Davy Jones of The Monkees has passed.

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:20 pm

Sell The Monkees short at your own peril. They're worthy of much higher esteem than they've gotten over the years.

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:24 pm

Pretty big Monkees fan here. Thank you for posting and letting us know.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:28 pm

That's sad. I loved the Monkees when I was a kid, although I was always more of a Peter Tork man.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:30 pm

Me, I liked Michael Nesmith.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:31 pm

AWS260 wrote:That's sad. I loved the Monkees when I was a kid, although I was always more of a Peter Tork man.

Tork fan here as well. The guy just seemed like someone you would actually want to be around.

Farewell Davey, thanks for the laughs.

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:36 pm

Mickey was the one with the incredible voice (so easy to take for granted how amazing his vocals on "Clarksville" or especially "Pleasant Valley Sunday" were).

Peter was the versatile musician with the folk-singing chops who was the glue of the band.

Mike was the real artist; Nesmith could flat-out write some great songs, and was already a gifted producer, arranger, musician, and singer.

Davy was the rock star. If his voice wasn't as good as Mickey's (and it wasn't) and if they relegated the most fey and saccharine numbers to him (and they did), he always handled it with aplomb. And then there's "Valleri", where Davy final gets to sing lead on a rock song, and just knocks that shit outta the park.

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:39 pm

This is one of the better links for cause of death and info, as of now.

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:42 pm

Honestly, this bums me out way more than Whitney Houston's passing.

Matrix · Post by **Matrix** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:46 pm

Just saw it under yahoos "Breaking News" in yellow at top of the page.... really, that's breaking news....
as sad as it is, and i did like their music, its not breaking news.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:50 pm

It's news that just broke, so it pretty much fits the definition of "breaking news".

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:50 pm

Matrix wrote:Just saw it under yahoos "Breaking News" in yellow at top of the page.... really, that's breaking news....
as sad as it is, and i did like their music, its not breaking news.

Matrix, dunno how long you've been in this country, but for folks who grew up in America between the ages of 35 and 55, the Monkees were a big deal. The show itself was constantly churning through syndication all the way up to the early 1980's...and the iconic Brady Bunch episode with Marsha is one that can be recited almost verbatim by an awful lot of post-boomers.

He's very much part of a cultural touchstone for those of us who were pre-High School age in the years before cable tv. Trust me on this, this is news. Perhaps not particularly important news, but news worthy of a front page absolutely.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:52 pm

Yeah, The Monkees were great. They get short shrift to a degree I think because of how they were created (put together for the TV show, as I understand it). But they were fantastic.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:53 pm

triggercut wrote:Honestly, this bums me out way more than Whitney Houston's passing.

Yup. Not that either one reduces me to tears, but as you told Matrix, the TV show was a touchstone of my childhood and a 60s icon.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:53 pm

RIP. Big fan. Saw them in concert ages ago with The Turtles, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, and maybe one more band I cannot remember.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:58 pm

triggercut wrote:
Matrix wrote:Just saw it under yahoos "Breaking News" in yellow at top of the page.... really, that's breaking news....
as sad as it is, and i did like their music, its not breaking news.
Matrix, dunno how long you've been in this country, but for folks who grew up in America between the ages of 35 and 55, the Monkees were a big deal. The show itself was constantly churning through syndication all the way up to the early 1980's...and the iconic Brady Bunch episode with Marsha is one that can be recited almost verbatim by an awful lot of post-boomers.

He's very much part of a cultural touchstone for those of us who were pre-High School age in the years before cable tv. Trust me on this, this is news. Perhaps not particularly important news, but news worthy of a front page absolutely.

Girl, look what you've done to me,
Me, and my whole world!
Girl, you brought the sun to me,
With your smile, you did it girl!

Thank you girl, for making the morning brighter,
Girl, for making the night time nicer,
Girl, for making a better world for me...

Yeah, I may have seen that Brady Bunch episode a few times.

