Issue 54

Monkee Shines

The wer o l F e Purpl ng Ga

In this issue:

Issue 54

January 2003

Peoria Peoria Peoria!

Pen Pals Birthdays The Theory of Evolution Peter New Davy News Mike News Micky News I Like The Monkees (Creem Reprint) A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You Saved By The Blues— Review And more...

David in Peoria Photo by Bonnie Borgh

Editor: Cindy Bryant Monkeeing around 1 since 1987!

Monkee Shines

Table of Contents

Membership dues are $10 (US & Canada) and $15 (Overseas). Ads are $25 for a full page, $10 for half page, and $5 for a quarter page.

Money orders are preferred. Cash at own risk. Make all payments payable to Cindy Bryant NOT the PFG. Mail to: The Purple Flower Gang, 1803 Lucas Street, Muscatine, Iowa 52761.

Letter From the Editor ... ........................................ 3 Birthdays ....................... 4 Pen Pals .......................... 6 Personals ........................ 7 Peter’s News .................. 8 Mike’s News ................... 9 Micky’s News ............... 10 David’s News ............... 11 I Like The Monkees (Creem Article) ......................... 12 Theory OF Evolution... 22 A Little Bit You, A Little Bit Me ................................ 23 He Said, She Said, Part IX, The Detour ................... 24 What A Night ............... 52 Fans On The Run ........ 58 Saved By The Blues, Guest Review .......................... 59

If you find a stamp in this area, your membership has expired with this issue. Please renew as soon as possible to assure your next issue. This is the only notice you will get.

Thanks to all who made this issue possible: Jan Chilton (for so many things!), Julie Harris, Janet & Tom Litterio, Paul McCartney and Ewan McGregor (although they will never know! :-)), The PFG Road Crew (Bonnie Borgh, Shane Worden, Kimmi Janvrin ( How much fun and friendship can a group of people stand!?) Colleen Johnson and Diane Klosak (there in spirit when not in body!), and the Monkees and their families who are the reason for it all!

pfg@machlink.com Monkee Shines is printed by Mailboxes & Parcel Depot 2

Monkee Shines

Dear Gang, Just after the last newsletter was mailed I received word that the National Association of Fan Clubs had decided to close down for a number of reasons. As sad as I am to see a number of the Monkees’ clubs folding, I am even more sad to see the NAFC close down.

Since 1977 the NAFC has proved to be a valuable source of information for fan clubs and also, maybe most importantly, they kept all of us honest. I want to express my sincere thanks to them for their years of service to fans everywhere. They will be missed.

I am going to try to get the newsletter back on a schedule so you will know when to expect it.

Those of you who know my work schedule and that I am trying to get in some college classes at night know how hard it is to maintain a set schedule but I am going to give it a try. You can expect newsletters to be mailed at the end of January, April, July and October. If you have anything you wish to submit for these newsletters I will need them the month before at the latest. Hope this will help everyone out. Please send us your stories, photos and

ideas! We are always looking for your participation so send us your Theories of Evolution and Monkees sightings!

The PFG sends our best wishes to Hazel Wilkinson who retired this year! I know Morend school will miss her but we know how busy she will be keeping Ken in line! Congratulations, Hazel!

We hope you enjoy your retirement!

While the Monkees may not be touring collectively there is plenty of solo Monkee business a foot and we hope lots of shows come your way. Please let us know about your adventures. Have a great 2003!

Cindy

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Monkee Shines

January 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 11 13 17 19 24 25 26 31

February

Bobbi Boyce Stephen Stills Michael Stipe Henry Corden Kenny Loggins Ami Dolenz David Bowie Jerry Yester Bill Cowsill Pat Smith Lester Sill Rip Taylor Robin Millan Phil Everly Neil Diamond Lynda Moore Hallie Torkelson Vito Scotti Christian Nesmith

1 2 4 6 9

10 11 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 25 4

Don Everly Graham Nash Jonathan Nesmith John London Fabian Forte Deborah Stidham Carole King Barry Mann Jack Winter Beryl Leigh Gerry Goffin PETER TORK Rick Klein Sonny Bono Linda Jones Ronda Russell Gene Pitney Bobby Hart Lou Christie Bob Rafelson George Harrison

Monkee Shines 26 Johnny Cash Cyrus Faryar

Skye 14 Shorty Rogers 17 Don Kirshner 18 Alex Singer 19 Mark Volman 20 Monte Landis 22 Jack Nicholson Glen Campbell 23 Susan Andrano 26 Donna Lee Bacalla 28 Tommy James 30 Bobby Vee

March 1 2 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 17 23 24 25 30

Roger Daltry John Cowsill Donna Loren MICKY DOLENZ Ceil Cabot Mark Lindsay Dean Torrence Neil Sedaka Carolyn Travis Arch Johnson Mike Love John Sebastian Bruce Kessler Shane Worden Elton John Diana Ross Eric Clapton Diane Scharp

April 3

Jan Berry Jeff Barry Jan Chilton 5 Coco Heinzelmann 6 Phil Leeds Michelle Phillips 9 Carl Perkins Julie Harris 12 David Cassidy Tiny Tim 13 Diane (Hildebrand) Roland5

Monkee Shines

Diane Scharp 14850 Phelps Drive Bridgeton, MO 53044 USA

Cindy Torres 3703 Country Club Drive #11 Long Beach, CA 90807 USA

Maria Tereza Pinho Gomes Da Silva Rua Virginia Vidal No. 59 Tanque Jacarepagua Rio De Janeiro RJ Cep. 22.735-080 Brazil

Deborah Kolbaba PO Box 89 Holstein, IA 51025 Joyce Lopez 356 Superior St. Paul, MN 55102 USA

Celine Allan 9208 Angora Street Dallas, TX 75218 USA

E-pals: Susan Andriano: sriversue@netscape.net

Susan Bragga 4222 West Robin Meadows lane Eau Claire, WI 54701 USA

Maria Tereza Pinho Gomes Da Silva: terezalennon@openlink.com.br

Kathy Brewer 1198 Turkey Blind Road Crossville, TN 38572

Mark Elbert: ebertenterprises@juno.com

Christina Gautreaux 1221 11th Street Lot 5 Dewitt, IA 52742 USA

Janet Litterio: janet6356@juno.com

Rachel Walker 1514 Sunnyhills Drive Brandon, FL 33510 USA

Shane Worden: idolthreat@prodigy.net 6

Monkee Shines

Bonnie, So, tell me….have the invitations to the White House arrived yet? Pennsylvania … Pennsylvania Avenue … potayto… potaahto.

Democratically speaking Just Moi! Axl, Every rose has its thorn!

Hit & Run Hey Hannah, Don’t jump without me!

Love, Your partner in crime Hey BW, The recent issue of PB just hit the stand!

Signed Still Shaking Off The Wall Hannah, Keep mommy in line and keep watching for those detours!

Uncle Shanie

We're getting tired of asking nicely, Colleen! :-) (You know who, and you know WHAT!) Hazel, Congratulations on your retirement! Someone needs to keep an eye on Ken! Cindy & Bonnie Kimmi, We all have our little obsessions...don’t we? :-D SF Peoria Gang, And what would we have done if it was actually HIM?!

Pippin, I’m packed! When do we leave? Bring the kilt!

Christian Happy New Year one and all! Here's hoping '03 treats us better than '02!

The Road Crew

Mum– Goochy, goochy, ya, ya, ya!! Love ya!!

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The Chatter

Monkee Shines

Peter’s News Peter's News Peter's last performance in Anaheim, CA, on last years' Monkees tour has finally made it's way onto DVD through King Biscuit. The disc is available in a wide variety of retail outlets, as well as online at www.kingbiscuit.com.

There is a CD "companion" slated for release on January 28, which is supposed to contain some extra songs that did not make it onto the concert DVD. Peter has been in the studio once again, as well, as a part of what is becoming an annual Christmas album tradition at James Lee Stanley's label, Beachwood Recordings. The album contains performances from Peter, James and Pamala Stanley, and can be ordered for 15 dollars from the tried and true Beachwood address or you can reach James online at www.jamesleestanley.com.

Peter's band, Shoe Suede Blues, is planning a nation-wide tour in the coming months, although nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Keep checking www.shoesuedeblues.com for updates on the SSB schedule.

In the meantime, both SSB albums are still available and well worth a listen if you haven't heard them!

And, as a side note, Rhino Records is planning a boxed set release of the Monkees' first season on DVD in the early months of 2003. Tentative price of the set as this time is reported to be about $80. No word on any scheduled extra features or interviews, though both seem entirely likely.

www.petertork.com 8

Monkee Shines

Mike’s News From the Video Ranch: NEW MP3S: MP3s being so popular these days we decided to make a few more available at Videoranch. The Armadillo World Headquarters concert (1981) ranks high on Nez' list of favorite live shows with John Hobbs on piano, Joe Chemay on bass, Paul Leim on drums, and Billy Joe Walker Jr. and Jerry Swallow on guitar. We've added both the live version of 'Capsule' and the live version of 'Grand Ennui' from that show. If you have Live at the Palais on CD then you've already heard these great takes.

By now, you've heard all about the diptychs and triptychs Nez created for various albums. Rio / Casablanca Moonlight and You are my one / In the afternoon both diptychs that are currently available as MP3s. Well, we've just added a triptych from the First National Band Recordings! Calico Girlfriend / Nine Times Blue / Little Red Rider, all three songs, one after the other. These MP3s are only a couple of bucks each, a great way to sample albums you don't yet have, and just plain cool to have downloaded onto your computer.

THE LONG SANDY HAIR OF NEFTOON ZAMORA: "A mystical search through the southwest for beauty and truth, Michael Nesmith writes with a rhythm and color that is as enveloping as his terrain. This is a writer rich in humor, with a delightfully canny sense of the modern picturesque novel. It's a wonderful ride with Mr. Nesmith. " --Wendy Wasserstein, author and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of "The Heidi Cronicles" Unabridged 6 CD Set read by the author. Nez' reading of the story reveals another level of humor and insight. There's a little bit of music and there are sound effects scattered throughout. Listen to it while you're in your car, stuck in traffic and it will magically transport you to the southwest.

Copies can be purchased through The Videoranch. (videoranch.com)

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Monkee Shines

Micky’s News Since the last newsletter, Micky has been seen gracing the afternoon soap opera programs yet again. Earlier this year he played a vicar on "As The World Turns". In November, Dolenz appeared as an anger management group leader on Ami's old soap, "General Hospital"! Micky also appeared recently at the Beatlefest convention in Pasadena, CA where he confirmed that he and David have no plans to work together this year. He has been starting to concentrate on his directorial work once again, while continuing to tour as a solo act. Micky also mentioned that he had recently been offered a role in the Tim Rice/Elton John musical, "Aida", as well, though he hadn't made any decisions about whether he would commit. In the meantime, look for Micky on the road here: Wed 01/22/03 through Wed 01/29/03 Miami, FL Enchantment Of The Seas (cruise ship tour) Fri 02-07-03 Onamia, MN at the Grand Casino Mille Lacs Fri 09/12/03 Peachtree City, GA Frederick Brown Jr. Amph.

