Issue 85

Monkee Shines

Issue 85 Fall 2013 Monkees Parody hits NYC

Michael Solos!

Also in this issue: ♪ I Met Micky ♪ Yes Virginia There are Unreleased Monkees Sings ♪ Take the Fast Train to… ♪Micky Talks About The Monkees

♪ Remembering My Brother ♪The Workshop of Dolenz and Daughters ♪ And more…..

Editor: Cindy Bryant With a little help from my friends, The PFG Road Crew, “the crazy lot!”

An Official Monkees Fan Club Monkeeing Around Since 1987

Monkee Shines

In this issue Letter From The Editor .......... 3 Videos ................................. 4 I Met Micky ........................... 5 Monkeeing Around In MN ...... 5 Yes Virginia There Are Unreleased Monkees Songs .................... 9 Take The Fast Train ............ 12 WOOD You Believe............. 16 Hey Hey Met Micky ............ 17 Hazel Sends a Thank You ... 19 Monkees Parody Hits NYC .. 20 Micky Talks About the Monkees ............................. 21 Peter News ......................... 25 Micky News......................... 27 Mike News .......................... 28 David News......................... 29 Remembering My Brother .... 32 Mike Launches Solo Tour .... 34 The Workshop of Dolenz and Daughters ........................... 36 Love Letters to the Monkees 38 PFG at Grenville Hall ........... 40

Only 3 paper issues of Monee Shines left before we go totally on line!

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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.

My thanks to the people who made this issue possible: Jerri Keele, Grace Ilasi, Rick Schwinden, Brenda Wylie, Hayley Lewis, Tony Sachs, Becca Nelson, Marie Gibson, Andrea Gilbey, the PFG Road Crew ( Bonnie Borgh, Colleen Johnson, Dawn Hoffman, and various and sundry others over the years for whom the fun and friendship made it all worthwhile) Hazel and Robert Wilkinson, Lynda Moore, Annabel, Jessica, Sarah, and Talia for keeping the fires burning (you are forever in our hearts!), and the Monkees (Micky, Peter, Mike and David who made it all possible from the start.

Visit us at: www.purpleflowergang.com And email us at: pfg@machlink.com & join the Purple Flower Gang Group on Facebook

The Purple Flower Gang 903 E 2nd Street 1A Muscatine, Iowa 52761

Monkee Shines is printed by Mailboxes & Parcel Depot 2

Monkee Shines

M

Dear Gang, y apologies to Alexis Rigby and Andrea Gilbey.

In the last issue of the newsletter I was talking about TEAM PFG and the bed race in Beavertown, I mistakenly said that Alexis crocheted the purple flowers for the bed spread but it was Andrea who made them. Alexis is our TEAM PFG photographer. Both women have been indispensable to the team and we thank them and everyone involved for their spirit and help..

Many changes are coming. For a long time now there has been 2 PFG. One online and the official group that received the newsletter. With postage and printing costs sky rocketing the only logical thing to do was combine the two and take the PFG online exclusively.

I know this will be disappointing to the few people who are not online and I apologize for that but the benefits are many: 1. There will be no membership dues.

2. There will still be a newsletter but it will be online and can be read by everyone for free.

3. Those who chose to print it out can do so on their own or order a copy from ISSUU (the online site where you will be able to read the newslet-

ter.

We will have less constrictions on how big the newsletter is 5. We can post more photos.

We will continue to print newsletters through Issue 88.

4.

If your last newsletter is Issue 84 you can renew for the remaining newsletters for $15 ($20 overseas) If your last issue is Issue 85 you can renew for the remaining newsletters for $12 ($15 overseas) If your last newsletter is Issue 86 you can renew for the remaining newsletters for $7.50 ($10 overseas) If your last newsletter is Issue 87 you can renew for the remaining newsletters for $4 ($5 0verseas)’ After that you will be able to read them online for free at: http://issuu.com/purpleflowergang/ I hope you will book mark it.

Cindy We will still continue to print issues for our honoraries.

Help Us Get Davy Jones His OWN US Postage Stamp Here’s why it ‘s important: Davy was not only a heartthrob to millions of teenage girls in the 1960’s but continued to entertain us until his death Feb. 29,2012. He was also an advocate for horses and left 14 horse his daughters care for today. The Davy Jones Equine Memorial Fund takes care of the horses he loved so much. Support DJEMF at www.djemf.com SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION TO GET DAVY JONES HIS OWN POSTAGE STAMP AT:

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Monkee Shines

I Met Micky!

By Grace Ilasi

T

his is the story of when I met Micky at the Westbury Music Fair—March 2013.

He was there with Peter Noone and David Cassidy. The show was fantastic, but I had missed the meet and greet. So. After the show Micky and Peter were still signing autographs, which I was lucky enough to get, But, I still wanted that picture, I spoke to an usher who in turn called her father ( who was asso-

ciated with Westbury, which I didn’t know.) and I told him that all I wanted was a picture with Micky. It was then going on eleven at night and I think Micky gave an autograph to everyone, so I was hoping when he was asked to take the picture he would say yes. He did! He said, “Come on , darling,,” and made my dream from 1966– till now come true. Thanks so much Micky!

Micky and Grace Ilasi

Monkee-ing Around in Minnesota

By Brenda Routh Wylie ( November 2012—my apologies to Brenda for taking so long to print this. I love Brenda’s stories!)

P

eople say I Monkee around, so it’s no surprise that I traveled about 4 ours from my home in Des Moines , Iowa on that glori-

ous day of November 15th, past weathered cornfields, over long stretches of interstate under construction and through town after town to reach the urban jungle

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Monkee Shines of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Oh, you betcha! My goal: seeing the Monkees!

It probably wasn’t cool to have on a Packers hoodie in the very heart of Vikings country, but I wore my Purple Flower Gang tee shirt under that. Yeah, I was representing the PFG. It was warm in the joint , so I quickly shed the sweater.

The Mean Streets My husband was doing the driving, guided by our GPS companion Tom-Tom barking out directions, some of which are actually accurate. We got stuck in gridlock traffic coming off the interstate-freeway into “downtown”!! That city’s downtown is ten times the size of the entire metro area of The Big D, which is relatively small in comparison. The Des Moines police would have had a heyday pulling over all the speedsters and roadhogs that hastily navigate the means treets of Minneapolis. I’ve seen better driving skills in Grand Theft Auto.

The Waiting They let us in to be seated maybe an hour until show time? We found out seats with ease. We were near the exits.

After all that waiting, I made a bee line for the fancy smancy ladies room down stairs. Then, I spent at least 45 minutes waiting in line at the souvenir table. I bought a set of buttons and a program. I wanted a tambourine but by the time the one guy working the table actually got to me they were sold out.

I, then, returned to my hubby and squeezed into my craptacular fiftyfive dollar seat, to wait for the concert to begin. The seats were quite cramped, and designed in another century, were not up too the task of accommodating the modern day fatter American butt comfortably.

They’re still better than the ones at the Iowa State Fair though.

State Theater Tom Tom got us to our destination with about 90 minutes to spare until show time. I was quite dazzled by the brilliantly lit Marquee featuring The Monkees on it.

I could feel the excitement rushing through me. My husband being a NMF ( Non Monkees Fan) was less impressed. He drove past the State to a parking ramp around the corner about a block or so. We found an excellent slot. I was anxious to get to The State! We had to walk through the lower level of a mall to get to the street outside...kind of weird, but whatever… It was cold and windy while we hoofed it back to the theater.

We paused outside the State for a couple of minutes to take pictures of the Marquee, then we went inside.

The old theater was very beautiful and ornate inside. It was like stepping back in time to a past century with the gorgeous murals painted on the ceilings and fancy pillars. I sat down on marble stairs while we waited for the “doors to open”, so to speak, so we could find out seats.

