Peter's GLOW

It's been about a week since Peter passed. I'm still in shock.


Most of the PT fans I know have been with him for the latter part of his career. That’s right-he HAD a later part of his career. Since the beginning of the 21st Century, he’s (he HAD-past tense), been playing in an amazing Blues band called Shoes Suede Blues.


He'd get on stage as an old man and play his music. And there would always be a moment where the music just takes off and becomes transcendent. I've NEVER seen a happier person, anywhere.

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Watching ‘One Man Shy”-the 1st season episode where he falls in love with a rich socialite and is too shy to tell her. He steals her picture and learns how to “treat a lady” -with the lady’s help-during a (fantasy?) romp to “I’m a Believer”. The Boys help him out at the party when all he can think to discuss is the plot of Hamlet. REALLY! Honestly, a Danish prince, “and then his mother drinks the poison-and SHE dies”. The joke is not that he DOESNT know what Hamlet is, he is just too nervous to recap it well.


He was the only one who had taken any college courses; he had dropped out but later was given an honorary degree. He came from a family of teachers and moved back into his parents’ house in Storrs, CT-near UConn, where his father had been a Professor of Economics.


In the episode, after The Boys play their best roles as a stockbroker, tailor and captain of his yacht, he admits that its all a lie-but the girl gives him the Mr. Rogers Line: I like you just the way you are/for being yourself.


“Me?”


His response is that of a young actor, surprised and sweet and eager to love someone who loves him. He's a good actor, but that moment is good because he's not polished at pretending.


And then there were years of a fall from fame, the Monkees sacrificed at the altar of Raybert, in the name of Hollywood success-which they had granted (5 easy pieces/Easy Rider) but which has faded into film history.


His response is that of a young actor, surprised and sweet and eager to love someone who loves him.

He's a good actor, but that moment is good because he's not polished at pretending.


Then the 80’s-when they return AS OLD MEN-they were 40! (Saying that now, when lots of us fans have already hit our own mid-life crises, it’s too ironic) they are popular-AGAIN. And then they fade out again, periodic reunions, are they as good? Are they copies of the Beatles and why/why not?

I never understood the comparison. The Beatles never had a TV show-so they couldn’t have been as popular. (That was a joke, kid-except not). But also as a young kid who wanted the illusion of getting to know a favorite singer-the TV show offered time spent with the band. And granted, I KNEW their lines were scripted, but there were the moments in between, the improv, the fan interviews in the magazines, the reaction shots-SOME of that had to be real, right?


The Monkees TV show allowed us into their personas-which were close enough for crushes. Close enough, closer than any other music/tv personality. We felt like we KNEW them-and when they die, they take a piece of us with them.

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He was modest in later years about his fame. He was just happy to be performing. And if anyone had felt awkward about seeing a “has been” or that copycat band or whatever-all doubts disappeared quickly as soon as the music began.


And then-EVERY SHOW-they would get to the BEST part. It was usually the second to last, when all the band members had fully warmed up, gotten into the groove, etc. There would be a round of solos, and during Tork’s solo-I swear-the heavens opened up. The music became the most beautiful thing in the world-everything and everyone was focused on every note-more present in that moment than they had been during most of their lives. And I could SWEAR, there was a glow coming from him. Not just a smile, not just the music, but a sense of complete command and focus. A person who made have been more famous, more rich, more whatever in other parts of his life-but THIS was what he was existing for. Creating music on that level and sharing it. Creating that kind of moment for others-completely selfless.

Peter will be at the Convention!

The following was posted on Facebook and sent out via email:

A Message from The REAL Peter Tork Facebook Page.

BIG NEWS!!!! Yes, you heard right…. Peter has been able to shift his other commitments to be able to attend part of the Monkees Convention!!! Peter will be there for a LIMITED time, and will be signing autographs onSaturday, March 15 at 2:00pm - 5:00pm ONLY. Peter is very excited that his schedule will now allow him to stop by the convention, even if only for this short time. Peter and his team ask that fans please understand and be aware that Peter will want to try and see as many fans as possible during his short time at the convention. We ask that you please be considerate to your fellow fans so that all may have a chance to say hi to Peter. Enjoy & have a great time at the convention! ~ptfb team

 

Now if you have not been convinced this will be the most amazing weekend ever, we need to retire. 

Don't forget, we have Micky performing Friday, The America's Pop Music Hall of Fame Induction Saturday Morning then Movies of the Mind at night.

Peter Saturday afternoon.  We have the screenings of the NEW Boyce and Hart Movie, WOOOOOOOO. 

Just a reminder, VIP tickets get you in 1 hour prior to lines and gives you assigned seating, VIP will NOT be available at the door.  Tickets purchased day of at the door WILL be 10 dollars more.  We do have tickets available to Nez's Movies of the Minds show Saturday eve.  Remember those tickets are NOT included in admission.

We told you Historic, We told you Monkumental and we meant it.

Check the schedule at the website.

11 DAYS BABY

Get your tickets, see the guests and schedule 

http://www.monkeesconvention2014.com/guests

 

Jodi and Phyllis
Monkees Convention 2014
March 14, 15 and 16th
Sheraton Meadowlands
Be There or Be Square
www.monkeesconvention2014.com

Why Would A Monkee Attend the Conference? Why not?

