Why Micky Dolenz Doesn’t Monkee Around with Politics
'60s superstar shares sobering advice pushed during turbulent Flower Power era
We’re living in the most divisive era ever, or so we’re told.
That may be true, but the late 1960s found Americans wrestling over seismic cultural shifts.
- The Vietnam War
- Racism
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Birth Control and the Sexual Revolution
One band broke out in a big way during that time, a quartet manufactured for TV mayhem. The Monkees were “4 insane boys” assembled by NBC to get the funniest looks from everyone they met circa 1966.
The Monkees swarmed the media over the show’s two candy-colored seasons. Hits like “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville” and “Daydream Believer” rubbed elbows with songs by The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and more on the charts.
And, throughout the show’s short but spiky run and endless publicity chats, the band members refused to get political.
It was no accident, says surviving member Micky Dolenz.
The singer, who turned 81 over the weekend, tells USA Today the show’s brass instructed the foursome to steer clear of politics.
I vaguely remember in the early days of filming, a meeting with probably Jackie Cooper [the child star-turned-Screen Gems executive] and somebody from NBC Standards and Practices, making it clear that we were not to make political and social statements when we did interviews. And I understood that, because that wasn’t what the show was about. [It’s right there] in the theme song, ‘We’re too busy singing, to put anybody down.’ So I got that.
“I wasn’t extremely political and I’m still not. I have my own opinions about things, but I just never have gone down that road… I don’t follow party lines, and I don’t mind saying that. I’m not a sheep, I’m a wolf. I’m a leader.”
Ironically, they eschewed that sentiment for “Head,” the 1968 film that tackled the era’s culture wars more directly, swatting at the Vietnam War, consumerism and the band’s artificial roots.
It flopped, and it proved to be an anomaly in the band’s creative canon. The film’s original songs, in sharp contrast, endure.
![Porpoise Song (Theme from "Head") [Single Version]](https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F2eHOUNCdbcU%2F0.jpg)
That apolitical posture helps explain the group’s enduring appeal and how The Monkees have remained beloved across generations. The other reason is more obvious.
The songs. Oh, those songs.
RELATED: THE MISSING LINK IN THE MONKEES’ LEGACY
We all know the hits, but the deeper cuts reveal a band that has richly earned its legacy. Dolenz is currently on tour to celebrate the group’s 60th anniversary.
Not convinced this manufactured band became the real deal? Consider the following before making up your mind:
Read Mickey’s autobiography if you get a chance. It’s a good behind – the – scenes account of the Monkees’ history. They got tired of the manipulation and fought back.
They were a big part of my youth, too, Christian. They were a great band and their hits are timeless. When someone derides their music, you know you’re talking to a musical snob.
Listen to “Goin’ Down”, one of the greatest, most difficult vocals ever. Amazing!
It was one of my Dad’s favorite songs!
I discovered The Monkees in the early 70s as a kid on Saturday mornings. I was still pretty young, and along comes the mid 80s and they popped up again on MTV. I was BESOTTED. In those days before digital, I was busily taping the shows off MTV…once over my husband’s favorite “best of” football moments (he still brings that up to this day). Micky was always my favorite, and my favorite episode was “Monkees Watch Their Feet.” May Micky live long and prosper.
I met Mickey Dolenz in a music studio in Sacramento and he is a cool guy, funny too. Let me mention here that people are largely unaware of how immensely talented the Monkees were (or are), these guys are all very skilled musicians.
The Monkees were a joke and insult to even folks with a low IQ. They were a fake band. End of story.
Nope. They played their own instruments for their third album, Headquarters, and did so both on tour and most subsequent albums. They wrote some of their own material too.
And not just one instrument…. like many professional musicians, the members were known for being able to play different instruments at high levels of competence.
In one comment, your totality of knowledge concerning the Monkees is revealed to be exactly ZERO. Try again.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Frank Zappa, Billy Corgan, Michael Stipe, They Might Be Giants, Sean Nelson, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Stiller, Shane West, Juliana Hatfield, and Evan Dando were/are notable fans. And who are you, exactly? A smegma-faced dildo-rider in his parent’s basement, I’m betting.
Unfortunately, uninformed (or, dare I say “low IQ”) folks are generally considered to be the barrier that Michael Nesmith faced in reaching the level of fame which his talent deserved. He is widely considered to be one of the progenitors of the “New Americana” genre of music having penned such songs as “Different Drum,” charted by The Stone Ponys (Linda Ronstadt), and “Some of Shelley’s Blues,” charted by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and also covered by The Stone Ponys and The Boxmasters.
Fun fact: Nesmith’s mother, Bette McMurry, was a secretary when she invented typing correction fluid Liquid Paper.
Agree with you about Nesmith. He also wrote the incredibly brilliant “I’ve Known You For a Long Time,” which was splendidly covered by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
To say nothing his essentially creating modern Music Videos with Elephant TV (I believe it was).
“Last Train to Clarksville” was intended as an anti-war song. “And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home.”
What Micky was discussing was the band’s commentary/views outside the music, but that’s a great example of a sly bit of social commentary slipping into an otherwise toothless pop song. I dug a little on this theme and didn’t find any definitive proof on the subject. This dubbed it a coincidence, but other stories may show you’re 100 percent right … either way, it’s a great song! https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-of-last-train-to-clarksville-by-the-monkees/
First I’ve ever heard that. I had to do a google search to find the songwriters of the song, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Very popular at the time. It was in the AI generated description that it listed the Viet Nam part.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will probably wait until Mickey’s gone to induct them.
Loved The Monkees when I was kid watching the show. And I still enjoy their music today. In fact I was listening to Girl That I Knew Somewhere just last night. Great tune.