Sat 09/13/03 Peachtree City, GA Frederick Brown Jr. Amph.

Micky Dolenz has just announced his very exciting plans for 2003. He says, "I have been offered and have accepted a wonderful role in the Elton John & Tim Rice musical 'AIDA'. The character is 'Zoser' and it is an incredible part---I sing two of the best songs in the show and I am the 'bad guy'. I will be on tour with the National Company for six months, starting in Fort Myers, Florida, on February 25th, and then they have guaranteed me the role on Broadway starting in January of 2004 Further information on dates and tickets can be found at http://disney.go.com/disneytheatrical/tour/index.html.

February 25 - March 2, 2003, Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers, FL March 4 - 15, 2003, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, FL March 18 - 23, 2003, Birmingham-Jefferson Memorial Hall, Birmingham, AL

March 26 - April 6, 2003, Performing Arts Center, Louisville, KY April 8 - 13, 2003, Murat Center, Indianapolis, IN April 15 - 20, 2003, E.J. Thomas Hall, Akron, OH April 22 - May 4, 2003, Ohio Center, Columbus, OH May 7 - 11, 2003, Weidner Center, Green Bay, WI May 14 - 18, 2003, Leid Center, Lincoln, NE May 21 - June 1, 2003, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee, WI

10

Monkee Shines Micky’s News Continued:

June 17 - 29, 2003, Majestic Theater, San Antonio, TX July 2 - 13, 2003, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa, CA July 15 - 20, 2003, Civic Theater, San Diego, CA July 23 - August 10, 2003, San Jose Performing Arts Center, San Jose, CA August 13 - 17, 2003, Buell Theatre, Denver, CO

www.mickydolenz.com David’s News Davy Jones in Concert February 7, 2003 - Mohegan Sun Casino Uncasville, CT 888-226-7711 April 19, 2003 - Belterra Resort & Casino Florence, Indiana 812/427-7777 (NOTE: Please DO NOT phone the casino as their schedule just includes concerts through February, and this date is NOT on the Casino's listing yet. If you are interested in attending, please try phoning the Casino sometime AFTER Feb. 2003.)

April 25-28, 2003 - Epcot International Flower & Garden Fest American Gardens Theatre Disney World Lake Buena Vista, FL 407/934-7639 July 3, 2003 - Pine Hill Lakes Park Mason, OH July 10, 2003—N. Wisconsin State Fair Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin David has added a show on 10-04-03 in Tulsa, Ok at the Tulsa State Fair.

www.davyjones.net

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Monkee Shines

By Bill Holdsluip Reprinted from a Creem article Transcribed by Jan Chilton

One of the worst aspects of rock 'n' roll is that it's often centered on this debate as to whether something is "cool" or not. Taste, like beauty, is always in the eye of the beholder-but it sure makes for humorous observations today when someone uses musical phlegm like Depeche Mode as a "cool' status symbol.

Besides, if rock 'n' roll really is (was?) the populist artform and anyone can do it, then "cool," like pretentiousness, shouldn't even enter the picture. anyway, when I was 10 years old, the Monkees were "cool" to all my friends. When you're 10, what's cool is pretty 12

much based on what moves you (or at least what you're conditioned to be moved by)...

Of course, I wish I'd seen the Beatles, and I probably would have if I

Monkee Shines hadn't seen the Monkees. But my mom took me and my six-year-old brother to see them in Detroit, which was over two hours away from where we lived and the only place you could see rock concerts back then. Anyway, the Monkees were really, really neat. Jimi Hendrix definitely didn't open for them, but they rocked. (they played their own instruments, there was no "hidden" band behind them), even if you couldn't hear most of it (I distinctly do remember "I'm A Believer", though) with 25,000 teenagers screaming non-stop for an hour.

The teenage girl next to me cried-real tears and everything-throughout the show. My brother, a hyperactive kid to begin with, thought it was great 'cause he actually got away with jumping and screaming in public. My mother bitched all the way home, calling it "insanity' and "mass hysteria". Like I said, it was really, really neat.

Mike wore his wool hat onstage, and Micky imitated James Brown.

Even though a white kid from a small rural town didn't know much about James Brown in 1966, I would always remember that...

In 1973, I met Micky Dolenz outside the stage door of an Alice Cooper show. He was in town to emcee a rock festival, and he performed "The Monkees Theme" with

the original Cooper band that night following their 'School's Out" encore. It was really, really neat.

"Wasn't that the fucking greatest show you've ever seen?" asked Micky, but he didn't seem real eager to talk about the Monkees at that point in his life. Still, he was more than courteous when I told him how much I'd once enjoyed the "band"...

So the Monkees were "manufactured".

They were "commercialized".

They were "show biz." They weren't real. So what?? The same claim could be made about Alice Cooper, and it's funny how his influence (be it good or bad, and it's been both) has turned out to be more pervasive than that of, say, the ultra cool Allman Brothers. Besides, I've read about the "Psychedelic Love Burgers" that got sold in HaightAshbury, and I've seen psychedelic pillowcases. It could be argued that the whole '60's trip, "cool" or "uncool", was "commercialized". I mean, we used to watch the Vietnam war, people getting shot and stuff, alongside deodorant ads on TV in the 60's. Like Noel Redding recently wrote of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, (who got their U.S. break opening for the "imitation" Fab Four): "Funny that groups like the Experience, who were symbols of the movement, were in reality 13

Monkee Shines just fronts for large corporations and small people who were using us and the audience in the madness of generating profits." How "cool".

Plus, none of these arguments stand up much in the '80s when the Monkees look pure in contrast to what's accepted as "normal" today. I'd argue that Madonna, in her own way, is as least as "manufactured" as the Monkees were. The Bangles just had two big hits with (gasp!) songs they didn't write themselves!

(Funny how some of the current critics who consider the Monkees a "joke"--many of whom must've been all of two years old in 1966-haven't included, say the great Darlene Love, of Phil Spector fame, who shared some composers with the Monkees, as part of their "joke".) And don't even mention Duran Duran, Sigue Sigue Sputnik or most of today's heavy metal acts.

Considering that the Monkees recorded in a (at the most) four-track studio as opposed to today's 24track studio where all kinds of things can be "punched in", you'd better believe that a lot of current top bands don't play their own instruments on records.

Of course the Monkees did end up playing on a lot of their own recordings by the time of Headquarters (and even if they didn’t, does it 14

really matter?) I’d argue that the Monkees produced much better music than all the current acts mentioned above, and that many of the Monkees’ best songs rate with any pop/rock music that came out of the ‘60s. And the music is what it all boils down to in the end. Lots of the Monkees’ music still stands up today. Lots of it was great…

If the Monkees were a manufactured teenybop / ”bubblegum” band, then they were easily the greatest –and most ambitious— manufactured/ teenybop/”bubblegum” band of all time. There’s no comparison between the Monkees and the Archies or the Bay City Rollers. Or Wham!

Besides, if they were solely “bubblegum” (and they weren’t), is it really that derogatory to be “bubblegum”? The Replacements, for one, would tell you that is isn’t—and I know that I still turn up my radio every time I hear songs like “Tracy”, “My Baby Loves Lovin’,” “Indian Lake”, or “Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes”.

Ok, the Monkees were put together as part of a commercial TV show.

But, for once, the people who put the thing together really lucked out.

The Monkees proved to have genuine talent. Let’s not forget that the Monkees weren’t striving to be like

Monkee Shines Duran Duran. The Monkees wanted to be like the Beatles—and you can’t do any better than that. As a result, things as diverse as Hank Williams and Little Richard were part of their musical make-up. The Monkees strived to fit in the giant panorama that was ‘60s rock ‘n roll.

In other words, there weren’t the factions and divisions that exist today. Pop was rock, rock was pop, and from Lesley Gore to Jim Morrison to Max Frost & The Troopers, it was all rock ‘n roll. And be it bubblegum, pop, garage rock or psychedelia, the Monkees incorporated it all into their repertoire.

More importantly, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork and Da-

vy Jones were very charming entertainers. Every Monday night, they brought an element of ‘60s pop Culture into mid-American living rooms. In that sense, they were latter-day Ricky Nelsons. Let’s not forget that things like long hair were still sort of taboo for midAmerica in 1966, and the Monkees didn’t look that far removed from those kids rioting on college campuses. “It’s those bastards who ruined this country” in relation to the Beatles is a comment I heard more than once during the 60’s. If nothing else, the show’s existence was more than justified by its Yardley commercials which brought Twiggy-like models, Donovan singing “Wear Your Love Like Heaven” and images of swinging London into 10 million living rooms every week. The show was hip and innovative for its time, paving the way for Laugh-In, which in turn paved the way for Saturday Night Live.

Plus, things did seem better in the ‘60s. For the most part, people seemed more hopeful, if not happier.

“I’ve never considered it a vice, you know, nostalgia and playing what people want to hear.” –Micky Dolenz To be honest, I don’t think The Monkees series is really that terrific 15

Monkee Shines in retrospect, but I feel the same way about Elvis movies, and those were some of the best when I was a little kid. If The Monkees’ new MTV popularity seems a little weird, it might have something to do with ‘60s pop images looking even more attractive at a time when the Reagan Administration is trying to deny—in every way, shape and form—that the decade even existed.

As far as the “cool” issue is concerned, can we possibly deem he Monkees “cool” by association? A lot of “cool” (read: talented) people were involved with The Monkees, ranging from the guys who produced Easy Rider to director Paul Mazursky to Jack Nicholson, a Monkees’ friend who wrote the screenplay for Head, their only motion picture. Both John Lennon and Timothy Leary defended the group at the time. The Monkees actually rebelled against “uncool” corporate boss Don Kirshner; his next “band” was the Archies, cartoon figures with no mind of their own. They hung out with people ranging from the Buffalo Springfield to Tim Buckley to Frank Zappa, the latter who not only appeared in Head but on the TV show as well (and we’re not talking “Yellow Snow” here, but Freak Out! and We’re Only In It For the Money). Come to think of it, if you listen to the Monkees’ 16

Head LP today, it sounds a lot like a Zappa/Mothers LP from that era—and it remains an outstanding psychedelic artifact. (And if you wanna read all kinds of “cool” stories about the Monkees, ranging from the Hendrix, Stills and Dolenz “jam session” to the first use of a synthesizer on a rock LP, you should read The Monkees Tale by Eric Lefcowitz, which was published last year by Berkeley, California’s Last Gasp press.)

As for the music, the Monkees

Monkee Shines weren’t always on target. The first LP sounds relatively weak, though it had several fine moments—while “Valerie” and “Daydream Believer” were two of the only good things on The Birds, The Bees, & The Monkees. But what great “good things” they were; someone like the Thompson Twins would kill to have anything as good on one of their albums. In between those LPs are three records that I’ve owned since the day they were released and will probably own until the day I die (and you can, too, now that Rhino Records has re-released the entire Monkees catalog). More of The Monkees is a pop lover’s dream feast, ranging from the inspired Boyce & Hart classics to Neil Sedaka’s Buddy Holly-ish “When Love Comes Knockin’,” one of the happiest love songs ever recorded.