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:04 pm

I would even go so far as to say that if we're talking about pop-rock from the era, the Monkees albums Headquarters and Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius, & Jones Ltd. are two of the finest examples. I'm not comparing them to the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, or Zombies, but I am saying that they're way, way, way better than Herman's Hermits or Spanky And Our Gang or Chad & Jeremy, etc.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:17 pm

The movie Head is often thrown out as a good example of a rock movie of its generation whenever the topic comes up in critics columns.

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:20 pm

hepcat wrote:The movie Head is often thrown out as a good example of a rock movie of its generation whenever the topic comes up in critics columns.

Plus Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper and Bob Rafelson. What's not to love?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCOGytkEowc" target="_blank

Tommy20 · Post by **Tommy20** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:23 pm

hepcat wrote:The movie Head is often thrown out as a good example of a rock movie of its generation whenever the topic comes up in critics columns.

The movie, and the entire TV series, will be on Antenna TV (check your local listings) this weekend.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:23 pm

triggercut wrote:I would even go so far as to say that if we're talking about pop-rock from the era, the Monkees albums Head and Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius, & Jones Ltd. are two of the finest examples. I'm not comparing them to the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, or Zombies, but I am saying that they're way, way, way better than Herman's Hermits or Spanky And Our Gang or Chad & Jeremy, etc.

and the Archies......

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:26 pm

Tommy20 wrote:
hepcat wrote:The movie Head is often thrown out as a good example of a rock movie of its generation whenever the topic comes up in critics columns.
The movie, and the entire TV series, will be on Antenna TV (check your local listings) this weekend.

Was wondering if you guys had the rights to those...

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:27 pm

My wife's going to be really bummed. Just the other night she was watching it on a local station that does re-runs every once in awhile, and calling her cousin who she used to watch the show with...

SpaceLord · Post by **SpaceLord** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:30 pm

There he goes...walking down the street...

Rest in peace.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:33 pm

RIP. It took me a lot of years to finally appreciate The Monkees for what they were, and they did have some great pop songs.

Does this mean David Bowie can change his name back now?

JSHAW · Post by **JSHAW** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:34 pm

I read or heard it somewhere long ago that Michael Nesmith's mother invented liquid paper, and he's able to live off the
profits from that creation. True or False, not sure.

I use to come home from elementary school and watch The Monkee's every day. They had a cool car on the show.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:37 pm

triggercut wrote:I would even go so far as to say that if we're talking about pop-rock from the era, the Monkees albums Head and Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius, & Jones Ltd. are two of the finest examples. I'm not comparing them to the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, or Zombies, but I am saying that they're way, way, way better than Herman's Hermits or Spanky And Our Gang or Chad & Jeremy, etc.

When Bob Dylan spends time revering them for their talent, influence, and social conscience you know they've made some sort of contribution to the musical conversation. From what I've heard from Dylan, he loves the Monkees in the way I love the Smothers Brothers. Even though they were essentially launched by Big Media when they took it to the family they took a message and their talent and spin quietly and with stealth, where they could do the most damage or good. I think this is probably best evidenced for me by the way "Stepping Stone" has became a punk anthem much in the way "Gloria" or "Oh Well" are rock and roll anthems.

RIP Davey Jones.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:41 pm

JSHAW wrote:I read or heard it somewhere long ago that Michael Nesmith's mother invented liquid paper, and he's able to live off the
profits from that creation. True or False, not sure.

Snopes on the topic.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:44 pm

I was just old enough (9 or 10) to be embarrassed because it was a children's show, and I didn't want to be a child anymore. Plus my little sister liked it. The rumor that the Monkees didn't play their own instruments made it that much more embarrassing. But I was also still just young enough to enjoy the show.

It's funny...at the time it was scandalous that the band was formed for a TV show and only became a real band later on. Now TV manufactures pop stars all the time.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:45 pm

tgb wrote:
Does this mean David Bowie can change his name back now?

I still laugh at the story of Nick Lowe naming one of his albums "Bowi" after David Bowie released an album named "Low".

