Robin Thicke and Me!!

Most of the time, this blog is dedicated to the Monkees.

But there is a vague connection to the concept of Music Videos and what is "popular".  The Stephen Colbert Report is pretty popular and has been a legit meme for the past few days.  "The Song of The Summer" episode was much better than scheduled.  It was the show that Daft Punk was NOT on.  There was even a joke about how their manager wanted less exposure, and how the Beatles tanked after being on Ed Sullivan.  And Ringo ended up being a train conductor (true).

I was (randomly) lucky enough to be in the audience when Robin Thicke appeared .   He performed "Blurred Lines" and Spin Magazine called him "dorkily charming when he went out into the crowd".  Especially when he sang directly to That Girl in the Black Dress (i.e. ME!  Below!)

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!

In On The Joke

One of the best parts, IMHO, of the Monkees TV Show is the fact that they break the fourth wall . . . or as Peter says repeatedly "the third wall". (Obviously, this man has never been on stage)

And if you are an actor/character who happens to share the name of your doppleganger on and off screen, it's hard to tell where the artifice ends and real life begins.

They turn to the camera.  That's it.

Simple, right?  Easiest thing in the world to have an actor/character/actor turn to the camera and make a face or deliver a line.  Talk right to the audience, like someone in vaudeville who leans over the footlights.  Sharing the joke, especially when it is terrible, releases some of the tension.  Especially when the audience is not really laughing with you.

One modern example of a band trying to reveal that they too are "in on the joke" is Mumford & Sons' video, "Hopeless Wanderer".  But they are trying too hard.  And it is painful.  This week is is a meme, in a few months it will mark the death of the band.  Hopefully.  And I say this as someone who LOVEs folk music.  And banjos.  They just happen to be riding a huge wave of popularity in a tiny raft.  They are credited with bringing the mandolin mainstream, but will soon turn their sound into a caricature of itself.  The lyrics and music do not have enough complexity to outlive their publicity.  If you are looking for CLEVER string music, try Natalie MacMaster, the Carolina Chocolate Drops or Allison Krauss!!

Another obvious comparison is the casting of 4 comedians to "play" the roles of the band, as they are randomly playing piano and banjo as if they were in a silent movie or banjo quartet (??).  They embrace "folk" music, the kind which marks its history from the turn of the century (the year 2000) & the premiere of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"  Dirty, bearded wanderers=excellent banjo skills.  Another part of the joke is that they have enough money to HIRE the best comedians out there to take the role of each of the band members, and have them wink at the audience.   The Beatles played at being actors, and the Monkees played at being both musicians and actors, but a band replacing themselves with actors?  The reversals are just bizarre.

Much credit for the M&S analysis comes from this excellent post, "Don't Let Mumford & Sons Trick You Into Liking Them".    Which resembles the flavor of much of the anti-establishment press from the 1966-1970 era against the Monkees, from the musical snobs of the day.  Here, is where I agree with the cynics, M&S have jumped the shark.  Just because the band is in on the joke doesn't make us laugh with them.

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.

Rick Phillips and An Upcoming Monkees Book & Fanfic

This is yet another reason why Facebook is an excellent way of making friends and contacts and connecting with other Monkee fans.

I had seen a post by Rick L. Phillips, who has written a Monkee-song inspired book called . . . (wait for it) . . . Last Train To Murder !!  He had wanted to create a book of Monkee memories, including short stories about Davy from fans.

I contributed and am excited to share more info when it becomes available.

There is an entire subgenre of Fanfic on The Monkees as well.  A superfan, Claire Walton, has published "From This Day Forward" as well as a book of fan pictures of Micky.

I'm sure there are lots of other people who do this and I'll keep updating my list.  Feel free to add, comment or email me with more info.  This blog is not only about the original phenom, but also about how the fan arena evolves as technology evolves, and as new generations become fans.

We're quite an interesting & diverse bunch, ain't we?? :)

Nez FB Post: From a Deer

The ongoing story of Dale and his adventures.  Less surreal than some of his other works.  It's a simple and ongoing narrative about the dialogue between his dog, Dale and Buck, the deer who hates him.

Nez's published novel is Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zemora, which he posted chapter by chapter on the internet, (back in the days when THAT was innovative-serialized like Charles Dickens!).  It is quite a wild ride.

