The Monkees' 'Head' trip
By Susan King - Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times
November 12, 2008

The made-for-TV musical group's surrealistic 1968 film, penned by Jack Nicholson, got no love at the box office, but American Cinematheque has resurrected it.

Forty years ago, the Monkees' only feature film, "Head," hit theaters -- and people have been scratching their heads ever since.

Though far from a masterpiece like the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" from 1964, the film, starring Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith, is a surreal time capsule -- a psychedelic, stream-of-consciousness blast from the past. It's as if Jean Cocteau had consumed lots of LSD and decided to make a rock movie. Only its true history is a lot trippier, considering that Jack Nicholson wrote the script and a motley crew of the era's icons appears in the film.

Tonight, the American Cinematheque's '60s-centric "Mods and Rockers" series will present a 40th anniversary screening of "Head," featuring Tork and Jones, plus other cast and crew members, in person.

When "Head" was released theatrically in November 1968, the Monkees could not have been less hip, admits Martin Lewis, the "Mods and Rockers" producer who's hosting the event.

"With the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, and the riots in Chicago, Paris and London, everything was very serious," Lewis says of the time. "Suddenly, though it had only been two years since the Monkees were created, it seemed like 20 years."

The Emmy Award-winning NBC sitcom "The Monkees," which followed the zany adventures of a struggling rock 'n' roll band in Los Angeles, had been canceled earlier that year.

Though the Monkees had scored numerous hits, including "Last Train to Clarksville," "Daydream Believer" and "I'm a Believer," their teeny-bopper fans were no longer buying their records. The counterculture was thriving. People were turning on and tuning in. Hendrix, Joplin and the Who were zooming up the charts.

So "Head" was a major bomb. The film had critics perplexed. Teeny-boppers didn't understand it, and those who considered themselves remotely hip wouldn't have been caught dead going to a movie with the "Prefab Four," as the Monkees were mockingly called.

A BAD RAP

Tork doesn't necessarily think the film failed because the Monkees were passe.

"The TV show had this huge ad campaign, and everybody went for all the hype," says Tork. "The 'Head' campaign was designed to be Postmodernist, and the commercials were off-putting. The hip thought it was going to be another bubble-gum movie, and they didn't want to see it. And the bubble-gum kids thought it was going to be a freak-out movie, and they didn't want to see it. I think if the movie had been thoroughly promoted in an appropriate way, it would have done much better."

Surprisingly enough, "Head" has quite the pedigree. It was directed by Bob Rafelson and produced by Bert Schneider, who also did the TV series. And it was written and produced by none other than Nicholson, who also makes a brief appearance in the movie. (Two years later, the three would collaborate on the classic drama "Five Easy Pieces.")

Also popping up in "Head" are Frank Zappa, surgically enhanced stripper Carol Doda, Dennis Hopper, Annette Funicello, Victor Mature, boxer Sonny Liston and even Teri Garr, who is billed as "Terry Garr."

The film itself, which spoofs movie genres, is definitely out there. At one point, the Monkees find themselves akin to pieces of dandruff in Mature's wavy black hair.

Dolenz jokes that he still doesn't understand the film, "and I was in it. . . . I don't think anybody knows what it is about."

He recalls Rafelson approaching him during the second season of the TV series about doing a movie. "I vaguely remember a conversation about what we would want to do and not want to do," says Dolenz. "I remember the general consensus was that we don't want to make a 90-minute episode of 'The Monkees.'

"In retrospect, that would have been much more commercially successful. On the other hand, we wouldn't have this wonderful, very bizarre film floating around now, which I am very proud of. I think I did some great work as an actor in the movie."

Rafelson introduced the group to Nicholson, who had written scripts before but nothing on an "A"-movie level.

"We hit it off with Jack famously, because he was and still is such a charismatic, intelligent and funny guy," Dolenz recalls.

For the next few months, Nicholson hung out on the show's set and visited the four at their homes, "just soaking up everything that was Monkee," Dolenz says. Then one weekend, he, Nicholson, Schneider and Rafelson spent a week at a golf resort brainstorming their concepts for the film into a tape recorder. "Jack took those tapes away with him and wrote the screenplay."

TIMELESS?