And So It Begins The lights went down and the show began! The moment I saw Mike Nesmith for the first time in real life I was mesmerized! I was like a guy who just saw his first brand new Mustang! It was short lived when the audience all jumped up and the big galoot in front of me blocked my view, so I had no choice but to stand again, I was happy when the crowd all sat back down and got to the business of really seeing the show.

I spent a lot of time taking pictures and staring at the three miracles on stage. I couldn’t take my eyes of of them, and my gaze kept drifting back to Mike. I felt like it was the opportunity of a lifetime getting to see Mike up there. I was impressed at the fact that he sounds just like he does on TV. I was awe struck to

What I Wore

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Monkee Shines say the least..

I have now officially seen all four Monkees in concert, though not all together. It started with Davy in 1999. I then saw Micky, Davy, and Peter in 2011, then Micky with the Happy Together Tour at The Iowa State Fair this past August, then Minnesota with Micky, Mike, and Peter. I thought it was great that Mike’s son and Micky’s sister, Coco, were with the band. As usual, I didn’t make a mental note of the play list but enjoyed all the songs none the less. However, no matter how great THREE Monkees are, without all four, there’s always the element of something missing. Thata element is Davy Jones.

The Ushers I could have done without them going up and down the aisles throughout the whole show. WTF? They even blocked people’s view at times. This one elderly female usher really ruffled my proverbial feathers. I took a picture and my camera flash went off. At that point, I had no idea camera flashes were frowned upon. I saw flashes popping all over the theater., so I was oblivious to the fact it was NOT ok to use flash. So, this old battle axe comes up to me in a quite intrusive manner and snarled, “No camera flash!” In my anger I snapped back, “How in the fudge am I supposed to take pictures then?” (BAZINGA!) Only, like Ralphie Parker, I didn’t say fudge. I too said the f word. Yeah I REALLY said that. Surprisingly, the old bat didn’t say ZIP in return. She charged back up the aisle. Crisis averted.

I, then, adjusted my camera so that the flash was off. The pictures I took amazingly came out ok. I noticed in some of the shots I took, Micky’s sister, Coco, is in them. One of my favorites is Davy up on the big screen behind the other Monkees. It looks like Davy is looking down on them. Maybe from Heaven, he is.

Davy Davy possibly would have enjoyed the whole group together again, but sadly, the truth is, had he not passed on, Mike wouldn't have toured with the Monkees at all in 2012 , or maybe ever.

I felt the tears pop up in my eyes when it came time to do Daydream Believer, my FAVORITE song ever, Micky said (mind you this is not a word for word recounting but close though) “Who’s going to sing this? I could sing it, Mike could sing it … or Peter could sing it….but YOU are going to sing it. This song doesn’t belong to us anymore. It belongs to you now!!”

The entire audience began swaying and singing loudly an proudly. We sang that song for ourselves. We sang it for The Monkees, but mostly we sang it for Davy, whose loss was no doubt felt more than ever at that moment. I am truly grateful for the privilege of knowing him while he was still here.

David Thomas Jones was a class act...an idol among idols. He truly loved his fans and cared about them. I still have the hand written pot card he sent me telling me how he was going to Hawaii. The year after that he sent me a Christmas CD titled Davy Jones Christmas. Few stars take the time to offer kind

They Monkee Around I really enjoyed seeing Micky.

Mike, and Peter together. They have a witty, wonderful on-stage chemistry between them that seems to work well. It was nice to see they still have their sense of humor. Like Mike announcing he was going to get a sandwich, and he and Micky giving is the history of the Moog.

Peter always has comical musings and it was nice to see Micky wearing a table cloth /shawl again. These are why I love them.

The Band

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Monkee Shines gestures to their fans but Davy did. Eric Roberts is my favorite actor in the world and he can’t even friend me on facebook!

Believe it or not, but I have two celebrity cousins. One is a popular Elvis Tribute artist, who met Davy in Las Vegas. He has opened for Cher at a football stadium, has performed for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s birthday party, hung with Ludacris, appeared on The Young and The Restless, The Next Big Thing, and Cupcake Wars, among many other accomplishments. We just took a cruise together with our mothers in October.

Like davy, he is very popular with his fans and treats them with compassion and kindness.

The other cousin is known to America as Superman.

Check my last mname and you’ll figure it out. He is said to be not so great at dealing with fans. Fans appreciate a caring entertainer like Davy was and Donnie is.

We will soon be approaching the first anniversary of Davy’s death.

The sting of his loss will surely be felt all overa gain, but hopefully the wonderful Memories and music he left us with will surpass the pain of losing him. He would have been 67 on December 30th and it was sad to see Mike Nesmith’s birthday listed in the paper without Davy’s next to it.

memory will stay with me for a life time.

I appreciate the fact that Mike chose to participate on this tou to make it an over the top experience– for not only me, but every fan who was there. I just knew I had to see Mike on this tour because I may never get the chance again. The Monnkees know that they can always draw a crowd and leave their fans wanting more. They know just how much we love them—especially when I was willing to pay $40 for a toy tambourine...LOL! When I was walking back to my car after the show that night, I passed a long black limo on the side street near the theater. I wonder if the Monkees were inside…..

In Closing The Monkee show in Minneapolis was a truly remarkable, high energy evening.

The

Brenda Routh Wylie 8

Monkee Shines www.mrzeros.com

"Yes Virginia, There Are Still More Unreleased Monkees’ Songs"

G

reetings, this IS RL Schwinden, (St. Paul, MN.)

sion, offered them to RHINO, through Sandoval in Summer 1993 for possible inclusion on the “CHANGES” CD, I was informed “RHINO is unwilling to pay any more costs on the MONKEES catalog” I responded “We are not looking for remuneration, we are merely interested in printed credit and supplying bonus tracks for the CHANGES; CD as there aren’t really any” I was then informed “We have no record of these songs” I replied, “Because Chadwick was the producer of the sessions therefore he kept the Master Reels” (a 2nd reel that contained “French Song” “Talking To The Wall” “How Can I Tell You” & “If I Knew” Was NOT made available to me) I was then informed “Be that as it may, we are not interested”

I have been working on a book on “The MONKEES” titled “Here We Come: A Touring History of The MONKEES” (I have also worked on books on KISS, U2 & Tommy Bolin) I did a project for Bill Chadwick in 1992 (covered in Sandolval’s book) Bill Chadwick: “Friendships” Cassette Only Release. I was entrusted with many hours of recordings.

Where upon I received a 10″ Studio Reel containing Recording Sessions of Bill Chadwick & David Jones.

1. If You have the Time (basic track With Vocal)

There is a reference to “Something To Show For It All” in Sandoval’s book (I forget what page) check around May 1969.

2. If You have the Time (dubbing sessions) 3. Talking to The Wall” (Backing Tracks)

In March 1994 I was asked

by David Jones (Himself) to do a research project for him , of all his recording, writing & producing credits. Which I did and turned into him for 2 different uses, 1 being “Just For The Record” Cassette Series.

4. Something to Show For It All (completed take with Vocals) 5. other dubbing sessions Bill stated these were from (23- 29) May 1969, these sessions and several other songs were recorded for Jones to use on a TV Show “An Evening With … David Jones” in Aug 1969 or Mar 1970 . As for “Lying” I was quoting the Author, Producer, Musician who recorded the tracks, Bill Chadwick, who was in fact there.

Sometime in 1996, I again with Chadwick’s permission, approached David Jones, with these outtakes for possible inclusion on Jones’s “Just For The Record” series “Volumes: 1 -4″ Jones expressed an interest and asked me to forward copies of the recordings to him in PA. I sent them to Jones. I never heard

I, with Chadwick’s permis-

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Monkee Shines from Jones or John Blair, Blair being in charge of the “JFTR” project.

I talked to John Blair in Jul 2011 about the “JFTR” series and the out-take tapes. Blair informed me “I never received any such tapes, Many things have turned up missing from that office, resend them and I’ll get them to Jones” I did shortly before Jones died.