He has it on Videoranch, with lots of blurbs from random people.  Douglas Adams, I'd understand . . . but the playwright Wendy Wasserstein??  If you want to get a taste, he has the beginning of it posted.  Lucky for us, his definition of the beginning, is the first 7 chapters (of 13)!!  Don't bother to attempt to purchase it from his site, the author-signed copies link takes you to a broken link.  Start here and let me know how far you get.  Hint: if you are a fan of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or in that kind of mood, you'll love it!

On Facebook, from midnight-ish/early morning of 7/30/13

Dear Dr. Gell-mann;

I’m writing to ask you to please excuse the last post from Dale the idiot dog that lives with nez. I am shocked and embarrassed that she would have addressed you so informally – whether she knows you or not – and to make such a crazy remark as about not using emergence around me. I know what emergence means – I’m a deer not a moron – and I use it all the time. It is a great way to avoid Mountain Lions – which as I can tell you are scary if you don’t know where they might emerge on you and bite you to death and eat you then. Like that.

But Dale is a goof ball – you should see the way she acts around my girls and the way they look at me and point when I stand statue like with my huge rack. I have a magnificent rack of horns that I, like, stand perfectly still and do what we call a “Disney” here in the woods as long as there are no Mountain Lions and even people around us who scare the hell out me rack or no rack.

And Deer One is just as bats as Dale is too because they talk about me all the time like I am some clueless and proud Mountain Lion fearing type that just poses and points out where ivy and berries are.

I’m not. Just so you know. I know you are a Doctor and I have all sorts of respect for you especially if you could cure Mountain Lion bites.

Humbly and sincerely even with a huge rack

Buck
King of all the Forest around nez’s house.

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.

Psycho Jello and the Original Six Degrees Game

For those who may not be familiar, Psycho Jello is a GREAT site/Twitter handle/online presence which fills the niche of those who want way too much info about the boys, including a HUGE photo gallery.  They re-claim the marketing pseudo-babble that has been used to derogatorily describe the 60's in general, and the Monkees in particular.

They are not to be confused with Naked Persimmon, a Fanfic/NSFW/earthy sexual fantasies about a certain favorite group.  They are also extremely intelligent, clever and proud of their approach (as well they should be).  i.e. If you can't handle it, leave!  Because it is all done with tremendous amounts of LOVE.

One teensy sidebar of the Psycho Jello site, which I will admit to having JUST NOW discovered is their take on the Traditional Kevin Bacon Six Degrees Game:

http://www.psycho-jello.com/monkees/6degrees.html

A full listing of celebrities and how many degrees apart they are from the Monkees.  Including Steven Spielberg and Bob Marley.

Excellently done.

I may point out that the original goal here was to do the same, but to limit the outer edges to other musicians/actors of the 60's.  Starting at various points, seeing where it leads, with lots of fun along the way.  (And on that point, we've succeeded).

My personal experience has been less of a parlor game than the idea that one band's work was wide enough to accommodate a wide range of other people and ideas. (Imagine a circle)  These people and ideas are in sympathy with others (a larger circle around the first).  I like tangents, and history, and learning and discovery. And sharing what I've learned.

Perhaps this blog is closer to the theory of mapping out someone's mind and trying to trace all their influences, limited to music, tv, vaudeville and the general history of entertainment up to the present moment.

I may retitle this blog in future, but in the spirit of wanderlust, will keep getting lost on tangents while hitting as many nodes as possible on the cosmic wheel of life.

Social Diary: Touring with the Monkees

An excellent treasure trove of pictures about tagging along with Mike backstage and on the tourbus at Westbury, LI from a self-proclaimed "socialite" friend of his, Jill Krementz, who has met him through her niece Jessica Kent who runs the Gihon Foundation, started by Bette Nesmith.

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/1909584

Take careful note of the pictures where she indicates Mike playing in front of a younger picture of himself.  (Where is it CLEARLY Peter!)

She also identifies Micky as " 'Micky' Dolenz Jr."  (?)  George Dolenz Jr, maybe . . .

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 . . .'"

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?

Carole King's: "He Hit Me and It Felt Like A Kiss"

Topic of the day: physical abuse in the context of a relationship.  And how it is denied, explained away and completely rationalized as affection.  Please call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), the National Domestic Hotline if you think you are being abused against your will!
(Note:  This is completely separate from the S&M lifestyle, the main premise of which is that all people who engage do so completely consensually.)