“Steppin’ Stone” is one of the few songs the Sex Pistols ever covered, and I’ve seen college kids go crazy for the last six years every time the band I’m involved with covers something like “She”.

Picses, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., the fourth LP, is the famous synthesizer-debut record and the beginning of psychedelic leanings—plus man, many fine pop songs. But my all-time fave is probably Headquarters, a hodge-podge of styles, ranging from the exciting Little Richard/ Chuck Berry-influenced “No

Time” (recorded over three years before Fogerty released “Travelin’ Band”) to the beautiful, moving, magnificent, splendid, wonderful “Shades of Gray”, which rates as one of the ‘60’s best compositions—and sounds as beautiful, etc., today as it did then.

And the Monkees did write some of their own songs. Peter’s hippieish “For Pete’s Sake” wasn’t bad at all, and will always be ingrained in the minds of everyone who grew up with the show. Micky’s “Randy Scouse Git” is a really, really neat song (and a hit in England), and Micky continued writing some nice songs (as well as some clinkers) as late as the group’s final two LPs as a trio. (Although in fairness, it should be noted that Instant Replay includes two of the worst GoffinKing songs in history and isn’t a very good album).

Then there was Mike Nesmith. If Nesmith had done nothing other than write “Different Drum” (Linda Ronstadt’s greatest moment, one of the ‘60s most perfect pop tunes) and the haunting “Joanne” (yes! yes! yes!), his place in pop history would be secure. But Nesmith had great songs as early as “Papa Gene’s Blues” and “Sweet Young Thing” on their first LP, and as late as “Good Clean Fun” and “Never 17

Monkee Shines Tell A Woman Yes” on their final The Monkees Present (a pretty good record). Mike Nesmith was a magnificent songwriter. Just listen to “The Kind Of Girl I Could Love”.

It’s a shame he never got his just due because he was a Monkee.

I’ve always said if the original Monkees reunited for a tour, it could be one of the finest reunions in pop/rock history… . . .

So I was skeptical and cynical when they reunited without Nesmith.

They’ll do the obvious hits, probably not as good, I thought, and cash in on the MTV-inspired nostalgia. I was even skeptical when I read that Nesmith had raved about the reunion show after seeing it in Texas, saying that he almost wished he was onstage with them. After all, hadn’t he also said that he didn’t join in because it “would be like Reagan making another movie”?

Well, if you skipped the Monkees’ reunion show because you thought it was a cynical cash-in, then you missed an excellent, entertaining, fun, funny, really neat rock show.

They were as charming as ever.

They sound as good vocally as they did then, and they’ve aged more gracefully than, say, Crosby, Stills & Nash. Excepting “Words”, they 18

did all the obvious hits—but they did non-obvious stuff, too, like “No Time”, “Auntie Grizelda”, the great “Goin’ Down” and (sigh!) “Shades of Gray”. I actually got goosebumps! The band behind them was terrific—so much so that the songs sounded better (and more rock ‘n’ roll-like) than they did in the ‘60s.

Only once—during Davy’s solo segment—did the show even approach Las Vegas mentality. They played Mike’s “Listen To The Band”, a nice gesture.

They showed that “That Was Then, This Is Now” is a fine summer pop song.

They were better than the last two times I saw the Stones and the last five times I saw the Kinks. They were great. If Nesmith had been there, it could’ve been one of the most entertaining shows I’ve ever seen. As it was, along with Lou Reed’s, it was the best rock show I saw this summer. . . .

The day after the show was my birthday. I got to interview Micky Dolenz. He still has the same chipmunk voice. He’s also one of the most gracious people I’ve ever interviewed. It was really, really, neat…

ON PUTTING THE CONCERT

Monkee Shines there—some work, some haven’t.

Some we like, some we don’t. But we had to do a few. We had to do an hour, and we wanted to do all the songs full-length. We didn’t want to do any medleys because that would be a mistake. We could’ve got a lot more in, of course, but we felt that medleys would be a bit of a cheat.”

ON THEIR NEW PHENOMENAL SUCCESS: “I’m a film director in England now, and when I agreed to do this last summer, I had no idea it was going to be this big. Our fans have always been enthusiastic, but I think the MTV run of the show really put it over the top and brought in a lot of new fans. Then again, there’s an awful lot of our original fans out there coming back for nostalgic reasons.”

TOGETHER: “The three of us did it as a unit. (Promoter) David Fishof put together the band and the tour, but we chose the songs. The songs kinda chose themselves.

There were at least eight or 10 that we had to do, the obvious ones. The difficulty came in choosing the second eight or 10 because we had so many secondary kind of hits. We’ve tried a couple different tunes here and

ON ACCUSATIONS OF NOSTALGIA PEDDLING: “Well, I don’t think that you could accuse anyone of doing that. I’ve never considered it to be a ‘vice’, you know, nostalgia and playing what people want to hear. I’ve never really cared what the media said.

We’ve been very fortunate in that the press have had very little negative effect on our success, back in the ‘60s, and they don’t today, really. You say we’ve taken a lot of shit, but, quite honestly, we never noticed. Because, first of all, we 19

Monkee Shines never had the time to read much of our own press. And, of course, the thing was so successful that if we did read any bad press, all we did was laugh, go out and play to a sold -out house, and count our money.

We’ve had some bad press this time around, and it still makes no difference. I don’t know why. That’s just the way it is, and there you go.”

ON THE BASIS OF THE MONKEES’ SUCCESS: “A lot of it has to do with the fact that the songs are just fundamentally good songs. To be honest, I think that anyone— well, not anyone, but any major act could record these songs and have major hits. Carole King didn’t write sh…uh, duff fung, you know. That gives us such a strong, heavy foundation that it’s very difficult to screw it up.”

ON THE MONKEES’ PLACE IN ROCK HISTORY: “I don’t think it’s so much rock ‘n’ roll history as it is entertainment history. The Monkees were not, by any stretch of the imagination, a full-blown rock ‘n’ roll group. We never pretended to be, and never said we were. It was only the press and magazines like Rolling Stone that perceived it that way. We were a TV show about a group, and doing music videos and that’s where it was at. They wanted to relate every20

thing, of course, to being as pure as driven snow, to use a pun, in rock ‘n’ roll back then. And the Monkees were much closer to the Marx Brothers than a rock ‘n’ roll band, actually. And it was John Lennon who originally made that comparison. That’s much closer to the truth. So no, it doesn’t bother me when the Monkees aren’t included in the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all times, because that’s not what it was.”

ME: Well, I think some of your songs rate right up there.

“Well, thank you. I appreciate that. I mean, I think it’s true that for all practical purposes, we sure became a rock ‘n’ roll band.”

ON FUTURE MONKEE PLANS: “There’s a lot of things in the air.

There’s a TV special, there’s a movie. There are a number of things that we’re talking about.

It’s been kind of tricky because we’ve been on the road and everything’s taken us a bit by surprise.

I really can’t give you any more information than that, honestly, but we’ll continue as long as it remains genuinely successful. It really hasn’t been over-promoted or over-hyped, and that’s what’s been so exciting about it.”

Monkee Shines ON THE STUPID CONCEPT OF A “NEW MONKEES” TV SHOW: “Well, I have to be careful what I say. I said a couple of things, and they got mad at me.

But, quite simply, I agree with you. That’s my professional opinion. I thought the new Odd Couple was stupid. I think the new Star Trek idea is stupid. It’s just lame.

It’s anticlimactic and unnecessary.

I have a feeling it’s just business executive type of people who perceive it as something they can make money on. I don’t think it’s necessary. On the other hand, I have to wish all the kids who are going out for it good luck and everything like that.”

done it. I had to cancel a series that I was supposed to produce and direct to do this. And I had my doubts. I was torn about it. It took me a long time to make up my mind. Because, again, we had no idea that it was going to explode into this kind of thing.”

ON WHETHER HE’S RECENTLY TALKED TO MIKE NESMITH: “Oh, of course. Everybody’s trying to make something out of that, and believe me, there’s nothing there. I think he kind of misses it. On the other hand, he’s just not into it. He doesn’t do this anymore. He doesn’t tour. He doesn’t record.

He doesn’t sing. It’s as simple as that. And he’s also very busy doing what he does—executive movie producer—which I know because I’ve been in the same position. It’s very time-consuming. If this tour had happened a couple of months earlier, I couldn’t have

ON WHETHER HE CONTINUED PLAYING DRUMS AFTER THE MONKEES ENDED: “No, no. It’s a difficult instrument to take to parties with you.”

ON A POSSIBLE “SURPRISE” NESMITH APPEARANCE: “I kinda doubt it. I can’t imagine how that would work. I just don’t know. I can’t imagine how he’d feel very comfortable coming out and just…what would he do? Just stand there and sing a tune? I’d much rather see him do a film with us, do a movie.”

. . .

I hope the Monkees continue for a long time. I hope they record more songs as fine as “That Was Then, This Is Now”. I hope my kids like them as much as I did.

And I hope Mike Nesmith rejoins them in some capacity. The Monkees make people happy. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

21

Monkee Shines “Pleasant Valley Sunday”. Asked if he’d rejoin the band, Nesmith replied: “It’s always a possibility, if we can synch our schedules. I love these guys.”)

. . .

(Editor’s note: Of course, Nesmith did join the three other Monkees onstage at Los Angeles’s Greek Theatre in late August ’86 for two songs, “Listen To The Band” and

The End

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

The Theory of Evolution One quick theory this time. Some of you know (and you know who you are) that I have fallen head of heels for the movie Moulin Rouge. Totally by accident I have found that Moulin Rouge is Monkees related!

Too cool! But then isn’t everything! That is the whole premise of this column.

(although not sung by The Monkees).

Therefore, very simply, Ewan McGregor and Moulin Rouge are Monkees related!

Moulin Rouge stars Ewan McGregor as Christian, the penniless poet.

Ewan has starred in a number of Japanese commercials which can be seen online at: http://www.japander.com/japander/ index.htm Two of these commercials for Roots coffee feature the song I’m A Believer in the background 22

Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge

Monkee Shines

Heard on NBC: To advertise the NBC Fall Lineup, NBC is using the song, Let Me Entertain You, which David has used in his solo act. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Heard on Conan O’Brien: Rita Wilson recalled growing up in Micky Dolenz’ neighborhood ...”you remember Micky Dolenz? He was one of the Monkees.” It was at the height of Monkeemania. One of the boys she ran around with told her he knew Micky and they could go over to his house any time. She should have been suspicious when they had to go through a window to get into the house. They were standing in his living room listening to Last Train To Clarksville on his stereo when Micky and his blonde girlfriend (Samantha?) walked into the house.

Years later Rita saw Micky in the grocery store and apologized profusely. She said he was very cool about the whole thing. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Seen on Hollywood Squares: A photo of Micky. David,

and Mike was shown (the one where they are looking through a picture frame—from the series).

The question was, “Which one of the Monkees is missing?” Both the celebrity and the contestant knew it was Peter. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Seen on the USA Network: An ad for TV’s Favorite Theme Songs CD features The Monkees’ Theme. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Seen on C-Span: A story about 14 year old Basie Gitlin of N. Branford, Connecticutt.