D.W. Washburn Mommy & Daddy Pillow Time Bye Bye Baby Little Girl Just A Game Shorty Blackwell

I have not released these recordings because I do not retain ownership, and as I have been in the Music & Acting Business (I can tell you MOST things recorded or filmed Are NEVER used) for over 30 Years I respect Copyrights. I can not help it if the Precious IntroNetts has No Regard For Artists, Ownerships, Royalties & Payment. Sorry, They are not mine to Giveaway to the SCOTT FREE IntroNetts.

> And Even:

The “Article” referred to here was written for a “Paper Fanzine” MONKEESHINES back in 1992 when there was not much NEW MONKEES News, and I was given permission to write about the recordings, but forbidden to let them out.

If I Knew

Many of you may not realize I have followed The MONKEES quite literally all my life. My Mother wrote in a journal (which I still own) that I was watching The MONKEES since I was 3 years old.

Talking To The Wall

I see a lot of comments about the TRIO (later MONKEES) and the unpalatable songs they put on “Instant Replay” & “Present” one thing I would like to add for you all to consider.

Party

The MONKEES: Michael, Micky & David were at a point they could write & record whatever they wished. What They liked, were into & thought was Great were (examples):

I Didn’t Know You Had It In You Sally Rosemarie Shake Em’ Up You’re So Good David: You And I French Song > And Even: How Can I Tell You aka: ‘Smile’ If You Have The Time Time And Time Again Something To Show For It All Penny Music War Games I’m Gonna Try Ceiling In My Room > Michael: Never Tell A Woman Yes Angel Band How Insensitive Hollywood These were NOT throw aways, to The MONKEES them-

Micky:

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Monkee Shines selves, these Are The Songs that They Felt Best represented Who They Were (at the time).

conversation of a boy “Chadwick” & a girl “Christine” & a car door) is coming out on the “Present” boxset, this alternate version was on the “2nd Reel” of Jones & Chadwick songs recorded for “An Evening With…” in May 1969.

What was released was up to Lester Sill & the Colgems Label Powers That Be.

Also on the “2nd Reel” was the songs “If I Knew” & “How Can I Tell You” which CAN Be Found on David Jones: “Just For The Record” Vol: 1- 4 series CD & Cassette.

Follow up to my previous posting: “How Can I Tell You” was originally written by Bill Chadwick, probably in 1967-68, but Re-Written with David Jones to become “Smile” sometime in 1968-69. Then later in 1969 they recorded Chadwick’s original version of “How Can I Tell You” for consideration on “CHANGES”

The backing tracks for “Talking To The Wall” (from “1st Reel”) contain no vocals because Jones performed a dance sequence (yes,like in “HEAD”) where Jones sang a “Live” vocal on film (yes, like “33 1/3 RPM”). However the “2nd Reel” DID contain a studio vocal track for “Talking To The Wall” this version is not like Chadwick’s or Nesmith’s version. It’s along the lines of all the other Jones/Chadwick songs, Jones described as Broadway Rock.

“Time And Time Again” was written by Chadwick in about 1966 or so. A full demo recording was made at MCA studios in 1967. The song changed very little when it was recorded by Chadwick & Jones in 1969, however Jones name was added to the writing credits. I asked Bill about this: Me: “Was David’s name added to the credits, in agreement to record the song” Chadwick “No, no way, David was not like that, it’s more like I (Chadwick) am very liberal with handing out song writing credits, like my brother John on “Zor & Zam” (written in 1965) or Ric (Klein) on “Something To Show For It All” in this case, David did kind of change the feel of the song, so I gave him credit” Me: “And one word, in the lyrics”

I would like to add, when I made “samples” of the a fore mentioned “1st Reel” available to RHINO, their Representative informed me “These songs are Not worthy of public consumption, and therefore of no real interest to us” I replied “isn’t that for the fans to decide?”

Until ……… MrZERo

Though “Penny Music” was not written by Jones or Chadwick, it was very much a Jones & Chadwick production, Jones wanted to record the song, and Chadwick helped him with production. This is from a conversation I had with Chadwick fall of 1996, after “Missing Links 3″ came out and Chadwick did not receive proper credit, according to him.

Hannah Borgh, Bonnie Borgh, Rick Schewinden, and Craig Borgh at Rick’s store Mr. Zero’s in Minnesota

Apparently the alternate version of “French Song” (with rain &

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Monkee Shines

Take The Fast Train To...

By: Bonnie Borgh

W

hen the Borgh family finally decided our summer vacation plans, I said, “We are not going to Great Britain without seeing Hazel.” I had visited England, Scotland, and Wales way back in 1980 without having any knowledge whatsoever of David Jones’ whereabouts.

(He was probably right there under my nose.) However, without the aid of modern technology, I had no idea of what happened to The Monkees until their infamous 20th Anniversary Tour in 1986.

not believe it. It was as if the hands of time had gone back fortysix years. I should also mention that it was the only song we heard that played over the airwaves.

David likely would have passed right in front of where we were seated when he last arrived in Moline on November 04, 2011.

We arrived safely in London on June 15 and took the 8:30 am train At any rate, I phoned Hazel on from London to Edinburgh, ScotApril 29 to see if she would be land where we stayed until June available to see us the middle of 21.

June. As our travel plans materialized, I called again on May 09. We departed from Edinburgh on The dates that gelled for both of us the 10:51 am train south to Preswere June 21 and 22. Hazel said ton, England. (Incidentally, from Premier Inns provided nice accom- what I’ve experienced, when they modations, and we decided to stay say “10:51”, they mean “10:51”.) near the Preston train station at a We arrived on time at the Preston Premier Inn. Preston was not too Station at 13:15 (1:15 pm) and with far for Hazel to commute by bus to the aid of a map walked several meet us. blocks to the Premier Inn. I had intended to call Hazel upon our Before we even got out of Dodge arrival, but there she was waiting on Friday, June 14, Craig, Hannah, to welcome us in the hotel lobby. and I had just taken some seats to It was such a pleasant surprise wait in the Quad City International and so nice to see her again. [The (Yeah, right) Airport for our flight to last Close Encounter of the (Ken Chicago O’Hare before flying on to and Hazel) Wilkinson Kind was in London Heathrow. Over the PA Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania in Ausystem, Daydream Believer (in its gust of 2001. Hannah had just entirety) played. I absolutely could turned two. I distinctly remember at 12

Monkee Shines the time she called David “DoughDough”.]

Hazel introduced us to the ever popular pound world (The British version of the American Dollar Store) to maximize our vacation funds. (Thanks Hazel! You will be happy to know we shopped at that location as well as another pound world in London.)

After checking in, we exchanged goods from the hoods with the scales weighing heavily in favor of Hazel. Bless her heart, she had an entire carry-on of treasures for us including souvenirs and sweets.

We learned she had made a trial run from her home to Preston earlier in the week just so she would be fully prepared as our escort SLASH tour guide. She led us to a mall where we had a bite to eat at Costa Coffee. Afterwards, we had to stop and pose for a picture at one of the merchants, i.e. Wilkinson Cameras.

It seems Hazel has kept this business venture extremely under exposed. Somehow I got the feeling that if this had been an actual fam-

Hazel suggested the marvelous idea to meet at 10:30 am on June 22 at the bus station (which she showed us) and proposed to take us on a journey to St. Annes where the Jones’ family vacationed when they were growing up. On the way to the bus station, we noticed the following poster advertising “Oliver!” playing in Preston while we were there.

What are the odds?

ily business rather than a mere name coincidence and we had we brought our Monkee photos into that store in the day that Ken would have made sure that all of our endless photos of David were replaced with photos of him instead! We know how boring all of those monotonous photos of David could be...[Oh Ken, we miss you, too.]