Case in point:  The Crystals singing about how they can understand why their boyfriend hits them.  Sadly, the entire idea was literally taken from hearing Little Eva (Eva Boyd) of "Loco-Motion" (1962) fame, she was also Goffin & King's babysitter.  Gerry Goffin overheard her talking about her relationship.  (The Wiki article is here) The record was produced by Phil Spector, who is currently in jail for the death of a woman in his home.  (See the David Mamet TV Movie for more details).  Little Eva's career was bolstered by "Little Donnie" Kirshner who released "The Loco-Motion" and turned it into a number one hit.  She was also a member of the Cookies.

Carole King wrote the music for some of the greatest songs of the 1960's.  Into the 1970's, she began singing her songs and was an iconic symbol of a woman who had it all: a respected career, an intellectual life and LOVE.  Her album "Tapestry" is one of the top albums from any singer-songwriter in the 1970's and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, more Wiki info here.

In 1977, however, she was a victim of domestic abuse.  Hit repeatedly by her third husband.

In 2012, she told her story repeatedly.  In her memoir. On Piers Morgan.  "Hope springs eternal".  She married him AFTER she knew he was abusive.

Her advice to women in a similar situation: "Leave" and "Get help. Help is available!"

The National Domestic Abuse Hotline , can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).  The group also has a website, which includes a GREAT feature if someone might be looking over your shoulder.  A "Quick Escape" Button which immediately redirects to Google.  It also offers a realistic warning about clearing your browsing history, and how that doesn't always work.

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

"Time Has Come Today": Trayvon Martin, Lester Chambers & the Legacy of Change

The verdict came in over the weekend, Trayvon Martin's murderer was exonerated.

The nation is up in arms, figuratively, since opposition to the NRA seems to overlap.  There have been marches against the injustice of the verdict, just like there were for Emmett Till or Rodney King.

The worst article I have seen is the CONTINUED violence.  Relating DIRECTLY to a 73 year old Blues Player who calls for peace and understanding in his songs (No, not Peter Tork).

Lester Chambers was attacked onstage while dedicating a song to Travyon Martin.

Lester Chambers is a fascinating figure, singing at Newport Folk Festival with Joan Baez as part of the Chambers Brothers.  Hits in the late 1960's include "Time Has Come Today" & "People Get Ready".  Iconic hits about peace, love & change!!  He was also never financially recognized for his artistic contributions to these recordings (A VERY COMMON INJUSTICE), but there was recently a Kickstarter Campaign to help him record a new album.

There's a lot of talk about the excitement of the Protest Movement in the 1960's.  But there still needs to be a lot of support for change nowadays as well.  

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!!

Zombies Meeting!!

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!

Nesmith Post on FB 7/2/13, 10pm Eastern Time Zone

He goes off into tangents.  I never am sure if I can believe what he quotes.  Nor do I care to do the research & be disappointed.

135 comments in 45 minutes.

To quote:

I washed the car today; oh boy!

Whenever Douglas called and I told him I was washing the car he always said “Wow! You really do know how to have good time!”

I put on cologne before I washed it.

Really. 

My favorite scent in the world is L’Heure Bleue” by Guerlain. This is from their website:

“The sun has set, but night has not yet fallen. It’s the suspended hour… The hour when one finally finds oneself in renewed harmony with the world and the light. L’Heure Bleue is the moment when the sun disappears beneath the horizon and the sky is painted with night’s velvet. It is an atmosphere, an inexpressible rendering exceptional moments.

L’Heure Bleue was born in 1912 of the fleeting sensation that inspired the Impressionist painters whose works Jacques Guerlain collected. He pictured this bouquet of roses softened with iris, violet and vanilla, which evoke his favorite moment of the day when, as he put it, “the night has not yet found its star” and all of nature’s elements are cast in blue light”

L’Heure Bleue is one of the oldest and most costly fragrances of all perfumes. But this is not the scent I put on when washing the car.

I don’t wear L’Heure Bleue at all – although I would if I wanted to. It is a woman’s perfume according to Guerlain but I don’t know how they decide what is a woman’s scent and what is a man’s scent. Frankly, it makes no difference to me what gender it is supposedly for – if I like it I wear it.

It seems strange, I know, to put on cologne to wash a car – and I don’t put it on “in order” to wash the car -- I put it on “because” I am washing the car. It adds to the overall experience in a way I can’t describe in words. 

I don’t wear cologne during the day or during a show or hardly ever for an evening out; certainly never when I go out for dinner. The smell of certain cologne’s can ruin a meal for me. I wear cologne when I go to bed and when I wash the car. 

A beautiful fragrance helps me connect with the spiritual sense of smell.