I hate to send you to a link without a story, so here's a link to Mike's announcement (why does it sound like a slight apology?), what he posted on FB, as posted by the good people at Naked Persimmon:

http://nakedpersimmon.tumblr.com/post/72894541589/the-official-word-from-the-man-himself

And if you are following them, you'll also get their reaction, the best of which is also on their Tumblr, and I quote:

"Nez’s first-ever Monkees Convention, the reality is that there is the potential for things to either go really, really, well…or really, really badly. Which way the pendulum swings will be contingent on a number of factors, of course, but should things end up going south, we do not think it will be because of Nez. "

He seems to be acknowledging the "collector community", which personally, he gets.  He feels slightly awkward about being asked for an autograph and feels bad saying no.  I will point out something here that I think NP was SHYING away from *GASP*.

He hasn't publicly discussed how he will approach the "female fan vibe", which I felt permeated the 2013 Convention. That aspect goes beyond the "autograph seeking" and "personal moment" and even the "fan fervor" that accompanied Monkeemania, circa late 1960's.

Which for me begs the question, how much entertainment can a person get being one of the featured acts at a Fan Convention?

How many people want to wait in line for hours for you, for their 5 minutes, photo and autograph-and how do you somehow make a personal connection with them-and help make "whatever their fantasy is" come true?

Difficult job.

Sometimes the applause and money and adulation from random strangers is just not worth it.

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****UPDATE 1/12/14****

From "The Real Peter Tork" on Facebook.  The responses to this post are full of fans' support, encouraging him to "take care of himself" and acknowledging his support for his fans in the past.  If anyone has ever been to a Shoe Suede Blues event, he always makes himself available for autographs (more so than any of the others in my experience).

"Regarding the 2014 Monkees Convention and whether or not Peter will attend, Peter currently has a personal scheduling conflict and is not scheduled to participate. If there are any updates to this information, we will post it the moment we hear anything. In the meantime, we ask that you please respect Peter, his friends, family, and your fellow fans. Many thanks for your understanding ~ptfb team"

"I Believe You", Peter as George Harrison

If you are in the mood to hear how Peter's music has developed, listen to this LIVE recording of "I Believe You" from some point during the "Justus" tour.   It's one of his best pieces from the Monkees piece of his work.

Compare it with the best from the movie, Head.  "Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?", which is a frenetic composition, but rich with overlapping instruments and ideas.  It sounds (and probably was) influenced by George Harrison, whom he had known and worked with.  Peter plays bass on George's "Wonderwall" album.  (Wikipedia claims it was banjo).

"I believe you on a rainy day, I believe you chase the sun away"

(in the original recording, it's "chase the clouds away")

"I Believe You" is a more dramatic and mature, yet simpler lyric and sound.  It has a consistent driving force beneath the words, crescendos like waves on a beach.  There's a lingering Minor chord that haunts the work; you know this relationship is doomed, yet one has to trust in belief.  Especially when things are contradictory. Focus on this acceptance, "What else can I do?"

Played at a slightly slower tempo, it could easily slide into dreariness, but every time I hear it, there is a Zen force about it.  A meditation.

When I began learning guitar, I played a few simple notes over and over again.  I wonder if this is how he got the musical idea.  Maybe even from teaching someone?

Questions for the Birthday Boy

I have a bunch of questions for Peter, if and when he ever reads this.  Or if and when I ever get these to him.

I'm sick of all the DULL questions he gets when he has to do publicity at all.  The reporters all seem to crib from EXACTLY the same resource, heretofore known as "The Lazy Version Of The History",

These interviews can be recognized by 2 key flags:

A) The headline is invariably some variation of a pun on the name of the band, usually trapped inside of a pun, idiom, cliche (or some combination thereof).

B) They always seems to contain (and seem to be limited to) the following words:
pre-fab four, Beatles,  the dummy, "didn't play their own instruments", controversy, Struggles, Alcoholism/AA, Reunion tour

If you've read one interview, you've read them all.  Even when he appeared on Rachel Maddow when he wanted to talk about Davy and share memories, they seemed to have to go through the above conversation dance.

MY questions include:

What topics, events, ideas and attitudes would you wish to be included in a biography?  That is, what has been left out of your story?

Do you remember from that family trip to Venezuela before the Monkees?

What hits you about songs that you choose to include in your Shoe Suede Blues sets?

Are there any Monkee songs that you remember recording and thinking, "this is gonna be great" or "this is terrible"?

What lines in Monkee songs have surprised you after years of playing them?

What 8 bars of music that you've written would you wish to be remembered for?

You've publicly stated that you have made love to Janis Joplin.  Give us 3 words to convey the experience.

Where were you (and the rest of the Monkees-if you know) when JFK was shot?  What about 9/11?

The Monkees' phenomenon is almost 50 years old.  Fans have a unique kinship to the show and the music.  How do you make sense of it now?  How has your view evolved over each decade?

You spent 3 years in the 70's teaching kids philosophy and baseball.  What bits of wisdom do you hope your students have retained?

Please relate every single moment you can recall about the folk-music scene in Greenwich Village.  Please include names, venues, song titles and jokes, both successful and unsuccessful.

WHAT was the impulse that made you leave NY and go to California?  Be as specific as possible.

You come from a family of teachers.  What has each one of them taught you?

What initially turned you on to the Blues?

Define Love. Define how you perceive of the emotion that fans may have towards you & "The Peter Character" that they may name as "Love".

Narrate the probable story of your life, if you hadn't been cast.

If you could go back in time and rewrite the contract that you signed, including all the things you know now (that not you or anyone else could have predicted at the time), what would you include?  (ie What would you want to tell yourself before the whole thing began?)

Why did you get the life that you got?  Why was it you?  How do you make sense of it all in terms of Karma?

What is your earliest musical memory?

What do you remember from the 6 week "improvisation training" period with Jim Frawley?

What have the fans taught you over the years?  What have you learned from people who you have known as fans over many years.


(That's a start, anyway)