We met Hazel bright and early Saturday morning and traveled by coach to St. Annes. She treated us to breakfast/lunch/brunch at the Orchard Tea Rooms which proved 13

Monkee Shines to be a classic English cafe with wonderful food. There was even a bouquet of purple flowers in the ladies’ room.

I’m sure Hazel called ahead and had those there just for us!

store which came in extremely handy to purchase several break-

fast items such as milk and cereal. Those Wilkinson’s take care of everything from photos to food!

We left Preston on Sunday, June 23 on the 10:58 train to London.

Hazel showed us where they played as children and how much they enjoyed their holiday there in addition to where she would be staying during her upcoming trip to St. Annes.

Craig, Hannah, and I went to see “Les Miserables” at the Queens Theatre in London. I had intended to ask Hazel if she remembered the name of the theatre where David performed in the pro-

Hazel led us to St. Annes Pier.

Due to the cool temperatures, we had the pier all to ourselves. We wound our way back from the pier through an indoor amusement area designed for children and, it seems, adults as well.

Hazel even pitched in some pence to aid Hannah in her quest for One Direction trinkets.

The day went entirely too fast.

Before we knew it, it was time to say “Farewell”. We parted at the Preston bus station with such wonderful memories to treasure.

duction of “Oliver!” in the early 1960’s, but I completely forgot.

[Upon our return home (Why don’t I do my homework before we leave home?) I read in David’s autobiography that the theatre he performed at was called the New Theatre. As of 1987, it was renamed the Albery. It has since

When we returned to our hotel from the bus station, we spied with our little eyes another Wilkson enterprise.

This one came in the form of a grocery 14

Monkee Shines son? Without rolling my eyes, I adamantly said ‘Yes.’ The parcel must have looked innocent enough because she said Oh that’s fine.

been renamed the Noel Coward Theatre. We walked right around that area of London. It was right under my nose, and I missed it!]

In the queue at London’s Heathrow, I was asked by Security at Customs the typical question, i.e. Did you pack your own suitcase?

I answered ‘Yes’.

Then I was asked Did anyone give you anything to bring with you? At first I replied ‘No’ and then I said, ‘Well, yes...’ I remembered that Hazel had given me a gift bag to give to Cindy. The woman from Security asked Did you open it? I thought, ‘Of course not! It wasn’t mine!’ but I responded, ‘No.’ Visions of spending more quality time in the hands of Security danced in my head.

Then she requested to see it.

She said Do you trust this per-

It all seems like a dream now that we were there and back here in the blink of an eye. Our lives primarily consist of what we can see. It’s hard to fathom the dayto-day life of someone stretched out across almost 4,000 miles of land and ocean.

Thanks for meeting us in Preston, Hazel. It makes the world a whole lot smaller when you can actually reach out and touch someone.

As you will recall, Harry Jones worked for British Railways. I think he’d be pleased to know those trains are still connecting the lives of people together.

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Monkee Shines

WOOD You Believe it?

Cindy Bryant shared this link. If you have not already done so, check it out! http:// www.dolenzanddaughters.com/#

Dolenz & Daughters Fine Furniture is a family owned business based in Los Angeles, California.

Micky Dolenz would require a quiet companion (at first, that is), for in direct contrast to his effervescent, bubbly personality, there are times when Micky is very introspective and meditative. The first thing Micky would show you is his new workshop. Not only is he continuing to make marvelous things by wire sculpting, but he is now also working in wood.

‘Wood is very alive-it’s very beautiful to touch,’ Micky explains.

‘When you carve or build something out of wood-well, it may sound silly, but the wood seems to sort of come alive and help you. It’s as though you and the wood become one. And when you finish, you and the wood have shared a very rewarding experience.’”

We produce handcrafted furniture in our home shop. A percentage of the proceeds are donated to a variety of charities close to our hearts.

It is interesting to take a look back at yester century. The following (excerpt) article was also courtesy of Cindy Bryant:

A Day in the Life of Micky Dolenz 16’s Fall Spec ‘67 Fall 1967 (Page 12) “A leisurely day in the life of 16

Monkee Shines 7/15/13

Hey Hey! I Met Micky!

By Brenda Routh Wylie

E

verything about this concert was epic from the moment we started planning. The plan was 3 months in the making, but it was well worth the wait!

Imet Micky Dolenz!

dent back in 1999 where he was really rude upon our meeting. I didn’t want to feel inferior like before. So I stupidly did not speak t o Micky.

I was, however, destined to me Micky that night. When Jason and I get together, we “Monkee around.

And get into at least a little “monkee business”. Our business that night was a quest to meet Micky.

Had I known that my room had a full view of the stage at the time I reserved it, I could have saved the 25 bucks and watched the show from there. I had 247. Jason was across the hall in248. We marveled over that, and how swanky the room was, then went downstairs to wait for the buffet to open up at 4.

I had Jason holding our place in line. I went ot the casino gift shop to buy some earrings to wear to the concert. Micky passed by the gift shop while I was at the cash register!

But when I sat on a bench with Jason later, still waiting on the buffet to open, Jason spotted Micky in the bar area! I wouldn’t miss the amazing chance to meet him again!

Micky was having a salad and a tea, so I was really apprehensive about going up to him, but a goofy guy in an orange tee shirt went right over and started talking and shaking Micky’s hand, so I figured it couldn’t hurt.

The meeting of me and the Monkee was brief, but impressionable. First of all, I told Micky right away I didn’t want to interrupt him while he was eating, even though I totally DID, but I just wanted to say hi, He nodded in an understanding sort of way and

Here begins another Monkee adventure! (I’ve been Monkeeing around since 1987!)

Interior: Lakeside Casino, Osceola, Iowa. I hadn’t been at the hotel quite ten minutes when I sat on a leather couch in the lobby while my husband and my partner in crime, aka my cousin, Justin, also rabid Monkees fan, offered to take my bags to my room for me. I was putting lotion on my hands when I spotted an older gentleman dressed in black and wearing a tan hat approach from afar. This man passed me and looked right at me. That man was the Monkees front man, Micky Dolenz! The date was July12, 2013.

My body did not react because it was in a state of shock by what it was seeing, but my brain screamed “OH MY GOD IT’S MICKY DOLENZ!”If this were the 1960’s there is no way he’d be strolling around like that...all alone out in the open...no security...no weapons...no bullet proof glass…

I finally put feet in motions to rush off to tell Jason but he and my better half had already seen this piece of pop royalty for themselves! Jason told Micky hi and had saluted him! I didn’t approach Micky at first because I was still gun shy about meeting celebrities from the Peter Noone inci-

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Monkee Shines said hi in return. Then I told him we were going to his show. He said, “Ok.” Then I told him, “I’ll let you go back to eating,” and I retreated. My heart was pounding like crazy, but I had done it! I’d just met my second Monkee!

Jason went back to hold our place in line. I sat on a bench. Micky came by with a glass of tea in his hand. He smiled at me and said, “Hi!” I returned the smile and told him “hi!” again! Wow. I felt like a teenage girl who’d just met Justin Bieber! (and probably seemed just as dorky.)

Jason and I finally got in to eat at the buffet, which was free for us because my uncle (Jason’s dad) had given us coupons he’d won through the player’s club. Incidentally, our swanky hotel rooms were also gratis for the same reason!

I tried a seafood sampling...crab legs, shrimp, and clams...hoping not to be struck down by food poisoning from improperly refrigerated shellfish like the beauty contestants in the movie mockumentary “Drop Dead Gorgeous.” I also tried the prime rib and a really delectable chocolate cake.

After dinner, Jason and I went to our room and we watched out the window ro sell when seating started. I was wearing my new black fedora just like the one Micky wears during concerts, in a nod to him, though Mike is my favorite monkee! ( tee hee hee) We got a pretty great view of the stage where we set up our chairs until 2 very rude old bags decided to plop their chairs down right in front of us, and a couple seated on a blanket!