I wore Boucheron pour homme for the “Conversations” after the Nez Spring Tour shows. That’s a nice fragrance for mingling. If I do “Conversations” after the Nez Fall Tour shows I will probably wear it again. People seemed to like it.

My car washing cologne is also Boucheron pour homme. This is from their website:


“Launched in 1989 and echoing the watch collections, Boucheron’s first masculine perfume is designed for a classic and elegant man.”

Not quite as lofty as Guerlain – but I like the ideas of “classic and elegant” especially when it comes to cars and car-washing. 

The scent of Boucheron is unbeatable for working in the sun and cleaning the interior of a car – mixing with the leather and cleaning supplies. It also does not leave a fragrance behind. I don’t wear the perfume to make the car smell good, only to make the experience smell good.

I use Meguiar’s car polish and cleaning stuff because of the way it smells, too. It seems to work pretty well as a cleaner.

Washing a car reveals it to me as a system of ideas. After I am finished I stand and look at it for a long time, breathing the fragrances, savoring the scent of nature, and enjoying the visible hand of intelligence. 

That’s what I call having a good time. I am pretty sure Douglas knew that.

"Monkee Business" Reissue: Lefkowitz

Here's a link to a post about an email that Eric Lefcowitz wrote discussing the "shenanigans" about the most recent tour.

He seems to be discussing the Summer/Fall 2012 tour as if Davy were still alive.  He also seems to want to stir up controversy about Davy insisting that his new, young wife perform on the 2011 tour.  And that something other than a misunderstanding on the part of the booking agents occurred to interrupt  the end of the tour.  And that Mike was about to go blind?

Certain elements of sensationalism can sell books, or try to.  But it seems like he is trying to drum up excitement by trumping up all charges.

At least the link includes his list of Top Ten Reasons they should be in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame (RRHF).  Frankly, we all have to wait for certain politics, and perhaps the man himself, Jann Wenner, to die.   Lefcowitz makes a decent argument, but it's a lost cause.  The significant thing is to remember why people care & like & LOVE this band.

PS Penn Jilette wrote the Forward to this version.  He's an excellent writer and a big fan of 1960's music.  He also wrote the Forward for Howard Kaylan's book, "Shell Shocked".  Excerpt from the book here, written by Kaylan about Tricia Nixon.

Head Film Script Analysis: Some of the Corpses Are Amusing

In case you are not aware,  there is a great group called "Some of the Corpses Are Amusing" (SOTCAA).  Lots of wacky things, not the least of which is a gradually revealed scene-by-scene reverse-engineering of the "Head" film script.

Yes, you heard me. The Script.

AND,

it gets better!

They fully dissect the shooting script, comparing it fully to the final version. If you are a Script Supervising nerd like me (or just an obsessive fan, like me), this is great literature.  Or at least, incredibly compelling.

Even the screen grabs from various video/dvd releases are useful.  Like a full analysis of the bathroom scene, including a complement to the German voice over actor who perfectly imitates Peter's whistle of "Strawberry Fields Forever".  This is like reading a graduate thesis, playing a multimedia video game, and Shakespeare's footnotes.  An archivist's dream!

The script, even the pages that didn't make it into the final film are addressed and tangents are fully explored. These people are British ("faecal matter" !! when discussing the finer points of having a toilet flush sound )  and totally obsessive (who else would bring in Janet Leigh?)  And there is a copacetic Monkee sense of humor.  Even Nez would giggle. (Direct stolen quote below)

The business with the MAN flushing the toilet and emerging from the cubicle was dropped by the time of the shoot. It's worth remembering that the first sight of a toilet flush in mainstream cinema had only occurred only eight years previously (in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) - and Janet Leigh wasn't even using it for its intended purpose back then). It might be fair to assume that even scenes of 'implied' disposal of urine or faecal matter would have been regarded as questionable at the time, especially in a film the studios intended to aim at America's youth.

The toilet in question is heard flushing and gurgling (entirely of its own volition) a bit later - when the Cop checks the cubicle is empty before performing his burlesque dance - but even there there's no implication that anyone's recently sat down on it.

We did ask Mike Nesmith for his views on the above important issue, but he insisted he'd never even heard of a toilet in 1968...

Nez Radio Interview on World Cafe

I LOVE this show!  It's a nightly NPR music review, offering a good mix of folk, acoustic, etc.  This interview in particular is excellent, allowing him a good chance to discuss the Monkee years, FNB stuff, his songwriting and what else went on.  It also includes a rare cover and a discussion of the storytelling format of his recent solo tour.

