the song both having co-starred in "Blackboard Jungle".  It's also the last song he hears on the car radio in "Superman" (note the callback to Richard Lester within this post!). The song was chosen from his son Peter's record collection.  The kid he had with dancer Eleanor Powell.

Pat Paulson (1927-1997), the officious official in "Monkees Watch Their Feet", who was also seen on the Smothers Brothers.  An excellent comedian with a deadpan delivery also ran for president in several elections and often beat out the real candidates (at least in the primaries!)

The Zombies!

The Zombies are on tour and will be playing in a town close to me.  I'm listening to an interview with Rod Argent on WMBR, Cambridge (MA), the MIT radio station on a program called "Lost and Found".  There's gonna be a ticket giveaway with a special invitation to MEET the band beforehand!

"Odessey and Oracle"-(sic) album.  The Zombies used Abbey Road Studios, literally occupying the studio right after The Beatles had completed "Sgt Pepper".  The title is persistently spelled wrong so as to be consistent with the artist who drew the album cover.  (Who says you can't rewrite the rules as an artist?)

"Time of the Season"-song (#3 in 1969), recorded 1967, released 1968.  Note the harmonies and the percussive breath used consistently through the song.  This is NOT a tape loop. This is Rod Argent's exhale every time!  Note the phrase: "Who's your daddy?"  It's the first mention of this phrase in pop culture.  At least according to Wikipedia.

"She's Not There" song, (#2, 1964) was noted by Pat Metheny (jazz guitarist) to be influenced in a modal style by Miles Davis.  Argent hadn't intended this, but acknowledged the reference immediately.

My personal theory is that the lyrics are lifted in spirit (if not quoted) from an old vaudeville routine called "Slowly I turn".   There are a variety of clips from "I Love Lucy" or the Three Stooges or Abbot & Costello.  I remember seeing it on The Danny Thomas Show, a.k.a. "Make Room For Daddy".  (That show itself offers connections to the Monkees through Hans Conried, Sheldon Leonard, and Annette Funicello, for those who are looking for a Sixth Degree payoff).

However, the best version (in existence on Youtube) of the routine is by Lucille Ball & Phil Silvers.  Just my opinion, but check it out & see if you can sense the similarity of the shape of the shtick.  Quiet, complaining about the loss of the lover, then a trigger word or phrase which makes the singer/teller go crazy.  In the song, it/s "She's not there".  In the routine, it's the place, "Niagara Falls" or the name, "Martha".

Shh . . .  I just won the tickets to the Sold Out Show AND the Meet&Greet! So expect a full report in a few days!

Beatles' Use of Bach, And a Challenge!

There are people in this world who will gladly rank the Beatles with Bach in terms of the "greatest composers", and will gladly denigrate a group like the Monkees for the sheer joy of hierarchy.  If you can isolate "The Best", then it is easier to label others as being derivative and mere imitators.

This blog is an attempt to enjoy everything for what it IS, rather than echo popular sentiment.  And maybe to question the wisdom of things like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, or anyone else who looks down their nose at a "Made for TV" band.  I believe we can look back at history and finally recognize the influences of all the great songwriters, musicians and talents involved as an incredibly rich asset.


April 25, 1967, "Inside Pop, The Rock Revolution", the NY Philharmonic Conductor and Composer, Leonard Bernstein appears on CBS (video and description held by the Paley Center), the description reads :
"Bernstein had an appreciation for all kinds of music, including rock. IIn this special, he examines creativity in pop music of the sixties, including works by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Monkees, and Janis Ian."


This week they are honoring Johann Sebastian Bach (March 31, 1685-July 28, 1750) on the classical music station in NYC, called WQXR.   Here is an analysis of the Beatles' use of Bach in some of their songs.  They discuss a "Bach-like feeling", "that sound", "based on", "something about the melody" "inspired" and "reimagined".  The clip pulls out sections from Bach and the only the following Beatle Songs:

"In My Life"
"Penny Lane"
"Blackbird"

The classical music influence regarding the Beatles is often paraded out as direct evidence of their superiority.  But here, they could only find 3.  (Really? And even then, it's a vague "influence").  I do not want to even attempt a thesis to take away any respect from the Beatles.