Though the film is 40 years old, "Head" doesn't seem dated, by Dolenz's estimation.

"There were a lot of movies about hippies [made then] getting turned on and all that stuff," he says. "Today, if you look at them, you sort of cringe in embarrassment when somebody drives by in a VW bus painted with flowers and goes, 'Groovy.' "

The counterculture era wasn't really like that, Dolenz says. "It was all very cerebral. It wasn't all about the trappings, the flowers and the bell-bottoms. It was more of what was going on inside of everybody's mind. They managed to capture the moment."

And that leads Lewis to conclude that, if the Monkees had been unknowns when "Head" premiered, the film might have fared better.

"If it had been introduced as a low-key, underground movie, it might have hit with the hip audience, who were looking for films against the commercial grain," he says. "It might have actually struck a chord with them."

PTsgirl comment: My advise is to leave well enough alone. Why can't people be creative and come up with their own "raunchy" idea and not tie it in with The Monkees? Come to think of it, there is enough raunchy out there now. How pathetic. If you want to keep The Monkees alive, play the original series. I won't give thanks to Simon Fuller for his non-creative idea.

Hey, hey The Monkees are back thanks to Simon Fuller
The Sun - Showbiz - TV
By Colin Robertson
October 16, 2008

POP svengali Simon Fuller is bringing back telly classic The Monkees - and giving it a raunchy modern twist.

And hey, hey - producers are already on the hunt for four hunky surfer dude types to play an updated version of the original boyband.

The lucky lads will become the new Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, who set teenage girls’ hearts racing in the sixties.

The foursome starred as the boy-next-door band for five years from 1965 with hits such as Daydream Believer.

Their show started out as a scripted drama but eventually turned into a reality-variety production after the lads tired of the corny scripts.

Eventually The Monkees became so popular they began to call the shots - and play their own instruments.

MISCHIEF

Fuller, the man behind The Spice Girls and S Club 7, wants the new Monkees to play their own instruments and effectively become a real band. But unlike the squeaky clean original gang the new group will be much more rock ’n roll.

A show source said: “This will be The Monkees for the Gossip Girl generation and a lot more raunchy.

“We are looking for some charismatic lads who are up for a bit of mischief. The show will be much grittier than the original with more sex, drugs and rock ’n roll.”

Producers have already held open auditions in California as they seek “great, offbeat character types with energy, charisma and humour”.

It is the second time that Fuller - who owns the rights to The Monkees - has attempted to put together a revival show.

Five years ago he started work on The New Monkees but the idea was scrapped after no broadcaster showed any interest.

The new show, which may not use the Monkees name, will launch in the US before coming to Britain. Insiders said it was too early to say which channel would take it up.

The Monkees, formed in LA, had a huge hit with their first album in 1966. There have been reunion tours.

But the group did not mark their 40th anniversary in 2006 and a comeback with all members on stage seems unlikely.

Monkee Musical Cancelled
Published By: Nathan Brooker
Show-and-stay.com
July 8, 2008

Daydream Believer, the new musical based on the music of the zany pop troupe The Monkees, was set to open its UK tour at Plymouth next month. Producers were forced to announce yesterday that the show won't make it out on tour after all.

Written by Peter Benedict, the show had been scheduled to play the Theatre Royal in Plymouth until 6th September before running in Belfast, Windsor, Stoke-On-Trent, Woking, Glasgow, Richmond and Cambridge.

Featuring such perennial classics as Hey Hey, We're the Monkees, I'm a believer and Last Train to Clarksville, Daydream Believer looked like it could be poised to follow in the footsteps of previous 'jukebox musical' triumphs Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys. However, producers yesterday were forced to announce that the show's been axed. In a statement published in the Stage they said: “It is with regret that due to unforeseen circumstances, the production of Daydream Believer has been cancelled for the foreseeable future."

Fans of the cheeky pop group will just have to wait to see whether the musical will be picked up again by other producers. Until then the most exhilarating 60s experience can be found at the Prince Edward Theatre in Soho where Jersey Boys continues to delight audiences and critics alike.

The Stage / News / Monkees musical cancels UK tour
By Alistair Smith
July 7, 2008

Daydream Believer, a new musical based on the music of the Monkees which had been due to open in Plymouth next month, has been cancelled.

