Ashland, OH
RIP Peter.
Enjoyed watching the television show as a kid.
(Topic ID: 236742)
That sucks! I used to watch the Monkees all the time during the revival in the 80s. Now only Mickey and Mike are left
Man, even all of our fake rock stars are dying now. First David Cassidy and now this!!
Justine Bateman and the Spinal Tap guys better watch their backs!
It always happens in threes!
Quoted from CrazyLevi:Man, even all of our fake rock stars are dying now. First David Cassidy and now this!!
Justine Bateman and the Spinal Tap guys better watch their backs!
It always happens in threes!
Damn I won’t make it when the Spinal Tap guys go - Harry Shearer is almost 80!!
Was lucky enough to see him 4 times over the past 7 years. 2 with with Mike and Micky, 2 with just Micky. Really fun concerts. He was very versatile and played many instruments and played them all very well. Banjo, bass, piano, among others. RIP Peter
Quoted from BudManPinFan:Bit of trivia, know who was the opening act on one of the Monkees early tours?
I saw them in 1989 with Weird Al Yankovic opening for them. No Mike though on that tour.
It was my very first concert ever. 
Quoted from CrazyLevi:Man, even all of our fake rock stars are dying now
They were the Pre-fab Four.
I remember wanting the same kind of belt they wore.... wide leather , big round buckle worn to the side
Quoted from Brad76:And Jimi Hendrix was the opening act!
Yep, it was Hendrix. Until he was asked to leave the tour. He was a little too much for the little girls who were there to see Davey, Mickey, Mike and Peter.
I know the Monkees were a prefab group and didn’t play on most of their records, but I still like a lot of their songs. My brother and I would watch their show and listen to some of their 45’s back in the day. Good memories.
Quoted from RTS:They were the Pre-fab Four.
No sir. The Monkees post dated The Beatles.
Stephan Stills (Buffalo SpringField) auditioned for THe Monkees and then recommended Peter Tork.
https://www.monkeeslivealmanac.com/blog/stephen-stills-on-auditioning-for-the-monkees
Mike Nesmith's mother invented Liquid Paper typewriter correction fluid. It is called one of the last great kitchen inventions.
Quoted from cottonm4:No sir. The Monkees post dated The Beatles.
Never said otherwise.
They were a pre-fabricated group manufactured in Hollywood to make money before music.
Sana'a
They were only better than the Beatles, because they had professional songwriters giving them the best material.
Here is a song they wrote themselves, a psychedelic mix of Brass, Dylan keys, and maybe even a little Nashville
The Monkees - Listen To The Band
Quoted from RTS:Never said otherwise.
They were a pre-fabricated group manufactured in Hollywood to make money before music.
Ok. I get it now.
Quoted from dothedoo:Don't forget their wonderful car...
That must be a George Barris design
Quoted from vid1900:They were only better than the Beatles, because
No sentence explaining the Monkeys should ever start out like this.
Shame on you Vid, SHAME...!
Quoted from eagle18:That must be a George Barris design
It is.
Quoted from Rondogg:No sentence explaining the Monkeys should ever start out like this.
Shame on you Vid, SHAME...!
The Monkees were amazing pop, but the trick was that under that sugary glaze, they were totally subversive.
Last Train To Clarksville was a song about a guy going off to die in Vietnam.
Kids were singing along to it, and their prowar parents were totally unaware.
Another excellent example, Penny Lane and Pleasant Valley Sunday are both basically the same song, released at the same time.
Both lightweight pop ditties, singing about the neighborhood around them.
The Beatles sing about individuals in an idyllic world with people who carry around a picture of The Queen in their wallets.
The Monkees sound wonderfully pleasant, but the lyrics that start out about "charcoal burning everywhere" and "roses in bloom" soon turn saccharine sweet with "rows of houses all look the same" and "creature comfort goals numbing their souls".
Much more subversive and brilliant.
