The Monkees’ singer, guitarist Michael Nesmith dies

[The Legion]

https://nypost.com/2021/12/10/monkees-singer-michael-nesmith-dead-at-78/

[Whisper]

Well, rats.  Mickey the only one left now....

[Grayfox54]

I remember the TV show and how it led to stardom. They did some really good music. One thing I always liked about them was their sense of humor. Probably the silliest rockers ever.  

[OLDNEWBIE]

Some decent hits, always maligned as being a fake TV band but they were good singers and musicians. 

 

[bobsguns]

Used to love their show when I was a young lad. Loved their music too, I bought their Greatest Hits Vol 1 after I grew up.

I still believe Nesmith's guitar solo on the song Valerie is one of the best ever, IMO. I believe he used a 12 string electric on that? Someone tell me if I'm wrong on that.

I also note none of them were ever involved in any sort of scandal. No drug charges, no DUI's, no rape charges, nothing. With the $$$ they made, that'd be hard to do, IMO. 

[bobsguns]

52 minutes ago, OLDNEWBIE said:

Some decent hits, always maligned as being a fake TV band but they were good singers and musicians. 

 

Tork & Nesmith were the only "real" musicians when the band formed. Jones was hired for his looks first & singing second. Dolenz had some keyboard & piano talent but I don't think he was Billy Joel or Elton John level when they started. He could certainly sing well enough, IMO. I prefer his songs over Jones' as well. 

Jack Nicholson was one of the writers for their movie, Head. I didn't know that until recently. Awful movie too.

[Will]

When oldie groups hit a big demand and the Monkees were doing sell out crowds he wanted no part of it and considered the band a joke. He did a short tour with them after Dave died. One of the side splitting skits

I have ever seen is when Sam Kinnison talked about Charles Manson and if he had been listening to a Monkees album instead of the Beatles White Album. Not for kids ears.

[bobsguns]

3 minutes ago, Will said:

When oldie groups hit a big demand and the Monkees were doing sell out crowds he wanted no part of it and considered the band a joke.

That's not my understanding.

In fact, he toured with Davy & Mickey on multiple European dates. He got offended by some of the critic reviews & when the tour hit the States, he dropped out. He already had "screw yourself" money, he didn't need nor want the aggravation. Can't say I blame him too much on that.

[No_0ne]

The Pre-Fab 4.  Proof positive that talent isn't a prerequisite for music stardom ...

[bobsguns]

13 hours ago, No_0ne said:

The Pre-Fab 4.  Proof positive that talent isn't a prerequisite for music stardom ...

Uhmmmm, no.

The Beatles were major stars long before the Monkees were thought about being formed. They hit the States in 1964 for the Ed Sullivan Show. The Monkees were formed in 1965 to give an American version of the Beatles.

As for talent, they had plenty. They also had four platinum albums. One or two could be considered a fluke, but certainly not four. Play any Monkee song at a party for the over-40 crowd & the majority will sing along.

Don't like the Monkees? I don't care, that's your right as an American. But it is complete contradiction of what you wrote when shown their sales records. 

[No_0ne]

3 hours ago, bobsguns said:

The Monkees were formed in 1965 to give an American version of the Beatles.

The "Pre-Fab 4" was a slang moniker applied to the Monkees during their TV run.  It was in reference to the nature of their founding, which, as you indicated, was to imitate the Beatles. 

 

 

Prior quote: "Proof positive that talent isn't a prerequisite for music stardom ... "

3 hours ago, bobsguns said:

But it is complete contradiction of what you wrote when shown their sales records. 

Sales records don't necessarily equate to talent.  There are a lot of current musical acts that prove that point conclusively ...

Edited December 11, 2021 by No_0ne

[OLDNEWBIE]

Mentioned to a 45 year old coworker that MN had passed and now there was only one monkey left....

I was flabbergasted, he didn't know about the monkees! Not cool! I'm showing my age again in conversation I guess.

Soon nobody will know what the heck  I'm talking about, but the Monkees?? C'mon man!

Although not the greatest by any stretch, they were iconic 60s , had multiple quality top hits and were promoted heavily with the tv show that had reruns too. Also the Skrek movie used I'm a Believer as a theme song. They were a hit again but...

 Never again will people have so little choice of entertainment that the majority of people will have watched or listened to the same selection of News, shows and music like some of us did.