Even so, it still wasn’t too bad. The crowd was relatively small, so we had a more intimate concert experience. If the drummer would’ve as much as sneezed, he probably would have fallen ass over appetite into the lake!

Micky did all the classic

Monkees staples. His sister, Coco, who is one of his back up singers and who sang on some of the early Monkees records, did a duet with Micky called “Crying in the Rain” and he let her sing “Different Drum” solo. Coco is a great singer! I was impressed .

She was with the Monkees when I saw them in Minneapolis back in November.

Micky told the story of when he met the Beatles and how that meeting inspired him to write “Randy Scouse Git” , and how the song title was quite offensive in British Society due to it’s rather suggestive meaning (Translation: Horny Liverpudlian putz).

After the show, Jason and I, returned to our rooms and her come Coco down our hall! She smiled and gave us a friendly hello. It was pretty cool she was staying up on our floor.

Micky was down on the first floor. I totally could’ve stalked him all night if I had wanted to, but there’s laws against that, you know...LOL. Jason and I still wanted to see what was jumping off down in the casino, so we went back down to the lobby. Jason said, “Micky will probably think we’re stalking him!” Sure enough, Micky came strolling by! We had my camera, so Jason asked Micky if we could get a picture with him. Micky replied, “sure, but you will have to walk with me.” Micky and Jason walked off together, so I followed after them. Micky actually stopped and waited for me to catch up to them! That was pretty cool. I turned on the camera and Jason took the picture of me and Micky together, which turned out blurry! Micky told us, “Thank you!” and went on his way.

Jason was greatly disappointed he didn’t get his picture taken too, but hey. I was disappointed Jason took a blurry shot and ruined my picture! Jason grumbled about the picture a lot. I told him with a smile,

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Monkee Shines “It’s the fedora!”

I got to meet Micky. That’s what’s important here. I’ll remember it for the rest if my life, just as when I met davy, may he rest in peace. As Phil Robertson on Duck Dynasty

says, “Everybody’s happy, happy, happy! Until next time fans, keep Monkeeing around!

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Monkee Shines

Hey, Hey! Monkees Parody Show Here We Come Is Arriving in New York City

By Hayley Levitt • Sep 19, 2013 • New York City Former America's Next Top Model contestant Shandi Sullivan will appear in the production.

Here We Come, a new show parodying the 1960s rock band/sitcom gang The Monkees, is coming to the C.O.W. Theater on the Lower East Side for two performances, on September 27 and 28. The production is produced by the L.E.S. Brick Co. and is conceived and directed by Britton Payne with codirection by Amanda Mayer.

The show follows musicians Davy, Micky, Mike, and Peter as they em-

bark on a road trip to Brooklyn, New York, for a music contest with an enticing $500 cash prize. Kidnappings, gun fights, cross-dressing, and general hilarity ensue along the way. The cast features a diverse group of performers, including Shandi Sullivan, a former contestant on the CW Network's hit competition show America's Next Top Model.

The company also includes Lauren Sonnen, Dana Angelo, Timothy Charles Browne, Adam Luke, Veronica Osorio, Jeff Cumberlin, Jessica Ivy Hunt, David Boyd, Adrienne Rhodes, and Louie Vitiello

Timothy Charles Browne (Davy), Dana Angelo (Mike), Lauren Sonnen (Micky), and Shandi Sullivan (Peter)

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Monkee Shines Tony Sachs Drinker of Spirits, Listener of Music, Watcher of Baseball, Writer of Words:

Micky Dolenz Talks About The Monkees Present... And The Monkees' Future It's kind of amazing to realize that the Monkees in their original incarnation were around for less than four years, from the debut of their TV show and their first hit single, "Last Train To Clarksville," in the fall of 1966 until remaining members Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones finally threw in the towel in 1970 (the other Monkees, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork, had already left). During that time they managed to crank out nine albums, tour the world a few times, make a creatively adventurous but commercially disastrous movie (Head), and of course film two seasons of a TV show that, every time it gets aired again, creates a new generation of fans.

Which is why the Monkees have never really gone away. Every few years, two or three members of the "Prefab Four" have hit the road, playing the old hits and occasionally even some newer songs; they did an album of new material in the '80s and again in the '90s. And the old songs keep getting reissued in ever more comprehensive packages by Rhino Records, which treats the Monkees' catalog with so much care and respect you'd think they were Charlie Parker or John Coltrane, with every variation of every song worth poring over and studying. Outtakes, alternate mixes, different vocals, backing tracks for songs that never had vocals recorded, commercials... all of it is seeing the light of day in a project that's been ongoing for the last 30 years.

If any further proof is needed that no scrap of Monkees arcana is too arcane for die-hard fans, I submit as evidence the new three-CD-plus-7inch-single deluxe version of The Monkees Present. Their eighth album (and last one with Mike Nesmith; Peter Tork quit in 1968), it bombed when it came out in 1969, peaking at an inglorious #100 on Billboard's album charts. It's never gained cult status or anything close to it. Apart from "Listen To The Band," a minor hit at the time and a fan favorite since then, nothing from the album has made any lasting impression among any but the most hardcore Monkeephiles. Even the cover, which appears to have been drawn with black Sharpies, is a slipshod affair.

But dammitall, The Monkees Present is a really good album. Not Abbey Road good, mind you, but a lot better than people probably gave it credit for at the time given that the Monkees' hipness factor with The Kids was about on par with Richard Nixon's by 1969. Nesmith's four crackling country-rock tracks alone are worth the price of admission, including "Listen To The Band," possibly his greatest Monkees-era recording. But Dolenz turns in three nifty originals, including the subversive, downright hippie-ish "Mommy And Daddy." Even Davy Jones, who could generally be counted on to produce one unlistenably cornball number per album, acquits himself quite well. The only real dud

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Monkee Shines turns out to be an unreleased track from 1966 which was inexplicably unearthed for the occasion.

The fact that Colgems, under the rubric of giving the Monkees "unlimited creative control" basically said, "We don't care what you do at this point" really does seem to have had some effect. Seven of the album's 12 songs were written and co-written by the Monkees, and they produced just about the whole record themselves.

Whatever you think of the Monkees' musical talents (I think they're a lot better than they were given credit for at the time), you've got to give props to the musicians they worked with.

Clarence White of the Byrds, Jim Gordon of Derek & The Dominos, legendary drummers Earl Palmer and Hal Blaine and rockabilly guitar great James Burton are among the luminaries you'll hear on The Monkees Present. That's a big part of what makes going through multiple alternate takes and mixes so interesting.

and Mike Nesmith; Davy Jones died in 2012) happened to be touring the US as the deluxe version of Present was seeing its limited edition release - 5,000 copies only, get 'em while they're hot! So technically, at least, the Monkees were on the road to promote this behemoth. Which made it completely appropriate to chat with cute-as-a-button siner/"drummer" (he had to learn before they went on tour in 1967) Micky Dolenz about one of the less storied chapters in the Monkees' career. Not that I'd heard the box myself -- it hadn't yet been released when we chatted, and Rhino Records ignored my request for an advance -- but I figured, hell, he must have heard it, right? Actually, no. "I don't tend to listen to the stuff cover to cover anymore. I'll listen to a cut that maybe is something that wasn't on a previous version, or some different version of one of the songs. You know, a deep cut or something."

Well alrighty then! I figured he must at least have some cool recollections about recording the album. "It was an interesting time -- I mean, it was a long time ago, so I don't remember lots of specifics."

Even the outtakes, and there are a bunch of 'em, are killer. In fact, the Present sessions resulted in some of the best songs the Monkees ever recorded, from Dolenz's kiddie-rocker "Steam Engine" to Jones' Moog-alicious "If You Have The Time" to Nesmith's gently twanging "The Crippled Lion." And those are the tracks that weren't deemed fit for release back in '69. Even a two-minute commercial jingle they cut for Kool-Aid is catchy as hell. It's clear that the "band" (as Micky Dolenz told me, "I never thought of it as a band, and I still don't. The Monkees was a television show about a band") was really firing on all cylinders at this point, even if neither the audience nor Colgems, their record label, was paying attention.