Basie collects children’s books and has a collection of over 2500 books. He began collecting at age 9 with a book about one of his favorite groupps.

The book was The Monkees in Who’s Got The Button? ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Seen on A & E Biography: The Biography of David Bowie features a brief mention that David Bowie, who’s real name is 23

Monkee Shines Davy Jones, was forced to change his name so that he would not be confused with the “other” Davy Jones. They showed David’s preMonkees album cover. I should mention here that the man who researched this Biography first contacted our own Jan Chilton and through her our own Bonnie Borgh for information on this album. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Seen on General Hospital: Micky had a small part on the daytime soap General Hospital in November. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Seen on Crossing Over with John Edwards: Micky again showed up on daytime TV for a “Super”natural experience. If anyone has this on tape I am dying to see it. I forgot to set the VCR! ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Read in Desperation by Stephen King King, who is a rock and roll fan, often refers to rock and roll hits in his books. This time it was Last Train To Clarksville. I reported this when the book originall came out but in rereading 24

it Shane Worden noted that a few pages away from the Monkees reference there is a mention of the Felix Caveliere fan club which Shane thought interesting since we had just seen Felix with David.in Peoria. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ On VH-1: Thanksgiving week VH-1 presented Daydream Believers: The Monkees’ Story three different times in their pop up video format. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ Heard on the Simpson: I’m A Believer playing as the backdrop for Moe’s romance. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ On our local oldies station, KUUL: Sound bites from The Monkees appearance on the Raiders TV show from the 60s are heard in a montage of sound bites to advertise one of the DJs shows. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫ The Brady Bunch movie sequel aired on USA again. ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

Monkee Shines

He Said/She Said, Part IX "Will The Real All-Star Band Please Stand Up"?

a.k.a. "The Detour Tour"

By Bonnie Borgh (with a little help from her friends): Cindy Bryant, Kimmi Janvrin and Shane WordenHe Said/She Said, Part IX "Will The Real All-Star Band Please Stand Up"? a.k.a. "The Detour Tour"

By Bonnie Borgh (with a little help from her friends): Bonnie: Believe Luck", (now it or not, it's been "Isle Of Caa while since I pri"), in Bettenparticipated in a dorf, Iowa on "He Said/She September 24Said" documen25, 1999. That tary. In fact, I was then, this is arbitrarily selectnow. ed a vintage Purple Flower Gang Shane: I (PFG) newsletter, couldn't agree (Issue #45, He more. It has Said/She Said-been way too The Next Generalong since tion) to familiarwe've had a ize myself with chance to share the format. Of one of our adcourse, I had to re ventures with Photo by Tom Litterio -read bits and piecour reading es of the article. It brought back public, but here we are...in full such wonderful memories of Daforce...and ready to go. I hope all vid's appearances at "The Lady of you enjoy reading these stories 25

Monkee Shines as much as we enjoy writing them.

Always keep in mind that the old saying about the journey being the reward absolutely applies here.

Now more than ever!

Cindy: It was great to have Bonnie on the road with us once again! If only Colleen had come along for the ride …but she had other obligations. I hope you all enjoy reading these as much as we do writing them. We have found this is a great way to preserve our memories, not just of the shows but of the craziness that ensues when we are all together. You’re right, Shane! It is not the destination but the journey that matters.

Bonnie: Being the initial contributor documenting this adventure, I am afforded the opportunity to reenact the events whilst my fellow travel companions, (Cindy, Kimmi and Shane), offer their two cents.

Perhaps as much fun as the actual close encounter is the "before and after". For all impractical purposes, the following accounts are recorded as gospel according to Cindy, Kimmi, Shane and I (very sort of like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).

Shane: Always hoped that I'd be an apostle; knew that I would make it if I tried....

26

Cindy: What’s that in the bread?

It’s gone to your head…

Bonnie: Or was that John, Paul, George and Ringo? Imagine that!

Wrong group. Shane was scheduled to arrive in the Quad Cities late on Thursday, October 31. (I'm sorry you had to miss the Halloween parade and "trick or treats".) Cindy and Kimmi planned to arrive in the Quad Cities sometime Friday afternoon.

Cindy: Yeah…planned…

Shane: I planned on coming down to the Quad Cities early for two basic reasons. As those of you who have read these stories before already know, I depend on that darling of public mass transit, the Greyhound bus system, to get me to the QC just about every time we do a show. The major downside to that is that I am unable to get into town on the route that I have to take until very late in the evening, and most times the bus is running behind schedule on top of that. So, I decided to come in the evening before everybody else did so that I was already IN town when the rest of the Gang came in; that way, we would be able to spend a nice evening together in it's entirety without anybody having to worry about picking me up at the bus station or

Monkee Shines

wondering how far behind my schedule was keeping me this time.

Moreover, had I come down the next evening, I would have only really been able to spend little more than 24 hours with everyone before we all went our separate ways again on Sunday. I would have spent more time on the road than I would have spent actually hangin' out...at least this way I felt like I was getting more advantage of my time off.

By the way, it never bothered me a bit to be traveling on Halloween.

The year before turned out to be a total "trick-or-treat" bust at my house, (I wonder if the fact that I live almost next-door to a funeral home has anything to do with that), Bonnie: Hannah is so intuitive, Shane. You and Cindy have another thing in common. She lives across the street from a cemetery. You both like quiet neighborhoods.

Shane: so I was happy to be doing something that seemed more productive to me with the day. I got to my hotel room at about 10 P.M. that evening, quickly gave Cindy a call and jotted down Bonnie's phone number for in the morning, and finding that the hotel restaurant had already closed for the night, resigned myself to downing some chips from the vending machine

and calling it a day.

Bonnie: Shane called me about 9:30 A.M. on Friday. My husband, Craig, had to work, (poor guy), so just Hannah and I went to the Radisson Hotel in Davenport to pick him up. Being from Bettendorf, I am not accustomed to the parking meters and garages, which are commonplace in downtown Davenport. Since half of the streets in the downtown area were under construction, finding an available route to the Radisson was a bit frustrating.

Shane: Road rage is a PFG family trait, ya know. Just ask Colleen!

(Missed ya this time, my darling!

Get a damn computer!) :-) Cindy: Don’t go there, Shane!

Bonnie: I was overjoyed to find a parking place so close to the hotel.

I specifically remember putting 40 cents in the meter before Hannah and I entered the hotel. Shane was waiting for us, (bright eyed and bushy tailed), in the lobby.

Shane: Suddenly, I feel the compulsion to store away some acorns or something....

Cindy: The nuts were gathering 27

Monkee Shines themselves.

Bonnie: It had been the first weekend in March (2002), (that's another story!), since we had last seen him, (and Kimmi as well). After greetings and salutations, (plus a quick trip up and down the glass elevator)...

Shane: Well...children are so easily amused. Hannah enjoyed it, too.

Bonnie: ...the three of us returned to my car to get Hannah's gloves.

We planned to walk to an undisclosed destination, (Christmas is coming!), when I noticed something unusual stuck behind the windshield wipers on my car. It looked like a ticket.

Shane: It sure did, didn't it?

Bonnie: I grabbed it off the windshield and said to myself, "What the..."

Shane: "razza, frazzin' bleepity #@*$ing bleep is this?!" Made Ozzy Osbourne look like an amateur, did Bonnie.

Cindy: I, for one, am shocked!

Bonnie: Excuse me, Shane. I might have thought that but I did not say it. Little tots hear lots. As I read the 28

fine (in) print. I looked up at the police officer that had just placed it there. She said, "I'm sorry, but you're parked the wrong way on a one way." I was dumfounded. (I know there's a comment coming here.)

Shane: [looks around] Huh, wha?

You lookin' at me?

Bonnie: I said, "I had no idea! I put money in the meter and everything." She replied, "I know you did. I checked that. Otherwise, I would have to had given you a ticket for that, too." (Thank you for being so conscientious.) I apologized for my mistake and explained that with all the streets under repair, I was so happy to find a parking place that I did not realize it was a one-way street on which I had made the illegal right-hand turn.

Shane: Hoo boy, you'd fit right in with some Greyhound drivers I've had.

Kimmi: Funny...I just got my very first ticket that week as well! Well, parking ticket that is.

Bonnie: (I honestly did not even know then what street it was.) I added that I had only parked there for ten minutes while I went inside the Radisson to pick up a friend.

Monkee Shines

Shane: Sure! Go ahead and blame it on me!

Shane: I thank you, and my winter reading list thanks you....

Kimmi: That's a given!!

Bonnie: Then we were headed off to our next destination. Hannah really wanted to go to "Rocket Playground". Shane said it was okay with him to stop for a while.

Its too bad Kimmi was not able to join us. Her name was written all over the playground equipment.

Cindy: My thoughts exactly!

Bonnie: The officer was very understanding. However, she said once the ticket is torn from the book, it's too late. (Hey, how about a little Scotch tape? Would you try Elmer's glue? Duct tape?) She was kind enough to write down her boss' name and phone number for me to call on Monday-Monday. I asked, "How much is this ticket?"

Shane: "How much ya got, sweetie?"

Bonnie: She replied, "7A!" (I mean seven dollars.) It was a crystal clear, crisp fall morning, and I had the distinct feeling that David Jones was within a two-hour radius.

Call me a daydream believer. Rather than walk to our next stop, I decided that I had better relocate my car to another parking place.

We found another parking space close to the establishment. This time, I paid particular attention to park legally, and Shane fed the meter. We found some deals in this little out of the way place that nobody goes.

Kimmi: In red spray paint: KIMMAH!!

Cindy: The eternal child.

Shane: Yes it was! Apparently I need to call her if I ever happen to be looking for a "good time".

Kimmi: Dial 281-7668. Hey, baby, I can't wait!!

Bonnie: Hannah enjoyed showing "Uncle" Shane all of her playground skills including the big slide and the roller slide. It was approaching the noon hour so we reassembled into the car. On the way home, Hannah was on a "detour" recording. Apparently she saw a "Detour" sign and continued to comment about "Detour" signs. A few moments later, she said, "Mom, what's a detour?" Earlier, Shane had told me he was surprised to find 29

Monkee Shines Cindy at home when he called her.

Poor dear had an acute case of Jones' Fever.

Shane: I was surprised because when I had called Cindy the night before, after I had gotten in at the hotel, she had told me that she still had planned to go in to work the next morning. After I called Bonnie that morning, I figured that I would call Cindy and leave a quick message on her machine, just to be goofy, (it comes naturally), and to say that I was looking forward to seeing her later that day. When Cindy herself answered I thought that I must have called her on her cell without knowing it and that I had interrupted her at work. That turned out not to be the case...we all must take a sick day every now and again!

Cindy: No fever. I had planned on having some work done to my car in the morning while I was at work.

It has had a gassy smell to it. My mechanic called me at the last minute that he couldn’t do it so I took the day off to try to get it fixed by someone else.

Bonnie: I thought I would call her when we got home to see how she was feeling. When I called, Cindy said she was fine but her car was not. Due to a fuel injection leak, 30

she was afraid to drive a long distance without first having it repaired. I offered to pick her up.