The show had been scheduled to run at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from August 26 until September 6.

It has been written by Peter Benedict and would have been directed by David Taylor. After the run in Plymouth the musical had been planning to tour to Belfast, Windsor, Stoke-On-Trent, Woking, Glasgow, Richmond, Cambridge, Brighton, Bromley, Darlington and Eastbourne.

The show was produced by Nick Brook Ltd with John Dalston, Lane Productions Ltd, Long Road Productions Ltd and Churchill Theatre, Bromley and Theatre Royal Plymouth productions.

However, producers issued the following statement: “It is with regret that due to unforeseen circumstances, the production of Daydream Believer has been cancelled for the foreseeable future. Customers who have purchased tickets will be contacted in due course.”

Monkees Musical, 'Daydream Believer' Has Been Cancelled
(BroadwayWorld.com)
By BWW News Desk
July 3, 2008

The new UK musical Daydream Believer, based off of the story of 60's pop group The Monkees has now been cancelled. Today the show's producers stated, “It is with regret that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the production of Daydream Believer has been cancelled for the foreseeable future.” Rumor has been circulating that it is because of poor initial ticket sales.

The world premiere of the new musical Daydream Believer was set to take place at the Theatre Royal Plymouth where was to play a limited run starting on August 26th and run through September 6th.

According to press notes the story tells the journey of four musicians who "unwittingly become stand-ins for the most famous group in the world. It is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for those who remember the TV series”. It includes hits such as “I’m a Believer”, “Steppin’ Stone”, “Hey, Hey We're The Monkees”, “Last Train to Clarksville”, and of course, "Daydream Believer".

The original Monkees were Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz and came into their success when they were thrown together as a fictional pop group on a television series. After their first album was released, however, they became the real deal and it propelled them into a long music career including collaborations with Neil Diamond and Carole King.

The musical is written by Peter Benedict and directed by David Taylor. Casting will be announced at a further date. After the run in Plymouth the musical will tour at Belfast, Windsor, Stoke-On-Trent, Woking, Glasgow, Richmond, Cambridge, Brighton, Bromley, Darlington and Eastbourne.

Daydream Over as Monkees Musical Is Cancelled
By Theo Bosanquet
What's on Stage News | Whatsonstage
July 3, 2008

Seven weeks before its scheduled opening – and just a week after Whatsonstage.com announced the production – Monkees musical Daydream Believer has been pulled. The new musical, based on the greatest hits of the 1960s pop group, was scheduled to premiere on 26 August 2008 at the Theatre Royal Plymouth ahead of an extensive UK tour.

A statement issued by the show’s producers today said: “It is with regret that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the production of Daydream Believer has been cancelled for the foreseeable future.” Actor James Bisp, who recently announced on his website that he had been cast in the show, has since posted a message saying that the show’s demise was due to “poor ticket sales”.

According to promotional material, Daydream Believer would tell the story of four boys who audition for a band, and “unwittingly become stand-ins for the most famous group in the world”. It promised “a nostalgic trip down memory lane for those who remember the TV series”, while producers hoped the “enduring charm” of The Monkees’ back catalogue would appeal to a “whole new generation”.

The original Monkees - Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz - were formed in 1966 as a fictional pop group for a zany TV show. But the success of their first album soon saw them start touring as a real band, going on to become one of the most successful pop acts of the 1960s, with songwriters including Neil Diamond, Carole King and Harry Nilsson among their many collaborators. Their hits included “Daydream Believer”, “I’m a Believer”, “Steppin’ Stone”, “Hey, Hey We're The Monkees” and “Last Train to Clarksville”.

The musical is written by Peter Benedict and directed by British-based American David Taylor, whose previous credits include international tours of Cats, South Pacific and Speed-the-Plow. It was being produced by Nick Brooke in partnership with the Churchill Theatre Bromley and the Theatre Royal Plymouth. Further casting had yet to be announced.

Following its premiere in Plymouth, the show had been due to visit Belfast, Windsor, Stoke-On-Trent, Woking, Glasgow, Richmond, Cambridge, Brighton, Bromley, Darlington and Eastbourne, with further venues planned. Producers say that ticket holders will be “contacted in due course”. Any queries regarding refunds should be directed to the point of sale.