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:45 pm

LordMortis wrote:
triggercut wrote:I would even go so far as to say that if we're talking about pop-rock from the era, the Monkees albums Head and Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius, & Jones Ltd. are two of the finest examples. I'm not comparing them to the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, or Zombies, but I am saying that they're way, way, way better than Herman's Hermits or Spanky And Our Gang or Chad & Jeremy, etc.
When Bob Dylan spends time revering them for their talent, influence, and social conscience you know they've made some sort of contribution to the musical conversation. From what I've heard from Dylan, he loves the Monkees in the way I love the Smothers Brothers. Even though they were essentially launched by Big Media when they took it to the family they took a message and their talent and spin quietly and with stealth, where they could do the most damage or good. I think this is probably best evidenced for me by the way "Stepping Stone" has became a punk anthem much in the way "Gloria" or "Oh Well" are rock and roll anthems.

RIP Davey Jones.

Great point.

The Monkees may have been recruited for their looks and what Kirschner thought would be their easy malleability, but the group found a champion in series show runner/director Bob Rafelson (who'd get an Oscar nomination for "Five Easy Pieces"), and they got out from under Kirschner and proceeded to make music that showcased them as being far more than a pre-fabbed confection.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:02 pm

hepcat wrote:
tgb wrote:
Does this mean David Bowie can change his name back now?
I still laugh at the story of Nick Lowe naming one of his albums "Bowi" after David Bowie released an album named "Low".

That is a great story.

Speaking of which, is there any truth to the story that Stephen Stills auditioned for the Monkees but was turned down because his teeth were bad?

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:03 pm

triggercut wrote:
hepcat wrote:The movie Head is often thrown out as a good example of a rock movie of its generation whenever the topic comes up in critics columns.
Plus Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper and Bob Rafelson. What's not to love?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCOGytkEowc" target="_blank

Let's not forget to mention Frank

I STILL have my VHS copy of the movie! Good stuff.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:05 pm

tgb wrote:
hepcat wrote:
tgb wrote:
Does this mean David Bowie can change his name back now?
I still laugh at the story of Nick Lowe naming one of his albums "Bowi" after David Bowie released an album named "Low".
That is a great story.

Speaking of which, is there any truth to the story that Stephen Stills auditioned for the Monkees but was turned down because his teeth were bad?

I had heard that he auditioned, but I don't remember anything about him not getting it because of crooked teeth. But I think he landed on his feet OK.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:55 pm

Horrible news. I remarked years ago he was looking old...but he wasn't that old. Bad genes. I had a chance to meet him at our local mall many years ago. He was signing autographs and such but the wife...even being a huge Monkees fan....would not stand in line to see him so i didn't either. I wish I hadn't passed that up. I grew up on Monkees reruns in the 70's - 80's. They seemed like a great bunch of blokes. Its a shame that they couldn't get along with Mike any longer.

RIP Davey and thanks for all that silly goofy fun you gave us and allowed us to be a part of.

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:02 pm

Stills was asked to audition but was already under contract with Buffalo Springfield.

He was the guy who pushed his folk-rocking buddy Peter Tork towards Kirschner and company.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:19 pm

I'm too young to have been part of their original run, but I clearly remember them being pushed by MTV sometime around 5th or 6th grade (The Internet tells me it was 1986). I was also amazed to learn that Jimi Hendrix opened for them as part of their US tour in the 1960s. As expected, that didn't go over very well.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:35 pm

I think I still have some of the Monkees LPs. Used to watch their shows all the time. I thought they were very funny and used to wear a stocking cap like Nesmith's all the time.

Chesspieceface · Post by **Chesspieceface** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:14 pm

Daydream Believer... The renditions with Davey alone on stage... Touched my life. RIP

Inverarity · Post by **Inverarity** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:02 am

Been traveling all day and just got home to hear this news. What a bummer. I had several of their albums even though I grew up in the late 70s, early 80s.

I like that Trig liked them. He validates my less-than-expert opinion that they were better than people were willing to acknowledge.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:53 am

Interesting that USA Today listed him as the leader of the Monkees. In my brain I had always pegged Nesmith as the leader of the Monkees, but that is probably colored by his role on the TV show. Based on their songs though, I would put Dolenz as the leader.