Michael Nesmith to make rare appearance
Former Monkee Michael Nesmith isn’t known for making many live appearances these days, preferring to do virtual shows through his Videoranch3d website. But he’ll make one at 9 p.m. Aug. 19 in Los Angeles.
Nesmith will be one of the guests, along with Grant-Lee Phillips and Benmont Tench, for a show by the Watkins Family Hour at the Largo at the Coronet Theatre, 366 N La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles.The website description of the show says “Join the first family of Largo with Sara Watkins, Sean Watkins along with legendary singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith, Grant Lee-Phillips and Benmont Tench.”Show time is 9 p.m. Tickets are $25. The theater is located north of Beverly Boulevard, one block at Oakwood Street. – Source
Monkees 45th anniversary tour of the U.S. *Canceled*
The remaining dates of the Monkees 45th anniversary tour of the U.S. were canceled Monday. No official reason was given, but informed sources said the rest of the dates were not run by the group.
Reports had starting circulating earlier in the day that some or all of the dates had been cancelled. A posting on Davy Jones’ Facebook page was the first official word to confirm it. It read, in part, “After having contacted a representative of Davy Jones, it has been determined that the remainder of The Monkees 2011 tour HAS BEEN CANCELLED. No reason has been given at this time. When more information becomes available, it will be posted.”
No further information was available on what triggered the sudden cancellation.
Upcoming shows were listed on Ticketmaster for New York State, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey and Ohio. The tour started in England in May and hit the U.S. in June. – Examiner
The Monkees Season 1 & 2 on DVD re-released
Rhino Home Video released DVD sets for both seasons of The Monkees in 2003. (Currently listed on Amazon for as much as $398 each, ouch!) According to TV Shows on DVD, Shout! Factory will release seasons 1 & 2 on September 27th, at a cost of $69.98 for each season set.
No word so far if these will be combined into a “complete series” set, or what we’ll see in terms of extras. Our retailer contacts inform us, though, that these will possibly be getting released through Shout! Factory, so usually we can count on some sort of bonus material for a show of this magnitude. No promises, though, since the studio (whether it’s Shout! or anybody else) hasn’t formally announced the title to the press.
Amazon already has place holders up!
Did Davy turn down Dancing With the Stars?
During his reported long non-stop ramble at a conference to promote his upcoming December PBS special called “60s Pop Rock: My Music” – Davy let out:
‘Hey, hey we’re the Monkees’ – it ruined my acting career, basically. All right? But that’s up to me to change that…maybe there was a phone call a couple days ago to go on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ you know? If they would have called me three years ago I would have said ‘yes,’ you know? What am I dancing against – a boxer and a baseball player? Do you know what I mean? I’m a song and dance man, you know?
MTV Turns 30, What would Nesmith say?
A seemingly little known fact in Television history, unless your a Monkees fan, MTV was born of a Michael Nesmith’s idea for Nickelodeon called “Pop Clips”. He sold the idea to Time Warner in 1980. MTV began airing at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981 with the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll” voiced over footage of the first space shuttle launch.
The first music video shown on MTV was The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star”. 30 years later, what ‘killed’ MTV?
24 hours a day, seven days a week, you could turn the channel on and see music videos. Hosted by VJs or not, Music Television had music. There was music news on the top of every hour, and music specials.
Today? A peak at the program schedule shows a lack of videos being played during peak viewing hours. 3am to 9am is videos, the rest of the day is reality TV and series programing.
If only we could call Mike up and ask him “Hey, what do you think of what’s become of this piece of music culture you helped create?”
TV critics recoil at Davy Jones-hosted PBS pledge-drive show
TV critics were filled with fear and loathing when they saw that PBS’s weekend press tour schedule included a little something called “60s Pop Rock: My Music” hosted by The Monkees’ Davy Jones. They protested to Kerger:
“I know my affiliate would testify to the fundraising power of an instrument like the ‘60s nostalgia music show that you’re presenting here this time,” said one critic, speaking for many.
“But does its presence here, and the spotlight you’re giving it, say anything about your fundraising situation, including the recent public fundraising crisis? For a long time, it was sort of an unspoken thing that these were important programs to the affiliate and the network, but it really wasn’t a topic of discussion at an event like this.”
And then, to their surprise, Kerger told them in no uncertain terms, that PBS is done apologizing to them at Press Tour for its fundraising programming. – By Lisa de Moraes, Washington Post
Hairspray stars honored to take advice from a ‘Monkee’
MERRILLVILLE | Not long before ‘The Monkees’ took center stage for their 45th Anniversary Tour at Star Plaza Theatre on June 30, Micky Dolenz took the time to give pointers to the two leads of Star Productions regional theater production of ‘Hairspray.’
This was perfect timing for Gina Guarino (who plays Tracy Turnblad) and Frank Hattula (who plays Edna Turnblad) due to Micky actually finishing a run of ‘Hairspray’ on London’s West End, just prior to his going on tour with ‘The Monkees.’