The Monkees' songs are just as rich in variety of influence and creativity.  They just need to be documented.

THE CHALLENGE:  I would love for a musical scholar to do a similar (and deeper) analysis, in terms of Classical, Country, Blues (etc) influences and others as yet unidentified. All the songwriters and musicians themselves came from such a rich diversity of backgrounds, as well as thorough musical training, that a fuller analysis could be done.  I am attempting to chip away at the various references within Hollywood and Rock, focusing on everything except the music; but I would LOVE to crowdsource or encourage any expert out there to call out any influences/references/allusions in the Monkees' musical oeuvre.

Personally, I have always seen the show as a learning tool.  A single mention of something or someone sends me eagerly rushing to research said reference.  Granted, the stereotypical fanbase may have been traditionally thought of as screaming pre-teenagers. Today, however, the fans that I have met are exceptionally well versed in music of all genres.  I would argue that the Monkees have not gained "respect" due to a lack of focused study, rather than a dearth of material.

Andrew Hickey has a book called Monkee Music, which is an excellent start.  

No disrespect at all intended, especially if there is anyone already working on this.  There are LOTS of great fan sites out there, but not a lot of scholarship, criticism and commentary that takes the music seriously, beyond discographies and other lists of production facts.  Please comment below if you know of or you ARE anyone doing anything like this. Especially if you are publishing it somewhere.  Or if you’ve just noticed that a part of one song sounds the same as a Monkees song.  We’d all love you to share your knowledge.

#53, Race Again, aka "Leave the Driving to Us"

"Enough gags in this show already."

Coming near the end of the run, the comedy is more obvious and less funny.  There is no laugh track, ad unfortunately Peter openly laughs at gags (warning to comedians: this does not make the joke funnier).  At least the British name is a pun,"T.N.Crumpetts"; however, it seems about as subtle as Baron von Klutz.

Another indication that the show is not even trying is the gag, "I can't move b/c you are standing on my foot", used 3 times in the first 6 minutes.  This might be funnier if the 2-shot was tighter.  We can see that the actors' feet are nowhere near each other.

London Mist Spray, also comes in "roll on". Like a deodorant.  They do a comparative smell test of different smogs including Liverpool, Manchester and LA.  Davy does a Liverpudlian accent (see Beatles). All of the cities mentioned were known to have high levels of pollution.  The funniest part of this joke being that they could tell the difference and that what they are smelling is "Knockout Gas".


Novel uses of materials:
Note the absurdity of the Monkees as mechanics, using "highly unusual techniques".  Hammer, saw, needle& thread.  This calls to mind the unusual use of materials by Surrealist artists, including this Fur Covered Cup.

"Open End" was the title of the David Susskind show (1958-1986), one of the most famous interviews was with the Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev.

Once upon a time, there were things called telephone books. They were people's addresses and telephone numbers, listed alphabetically.  The books were used as doorstops or for highchairs for children.  And is that a Moog synthesizer by the entryway to the garage?

The subtitle of the episode refers to a slogan for the Greyhound bus company.  There is also a reference to "Put A Tiger in Your Tank", a high octane gasoline ad by Esso.

German References:

The "villan" in the episode is Baron Von Klutz, who is pitted against Davy and his British Uncle's team, an allusion to WWII.  Oddly enough (and probably to confuse us later generations), the Baron wears a WWI helmet.  At one point, they have gas masks, used to protect against Mustard Gas.  Also note the square mustache, also known as the toothbrush or philtrum (named for the location on the upper lip.  It was popular between 1900-1945, first adopted as a more streamlined reaction to the handlebar style.  Chaplin used it and Hitler stole it.  (Note the end date of its popularity).


Micky turns on the radio and a generic 60's dance track plays, then a waltz (see #14) then an instrumental version of "Deutchland Deutchland Uber Alles" (German national anthem during WWII).  Note the earlier pun about a car being "in tune" and using a tuning fork.

There is a joke about trading Micky & TNC for "Wernher", meaning Wernher von Braun, a German rocket scientist who had come to America. Micky turns it into a joke about baseball.