Uh-oh. But showbiz pro that he is, he quickly recovered.

"We had made Headquarters, of course [their only album where the four Monkees played all the instruments], but we didn't go back into the studio to do another sort of band album. I hadn't done much writing at all, and it was actually Mike who encouraged me to write and produce my own stuff. What we started doing was writing and producing our own tunes with our own people and side guys. I brought in my sister [Coco Dolenz] frequently during that period and we did songs together, and other friends

The Monkees (Dolenz, Peter Tork

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Monkee Shines and musicians that I knew."

Stills, and then Stills & Nash. And it's all good."

The Monkees hardly recorded at all together after 1967; on The Monkees Present, it was rare that two Monkees were together in the studio, let alone all three. You can hear it in the finished product. "You can certainly tell a Mike Nesmith tune during that period, and myself, and David," Dolenz says.

"With the Monkees, of course, there was very distinct styles, of not just singing, but also writing, and the type of music. Mike definitely was, and is, into that country, Texas, rock kind of thing. You listen now to some of that country rock stuff and you definitely hear that. Mike was doing that kind of stuff forty years ago.... David had that Broadway ballad kind of sensibility. I tended to do rock and screaming kind of Chuck Berry kind of Little Richard stuff. And so when we started having all that control, we went back and started really touching our creative roots. It became almost like three producers producing three different styles of music, using different types of songs."

Fair enough, since seeing the Monkees in concert with Mike Nesmith and without Davy Jones really did make it feel more like you were watching a band and less like a musical revue. The fact that Nesmith had decided to rejoin Dolenz and Tork at all in the wake of Jones' death was a miracle in itself; the fact that he reupped for a second tour so soon after the first signals nothing less than snowballs in hell and flying pigs. But it seems, at least for now, like the 47years-and-counting ride may be coming to an end for the Monkees. "There are no plans right now for anything else," Dolenz says, before quickly adding, "but I've learned never to say never." At age 67, he freely admits that touring isn't what it used to be.

"The travel, especially as you get a little bit older, can be kind of wearing," he says. "I don't travel well, just generally. I'm like a fine wine, I should be lying on my side in the dark. I don't do jostled very well at all. But I tell people, they pay me to travel, I sing for free."

I asked him if the dynamic had changed given that Peter Tork, the most accomplished and eclectic musician in the Monkees, had left. "Yeah, I suppose a bit, you know. But again, the way the whole project came about was so different and unique.... I've always thought of it as a show and much more like musical theater. So when Peter left, there were still recording contracts to be honored. It obviously changed the dynamic, like it did when David and Peter and I got back together in the '80s, and now it's a different one again. And it's not like one is better or worse than the other, it's just really different. It's like when you see Crosby, Stills & Nash, and then you see Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and then you see Crosby &

Certainly the vaults are just about bare where the Monkees' recorded legacy is concerned. The only album yet to receive the royal reissue treatment is Changes, a hastily recorded and creatively lacking last gasp featuring only Dolenz and Davy Jones, and that probably won't happen. But Dolenz is keeping busy -- last year he released Remember, easily the best solo album he's ever put out, and he's got a live DVD planned for this year, as well as the usual assortment of live performances, appearances in various musicals, and... woodworking?

Dolenz seems much more jazzed about his new furniture company,

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Monkee Shines

Dolenz & Daughters Fine Furniture, which he started with his youngest daughter Georgia, than anything Monkees-related. "Not many people know, because I've never really publicized it -- [I've been] kind of a geek and a handyman and a do-it-yourselfer and a craftsman. I was studying to be an architect, you know, when the Monkees audition came along. I was in college studing architecture.... If I couldn't make it as an architect, I was gonna fall back on show business.

own shop, putting on additions, doing plumbing, electrical, the whole thing."

Micky Dolenz, craftsman. Who knew?

His hope chests, which sell for a mere $495 each, are a little pricey for hope chests, but not too bad when you consider they're handmade, numbered and signed by the craftsman himself.

And at 12"x12"x24", they're big enough to hold most, if not all, of the Monkees box sets I've acquired over the years. I'll take two.

"Over the years, I've always had a shop, full-blown, a woodworking and metal shop. I built a gyrocopter in the '60s when I was doing the Monkees -a real one, a real flying machine -and hang gliders. I've always had my

Follow Tony Sachs on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RetroManNYC

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Monkee Shines

By Becca Nelson Peter has settled down a bit after the completion of the Monkees Tour this summer so here's a fun article out of my notebook of goodies from Flip, 1967…

men were supposed to wear to show the world their inferior status. Then, as always, Peter kept his cool!

I got to know Peter's room down the hall from mine very well. Banjos and guitars were hanging all over the walls.

(But this room was nothing compared to the room Peter would have during his sophomore year! Which I'll talk about when I get to that period of Peter's life.)

My College Days With Peter Tork!

By Steve Pope, Peter's Best Friend in College I'd just moved into Carleton's freshman dorm, when I saw Peter for the first time. Wearing short hair, looking very puckish and plucking on one of his oldest banjos, there he was- in one of his most familiar poses. I was to see Peter often like this. It seemed as if that banjo never left him!

The reason I got to know Peter's room so well is that he loved to stay up all night to talk about philosophy and politics, and those of us who shared Peter's thoughts usually did so in his room. There he would talk about anything that came to his crowded and creative mind. In old faded Levis, wearing a straight T-shirt (for some reason, during his freshman year, Peter always wore faded blue-andwhite horizontally-striped T-shirts), with his banjo nearby, Peter would talk…and talk…and talk.

We weren't introduced yet, but a couple of days later I found out that we were in the same math class together and that Peter's room was just down the hall from mine. Soon, I was introduced to Peter H. Thorkelson, beginning a friendship with Peter which lasted even long after he eventually left Carleton.

By the time Pete would be finished talking, you were convinced that what he was saying was right. He was (and still is) a very convincing talker whose arguments and thoughts would fall nicely together as he developed them.

Funny about that name. You'd never think that there could be two Peter Thorkelsons in any one place at the same time. But there were actually two Peter Thorkelsons in my freshman class. The only difference was their middle initials and the fact that Peter pronounced the first part of his name "TORK" while the other pronounced his "Thork." Peter usually used his middle initial to keep their identities separate.

When it came to girls, however, Peter would often let his banjo do the talking. Playing love songs and ballads, he was an outgoing and popular date. As I remember, he dated very sweet and pretty girls and he used to frequently fall in love. But that's a natural extension of Peter because he's a very loving-type person. Yet, in his own way, he was shy…if you can imagine someone being shy and outgoing at the same time.

Right away, I knew that Peter was OK. Sophomores at Carleton haze the freshmen, but Peter would have no part of it from the start. Like, for instance, he refused to wear the beanie that all fresh-

About the only place where Peter didn't

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Monkee Shines take his banjo was class, when he went to class. When he did attend classes, he usually went barefooted. All the teachers and professors thought that he was tremendously intelligent, but they would get mad at him because he wouldn't study. He'd get "A's" on all his papers, and then ruin all his brilliance by not studying for the final.

So, I took him to the Pennsylvania Turnpike entrance, from where he hoped to hitch-hike to the midwest. As I looked back, there stood Peter- his shirt sticking out, a big old leather flight bag which was bulging in one hand, and his banjo in the other…

Peter was already beginning to feel that he wasn't getting anything out of his formal education. He believed that he was getting more knowledge from our conversations and bull sessions than he was getting from all his classes. But he promised himself that he wouldn't decide whether or not he would come back to Carleton until after the summer.