Another phone call later, she agreed. Shane, Hannah and I ate grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

Shane said that he was "saving himself"...

Shane: ...and seriously, how many times are you apt to hear a male say that?!

Kimmi: I've yet to hear it!!

Cindy: Shane, there are only 4 words a male needs in his vocabulary….”Yes, dear!” and “I’m sorry!”…”Saving myself” would have to be explained and then they wouldn’t get it…even David and Davy ALWAYS gets it!."

Bonnie: ...for Lunardi's, (official Italian restaurant of the PFG). Our lunch discussion focused on Hannah informing Shane that he should get married. When Shane asked Hannah whom he should marry, Hannah replied, "Cindy!"

Shane: Well, it certainly would take our, um, "relationship" to the next level! I mean, I'm already the official zombie, (special thanks to a special group of fans out there--and you KNOW who YOU are); just as long as we stick to tradition and the

Monkee Shines father of the bride foots the bill!

Bonnie: Do you think David would sing at your wedding?

Shane: But talk about inbreeding....Kimmi is already my "sister".

Would she have to call me "daddy" then?

Cindy: You are already my son! I think that would only be legal in some southern states!

Kimmi: Great!! Where's my allowance?!?! Fork it over, daddy!!

Bonnie: Shane was a good sport about playing with Hannah while I was making sandwiches and preparing to depart for Muscatine. (He might want to tell about the "Detour" game.)

Shane: Hannah was having a good time showing me all of her toys and books, but soon show and tell was over and it was time for recess. We played a curious little game of "tag" that consisted of Hannah chasing me around in circles through the downstairs of Bonnie's house. After a few minutes of that, she stopped me and said, "Now, let's take the detour!” and preceded to start running in the exact opposite direction. Nothing gets past that one!

Bonnie: At 1:30 P.M., (just as "Passions" started), Shane, Hannah and I headed for Muscatine to pick up Cindy. Hannah took her afternoon nap in the car. It's too bad that she's too little for Monkee business. She is such a good traveler.

By 2:30 P.M., Cindy joined the Gang, and we were on the road again. Hannah remained a-snooze.

We had been waiting for this occasion to get together for months. On our return trip to the Quad Cities, we collaborated our thoughts and feelings. It had been a while since we had seen each other and a lot had happened.

Shane: Something in your eyes that just won't let me forget you, something in your face that keeps me hanging around you. Something got a hold on me the day that I met you... Something's wrong with me...

Bonnie: Who writes this stuff? Is anybody reading this?

Cindy: Correction….”with us!!!!”

Bonnie: As we approached the Radisson, my curiosity mounted.

What exactly was the street I illegally parked on? I gave Cindy a synopsis of the sordid details and said, "I parked right there." It was 31

Monkee Shines Brady Street. Brady Street!

Shane: And not even a Marsha, Marsha, Marsha in sight!

Bonnie: Believe it or not, Shane, I didn’t get this one! Marsha—as in Marsha Brady! Cindy had to decode for me!

Cindy: Now I am amazed!

BRADY STREET! It’s a main artery through Davenport and clearly marked!!!! Everyone knows Brady Street is a one way!!!! 4 lanes!

been in the Midwest, I would have remembered. However, there was no sign of an automobile on the street when I parked there.

Shane: excuses, excuses.

Bonnie: Fortunately, Shane had the insight to ask Cindy (prior to our arrival in Muscatine) to call the Radisson to let Kimmi know why nobody was hangin' round. Kimmi, (Cindy's daughter according to the Radisson), had just checked in.

Shane: not just according to the Bonnie: There was even a nice Radisson! little one-way arrow pointing north.

(I went south.) North-South-EastCindy: No, Kimmi has been my West! Everybody in the Quad Citdaughter since day one! I always ies knows Brady Street, (i.e. BIX 7 picked up strays as a child and it road race), goes north up Brady just carried over to Shane and KimStreet hill. I could hardly wait to mi! tell Craig what I had Kimmi: I done. Had get my there not dark hair been road and beauticonstrucful smile tion blockfrom her!! ing 2/3 of Seriously, the street no one or had cars ever quesbeen comtions it. ing up the hill or had Cindy: David Funny I Kimmi & Shane Jones not get my Photo by Cindy Bryant 32

Monkee Shines dark hair from L’Oreal!

Bonnie: By 3:35 P.M., we were enjoying the comforts of home in Kimmi and Cindy's room. Hannah remembered Kimmi. They jumped on the beds together in March of 2002. Of course, more goods from the hoods were exchanged. We decided to eat dinner at Lunardi's.

Craig met us at the room by 5:00 P.M. to join us. Cindy and Craig had already vowed not to discuss politics, and I was surprised our yard signs remained in tact the course of the weekend.

and so what if we aren’t worthy of the best…. (Sniff) Bonnie: These are a few of my favorite things! It was great to see the clips when David guest starred on Love American Style (19711973) as well as David, Micky, and Peter on the Sally Jessy Raphael show in 1987.

Kimmi: Oh, wow! Love American Style was great! Davy is so dreamy in those shows. *sigh*

Cindy: I left my magic markers at home.

Bonnie: Lunardi's had wonderful Italian cuisine as usual. Afterwards, Cindy, Kimmi and Shane came to the house of Borgh to watch Monkee video clips and eat pumpkin ice cream.

Shane: It wasn't Whitey's ice cream, but I suppose it was okay.

Bonnie: It was Edy’s Grand Pumpkin ice cream. Two 1.75 quarts for $5.00. It was a great bargain.

Kimmi: Yeah, it was all right. But it was no Davy Jones!! Or something like that.

Shane, Cindy, & Kimmi Photo by Bonnie Borgh

Cindy: Hey ice cream is ice cream 33

Monkee Shines Welk!

Bonnie: The Gang departed shortly after 10:00 P.M. Tomorrow was gonna be another day!

Photo by Bonnie Borgh

Shane: But for some reason known only to Bonnie, we had to fast forward through an old tape filled with an old Lawrence Welk Christmas special in order to find some of this stuff. But that's great; I wanted to be able to tell my friends back home that I spent my vacation in Iowa watching Lawrence Welk.

Bonnie: Okay, the secret is out. I like Sven Helstrom and the Swedish Rhythm Kings, too.

Kimmi: Welk.

Hee, hee.

Lawrence

Cindy: It was just part of the ambience of the evening‌to put you in the mood. No self respecting Iowa family in the 60s missed Lawrence 34

Shane: Departed, yes, but not quite down and out for the day. We stopped by the old "Lady Luck", the "scene of the crime" of so many of our past adventures, to help subsidize the Iowa economy for a short while. This time it was Kimmi who came out ahead. I was just thankful that I was able to walk away only having lost 25 bucks; due in no small part to a nickel machine I had found that kept me playing on just 10 dollars for a very long while.

Then it was back to the hotel for the night, where Cindy and Kimmi stayed up half the night talking and decided it would be "fun" to call me up in my room and scare the bejeezus out of me. Thankfully, I hadn't gone to sleep just yet--I was up reading for a little while. On long bus trips, a book is something that you definitely don't want to leave home without.

Kimmi: And after I had offered to come "visit" him, he hung up on me!! So I had to go to bed alone. I said bed, not sleep! I hadn't talked to my Mumsy in quite a while, so talk I did!! Our tummies ached from laughing so much. It took me

Monkee Shines forever to get her to shut up!

Cindy: Bonnie, next time you take Kimmi and I will take Hannah.

Hannah can’t be any harder to put to bed. No caffeine after noon for you next time, Kimmi! She was bouncing off the walls. However, it was entertaining…each story ended with “I have more thing to say...” I laughed till I cried and my sides ached. When you only see each other 3-4 times a year you have to get a lot of catching up into a very short period of time.

Bonnie: It was a typical Saturday morning. By 6:30 A.M. I was doing my "Pool It" routine. (Some people drink coffee in the morning.

I drink chlorine.) After swimming my usual 45 minutes, 3/4 mile, or 54 laps (whichever comes first), I returned home where Craig and Hannah had prepared blueberry pancakes with whipped cream for breakfast. We followed the usual Saturday morning schedule. By 10:30 A.M., I received a call from Cindy. Kimmi was in pursuit of a specific beauty product. After finding it, Cindy said they would be over to our house to pick me up.

Shane: I will never understand this. I can pack for a weekend trip in one large duffle bag. The rest take suitcases and bags and U-Haul

Photo by Bonnie Borgh

trucks.

Bonnie: Girl Scout motto: Always Be Prepared!

Shane: And then they take everything BUT the things they really need. [Sigh] After a leisurely breakfast, some being a bit more "leisurely" than others [looking casually in Kimmi's direction], we went out to get Kimmi's damn make up. But that's great; I wanted to be able to tell my friends back home that I spent my vacation in Iowa watching Lawrence Welk and looking for make up.

Cindy: Shanie, if you are going to hang with the girls you are going to have to learn to shop! I notice that Kevin and Craig don’t complain.

They know it won’t o any good and they will pay later if they do!

35

Monkee Shines

Kimmi: I made it on time. I'm the youngest. I'm entitled to slack off!

And, by the way, we did not find my make up. I had to go without.

Thank goodness I have Mumsy's natural beauty!

Cindy: Especially when you keep Mumsy up until 3AM! But it is true “natural beauty” runs in the family!

HA! Bonnie: Craig was going to entertain Hannah for the day. The ticket to the show was my birthday present. Shortly after 12:00 P.M., the Gang arrived. Within a half hour we were on the route to Peoria.via a brief stop at K'Nees Florists, (official florist of the PFG), to pick up a dozen red roses. (Do you know how hard it is to find purple flowers?) Kimmi refueled at a local Bettendorf gas station.

Thanks again for the water, Shane. It was much appreciated later.

Shane: Why, certainly. If it were only that easy to please people half the time, I'd take stock in the Aqua Fina Corporation!

Kimmi: Yeah. Thanks, Shanie!!

Cindy: That’s why we let you hang with us, son!

36

Photo by Bonnie Borgh

Bonnie: We listened to a variety of Monkees/David Jones' CDs on our trip to Peoria. We had the privilege of riding in Kimmi's brand new car.

It has a great sound system, which is certainly a pre-requisite in the purchase of a new car. (I'd check on that CD player though, Kimmi, to find out why "Every Step Of The Way" kept skipping and repeating.)

Shane: Here's a hint: it's the same reason why "When Love Comes Knockin' At Your Door" does the same thing. Over and over and over and over and over...

Bonnie: Shane obviously hasn’t heard David’s “David Jones” 1965 Colpix album in it’s entirety. Has he Cindy?

Monkee Shines Cindy: No, but I have...over and over and over…. It could have been worse…it could have been “Put Me Amongst The Girls!” Obviously Kimmi’s car has a very high tech CD player with extremely good taste.

Kimmi: Why, whatever do you mean, Shanie?! I think that it just needed to be broken in a bit. Next time, we'll bring "More Of The Monkees" and see if it still does it. : -D

deliver the bouquet of flowers during the afternoon. Kimmi had made an alliance with one of the employees during the summer concert. It was good fortune/coincidence that their paths crossed again in that he aided us in the delivery of the flowers. He told her to return at 3:30 P.M. with the flowers to a specific location in the building. No problem.