'Daydream Believer' songwriter John Stewart dies
By John Rogers
January 21, 2008

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- John Stewart recorded some of pop music's most acclaimed solo albums, helping create a style that came to be called Americana, but he was always best known for writing the Monkees' enduring hit "Daydream Believer."

Stewart, who came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of folk music's Kingston Trio, died Saturday at a San Diego hospital after suffering a brain aneurism. He was 68.

"He was a lovely man and a very gentle soul and I guess the only thing you can say today is that the world is less one great songwriter," the Monkees' Micky Dolenz told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Stewart left the Kingston Trio shortly before the Monkees released "Daydream Believer" in 1967, then went on to record nearly four dozen solo albums, including the critically acclaimed "California Bloodlines" and "Bombs Away Dream Babies." The latter included the hit single "Gold," in which he dueted with Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks.

Still, as with "Daydream Believer," he was likely best known for writing songs for others, including Joan Baez, Nanci Griffith, Roseanne Cash and Anne Murray.

"He was a cult hero, he never made it super huge," said his manager, Dean Swett. "He was one of those outlaw rebels, one of the people who refused to conform to what the record labels expected him to be."

A husky-voiced singer and accomplished guitarist who delivered his lyrics in a poignant, often longing voice, his music was hard to classify. It fell somewhere between rock, country and folk and eventually came to be called Americana.

He wrote "Runaway Train," a country hit for Roseanne Cash, and "Strange Rivers," which Joan Baez included on her 1992 "Play Me Backwards" album. Nanci Griffith dueted with him on "Sweet Dreams" and Murray, like the Monkees before her, had a hit with "Daydream Believer."

"There are certain songs that you just go in humming. It was one of those," Dolenz said of "Daydream Believer," which also was Stewart's best-known recording. Although he sang background to Davy Jones' lead on the Monkees' version, Dolenz performs the song himself at his solo shows.

"To this day it is one of the biggest songs that I do in concert," he said.

Stewart joined the Kingston Trio in 1961, replacing Dave Guard in the group that had helped usher in an American folk music revival in the late 1950s.

"John truly was the right fit. A first rate entertainer and gifted songwriter," the group said in a statement on its Web site.

He recorded more than a dozen albums with the trio before going on to a solo career in 1967. A year later he released "California Bloodlines," which included the minor hit "July You're a Woman." "Bombs Away Dream Babies" came out in 1979.

He eventually recorded more than 40 solo albums. Others included "The Lonesome Picker Rides Again, "Airdream Believer" and "Rough Sketches," the latter a collection of songs about the iconic American highway "Route 66."

Stewart was said to be at work on still another album at the time of his death.

Stewart's wife, Buffy, and children were at his side when he died, according to a statement on the Kingston Trio's Web site. There was no immediate word on funeral arrangements.

On the Net:

Monkee Business
TV Guide
December 17 – 23, 2007

Tonight’s Biography (BIO, 10/9c) recalls the hey-hey heyday of the Monkees, the prefab combo that struck paydirt on NBC from ’66 to ’68 by aping the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” antics. However, that doesn’t mean they weren’t good. The show’s exuberant hybrid of sprightly pop and visual tomfoolery not only sold a ton of records, but it also paved the way for MTV. OK, so the slapstick humor hasn’t aged well, but what about the music? Well, we weren’t Monkee-ing around when we came up with the Top 5 tunes that we think stand the test of time. – G J Donnelly

1. “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (1967) A No. 3 hit. Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s scathing take on suburbia is sparked by Mike Nesmith’s catchy guitar riffs and Peter Tork’s swinging electric piano. (Yes, they did play.) You can almost smell the “charcoal burning everywhere” in Micky Dolenz’ dynamic vocals. (CD: Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.)