Micky mentions the Blue Max, which was Prussia's highest honor,  Pour le Mérite.  There was a movie called "The Blue Max" (1966, starring George Peppard).  Von Klutz is also prominently wearing a pin which looks similar, the blue Iron Cross, which dates back to 1219.  It has always had a Teutonic, Prussian or German association, but is also now known as the shape of the Bikers Cross.  In the 1960's, it was used as a symbol of rebellion by bikers and surfers or in the car enthusiast culture as a point of pride of their car's country of origin. Note the decoration on the Klutzmobile. Volkswagen was originally designed and translated as "the people's car" in Germany in the 1930's.  By the 60's, the VW Beetle and Van were a ubiquitous (and cheap) choice for the hippie on the go.  They are still popular today, especially among Dead Heads (Grateful Dead Groupies).

By the late 60's, bumbling and overly serious German characters (in uniform) were popular.  Coming out of the horrors of WWII, Hollywood had essentially reduced the idea of the Nazis to a caricature.  Take note of the movie, "The Producers" (1968, Mel Brooks). (You should take note of the movie anyways).  A serious study could be (and probably has been) made of the portrayal of Germans post-WWII.  Compare the attitude in the 60's to 2009's "Inglorious Basterds".  They have transitioned into terrifying movie villains, with no sense of ineptitude about them.  (Whether or not this is accurate is another discussion entirely).


Note: In another blog post, I have recorded a Facebook exchange with someone who posted "We are studying the Nazis, and this episode popped into my head".  I thought it warranted further discussion.
Even if the show is not a primary educational tool, I remember that when I was in high school, *anything* that helped reinforce a History lesson was beneficial.


The Periscope gag is a reference to German U-Boats, popular during both WWI and WWII.  "U Boat" is the Anglicized version of the German "Unterseeboot", which means "undersea boat".  Note the inherent absurdity of using a periscope in, of all places, their garage in LA.  It does help to bring in different shots as an unusual technique to "advance" the plot.  If it's not a great joke, at least it's a bizarre setup.


Davy, while driving, says, "Curse you, Red Baron".  Which is an allusion to Peanuts, Snoopy's catchphrase and 60's song.  Which is an allusion to WWI and Baron von Richthofen.  When the Baron gets into the car to race, he is wearing a white scarf and leather helmet of a WWI fighter pilot.

If nothing else, the Monkees will teach you to count to 10 in German.  Not just in this episode, but Peter can also be heard counting on the beginning of the recording of the song, "All of Your Toys".

Rare Footage of Clarkesville Day:1966

I LOVE this rare FIRST PERFORMANCE footage for so many reasons.  It introduces itself in the first few moments as having been shot in La Jolla in 1966, before the premiere of the TV Show.  That was the day the town changed its name to Clarkesville, and the Boys realized just what they were getting themselves in for.  At least in terms of screaming fans.

FIRST of all, the film itself wasn't recorded with sound.  So someone decided to do something VERY creative with the music track.  Listen to it and try to figure out what song is playing and what they did!!*

Second: The film quality is TERRIBLE.  But actually, it is beautiful and completely suits the feeling.  This is what happens when the camera begin to experiment with drugs.  Black and white from the sixties, just as the world was changing.  This is not footage of "Leave it to Beaver".

Third: The spots near the end.  Danny Thomas introduces them.  He's a VERY famous vaudevillian.  From Lebanon.  Who had his own groundbreaking show in the 50's, called "Make Room for Daddy".  Father of "That Girl" Marlo Thomas. (Who was married to proto-talk show host Phil Donahue).  Mostly, for our purposes, Danny starred in a remake of "Jazz Singer".  As we have mentioned, Bert Rafelson's uncle, (Samson Raphaelson) wrote the original short story and play.



*Okay, Steppin Stone.  Played BACKWARDS! Too cool! Like "Strawberry Fields" by "those boys" (aka Beatles)  Here's the song, a clip that someone did with just music and lyrics.  Because they didn't HAVE videos back then.  Hey, the Beatles didn't even have a TV series!!

Ed Sullivan, February 9, 1964

So, you may have heard of this day before, kids.