Micky portrayed Wilbur Turnblad, the role Charlie Blum will bring to life in the Star Productions presentation. – Merrillville Community
Davy Jones Recalls Beatles Friendship
In the past, you said, “Never, ever, ever again” to a reunion. It’s almost like athletes who say they’re going to retire but can’t keep away.
I said I wouldn’t go out without Mike Nesmith. And then I looked at a picture of Mike Nesmith, and he looks like a German banker. And I thought, “There’s no way that guy’s gonna stand on a stage and be Mike Nesmith of the Monkees.” And then a management company came to me and said, “We’d like to take the Monkees out. What do you think?” And I said, “I don’t think so — my schedule’s busy.” This was last year.
Then, they said, “Can’t you please?” I said, “I’ve got [solo] dates.” Then I said, “If you come up with something and Micky and Peter say yes, I’ll consider it.” Well, Micky was over in England doing ‘Hairspray’ and I went to see him after he’d done press for the show, and we got along real good. Then we talked and laughed and discussed stuff we’d done.
Early on, you had a major appearance on ‘Ed Sullivan,’ which happened to be the same episode the Beatles were on. What was the pressure like for that appearance, knowing the Beatles were on and so many people would be watching?
No pressure whatsoever. I did what I did. I came out the stage door every night, and when I performed as the Artful Dodger and came out for my bow, there was still a great applause. And I thought the 10 kids outside the stage door looking for my autograph after the show was the bee’s knees. Then I saw the barricades outside the Ed Sullivan Theater and I’m thinking, “Wow, man.”
Afterward, they sent me out to Hollywood many, many times [for auditions]. You know, ‘The Wackiest Ship in the Army,’ ‘Hogan’s Heroes,’ ‘F Troop,’ ‘Batman’ and all that stuff. But just as all that was happening, along came the idea for ‘The Monkees,’ and the producer, Burt Schneider, his father was the head of Columbia Pictures, so obviously I had a foot in the door there — I was already signed to Columbia Pictures. We just had to find three other boys, which we did. And we clicked, and we did 56 episodes, and it went to 36 countries around the world, and they’re still playing the music, and we’re still on tour.
The Beatles would go on to say they were fans of the Monkees. How important was their approval?
It means something that anybody likes us. Paul McCartney called me up in the ’60s and asked me to send some stuff to his daughter, who was a fan of the Monkees. And Micky has tapes and videos of George Harrison and Ringo Starr at his house, in the Canyon, in the late ’60s, down in his little studio, playing. Those tapes must be great to listen to.
It’s great the Beatles loved us.
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This Day in Music Spotlight: Jimi Hendrix Opens for The Monkees
It had to be one of the strangest pairings in rock and roll history. On this day in 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience began a tour as the opening act for… The Monkees. Yes, the cherished guitar god and his group had agreed to support the “Pre-Fab Four” on their American trek. It’s no surprise that the situation didn’t end well – although it had little to do with the relationship between the musicians.
What’s easy to forget is, in the middle of ’67, Hendrix wasn’t yet a rock star in America. Earlier in the year, he’d begun to accumulate a following (especially among rock’s elite) and he’d set his guitar (and the music world) on fire during his appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival. But, the Experience hadn’t scored a mainstream hit in the U.S. yet and they were looking to expand their audience.
Being part of the musical community, the guys in The Monkees were already fans of Hendrix’s music and performances. Micky Dolenz recalled seeing him in New York, while Mike Nesmith was introduced to him through a Beatle.
“I was in London visiting John Lennon, and I was having dinner with him, [Paul] McCartney and [Eric] Clapton,” Nesmith remembered. “And John was late. When he came in he said, ‘I’m sorry I’m late but I’ve got something I want to play you guys.’ He had a handheld tape recorder and he played ‘Hey Joe.’ Everybody’s mouth just dropped open. He said, ‘Isn’t this wonderful?’ So I made a mental note of Jimi Hendrix because Lennon had introduced me to his playing.”
Dolenz and Peter Tork met Hendrix at Monterey Pop, where the seeds were planted for a tour together. Dolenz later said that he viewed both acts as theatrical and that they could be “a perfect union.” The Monkees proposed that the tour promoters contact Hendrix about opening for the band’s summer tour.
Doors Classics Reworked For Acoustic Guitar
For the most part, the Doors was all about loud rock n’ roll. But on the new release by guitarists James Lee Stanley and Cliff Eberhardt, All Wood and Doors, twelve Doors classics are reworked for acoustic guitar. And the duo has enlisted former Doors members Robby Krieger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums) to lend a hand, as well as Peter Tork (Monkees) and Timothy B Schmit (Eagles), among others.
As evidenced by their renditions of such ditties as “Break On Through,” “Love Me Two Times,” and “People Are Strange,” the tunes include all-new musical bits that Stanley and Eberhardt have added to their renditions, before leading into the song’s familiar parts.
All Wood and Doors will be released on July 12th via the MVD Entertainment Group, while samples of each song is available by clicking here.
In a press release, Mr. Densmore had the following to say about All Wood and Doors. “James Lee Stanley and Cliff Eberhardt are excellent pickers and what they did to our songs is unique and refreshing. It was a pleasure to be part of the project.” – Source