Shane: Kimmi was the exact right person to choose for this job, and not just because of her "contact".

Bonnie: By 2:30 P.M., we had arrived in Peoria. We had no difficulty in finding the Peoria Civic Center. Craig and I had actually been there for a success seminar in the spring of 1999, and Kimmi had been there recently for another concert. (We won't mention names!)

Shane: Hey Kimmi, I won't mention your other musical interest, you won't mention mine. Deal?

Kimmi: Deal!! Shanie, been to Chicago lately? Oh, I saw a cool saxophone at Reiman Music the other day.

Cindy: Oh Kimmi! That was “Poison”ous!

Bonnie: In an effort not to bother David, we volunteered Kimmi to

Photo by Tom Litterio

37

Monkee Shines Cindy and I have seen her work miracles with our backstage deliveries before. I can recall her determination with our gifts for David back on our trip to the Murphy Theater in Wilmington, Ohio so clearly.

There's just something about the way she heads into that theater, flowers in hand, a no B.S. look in her eyes that says she means business. It would be endearing if it weren't so darn scary!

Kimmi: Awe, shucks. Thanks.

Now don't piss me off!!

Cindy: my girl!

(Shane, you shouldn't have been turning around in your seat!), Kimmi once again attempted to deliver the flowers. This time, the mission was accomplished. You go girl!

Shane: Hey, it wasn't me that you should have worried about, it's all those other creepos hanging around on the city streets.

I was just trying to be protective!

(Besides, the pervert you know is better than the pervert you don't.)

Cindy: You were the creepo closest! But you are right; I will take the known perv any day.

That’s

Bonnie: We then embarked to a Kimmi: First local store to brother, then dadpurchase some dy. Talk about last-minute items. incest!! I guess if It had been so I have to have a Photo by Cindy Bryant long since our pervert, I'm glad last Monkee outthat it's you, Shaing that I had totally forgotten to nie! :-) bring Altoids, (official breath mint of the PFG). Thanks, Cindy! I like Cindy: ‌.not going there! the cinnamon flavor. We returned to the Civic Center, and after KimBonnie: By 4:00 P.M., we conmi's quick outdoor costume change, curred that it was time to eat, drink 38

Monkee Shines and be merry. We found a Texas Roadhouse restaurant to dine at. It was a nice place, but you had to be careful for the peanut shells on the floor.

Shane: Everybody sing along...You...Don't...Have to be a country boy to sing a country song, you don't need a rhinestone cowboy outfit to feel like you belong....

Shane: It's ambiance my dear, ambiance! Kimmi, I still can't believe that you had never tried a margarita, (or should I say marnagrita), before! What planet have you been living on?

Wait. Don't answer that.

Bonnie: You don’t have to look like Elvis or wear a cowboy hat….♫ Exactly!

Kimmi: The planet Head!

Guess what?! I had my first shot of tequila last weekend.

YUMMY!!

Kimmi: Eh? Cindy: Poor Kimmi! A day late and a dollar short!

Shane: She's still got a lot to learn yet, doesn't she Cindy?

Photo by Shane Worden

Bonnie: (It should be noted that as I was writing this story, Craig was flipping television channels and happened upon David's Time Life infomercial.) We wondered if we could bring in some of David Jones' CDs to replace the continual country music.

Bonnie: The food was very good, and Cindy found a waiter of particular interest.

I thought that he was a cross between a younger version of Peter Tork and a current version of Luke Perry. I saw those dimples on his face and the subsequent stars in Cindy's eyes. (Speaking of Luke Perry, I myself am deeply jealous, Kimmi.)

39

Monkee Shines of the restaurant, Shane?

Cindy: Are you whining again!

Oh, I would like to add that while we were there I was able to find a sports fan who informed us that Iowa had beaten Wisconsin that afternoon (since I wasn’t allowed to listen to the game in the car!) and Shane is a cheesehead! Ha ha!

Photo by Shane Worden

Cindy: Anyone for dessert?

Kimmi: I just got those pictures back! Mmmmmmm!! It's always important to have jealous friends.

Right, Mumsy? And shut up, Shanie!!

Shane: ZZZZzzzzzzz. [snore] Oh, huh?! Somebody talking to me? But this was great. Really. I wanted to be able to tell my friends back home that I spent my vacation in Iowa watching Lawrence Welk, looking for make up, and watching my cohorts oogle waiters. And not even OUR waiter.

Bonnie: Don’t you know the grass is always greener on the other side 40

Bonnie: After dinner and a private costume change in the ladies' room, we were ready for the long anticipated show. Hurry Up Slow Down.

We were comin' to see you for some time. We had a little time for sightseeing in downtown Peoria prior to the concert. Kimmi thought that a trip across the lighted bridge would be nice. Not uncommon to most Monkee-related adventures, we found ourselves in places we had no business being in, (sidewalks included). If you ever need to know where the limousine service is located in Peoria, ask us.

Cindy: Better yet…don’t ask!

Shane: Or the local church, or the neighborhood Hooters, or how to get to the neighborhood Hooters from the local church. It was just a little detour.

Kimmi: I'm carrying on the family business: Bryant Budget Tours.

Monkee Shines Cindy: What’s a road trip without a few tours of parking lots … intentional or otherwise. On the Deluxe tours there is even a swimming pool or two!

Bonnie: We gathered up all of our paraphernalia, (cameras, memorabilia...

Shane: ...parking tickets....

Kimmi: ...make up...

Cindy: …roses…

Bonnie: ...whatever), and repeatedly asked Shane if he had the tickets as we entered the Civic Center.

Shane: Tickets? We don't need no steeeenking tickets! I did think about leaving one or two of them behind, but since everybody (finally) paid the piper, ahem, I decided to be nice and bring them.

This time.

Bonnie: I paid ASAP. My check was in the mail.

Photo by Shane Worden

found a round table (for discussion). We perused the merchandise table, which was a great place for gift shopping. Our adrenaline grew as the bewitching hour approached.

We secured our seats at stage left, row two. Thank you again, Shane, for going online to purchase the tickets. They were absolutely perfect seats.

Shane: Don't mention it.

Well...okay, okay...you can mention it.

Cindy: Next time in pennies!

Kimmi: Thanks.

Kimmi: I paid right away this time!! WHEE!!!!

Bonnie: By 7:00 P.M. we were allowed into the theater area. We

Cindy: Not bad but there was one row ahead of us…so there is room for improvement!

41

Monkee Shines Bonnie: Before the show, I had an opportunity to meet Janet Litterio, (one of the Forgotten Fifty). It was nice to meet someone I had heard so much about.

Shane: We also had the opportunity to meet Jan Beaudrie, who flew in all the way from the East coast to be at the show, for the first time as well. "Jan B" was also a member of last winter's "forgotten fifty". Besides contributing stories and pictures for the newsletter, Jan has been a great online friend, and Cindy and I particularly have enjoyed chatting with her and taking part in those goofy email marathon sessions that we tend to get into online every now and again. It was great to meet you in person, Jan! We also spotted the great ladies of Hercules Promotions selling merchandise, as well as Mike Bush, photographer extraordinaire. All of them are always a pleasure to talk to.

Cindy: It was great to connect with a lot of friends, old and new, this time.

Bonnie: I was anxious to use my newly repaired camera. Believe it or not, I had taken my Minolta with me on September 16th to photograph President Bush when he was in the Quad Cities. (It should also be noted that for anyone who cares, 42

Photo by Cindy Bryant

I have seen Governor/President Elect/President Bush more in the last two years than I have seen David Jones. What is wrong with that picture?)

Shane: Do you really want an answer to that question?

Cindy: Don’t ask if you don’t want to know….

Bonnie: My dear political and Monkees' friend, Diane Klosak, and I had second-row vantage points to

Monkee Shines Shane: too late Cindy: Way too late‌.

Kimmi: [LOL]

Photo by Cindy Bryant

the podium to see the President.

Unfortunately, my camera died on the spot. At first I thought that it was a case of dead batteries. A couple weeks later, I realized it was more serious than that. I took my camera in to the Camera Corner on October 2nd. By October 29th, it had been returned to the camera store from the company, (wherever that was), with a $128 repaired shutter magnet. Understandably, all those years of Monkee photography wore out the mechanisms. To make a long story short...

Bonnie: ...I was prepared with 800 speed film, batteries, and the Minolta camera to capture the moments that pass too quickly. According to tradition, at 8:00 P.M. on Saturday, November 2nd, the "Big Oldies 93.3 All-Star Band" assembled and performed the National Anthem with the audience. It was very patriotic, but I could not help from thinking, "Let's play ball!" The "All-Star Band" performed several songs including "Mr. Tambourine Man". Again, my thoughts wandered. "Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me." Where was our favorite tambourine player of all time?

Shane: I won't delve too far into the other acts, (as this IS a Monkees fan club after all), but the other performers are at least worth a note.

The "all-stars" were basically a bunch of on-air personalities of, or people who work for, the radio station that sponsored that night's concert. For who they were and what they were, the band wasn't all that bad.

A good opener for the evening's proceedings.

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Monkee Shines Bonnie: antici...

To further escalate our

Shane: Say it!

Cindy: Too nice a job to rush!

Bonnie: ...pation of the real "AllStar Band", Felix Cavaliere's Rascals took command of the stage beginning at 8:25 P.M. Shane: Felix, Felix, Felix.... what happened to you? He looks like my dentist!

Bonnie: Well he did have nice teeth.

stood in one spot almost the whole time, didn't talk with the audience a great deal, and consequently really didn't establish much of a bond with the crowd. David, on the other hand...well, read on. It is somewhere in between these two individuals where the line of "musician" is crossed and the status of "entertainer" is attained.

Bonnie: They performed "I've Been Lonely Too Long", "Wait 'Til The Midnight Hour", "A Beautiful Morning", "Groovin'", "Just My Imagination", "People Got To Be Free", "Good Lovin'", "La Bamba", "Hey Bo Diddley" and "Purple Haze". Cindy corrected me.

Cindy: But were they his?

Shane: She's pretty good at that.

Shane: Don't get me wrong, his vocals were great, his organ playing absolutely killer, (and I do love that Hammond organ in rock and roll music...almost as much as I like a killer horn section), but the years have just not been kind to him. He spent a good amount of time hiding behind his B-3 too, Bonnie: B-52? Isn’t that another group?

Shane: Which was probably just as well. In some respects, he's almost the exact opposite of David when it comes to his stage show. Felix 44

Cindy: Thank you very much!

Bonnie: She said it was "Foxy Lady". In any event, during the Jimi Hendrix interpretation, Kimmi and Cindy started to chant, "We want Davy! We want Davy!" It was very funny amongst the four of us but perhaps not graciously understood or received by any of the Felix cats. It's too bad that David wasn't hangin' 'round. He would have got it; Davy always gets it.