2. “I’m A Believer” (1967) “And then I saw her face…” A cheerfully cheesy organ kick starts Neil Diamond’s irresistible gospel-flavored smash, a genuine monster that topped Billboard for seven weeks. (CD: More of the Monkees)

3. “Steppin’ Stone” (1967) Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote the punkish B-side to “I’m a Believer,” a four-chord thrasher later covered by…the Sex Pistols! (CD: More of the Monkees)

4. “Mary, Mary” (1967) Glen Campbell’s sizzling Yardbirds-style guitar lines propel this bluesy Nesmith surf-rocker – a cut so cool it inspired covers by the Butterfield Blues Band and Run-D.M.C. (CD: More of the Monkees)

5. “Daydream Believer” (1967) The band’s final No. 1. John Stewart’s rollicking ballad was Davy Jones’ finest moment. Although a hit for Anne Murray, the Monkees’ take is definitive, largely because no Brit every exploited their accent in a song with more charm that Jones does here. (CD: The Birds, the Bees and the Monkees)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (BUSINESS WIRE): In just 30 days, the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company will kick off their 37th Annual Collector Car Event with the finest selection of vehicles in their legendary history. Shelbys and Stingrays, Rolls Royces and Road Runners, ‘Cudas and Caddies and Bel Airs and Benzes will join comeback classics, concepts from Italy, customs from Barris and cars from the stars to be sold at No Reserve on Jan. 12-20, 2008, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Hailed as “The World’s Greatest Collector Car Events,” the Scottsdale auction will feature over 1000 of the world’s top collector vehicles and lavish lifestyle events. SPEED will broadcast live during all six auction days.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Hot rodders, TV lovers and rock-n-rollers will take notice when the iconic “Monkeemobile” (Lot #1297) takes center stage. Based on a 1966 Pontiac GTO and modified by hot rod legend George Barris, the “Monkeemobile” was featured in the hit TV series, “The Monkees.”

PTsgirl comment regarding The Monkees not being nominated or inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

I'm giving it the Jack Bauer treatment....."Damn It!" :)

He's a believer
Peter Tork defends the Monkees' viability for Rock Hall of Fame
By Joseph Dionisio - Newsday.com
April 17, 2007

'So you better get ready," shouts the theme to the Monkees' 1960s TV series, "we may be comin' to your town!" Unless, of course, your town is Cleveland.

Peter Tork - whose band Shoe Suede Blues visits East Setauket and Patchogue this week - says the Monkees merit consideration for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but one man opposes their induction.

"The only person ... holding a grudge is Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone," says the former Monkee. The magazine editor "has never written a gracious word. He personally has the veto power to keep us out."

How does the band - whose Emmy-winning show aped the Beatles' film "A Hard Day's Night" - rank against other inductees? Neither the Animals, the Rascals, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Dells, Del Shannon, Frankie Lymon nor Black Sabbath have more Top 20 singles than the Monkees' 10. Ratings aside, classics such as "Pleasant Valley Sunday" have aged better than the likes of Shannon, whose "Hat's Off to Larry" seems laughable as Hall justification.

Bands as disparate as the Sex Pistols ("Steppin' Stone"), Run-D.M.C. ("Mary, Mary") and The Church ("Porpoise Song") have covered Monkees' songs. Even Radiohead's "Go To Sleep" eerily channels Micky Dolenz's vocals.

"I'm convinced that Micky is one of the great singers of our time," Tork says. "He's always been something of a genius."

One notable fan is Michael Stipe, who reportedly vowed to bar R.E.M. from the Hall until the Monkees got in. Stipe declined comment, but in 1994 he did tell Rolling Stone that "The Monkees ... meant a lot more to me" than the Beatles. R.E.M. was finally inducted last month.

Wenner - who didn't reply to an interview request - allegedly denounces Tork, Dolenz, Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith for not playing their own instruments on the band's first albums.

In this "American Idol" era, when acts are "manufactured" like toasters, fewer critics crucify the Monkees for being a TV show that spawned a band. So have they faced an unfair standard? Were they, in fact, a "real" group?

"I've not heard the slightest murmur about the Monkees being fake," Tork, 65, says from his Connecticut home. "Everybody's forgotten it, except Wenner. He's been vicious."

One Rolling Stone reporter, Tork says, wrote a glowing story crystallizing their merits. But before publication, Tork adds, "The writer said, 'Jann took my article, gutted it and rewrote it to [bury] you.'"

Backed by producer Don Kirshner's songwriting stable - Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart - the band unleashed four straight No. 1 albums and three chart-toppers. They eventually penned their own catchy pop, albeit with less chart success.

"George Harrison used to say he wished his best songs were as good as the worst of Lennon-McCartney," Tork says. "So, we used to hope our best songs were as good as the worst of the Brill Building."

