Not A Believer? Watch The Monkees Marathon Saturday
By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 1, 2012 11:00PM
Since the announcement of Davy Jones' passing yesterday, it's clear the influence of The Monkees is interpreted two different ways: As a talented band who even the Beatles respected, or as a fabricated band of actors assembled for a television show.
We're part of the former. Both The Monkees the band and The Monkees the TV show were both an important part of our musical growth and some of their songs are still rockin' our turntables today.
The band was created by producer Don Kirshner with two actors — Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz — and two musicians who weren't allowed to play their instruments — Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork. They were supposed to be a knock-off Beatles band with a Hard Day's Night-esque plot. The band also didn't write their own songs at all at first. They were mostly written by the duo of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Carole King wrote "Pleasant Valley Sunday." Neil Diamond wrote "I'm a Believer" and (my personal favorite) "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)."
Whether you caught the reruns on Nick at Nite in the 90s or you saw The Monkees when it aired in the 60s, you know it became a bit more than that. As the show became popular, the band was sort of a spin-off from the series. Jones' and Dolenz's voices were theirs from the start, but Nesmith and Tork fought to play their music. Then on the show they fought to turn it into more of a variety show. Frank Zappa and Tim Buckley both appeared on the show.
We'll spare you the part about how Nesmith invented MTV.
Sure, they were a fabricated band like NKOTB or BSB or NSync or Menudo. And Jones' good looks and tight bellbottoms may have created the modern heartthrob and helped pave the way for the likes of Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake. But we'd argue that women felt the same about Rudy Valentino long before. Hell, Marcia Brady had a crush on Desi Arnaz, Jr., before she had a crush on Davy Jones.
The Monkees had the respect of their peers. Axl Rose stole Jones' dance moves (watch video below). If you're not a believer in the Monkees, tune in to Antenna TV Saturday afternoon to watch their Monkees marathon.
It starts Saturday, March 3rd, at noon with the psychedelic movie Head, which was written by young screenwriter Jack Nicholson. Then starting at 4 p.m., they'll air the complete 58-episode series The Monkees. It's all topped off with a 9 p.m. encore showing of Head
Antenna TV can be seen in the Chicago area over-the-air on WGN-TV 9.2, as well as on the cable channels Comcast 353, RCN 29, WOW 197, Mediacom 108, and Charter 967.