Shane: Well, if I recall correctly, I believe the whole Jimi Hendrix bit

Monkee Shines was a part of an entire medley that Felix used to close his part of the show with, culminating in a final verse of "Good Lovin'". "Purple Haze" was definitely a part of that medley. The opening riff to that song is unmistakable. So much so that when it started, Cindy, Kimmi and I used that opportunity to pull the old "We Want Davy" gag that Micky uses in his concerts when he talks about Hendrix opening for the Monkees on the 1967 tour and launches into the first verse of the song. That's what that whole little episode stemmed from, Bonnie.

Robey, it's just a crush! Davy, you still da man!!

Cindy: Well they started with “Purple Haze” but finished with “Foxy Lady” but it really doesn’t matter because it had the same effect!

Kimmi: It's not my fault that those damn things just pop up out of nowhere!

Bonnie: At approximately 9:35 P.M., the real "All-Star Band" was individually introduced and assumed their stage positions. It really spotlighted each band member and further mounted the anticipation of whom the majority of us came to see. Although, I learned on this "detour" that Shane has a real appreciation for Aviva Maloney and Kimmi has a fond attraction to Dave Robicheau.

Shane: The band introductions at the beginning of the show were something new that I had not seen before. Dave Alexander came out first, introduced himself, and started playing a little up-tempo jive on his keyboards, and then the rest of the members came out one by one, (which, by the way, this time included the infamous "brass dancers" from the Monkee reunion tours of the past few years), introduced themselves, and joined in the tune until everyone was out. I particularly liked Aviva's introduction; she

Kimmi: (I'm blushing!) I really hope that none of them read this!

Shane: Hey, if you girls can drool over David, I can have somebody to drool over, too.

Bonnie: Drooling is a science we are perfecting for our twilight years.

Shane: And I can still recall that episode on the Ohio trip where Kimmi hit that invisible brick wall as she was running down the street toward the theater and spotted Robey.

Cindy: So we saw!

45

Monkee Shines said something to the effect of, "Hi, how are y'all doing out there? I'm Aviva Maloney, and I play a little bit of everything.

GRRRrrrrrrrrrr......

Bonnie: I know that Cindy missed the banjo player in the group, but I was there to see David! (I know that I'll pay for those comments later.)

Shane: and this time, seven dollars won't cover it!

Cindy: But a banjo adds so much to a pop concert don’cha think? Not to mention the player.

Bonnie: Following the introduction of introductions, an incredible smile graced David's face as he appeared on stage carrying our red roses.

Collectively, we were pleased David had received our expression of thoughts and humbled he had chose to bring them on stage with him. David wore a navy (I thought that it was gray until I saw my pictures) pinstriped "wedding" suit with a yellow shirt and (I believe race horse patterned) necktie.

It seems that David meant business, baby. David began his show with "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", "She Hangs Out", and "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)". Then, unique to his performance routine, 46

David pulled up a speaker and sat down. Cindy and I had not seen David since June 17th, 2001. Interestingly, David began, "It's been a while since I've seen some of you and a lot has happened". He talked about delivering his new grandson.

He also spoke about his career in "show biz" and reiterated, "Show biz is my life". I think that I have heard those words before in a Betty Davis movie. He continued with an "Oliver!" medley including "I'd Do Anything For You", then he sang "I Wanna Be Free" and "I'll Love You Forever".

He talked about his horse, T Jones, with great pride and indicated that the horse would be competing at Churchill Downs on November 10th. Dave Alexander was then invited to do his Meatloaf impression, and Dave and Sandy Genarro did their "All In The Family"/Edith and Archie Bunker impersonations. They are very talented with their act. David continued with a sing-along of the "Brady Bunch" theme, "Girl", "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?", "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", "Daydream Believer", "Listen To The Band", and finally "I'm A Believer".

Shane: I don't think that I am telling tales out of school when I say that one can really tell when David is into his performance; when he is having a good time, and when he is

Monkee Shines not. A good indicator of that is how much he talks to the audience during the show. David is a great story teller--he loves to talk about his career in show biz, his family, his horses, and everything in between; when you get him going on a good night he's apt not to stop. This was one of those fortunate nights. He even told a lot of new jokes during the show that I had not heard before in his routine.

Bonnie: Pardon me, Shane. The adjective “new” is subbjective.

Cindy: Kind of like “radius.”

Bonnie: But David’s jokes are still infectiously funny.

Shane: Usually, while David is talking or singing, he is all over the stage, and it's hard to keep him in focus on a camera for more than three seconds at a time. This night however, David did something a little different in that, as Bonnie mentioned, he sat down on a monitor at the edge of the stage a couple different times and just talked with the audience. It really gave his show an intimate feel that I really enjoyed. Over the years, I have heard and read so much about these "Learning Annex" seminars that David has given from time to time.

I kind of imagined that this was a

little bit of what those "lectures" were like this evening. Unfortunately, however, there's always one in every crowd that tries to spoil the time for everyone else. Some lady in the audience yelled out and interrupted David's story about finding some old records of his mother's that he typically uses to introduce "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby". David just took it in stride, and in fact, did a little tap-dance routine while setting up the first verse of the song just to "tempt" this little honey's patience a bit further. It was a great show, and as always the time just passed way too quickly.

Cindy: I was certainly surprised when he pulled up the monitor. This is more what the “Intimate” shows are like but I have never seen him do this at any show but those. It was very nice and had it not been for the rude woman in the audience I think he would have gone on for some time. I remember the first Lady Luck Show where he got off on a tangent and talked for some time.

He didn’t sit down but rather paced rapidly while he talked. Even the band seemed a bit surprised by it and Wayne trying to be funny finally went and got a stool to sit on, as he was tired of standing. This cracked the audience up and got David back on track that time.

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Monkee Shines

Kimmi: Davy rocked!! I think that covers it for me. Oh, and Robey is still hot. Oh, yeah. And Loafy is still the coolest guy ever.

Hmmmm...I think that covers it.

Bonnie: After the show, David greeted each and every individual and signed autographs, posed for pictures, etc. Always the entertainer, David accommodated requests and at the same time performed for those who had waited in line. One man had tried to take a picture of a woman with David. Unfortunately, the camera did not cooperate. It

took a few extra minutes. Humorously, David kidded to the line of fans, "Go ahead and talk amongst yourselves", and indicated that it would just be a few more minutes.

A few moments later, another woman had left her purse in front of him.

Akin to an airport security man, David carefully picked up the purse and moved it along. He's a fun one to watch on and off the stage. Kimmi and Shane made up the caboose of the line. They had items they wanted David to autograph. They spoke briefly with him.

Cindy: I have always enjoyed just sitting and watching David interact with the people in line. Even then he was on and definitely putting on a show.

Shane: I had been saving a little something special for the next opportunity that I had to get David to autograph something.

A few months ago, I happened to score a radio station airplay copy of the "Rock And Roll At The Movies" radio program that David hosted a few years ago on Ebay. It didn't cost me that much either, probably no more than 25 dollars. But it's this kind of stuff that I enjoy collecting the most--not necessarily because of it's collector's value or high price tag, but because it's a little unique, and probably some-

Photo by Cindy Bryant

48

Monkee Shines thing that I figured David had not seen too many times in an autograph line before then. And I was right, too...we had a pleasant discussion about that show, and the fact that David had just gotten a phone call from the show's producer. David wondered aloud what he might have been calling about.

Perhaps they want him to host another show??? It was a pleasure to be able to speak with Mr. Jones, as usual. He was very talkative and receptive to everybody in line, and nobody went away disappointed.

Bonnie: I thought that a picture of them with David might be a nice "souvenir". Shane said, "Bonnie wants a picture". Kimmi and Shane quickly posed with David. (See photo.) David is amazingly kind to pose for pictures over and over and over again. (His eyes are probably blind by the millions of flashes thanks to all of us.) I mouthed a "thank you" and that was that. I retired my camera after a long day.

We finally found Kimmi's car after being disoriented as to our whereabouts in relationship to the car.

Actually, we just wanted a lastminute "detour" of the Civic Center.

By 12:30 A.M., we were in the car and headed back to the Quad Cities.

We stopped at a rest area before we arrived back home about 2:15 A.M. This time, most of the lights were

Phone by Shane Worden

turned off and all was quiet in the Borgh house. I found Hannah asleep on the sofa. (The family room light was on, but the T.V. was off.) I picked up Hannah and said, "It's time for bed, honey." She wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "Mama!" I carried her upstairs and put her to bed in her room. After such a wonderful day, it was "pillow time" again.

Shane: There is precious little left in this tale to tell. After dropping 49

Monkee Shines me off at the bus terminal so that Cindy and Kimmi could head back to their respective homes. My trip home couldn't have gone better if I had written it myself; the bus I needed showed up right on time, I made my connection going home, and what's even better, I didn't forget and leave my dirty laundry behind at the hotel this time, Bonnie: Cindy and I had a little dirty laundry, too, but “It’s Not Too Late” for it all to come out in the wash.

Photo by Shane Worden

Bonnie back off at her house in Bettendorf, the remaining three of us retired back at the hotel after what had been an exciting and fulfilling day. Sunday morning found Cindy and myself up and at 'em relatively early, as I needed to catch the first available bus back to Chicago in order to hopefully make a rather "iffy" connection to the only bus going back here to Oshkosh in time. Cindy and I had a little quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant, rousted Kimmi, got the car packed, and then the two of them dropped 50

Shane: (as I had when the Gang got together back in March on what would have been the "Intimate Evening" concert weekend). As Cindy said when I called her on my cell phone in between busses in Chicago, this weekend was just meant to be. Everything went well, we saw a great show, spent some time with great friends--who could ask for more? Here's typically where I run the closing credits, but have heart, I'll be brief. Many thanks go out to all the people, new and old acquaintances and friends alike, that we met in Peoria--Jan B, Janet Litterio, the Hercules gals, Mike Bush; to my dear friends Cindy, Bonnie, Kimmi, Hannah, (and Craig, too), and the erstwhile Colleen, (who was with us in spirit), who make these get togethers so

Monkee Shines much fun, and of course to David and his band of "mixed nuts" who provide the soundtrack and the reason for it all. Peace and love to you all, and I hope it's not long before our next adventure!

Kimmi: Ditto!! Oh, and Davy rocked!! Hold on. I feel like I haven't said much. Hmmm....this trip seemed to be better than any of the others. As we go along, each road trip has been fun for it's own special reasons, but this one was different. Aunt Bonnie finally got to go with us for once. And it's always wonderful to spend time as a "family" with Mumsy, Shanie, Aunt Bonnie and Hannah. Sharing a room with Mumsy and having someone to torture, (don't you miss me?!), beating up Shanie and breaking the rules with Hannah! And shopping with Aunt Bonnie. When I'm an old lady, sitting on the porch in my rocking chair, missing the "good old days", you guys will be my happy thoughts! I love you guys! Okay, that's enough. Oh, and Davy rocks!

Cindy: Another night in the hotel with Kimmi! I seriously considered binding and gagging her and around 3 AM feigned sleep so that she would shut up! How much fun can one group take in one short weekend? It really is true that it is the journey, not the destination, that

matters in life and I am blessed that these friends have chosen to take their journey with me. There are no people I would rather travel through life with. I love you all! So another journey comes to an end and we anticipate the next time we will all be together again!