And if you didn't get enough the first time, endless reruns would engrain at least the themesongs of these shows in your brain forever and ever.

Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Gilligans Island, Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, the Monkees, Star Trek and the list goes on but a limited list that I'm sure all in a certain age group know by heart. What would you call it? Not golden or silver age right?

The  first "in color" age of TV maybe but many started as B&W ? 

Either way they are fading away fast in our collective memories. 

 

[No_0ne]

47 minutes ago, OLDNEWBIE said:

Either way they are fading away fast in our collective memories. 

All true, but also the way of pop culture.  Although I'm old enough to have seen all these shows during their original runs (and many times over in syndication), there are a lot of even earlier TV shows, as well as radio programs, that I never saw (or heard).  Many of these were fondly remembered by my parents and grandparents, I'm sure they also lamented the passing from memory of those as well.  Another aspect to consider, from the late 40's through the widespread advent of cable, satellite, and now streaming television, the "big three" networks controlled the airwaves, dominating ratings and viewership in a way that no network or single show can do now.  It would be interesting to see how many of these widely popular shows from an earlier era would perform in today's world of limitless channels, shows and networks.  I suspect at least some of them would have never garnered the following they had during their original runs ...

[bobsguns]

4 hours ago, No_0ne said:

Prior quote: "Proof positive that talent isn't a prerequisite for music stardom ... "

Sales records don't necessarily equate to talent.  There are a lot of current musical acts that prove that point conclusively ...

Again, I disagree. 

If an artist is selling the crap out of albums over a period of time, then they've got SOME talent. One-hit wonders abound in the music world, doesn't mean they weren't talented, IMO. 

But feel free to trot out examples of your "no talent" premise. I'd wager a milkshake Taylor Swift is at the top of your list.   

While one can argue that she lacks talent, she does put on a first class concert for her fans based on videos I've seen. Certainly no one will put her in the class of Stevie Nicks, Carly Simon or singers of that stature. But her live singing is indeed awful.

[bobsguns]

2 hours ago, OLDNEWBIE said:

Either way they are fading away fast in our collective memories. 

Many are kept alive via networks such as Nick At Nite, Me TV & others. 

I used to argue if a network aired nothing but Top 10 shows from 30-40 years ago on current tv it would swamp the new shows in the ratings. TBS used to do that before they went "woke".

[OLDNEWBIE]

1 hour ago, No_0ne said:

.  It would be interesting to see how many of these widely popular shows from an earlier era would perform in today's world of limitless channels, shows and networks.  I suspect at least some of them would have never garnered the following they had during their original runs ...

True that, even if modernized to suit todays tastes, some of these shows were just kind of stupid, like Gilligans Island for example. On the other hand some were pretty well written and acted. The earlier Andy Griffin show or Odd couple come to mind but would today's audience have the attention span to watch those slow moving shows lacking sex and cool factor?

[No_0ne]

56 minutes ago, bobsguns said:

But feel free to trot out examples of your "no talent" premise. I'd wager a milkshake Taylor Swift is at the top of your list.  

You'd lose the milkshake bet.  While I'm vaguely aware that Taylor Swift is some sort of singer, if I've ever heard anything she's done I don't know it.  I'm no pop music guru, in fact I rarely listen to music of any kind anymore, much preferring books on tape (or rather MP3 files) these days...

Most of my "no-talent"  examples would have to be whoever is doing a lot of the rap I'm constantly bombarded with in high schools these days.  I don't know who these people are either ...

[bobsguns]

1 hour ago, No_0ne said:

Most of my "no-talent"  examples would have to be whoever is doing a lot of the rap I'm constantly bombarded with in high schools these days.  I don't know who these people are either ...

"Rap" is not, nor EVER will be "music".

[bobsguns]

1 hour ago, OLDNEWBIE said:

True that, even if modernized to suit todays tastes, some of these shows were just kind of stupid, like Gilligans Island for example. On the other hand some were pretty well written and acted. The earlier Andy Griffin show or Odd couple come to mind but would today's audience have the attention span to watch those slow moving shows lacking sex and cool factor?

Or would they have the patience to watch hour long episodes of The Waltons? I doubt it.

[bobsguns]

1 hour ago, No_0ne said:

in fact I rarely listen to music of any kind anymore, much preferring books on tape (or rather MP3 files) these days...

It would be a sad, sad day for me when I didn't have music in my life.