Tork's fame, however, is more about musicianship than songwriting. So said Jimi Hendrix, who called him the most talented Monkee. The guitarist opened several Monkees' gigs, including a '67 show at Forest Hills' West Side Tennis Club. Was his compliment accurate?

"I'm not sure it's quite true," says Tork, who plays guitar, banjo, piano and bass. "I'm far and away the best-trained musician, but I'm in awe of all three [Monkees]. Jimi meant that I was the most [receptive] to his kind of music."

Tork's new album - Shoe Suede Blues' "Cambria Hotel" (sold at cdbaby.com) - stars guitarist Richard Mikuls, bassist Arnold Jacks and drummer Jeff Olson. The band's name doesn't reflect Elvis, so much as a less fractious era in radio.

Besides a bluesy "Last Train to Clarksville," its hidden gem is an Indian violin-laced "For Pete's Sake," aka the show's closing theme. The album has medicinal value, Tork suggests.

"People listen to dance music like taking aspirin: to shut down the pain," he says. "But the blues puts you back together. Like penicillin, it's therapeutic. If I can bring a microscopic bit of that feeling ... my career's in good shape.

The Monkees today:

DAVY JONES, 61 ... the lone British Monkee

His fame led David Bowie (originally David Jones) to change his name ... Tony nominee for "Oliver!" in '60s ... he and Dolenz had little musical training before the series' NBC debut on Sept. 12, 1966.

MIKE NESMITH, 64 ... aka Wool Hat

He wrote Linda Ronstadt's "Different Drum" ... video pioneer who paved the way for creation of MTV ... his mom, Bette Nesmith, invented Liquid Paper in the '50s Skipped most Monkee reunions, and keeps little contact.

MICKY DOLENZ, 62

Earned TV success as child star (1956's "Circus Boy"), director ("Boy Meets World")... auditioned as Fonzie on "Happy Days" and Riddler in '95's "Batman," but voiced Two-Face in a Bat 'toon ... son of actor George Dolenz … former DJ at WCBS/101.1 FM.

Rock hall inductees: R.E.M., Van Halen, yes; Iggy, Monkees, no
By Mark Caro - Chicago Tribune
PopMatters | News and Commentary | PopWire
January 8, 2007

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its new set of inductees, and they are:

R.E.M.
Van Halen
Patti Smith
The Ronettes
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

On the ballot and not making the cut:

The Stooges (sorry, Iggy)
Chic
The Dave Clark Five
Joe Tex

The induction ceremony will be held March 12 in New York, and the big questions are whether ex-R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry will play with his former band (don’t see why not—he played with them at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame induction last year) and who will represent Van Halen.

There’s the perpetual lead singer rivalry between David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar (Roth seems to have the edge these days), and last year Van Halen replaced founding bassist Michael Anthony with Eddie Van Halen’s 15-year-old son, Wolfgang.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame being as silly as it is, we can only hope for some misbehavior to liven up the proceedings. Given that R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe once threatened to keep his band out of the Hall until the Monkees were inducted, perhaps he’ll arrive with Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith and force an acclamation vote right there in the Waldorf-Astoria Ballroom.

At the very least, they could all join in for a medley of “Last Train to Clarksville” and “Stand.”

Perennial Rock Hall of Fame losers lose again
By Larry Katz - Boston Herald Music Critic
November 1, 2006

No Monkees again???

The nine nominees for possible induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced - and fans of neglected acts including the Monkees, ABBA, KISS, Chicago, the Ventures, the Moody Blues and our hometown J. Geils Band are infuriated again this year.

This year’s crop of wannabe inductees: R.E.M., Van Halen, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, Joe Tex, Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the Ronettes and the Stooges.

The nominees’ worthiness will be determined by a vote of 500 music industry bigwigs, who will send five of the nine into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony on March 12, 2007 in the Apple (even though the tourist trap museum is located in Cleveland, a place music industry bigwigs make sure to avoid year after year).

Please Note: If you are interested in Monkees related articles on the internet, please go to PTsgirl Purple Haze - Monkees Related Articles On The Net. I thought it would be easier for fans to access a separate page. ENJOY!