Facts About "The Monkees"

They were probably more talented than they are given credit for.

The MonkeesPhoto byCreative Commons: France1978

I wasn’t a huge fan of The Monkees during the 60s, but they’ve kind of grown on me over the years. Actually, their music in particular as grown on me. Going into this project, I wasn’t sure how much of their music actually was made by them, but at this pointy in life, I don’t much care.

And of course, they get some credit for bringing the music video to us. And, I do like music videos. I don’t remember them particularly funny, but then again, I don’t remember the show very much. So, against that backdrop, here are some things you didn’t know about “The Monkees.”

1: Liberace appeared in an episode in the second season of the series.

In the episode, Liberace ultimately took a golden sledgehammer to his piano, destroying it. Apparently, Liberace was the Gallagher of musicians.

2: The Monkees outsold the Beetles and the Rolling Stones combined in 1967.

Obviously, the TV show helped. And, in the beginning, the only contribution The Monkees made to their records was their voices. Of course, since some of them weren’t actually musicians, that was probably a good idea.

3: The “Monkees in Paris” episode had to be convoluted. The episode featured a scene that showed The Monkees running from screaming female friends.

The episode has been described as, “the episode that features The Monkees pretending to run from their non-existent French fans.” Maybe they were better actors than I thought.

4: Davy Jones appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show the same night as The Beatles but had no idea who they were.

He also was unfamiliar with their music. He was however, interested in how to elicit the same kind of response from girls. Ah, a patron of the arts.

5: While the show had a ton of young fans, it also had some high-profile fans. John Lennon was one of them.

Lennon said this about them: ‘I like The Monkees. They’re like the Marx Brothers.’” Well, that’s a little over the top. Saying The Monkees were like the Marx Brothers is like saying The Monkees were like the Beatles.

6: Do you remember the Monkees movie called, “Head?”

If so, you are the one. It was actually written by Jack Nicholson. And by all accounts, it was very strange.

7: MTV led to the revival of The Monkees. Which led to a new series called, “The New Monkees.”

The new series had nothing to do with old one and lasted 13 weeks. That’s TV’s version of natural selection.

8: The Monkees impacted Star Trek.

Gene Roddenberry patterned the appearance of Chekov after Davy Jones in an effort to cash in on the popularity of Davy Jones. In retrospect, that move now seems illogical.

9: Mike Nesmith brought an unusual accessory to his audition for The Monkees.

He brought his laundry with him. Of course, after he became a star, people became interested in his dirty laundry.

10: Davy Jones fasted three weeks, so he would be too underweight to be drafted.

The fact that he was the sole source of financial support for his family was also taken into account. Ironically, before his career with The Monkees, he appeared on Broadway in Oliver. He played the Artful Dodger.

11: Before his time with The Monkees, Mike Nesmith wrote a song that became a hit for Linda Ronstadt.

Different Drum proved that Mike really did have some musical talent. The song had originally been performed by The Greenbriar Boys. It took off after Linda performed it. I guess what was needed was a different singer.

12: The Monkees are allegedly banned from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The reasoning is supposed to be the fact that they were hired as actors as opposed to musicians. Sounds kind of discriminatory.

13: The group had a great group of songwriters write for them.

Included are Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Carole Bayer Sager, Michael Martin Murphey, Paul Williams, and Harry Nilsson. Those writers were so good they could even make Monkees sound great.

14: Mike Nesmith inspired Micky Dolenz do some songwriting.

So, people can acquire new skills. Take that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.