Monkees Thank You Video As some of you may know, I was able to put together a great Thank You video for the guys, thanking them for this last tour and for just generally being their groovy selves. Thank you so much to all of you who sent in your submissions, you made it really fantastic! And we had such a great response- not just from other fans either! Micky posted the video to his wall and Peter's team had this to say- "Wow, Wow, Wow! Thank you, Becca Nelson for this amazing tribute to Peter, Micky & Mike (and of course, Davy). You did an incredible job & thanks to everyone who contributed, as well! This is a truly beautiful and wonderful tribute (we are looking for tissues as we type this)- Monkees fans are THE BEST! Love you all! ~ptfb team" It was a blast to make and I'm hoping to start up a new one soon asking everyone to briefly tell how you became a Monkees fan or what your favorite song is and why so get your thinking caps on and watch for my post!

That summer, I worked in an orchard near my hometown of Downington, Pennsylvania, and Peter made the first of his many trips to Greenwich Village in New York. When school was over, we promised each other to keep in touch and meet again (maybe) in the fall up at Carleton.

So, you can imagine my surprise when one night in the middle of the summer, around 10 o'clock, the telephone rang and I heard a familiar voice: "I'm here, Poper…next to the Chevron station…in Paoli."

When I got to the station, there was Pete, with a hamburger in one hand and a banjo in the other. And for the next two days, we both got very little sleep.

We talked a lot, as ever, and set up a Dixieland band which played….and played… and played. Peter serenaded my little sister, Janet, who was 12 then, with all sorts of happy songs, like "Inky Dinky Spider." And we drove around a lot, enjoying the beautiful countryside, which Peter appreciated as much as I did.

Monkees Thank You Video As some of you may know, I was able to put together a great Thank You video for the guys, thanking them for this last tour and for just generally being their groovy selves. Thank you so much to all of you who sent in your submissions, you made it really fantastic! And we had such a great response- not just from other fans either! Micky posted the video to his wall and Peter's team had this to say- "Wow, Wow, Wow! Thank you, Becca Nelson

He told me that he hadn't made up his mind about whether he'd come back to school. And he was restless and anxious to move on.

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Monkee Shines

By Becca Nelson for this amazing tribute to Peter, Micky & Mike (and of course, Davy). You did an incredible job & thanks to everyone who contributed, as well! This is a truly beautiful and wonderful tribute (we are looking for tissues as we type this)- Monkees fans are THE BEST! Love you all! ~ptfb team" It was a blast to make and I'm hoping to start up a new one soon asking everyone to briefly tell how you became a Monkees fan or what your favorite song is and why so get your thinking caps on and watch for my post!

Different Drum, Sugar, Sugar, Randy Scouse Git, Daydream Believer, A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You, Oh! Darling, White Rabbit, Goin' Down, Pleasant Valley Sunday, Listen To The Band, and I'm A Believer. Micky sounds fantastic as always alongside his sister Coco who has an awesome rendition of White Rabbit. This album is definitely worth a listen!

A

Dolenz and Daughters Fine Furniture is really taking off! They are now offering a bench chest, coffee table, and side table along with the hope chest! Seems like they're having a blast with this new venture- "We are having so much fun building the new pieces and can't wait to build these Hope Chests again. Thank you for everyone's support and purchases. We hope our furniture will be with your families for generations to come! "

lright fans, here's your Micky News...On October 2, Micky took part in the Actors For Autism Reach For The Stars event and had "a lovely time" with daughters Georgia and Ami. Actors For Autism is a very cool performing arts and digital film making organization that provides programs for kids to adults with disabilities.

Micky's daughter Emily is busy selling her work with her new Etsy store. Make sure you check it out, she has some beautiful pieces! Ami Dolenz has also been busy, she just put out a new children's book called "Harold and Agatha: The Mysterious Jewel." She has also said in a recent interview that she is working on another picture book with her dad, so be watching for that!

Micky's new CD, "Live at B.B. Kings" is now available and can be purchased signed to you from Micky's ebay store. A selection of 6 of the 23 tracks is available for purchase on iTunes. The track listing includes: Introduction by Jim Kerr, I'm Not Your Stepping Stone, That Was Then, This Is Now, She, Words, Sometime In The Morning, D.W. Washburn, Last Train to Clarksville, Johnny B. Goode, Purple Haze, Blackbird, Crying In The Rain, 27

Monkee Shines

By Marie Gibson

Happy Beginning of Fall everyone!

F

Fall also appears to be pretty eventful for our Mr. Nesmith as well.

At the end of August, it was reported on Videoranch’s Tumblr page that Mike was filming an episode of the series “Portlandia’ (which stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein) along with Kyle MacLachlan (formerly of “Twin Peaks”). So, fans of “Portlandia”, keep a look out for Nez!

The Monkees tour ended on August 20, and though he says he enjoyed himself, he was glad to be home.

On a sadder note, Nez made this announcement on his Facebook page on September 5th:

Mike will be starting his five-date tour on October at the MIM Music Theater in Phoenix, AZ and ending on November 24th at the Turner Ballroom in Milwaukee, MI. He will be touring with the same band he had during his last tour:

“Dale, the dog, died.

all is a fantastic time of year, the kiddies are back in school, we get to look forward to Halloween and (my personal favorite), Thanksgiving.

She had been wan and weary these last few weeks and finally stopped eating. This morning she slipped away.

I will bury her next to Roy and Lily in the back fields of Roysdale.”

Paul Lym on rhythms Joe Chemey on bass Chris Scruggs on steel, mandolin and guitars And Boh Cooper on keys

We all know how much he loved and doted on Dale, the dog that would bury the sandwiches he made for her, and then dig them up later.

He has stated that for this tour, he will be sticking to his solo work, but may play “Listen to the Band” as he says, “because it is so much fun to play.” He added that he really hasn’t decided yet, that it depends on how rehearsals go.

RIP Dale.

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Monkee Shines

D

By Cindy Bryant avid may be gone from this earth but he has been far from forgotten.

The plan next year is to raise money again for The Trees Remember and have trees planted in David’s name in area’s of the west where fires have devastated the forest and our eco system.

In October the Manchester Memorial took place with niece, Beverley Barber hosting. Daughter Annabel was scheduled to appear, as well as many other family members. We hope to have more on this event in the next issue.

The big news continues to be the Written In Our Hearts Cookbook. I don’t think any of us on the cookbook team expected this to take off as it has which s wonderful. The book is full of great recipes and peppered with sweet little stories from people who knew David and worked with David with recipes from his family members and friends—some of David’s own recipes.

The PFG raised $200 for the Multiple Sclerosis in David’s name this summer. I would like to thank those who participated and donated.

We’ve received recipes from Annabel, Talia, Anita and Linda, Hazel, Marion Seidel ( who helped with David’s horse and still cares for Billy Jones), Valerie Kariys Venet , Rose Marie and more are coming in daily..

It’s going to be a fun book and I can tell you personally , having tried some of the submitted recipes, there are some great recipes inside. So, stay tuned. We will let you know when it is available. Remember ALL proceeds from the sale of this book go to the DJEMF and the David T. Jones estate.

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Monkee Shines

Breaking Bad' Uses Monkees Song in Key Meth Cooking Scene; Micky Dolenz Weighs In From The Hollywood Reporter

By Shirley Halperin

C

all it a chemical reaction: The group's co-founding member talks with THR about the AMC series' placement of 1967 B-side "Goin' Down" in Sunday's episode.

and drummer was on the road with his solo show, he found out about the music cue almost instantly via the group’s Facebook fans. “It’s one of my favorite Monkees songs,” he says.

“Great lyrics by the band and Diane Hilderbrand. … A very smart call.”

As it turns out, Dolenz is a fan of the AMC series, and for that reason, he says he’s “a little torn” about the song’s use in the scene. “ ’Goin’ Down' has nothing to do with drugs, obviously,” he tells THR. “And I certainly don't condone meth -- that is nasty stuff that kills a lot of people and ruins a lot of lives. ... On the other hand, I like the TV show, it's very well-made. … And no, I didn't make a penny.”