I find that it is really rare to get a *somewhat* mainstream interview which doesn't try to focus exclusively on sound bytes or Monkee history.  The conversation is intelligent and it's a pleasure to hear how eloquent Nez is about everything.

It's also a show that Tork should get Shoe Suede Blues on.  But hasn't yet. (??) Maybe Nez has broken the "M" curse, perhaps?

Listen to the half hour here.

20 Feet From Stardom (Film)

There is a terrific movie about another great hidden mystery in music.  I hope that all my readers understand that the Monkees played their own instruments (see especially "Headquarters") and that they sang their songs, backed up by session musicians called The Wrecking Crew (who backed up EVERYONE in the late 60's).

The recent movie, 20 Feet From Stardom, is about backup singers.  It exposes people like Phil Spector, who took Darlene Love's voice and put it on a record by "The Crystals".  They were out touring and hadn't even heard the song they were credited with singing.  (Not that I'm bitter, but the Monkees still get talked about in the same breath as Milli Vanilli).

The film features the woman who sing with British groups who want soul (Rolling Stones) and even on a controversial song like "Sweet Home Alabama".  The hippest protest in the late 1960's, "sing the shit out of that song AND do it better than the lead".  The south re-enacting its own history and the white men being clueless about who's doing all the heavy lifting.  Amazing stuff.

Winning 2 Emmys in One Night

Here's a clip of the Monkees winning the Emmys (plural!) from the 1967 TV Broadcast.  Best Director for "Royal Flush", James Frawley and also Best Comedy Series.

Notable cameos include other nominees, Don Adams (Get Smart) and also, Jim Frawley gets accosted by Milton Berle (?), who seems to shrug and say that everyone seems to be hugging the winner.  And everyone is.  Also the amazing Jimmy Durante.    He's got a great moment reading the names with a little girl (youngest/oldest thing).  And you can tell when he ad-libs.  Terrific.

Note who gets thanked at the final moments, "To the Monkees, who really won the award," says Bob Rafelson.  Giving credit where credit is due.

Anniversary of First Day of Filming

On May 31, 1966, filming began for "Don't Look a Gift Horse In The Mouth".  It was the 8th Episode to be Broadcast, 2nd to be filmed after the pilot.

Mike had mentioned this first day, the arrival on the Columbia Ranch on a Facebook Post.

The first few episodes can be seen as sticking close to the scripts, improv limited to the MOS scenes ("Mit-Out-Sound", i.e. Crew lingo for a German Director ordering silent scenes)

In 2016, is this the official kickoff date of 50 years?

As of this writing, I am working on something to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have A Dream", August of 1963.  JFK comes up a few months later, just before Thanksgiving.  11/22/63.  Then the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.  Then the Monkees conception 1965, shooting/premiere:1966.  Summer of Love, 1967.  By 1968, there were riots across America.

50 years later, another Great Depression, bombs to assassinate private citizens.  Music is still strongly needed.

No matter how much I study history and people, I will never fully comprehend violence.

Ray Manzarek of the Doors

Founding member of the Doors.  His obit in Rolling Stone .

One of the best ways to appreciate his work is to just LISTEN to his incredibly long & luscious keyboard solo on the 7 minute version of "Light My Fire".  Just start there, and then I dare you to listen to any other Doors' song and not get lost in the keyboards.  He formed the band on Venice Beach when he ran into Morrison; they became the house band for London Fog and then Whisky a Go Go.  Their first week, they shared a bill with the outgoing band, Them, which was fronted by Van Morrison.  Them was founded (sic) in 1964 in Belfast, Van quit in 1966.  They even played together.  IMAGINE them jamming together on "Gloria"!

Henry Diltz's gallery is named after a Doors' album: Morrison Hotel.  The band asked if they could photograph the actual hotel, and when the owners said no, they did it anyway.  The first side of the album is named after the Hard Rock Cafe (ages before the legendary commercial chain appeared).

John Sebastian plays harmonica on the album, note that it is credited to G. Puglese (due to contract issues). Peter includes a mention of him in his one man show, they were all friends.  The crossbreeding and evolution continues.

Micky lived down the road from Jim Morrison in Laurel Canyon.  The Laurel Canyon Country Store has a fascinating history unto itself.WFUV had John Platt doing his "Sunday Morning Breakfast" Program, where he had Lauren Fox performing.  A young woman who does a "Canyon Folkies" tribute, which alternates with her Joni Mitchell/Leonard Cohen tribute show.