The local rock group down the street, is trying hard to learn their song
They serenade the weekend squire, who just came out to mow his lawn
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Charcoal burning everywhere
Rows of houses that are all the same
And no one seems to care
See Mrs. Gray she's proud today because her roses are in bloom
Mr. Green he's so serene, He's got a t.v. in every room
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Here in status symbol land
Mothers complain about how hard life is
And the kids just don't understand
Creature comfort goals
They only numb my soul and make it hard for me to see
My thoughts all seem to stray, to places far away
I need a change of scenery
Ta Ta Ta...
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Charcoal burning everywhere
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Here in status symbol land
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday...
The Beatles never missed an episode of the Monkees TV show.
George Harrison said in reference to the Monkees, “When they get it all sorted out, they might turn out to be the best.”
Both bands used to hang out together in the studio, and of course Tork played guitar on Harrison's first album.
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53b102174c1774a8c475a0321a90eb79 (resized).png7n8vy1b1dzgz (resized).pngHarrison Nesmith (resized).jpgtork-harrison (resized).jpg
I remember back in 6th & 7th grade the Monkees being all that. I really liked a bunch of their pop songs. I probably related to Peter best as he was protrayed as the shy one. I was lucky enough to meet Peter Tork in person about 10 yrs ago at a gig in the San Fernando Valley. Shoke his hand and chatted for a while as he was acquaintances with the band Bellylove, that were friends of mine.
Quoted from vid1900:The Monkees were amazing pop, but the trick was that under that sugary glaze, they were totally subversive.
Last Train To Clarksville was a song about a guy going off to die in Vietnam.
Kids were singing along to it, and their prowar parents were totally unaware.
Absolutely! And their Psych dabbling was subversive too because it was probably perceived as fairly “safe” by the olds, but was actually good enough to have been a “gateway drug” and nudge at least some of the kids into the REALLY lysergic stuff like Love, 13th Floor Elevators, or Barrett-era Floyd.
A sad loss to the musical world, unfortunately the legends will all be gone sooner rather than later. 
In addition to Psych, they were also early punks (they just didn’t realize it at the time). I mean, I certainly don’t recall any Beatles tracks getting this treatment:
Quoted from vid1900:Another excellent example, Penny Lane and Pleasant Valley Sunday are both basically the same song, released at the same time.
Both lightweight pop ditties, singing about the neighborhood around them.
The Beatles sing about individuals in an idyllic world with people who carry around a picture of The Queen in their wallets.
The Monkees sound wonderfully pleasant, but the lyrics that start out about "charcoal burning everywhere" and "roses in bloom" soon turn saccharine sweet with "rows of houses all look the same" and "creature comfort goals numbing their souls".
Much more subversive and brilliant.
PVS was written by Goffin/King about a community where they were living in and "keeping up with the Joneses". PL was written about childhood nostalgia. PVS is a simple 4/4 song in the key of A . PL has multiple key change.
Regardless, the Monkees did a lot of great music, even though they didn't write much nor play it in the studio.
Go watch HEAD for a good time...they did a decent job with it and The Purpose Song is a forgotten classic (another Goffin/King song). Tork was pretty cool for a hippy.
Quoted from Methos:PVS was written by Goffin/King about a community where they were living in and "keeping up with the Joneses". PV was written about childhood nostalgia. PVS is a simple 4/4 song in the key of A . PL has multiple key change.
Regardless, the Monkees did a lot of great music, even though they didn't write much nor play it in the studio.
Go watch HEAD for a good time...they did a decent job with it and The Purpose Song is a forgotten classic (another Goffin/King song). Tork was pretty cool for a hippy.
PVS was about Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, NJ. My accountant still has his office there.
My mom was a Beatles fan and a Monkees fan. Growing up, those Monkees albums got a lot more spins from me. They were just fun and a little weird. Gonna go cue up Auntie Grizelda right now. RIP, Mr. Tork.
Vid1900 said it all. I like Vid1900 even more than before.
Everyone do yourself a favor and listen to the Monkees music. Not just the songs that were just on the TV show, but their other music. Pretty damn good stuff. They fought for years to play their own musical instruments and finally did near the mid to end of their TV show. I was fortunate enough to see them perform (minus Mike N), really enjoyed it.