Bonnie: Just for the record, I managed (by the grace of God) to talk myself out of the $7.00 parking ticket. I can just see Ken Wilkinson’s face.

Cindy: It goes without saying that we say thanks to everyone we met or reunited with during this trip. But we thank David especially. He is the glue that holds us all together.

He is the destination that takes us on this journey together. He has given us so many opportunities to make magic memories…. just you and I. Until next time…

The End ????????

Cindy: One last note. As we were putting this together it was announced in the paper that The Lawrence Welk Show was coming to the QC on Shane’s birthday! Too funny!

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Monkee Shines

What A Night!

By Janet Litterio ordered the tickets, and finally it was time to hit the road!

Photo by Tom Litterio

Back in June, even before going to The Monkee’s concert in Aurora, IL, I saw a show listed that would put stars in the eyes of David’s fans everywhere…a David solo in Peoria, IL on Nov. 2. I don’t mean to take anything away from the Monkee concerts, those shows are awesome and then some, but a ‘Davy’ solo is just what we had all been waiting for. This show was going to be special for my friends, hubby Tom, and I—not only would it be a Davy solo, but it would be our first ‘road trip.’ We made the plans,

52

Various groups of friends have joined Tom and I the last year and a half at Monkee concerts in the Chicagoland area. Luck has been with us this year in that each concert we attended, through mere coincidence, or possibly a bit of that ‘Monkee Magic’ we were able to cross paths and chat with David.

When you read the articles that are written about celebrities, you always wonder if they are truly anything like the adjectives that are used to describe them. From my experience, David Jones is truly the kind and warm-hearted man I’ve heard him to be. I’m a first-generation Monkees fan— since I was 10 in 1966. I think it’s pretty obvious who my favorite member of “The Monkees” always was and will continue to be.

Ok, back to Peoria.

We all

Monkee Shines

hoped our good luck and timing would follow us ‘downstate.’ I should have known, as we embarked on our road trip, the first song I hear on the car radio was ‘Daydream Believer.’

We hoped we would end up in the same hotel as David. Checking in, I asked very meekly and quietly if Mr. Jones was staying here. In order to provide privacy to the entertainers, this was all I was told—yes. Walking to the elevator with Tom and my friend, a man taps me on the shoulder, points to the album cover I was carrying—one of David’s early albums- and tells me a number. At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about, but when he pointed to David’s picture on the album, then it clicked.

I had absolutely no intention of invading David’s privacy. However, I was astounded this angel of a man decided to share that information with me—no idea why he decided to share—I wasn’t questioning a gift horse. By the way, this man had no connection with the hotel—I still have no idea who he is.

I brought a ‘care package’ for David that contained candy and tea intending to give it to him at the show. When we found out we were all under the same roof, we thought he may enjoy a little ‘pre-show energy’ and left it for him. Other friends arrived, we made dinner plans, and before long, it was showtime!! Oh yes, due to a mix up in room reservations, upon changing rooms, I saw my ‘care package’ outside a door that was a few doors down from ours. Could we really be THAT lucky?

Waiting for the theater doors to open, I finally got the opportunity to meet not only Cindy and Bonnie, but also Kimmi and Shane. It was great to meet people whose pictures I had seen. I had spoken with Cindy on the phone earlier in the year, and of course, exchange emails with her, it seemed for a while that our paths would never cross, but given time, all good things do eventually happen. Of course, I bought some of David’s merchandise, and was glad to see Susan and meet Sherill. Debbie, I’m still in hopes our paths will 53

Monkee Shines

eventually cross.

Finally, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The band members are introduced individually and David takes the stage last, but certainly not least. I don’t know what struck me more, him coming out in suit carrying the beautiful bouquet of red roses, or his million-dollar smile. I think it was the ‘whole package.’ As the show progressed, I think it was truly a toss up of who was being entertained by whom. David seemed to be as entertained by it all as much as he was entertaining us.

His talent and energy on stage is beyond amazing. His ability to entertain is truly a gift that he has been given, and I for one am thankful that he continues to share his gifts and talents with all of us. Sitting on the speakers and talking with the audience made each fan feel as though he was talking to us as friends. And the passion in which he sings ‘I Wanna be Free’ and ‘I’ll Love You Forever’ certainly brought a tear or two to many eyes. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone--from David right on down to the last fan in the ven54

ue—were thoroughly entertained that evening. It was an event, rather than simply a concert.

There are not adequate adjectives in the English language to accurately describe David’s show. You must see it for yourself!

Then there was the autograph session. The support the fans showed David must have put him on cloud 9. As thrilled as each fan was talking with him, that’s as happy he seemed to be talking with everyone.

He graciously signed a few pictures for me, as well as the album cover. I had to ask him, he did get my ‘care package’ and even told me he had a cup of the tea right away. I was thrilled to have yet another ‘photo op.’

It was fun for me to see my friends talk with him.

My friends stayed and we chatted for quite a while. I don’t think anyone wanted to see the evening end. Some of the band members came over and talked with us. They seemed to enjoy chatting with fans. Everything just seemed so

Monkee Shines

Photo by Tom Litterio

relaxed, much different than the Monkee shows. As all good things must come to an end, this evening did too. We headed back to the hotel.

We waited for friends to join us in our room; we did see and speak briefly to David in the hallway. We kept in very brief; as I did not want him to think we were being intrusive.

My friends, Tom, and I decided to take a stroll outside—we weren’t out very long as it was cold.

Walking back inside, I noticed

my friends and Tom started acting a bit strange-they were all talking to each other, but in very low tones. I’m much shorter than they are, they were all talking ‘above’ me, so I had no idea what was going on. We walked past a small group of people, sat down, and got settled. As we were sitting there, I noticed a few familiar faces across from where were sitting. Several minutes later, I heard a voice from that group and instantly I knew who else was sitting there.

Sure enough, looking closer, David was sitting amidst the group. This was the reason for the ‘low talking’ a bit earlier between my friends and Tom— they saw David - I didn’t. As hard as it was not to go over and say something to him, I felt that respecting his privacy was more important. We all relaxed a bit and called it a night, and Oh What A Night!

The next morning at breakfast, I was certain the ‘magic’ of Saturday would be long gone, but never forgotten. Walking into the hotel coffee shop, we passed a small group of men-familiar faces we saw the evening before.

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Greetings were exchanged between us and each member of the group-or so I thought. They were standing near the entrance to the coffee shop. Waiting to be seated, I hear a recognizable voice coming from that small group. I thought I must be mistaken, but upon glancing over, only then did I see David standing amongst them. For someone like me who has been such a fan of his for such a long time, how could this happen to me twice now—being right there, but not seeing him? Believe me, I have every intention of scheduling an eye exam before the next concert-- there won’t be a third time. Aside from the fact that David is who he is, I felt just terrible that words were exchanged between everyone else but him and myself. Especially since HE was the reason we were there. Not wanting to look more foolish, carrying on normally seemed the prudent thing to do—hard as that decision was.

We get seated, and I’m still feeling like the rudest person on the face of the earth. A couple of the band members come in for 56

breakfast and are seated close to us. Several minutes pass, and out of the corner of my eye, I see someone walk into the coffee shop. THIS time, I see it’s David. He joins his band mateshe just happened to sit facing out table. Still feeling respecting his privacy was the right thing to do, as much as I wanted to go over and say something to him or perhaps invite him to join us, I settled for smiling and acknowledging him when he glanced our way. It was kind of nice to see that he was able to have a peaceful cup of tea with his friends, and not be hounded by fans.

We all were kind of sad to see him get up and leave, but we carry great memories of our first ‘road trip.’ It truly was more of an event than just a simple concert. Not that there’s anything simple about David’s concerts— quite the opposite is true! And, given the fact that our paths crossed –rather coincidentallyas much as they did, was rather exciting, perhaps we again experienced a bit of that ‘Monkee Magic.’

We probably were much more subdued when our

Monkee Shines

paths did cross than a lot of fans would have been, but that didn’t at all mean we didn’t want to have the chance to talk with David. Rather, we wanted to be fans that didn’t want to be in his face every time he or we turned the corner—we truly wanted to respect the privacy of a man that happens to be a very talented entertainer, our favorite enter-

tainer. David, there’s no doubt in my mind that should you decide to do more of your solo shows, your fans would love and support you wherever your perform….but hopefully, you’ll choose to come back to the Midwest SOON!!!!!

Janet Litterio with David in Peoria

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photo by Tom Litterio

Monkee Shines Some of you will recall the lyrics to the hit song “Band On The Run” by Paul McCartney. (Imagine that, wrong group!) With absolutely no offense or disrespect to Paul McCartney and Wings, we’ve plagerized (In the nicest possible way and in the PFG sense of humor) to reflect:

♫ Fans On The Run ♫ (Who wrotes this stuff?)

We’re driving here and there Crazy fans on the run, fans for the run Fans on the run, fans on the run.

Well our patience now was at it’s height We had to stop for a red light And the limo headed way down the street Almost out of our sight Fans on the run, fans on the run Oh the British fan And Peter Pan Were driving everywhere We’re fans on the run, fans on the run

(Sung to the tune of “Band On The Run” Looking for adventure Found it on a detour Hoped to see a Monkee—once again Like you, David You, Micky, You (Peter), you (Michael) If that limo is ever caught We just wanna see who’s inside All for the thrill of the hunt Oh what a spontaneous ride If we ever catch up to them If we ever catch up to them.

Yeah fans on the run, fans on the run.

Fans on the run Well the show was nearing And the search had led us far All over Peoria, past a church Straight to a Hooter’s bar Fans on the run, fans on the run And now David knows We’re fans like those Who’ll search forever more ‘Cause we’re fans on the run, fans on the run, fans on the run, fans on the run.

Well our driver swerved across the sidewalk curb The chase is just begun And the first one said to the four of us there I hope you’re having fun Fans on the run, fans on the run.

And the Robie fan And Aviva man

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Review: Saved By The Blues

By Julie Harris “Saved By The Blues” By Shoe Suede Blues is a masterpiece of blues perfection.

The song “Saved By The Blues” is what you could consider a combination of gospel revival song and ballad. Peter does excellent vocals with excited enthusiasm.

“Cab Driver” is a typical blues song done to perfection.

“Help me” sung by Peter is a great story blues song where Peter begs for some female help.

“Hound Dog” - this is Elvis hep and sassy blues styled.

“Route 66” is a hep version of the TV show theme and done so well.

“Kiss and Tell” is a slow sultry pleading song with excellent whiney guitar.

“Dress Sexy For Me” - no doubts how Peter wants his woman to be here.

“Treat Her Right” - that oldie but goodie done blues style the way Peter does best.

“Big Boss Man” - that 70s

song done blues style with harmonic perfection.

“Slender Tender and Tall” - that hep 40s song with a touch of blues beat and Peter “Monkees” around doing Louis Armstrong.

“Wine - Texas BBQ” very hep dance song “Spoatie Oatie.” “Come On In My Kitchen” slow sultry blues in bar type harmony.

Thanks Julie! Would you like to review something any of the guys have done? We’d love to hear your opinions! Send us your review and you could be our next guest reviewer!

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A Blast From The Past Burlington Steamboat Days 1986 60