LEGENDARY in Rock history.

(No, seriously!)

(And for the sake of historical accuracy, I will admit that when you talk to MOST people, they will tell you it was the day the Beatles Appeared On the Ed Sullivan Show. Which cheered everyone up immensely from the assassination of President John F.Kennedy, which had occurred that previous November.  The Friday before Thanksgiving.  Imagine national shock and mourning.  Plus, there were only 2 tv channels.  A bleak winter indeed.)

But for Monkee fans, it was the day that Davy first performed live on national TV.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to see who was the biggest and best act, you had to wait until a Sunday night, and then crowd your whole family around something called a television set and turn on something called "The Ed Sullivan Show".  From the years of 1948-1971, it was THE variety show to be on if you were an up and coming performer.  Everyone appeared on that show, and it was known for cutting Elvis-the-Pelvis off at the hip, and for making the Rolling Stones sing a song called "Let's Spend Some Time Together"  (instead of "Let's Spend the Night Together").

Davy Jones appeared as the Artful Dodger, a role he was performing 8 times a week on Broadway.  He originated the role there, and got a Toy Nomination for Best Actor Featured in a Musical.  Originally, the show "Oliver!" had started out in London in the West End.  Eventually, the production was  made into a movie in 1968.   There was also the book, Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens.

Watch Davy perform "I'll Do Anything"!!!

So the funny thing is, the number is called: "I'd Do Anything"  (Lyrics here.)

The song in particular was about a pickpocket who was teaching a bunch of kids how to work for him.  And here they are essentially pledging loyalty.

The rest of the story goes that although his number went over well, it could not match the screaming reception that the Beatles got from their fans.  DJ remembered watching from the wings and thinking that he needed to get in on that.  And then Judy Garland took him to the roof and pointed to all of Manhattan and told him that the city was his.  (See his bio).

The song's title seems prophetic for a young man of talent and ambition.  I wonder what associations he made with that performance and his later career.  Based on contemporaneous interviews with those who had known him, he was a gracious performer who was always willing to give a full performance (no matter how many people in the audience) and often stayed after the concert until the last fan got an autograph.  Be careful what you wish for. ;)


===
Full Links:

DJ's Performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OVGY7Rjbhc

Lyrics to "I'd Do Anything"
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/oliver/iddoanything.htm

Oliver movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063385/

Ed Sullivan Show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ed_Sullivan_Show

Oliver Twist Novel
http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/olivertwist/

Charles Dickens

Due Credit

Hey Folks,

My goal is to do an annotated written commentary of all 58 episodes of the Monkees' TV Show (with other entries for other Monkees' related stuff).  Everything I know or have learned from the show.  And I want to explain some of their obscure (and obvious) references.

I'm writing this as just another Monkee fan.  I've probably seen the entire series as many times as years I've been alive.  It showed on WLVI, Channel 56 in Boston every summer of my childhood (since age 3, one of the earliest memories I have) and I have watched episodes from the 2003 box set far more times than any adult should.  But what can I say?  They still make me happy and make me laugh out loud.  (And frankly, I think every adult should find something like that.)



These shows were my first lesson in American Pop Culture, and though I am not a Baby Boomer, helped me to understand the impact of the 60's.  And incidentally why history and curiosity are important things.  ("Did General Sarnoff start this way?")

I've looked around for some kind of episode commentary that would explain all the obscure references and all the jokes that I am only now understanding as a grownup.  Believe me, I heart Andrew Sandoval and Eric Lefcowitz (Great historians of the phenomenon!!!) and all their incredible work.  And there is plenty of (redundant) info floating around on the interwebs, but I wanted something beyond just which song was misspelled in the credits and yet another interview containing a variation of an ape-like pun.


John Lennon (d.1980, 32 years ago today!!) said that they weren't trying to be the Beatles, that they were like the Marx Brothers. Let's appreciate them for all the things they are.

Apologies for what I get wrong.  Apologies for things I steal/borrow/appropriate without extended bibliographic credit.  Help me to correct the record.  Leave comments. Be nice.

Spread The Monkee Love.

The Creative Tinkerer