Indeed, Dolenz won’t see much if any financial reward to the song’s use.

Formed in concept as a made-for-TV group, at least originally, The Monkees' individual members forfeited rights to their recordings and image, which is one reason the band wasn’t informed of the placement ahead of time or asked for a sign-off.

Here’s a combination you probably never imagined coming together on television: beloved '60s pop-rock group The Monkees and many pounds of crystal meth.

Leave it to Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and the show’s music team to pair a montage of chemistry in action with the song “Goin’ Down,” the B-side to The Monkees' 1967 hit “Daydream Believer.”

Spoiler alert: The scene was a key moment during Sunday’s episode, when Walter White (Bryan Cranston) essentially passed the torch to new protégé Todd (Jesse Plemons) in an all-night cook. The double-time, kickin-the-step vocal styling of singer Micky Dolenz served as the soundtrack, and an unlikely one at that -yet, strangely, it worked.

“The record company controls the licensing and mechanicals for all the material that you do,” Dolenz explains. “In movies and TV they don't even have to ask, unless you wrote the song. Like I had no idea ‘I'm a

The sync lit up Twitter’s musiccentric community and had the “Monkee-net abuzz,” Dolenz, who sings “Goin’ Down,” tells The Hollywood Reporter. Although the singer 30

Monkee Shines Believer’ was going to be in Shrek.”

While the long-haired, beads-wearing and paisley-sporting Monkees were no strangers to an affiliation with psychedelics and marijuana (“I smoked my fair share,” Dolenz readily admits), the group’s co-founder insists creative endeavors like their 1968 movie Head, written by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, had a greater purpose than simply being an accompaniment to mind-altering drugs. “Head was more about the

deconstruction of the Hollywood big movie studio monopoly, using the Monkees metaphorically for attacking that system,” he says. “It had more to do with the cerebral element.” That and leaving the door open for a second movie, so that the makers could say “from the producers who gave you Head.”

Adds Dolenz, “Like they say, any publicity is good publicity -- just spell the name right.” That’s Micky with no E.

Micky Discusses “Remember’ Micky discussed his solo Album 'Remember' in an article in the LA Times in September. The CD features such songs as the Beatles’ “Good Morning, Good Morning,” Chuck Berry’s “Johnnny B. Goode,” the Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar” and Harry Nilsson’s title tune, along with new arrangements of a handful of songs the Monkees recorded: “I’m a Believer,” “Sometime in the Morning” and a relative obscurity, “Do Not Ask for Love.”

been working on?’ George Martin played that song and it was etched into his brain forever after that, 'Johnny B. Goode' was the song that Micky sang at his Monkees audition.

'Sugar Sugar' was the infamous song that Don Kirshner brought to the Monkees which, in turn, led to Mike's revolt. Micky went to England and met up with Paul and John while Mike battled it out. Kirshner lost the battle, created the cartoon group The Archies and recorded recorded 'Sugar Sugar' which went to #1 even though Ron Dante and the REAL singers behind the Archies got no recognition until much much later.

The idea for the CD was, at least in part, a salute to Davy. Micky said the whole idea is that the album would be a kind of scrapbook of his life.

For an example, Micky said he chose to cover the Beatles' 'Good Morning, Good Morning' because Paul McCartney had invited him to come to Abbey Road and listen to 'Sgt. Pepper' when they were recording it.

When Micky walked into the studio, John Lennon said, Hey Monkee man, would you like to hear what we’ve

The album's title song was chosen because Micky was with Nilsson when he wrote it. And, of course, The Monkees recorded Nilsson's 'Cuddly Toy' which allowed the struggling singer/songwriter to quit his day job at a bank.

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Monkee Shines From David’s sister, Lynda Moore. An interview Lynda did for a local magazine,

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The Monkees’ Michael Nesmith to Launch New US Solo Tour Later This Month http://www.classichitsandoldies.com/v2/

8 October 2013 Michael Nesmith‘s return to performing continues, as the Monkees singer/ guitarist has lined up a new series of fall U.S. dates. The trek gets under way October 27 in Phoenix and will wind around the States through a November 24 show in Milwaukee.

“is so much fun to play.” Fans can expect to hear such Nesmith compositions as “Joanne,” “Some of Shelley’s Blues” and “Different Drum,” the song with which Linda Ronstadt scored her first hit.

For select shows, Nesmith is selling special “Conversation Reception Passes,” which will give fans the opportunity to chat in person and take a photo with the veteran artist, as well as having an item autographed by him.

Nesmith discussed his plans for the upcoming tour in some recent Facebook posts, explaining that the new solo shows will be similar in structure to the ones he did this past spring, “but with different songs.”

In addition, Michael reveals that he’s planning to put together a limitededition live CD featuring his favorite performances from the upcoming trek.

The 70-year-old musician reports that he intends to perform only material from solo career, with the one exception possibly being the Monkees tune “Listen to the Band,” which he says 34

Monkee Shines Nesmith, who also has begun touring again with his fellow surviving Monkees band mates, says of his return to the stage, “Live performance is such a wonderful experience and I am

happy to be back and out among the stars. It is the most fulfilling aspect of a music career to me.”

Here are all of Nesmith’s upcoming solo tour dates, according to his website VideoRanch3D.com: 10/27 — Phoenix, AZ, MIM Music Theater 10/29 — Austin, TX, One World Theatre 10/30 — Dallas, TX, The Kessler Theater 11/1 — Birmingham, AL, The WorkPlay SoundStage 11/2 — Atlanta, GA, Variety Playhouse 11/4 — Vienna, VA, The Barns at Wolf Trap 11/5 — Annapolis, MD, Rams Head On Stage 11/7 — Bay Shore, NY, YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts 11/8 — Phoenixville, PA, The Colonial Theatre 11/10 — Shirley, MA, The Bull Run Concert Series 11/11 — Fall River, MA, Narrow Center for the Arts 11/12 — Englewood, NJ, Bergen Performing Arts Center 11/14 — Elyria, OH, Stocker Arts Center 11/15 — Chicago, IL, City Winery 11/17 — Franklin, TN, The Franklin Theatre 11/18 — Franklin, TN, The Franklin Theatre 11/19 — St. Louis, MO, Old Rock House 11/22 — Bloomington, IN, Buskirk-Chumley Theater 11/21 — Ferndale, MI, The Magic Bag 11/23 — Chicago, IL, City Winery 11/24 — Milwaukee, WI, Turner Hall Ballroom

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Georgia’s Bookcase Donna Bench Chest

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Leo’s Coffee Table Charlotte’s Side Table Emily’s Hope Chest Ami’s Kitchen Cart

After several years of building our own pieces of furniture we decided to expand the idea into something greater. All of our pieces are 100% handcrafted in our home workshop. We source only the highest quality materials and use traditional woodworking techniques.

We design each piece from scratch! Once we have a new piece that we are ready to sell we will post the details on the SHOP page Visit: www.dolenz&daughters.com 37

Monkee Shines Actual letters written to the Monkees taken from the book, Love Letters to the Monkees.

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Jessica and Annabel show off the PFG quilt given to them by Andrea Gilbey

PFG Christmas At Grenville Hall We do lots of fun things in the PFG group on facebook. If you haven’t joined us yet. I hope you will.

Next fall we will be exclusively on facebook. We have over 700 members online now.

One of the things we did recently was to make a quilt for the Jones girls for Christmas.. Everyone who wanted to participate signed a

square of material and sent it to our seamstress extraordinaire, Andrea Gilbey, who put the whole thing together and presented it to Jessica and Annabel at the Grenville Hall Christmas Fest. Annabel said we spoil them...I hope so!

More on the Christmas Fest in the next issue of Monkee Shines.

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