As Vid mentions, the Beatles were really big fans of the Monkees. It's said their music influenced each other. The Monkees will be remembered for their TV show, Davey Jones on the Brady Bunch and that cool car. But they should also be remembered for their music. RIP Peter.
Quoted from badbilly27:Vid1900 said it all. I like Vid1900 even more than before.
Everyone do yourself a favor and listen to the Monkees music. Not just the songs that were just on the TV show, but their other music. Pretty damn good stuff. They fought for years to play their own musical instruments and finally did near the mid to end of their TV show. I was fortunate enough to see them perform (minus Mike N), really enjoyed it.
As Vid mentions, the Beatles were really big fans of the Monkees. It's said their music influenced each other. The Monkees will be remembered for their TV show, Davey Jones on the Brady Bunch and that cool car. But they should also be remembered for their music. RIP Peter.
Mickey was at the Beatlefest in Chicago a few years ago. My family was in an elevator and he literally got in....by himself. It was just us. He was charging for signatures, so all I said was I really enjoy his work. He was wearing round circular Lennon glasses, smiled and said thanks. I kind of got the feeling he didn't want to be in Chicago...but it was pretty surreal.
Quoted from vid1900:The Monkees were amazing pop, but the trick was that under that sugary glaze, they were totally subversive.
Last Train To Clarksville was a song about a guy going off to die in Vietnam.
Kids were singing along to it, and their prowar parents were totally unaware.
Since they did not write the songs for their first few albums, the song writers were the ones slipping in their views via their lyrics. The Monkees just recorded (well, the vocals, anyway) what they were given.
Quoted from vid1900:Here is their brilliant movie "Head" in it's entirety.
Sorry, that movie really sucks. It's an interesting time capsule of the period though.
More interesting is that Toni Basil appears in the film with Davy, but later had a hit with a song titled "Mickey" in the early 80's.
A better bizarre rock film is the unauthorized Rolling Stones documentary, "Cocksucker Blues." The band would be charged with sexually assaulting a groupie in their private jet if it were released today.
Quoted from Billy16:Since they did not write the songs for their first few albums, the song writers were the ones slipping in their views via their lyrics. The Monkees just recorded (well, the vocals, anyway) what they were given.
Artists always change the lyrics when they record.
The song Hound Dog was written by a couple of Jewish guys and famously performed by Big Mama Thornton:
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Quit snoopin' 'round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain't gonna feed you no more
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A few years latter, Freddie Bell recorded it, and changed the lyrics - changing the song's meaning completely:
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine
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Or think of Led Zep, they changed the lyrics to like 50 songs they ripped off from other artists.
Quoted from RTS:Sorry, that movie really sucks.
[SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN "HEAD" ]
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It's the greatest movie of all time.
You bring your kids to see a Rated G, Monkees' movie; expecting sped-up action and lighthearted antics.
Instead, Micky commits suicide in the very first scene.
Totally brilliant.
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Quoted from RTS:Sorry, that movie really sucks. It's an interesting time capsule of the period though.
More interesting is that Toni Basil appears in the film with Davy, but later had a hit with a song titled "Mickey" in the early 80's.
A better bizarre rock film is the unauthorized Rolling Stones documentary, "Cocksucker Blues." The band would be charged with sexually assaulting a groupie in their private jet if it were released today.
I wouldn't call it high art, but it is interesting to watch as a piece of 60's history.
The final scene where the Porpoise Song reprisal comes when they fall in the river and are trapped in the fish tank is pretty damn cool.
Quoted from vid1900:It's the greatest movie of all time.
That's a bold statement.
To make that claim, I can only assume you've never seen any other movie
Quoted from RTS:To make that claim, I can only assume you've never seen any other movie
The same movie gets made again and again and again, and people are desperate to see it.
"OMG, a new Ghostbusters 3 !!!!!!!!! Grandpas vs Ghosts !!!!"
"OMG the 5th version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers!"
"The 4th version of Star is Born! I can't wait to see how it ends...."
In contrast, Head had thousands of people leaving the theater with children in tow.
It was performance art.
The trick can't be repeated, because now with the internet, people would already know not to take their kids.
MONKEES-HEAD-11 (resized).jpgReply
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