Beatles

Post by **anthontherun** » Mon Jul 15, 2002 8:48 am

I read that you are a big fan of the Beatles. Is this true? I am too (but Weird Al is great too!).

Post by **bermuda** » Mon Jul 15, 2002 5:03 pm

Yep, that's true, and growing up in the '60s I was also a big fan of most other pop music from the era: Beach Boys, Monkees, Turtles, Mama & Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Revere & The Raiders... it would be a LONG list!

Patty · Post by **Patty** » Mon Jul 15, 2002 11:55 pm

Monkees, eh? I saw y'all when you opened for The Monkees back in ... 1987? You were fantastic as always. Actually, it was the first concert I ever went to on my own (parents dragging me to John Denver and Barry Manilow don't count).

As a Monkees fetishist, I've read accounts in various Monkees bios where they describe how miserable they all were during that second "30th Anniversary" tour.

So what was it like chilling with Davy, Mickey, and Peter? Were they at each other's throats as they say now, or were they fun to be around?

Post by **bermuda** » Tue Jul 16, 2002 2:52 am

The guys were nice enough, we didn't see a whole lot of them unless we passed each other when we finished and they were about to go on. I recall Peter being the most accessible, Micky sort of easy-going, and Davy the most elusive and reclusive. I exchanged hellos with him only once or twice on the entire tour.

Their "big" comeback was in 1986, for the 20th anniversary of their TV show, and they definitely had a great tour. the next year - with us - was somewhat disappointing for them attendance-wise, and I'm sure none of the subsequent tours ever did as well as that first comeback. My understanding is that Peter was fired from the tour not long ago, so there might be trouble in paradise.

cooledman · Post by **cooledman** » Tue Jul 16, 2002 4:18 am

what about that fourth Monkee? Weren't there 4? why do we never hear about him? Whats his name? WHERE IS HE?

Post by **anthontherun** » Tue Jul 16, 2002 4:32 am

That's Michael Nesmith. His mom invented white-out or post-its so he doesn't need the Monkee money, so he doesn't do much with them. Or in the 60s either.

CatraDhtem · Post by **CatraDhtem** » Tue Jul 16, 2002 7:39 am

what about that fourth Monkee? Weren't there 4? why do we never hear about him? Whats his name? WHERE IS HE?

Well, I don't know why you never hear of him, but Mike Nesmith has had perhaps the most successful post-Monkees solo career. In addition to the inevitable albums he released, Mike also won the first Grammy awarded to a music video for his awesome compilation "Elephant Parts."

Throughout the 80's, he produced a number of indie films such as "Repo Man," "Square Dance," and "Tapeheads" (which I think has some vague connection to a more relevant topic on here).

Oh, and for the younger readers on here, before Disney's Miramax and Kevin Smith reamed the concept, an "indie" film was one produced and released outside of a major studio. But I digress.

Mike had a rather nasty legal battle with PBS of all things in the mid 90's. Apparently, PBS took advantage of a home video deal it signed with Mike's label Pacific Arts. PBS supposedly forced the label to produce and distribute more videos than it could handle financially. Originally, Mike lost the lawsuit due to something like breach of contract. I can't remember the figure, but he was going to lose the better part of his assets, including whatever was left over from the 47.5 million his mom Bette made from selling Liquid Paper to Gillette shortly before her death. Sometime around 1997, however, Mike won an appeal and PBS had to pay him.

Between the end of the original trial and the start of the appeal, Mike surprised a lot of Monkees fans by announcing that he will rejoin the group as a part of their 30th anniversary in 1996. A new studio album spearheaded by Mike, "Justus," followed and essentially bombed, a rather cool documentary with new interviews aired on the Disney Channel, and an hour-long "new episode" of the show aired on ABC in 1997 to indifferent ratings. The little celebration was going to end with a world tour, but after a string of UK concerts Mike didn't have it in him anymore and dropped out.

Mike ended up writing a novel, "The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora," and was supposedly producing another movie called "Fried Pies." And according to his web site, videoranch.com, he's currently working on new music.

But perhaps Mike's biggest contribution to pop culture was that in the very early 80's he was developing a program for Nickelodeon that would feature music videos. Apparently, somebody at the company thought that the idea would better fit a whole network than just one show. I can't remember which network it was, but I think a few years later, Dire Straits sang about it in their song "Money For Nothing."

Now, did I leave anything out?

Johnnytimewarp · Post by **Johnnytimewarp** » Tue Jul 16, 2002 9:43 pm

...and a partridge in a pear tree.

Justmac · Post by **Justmac** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 1:44 am

Wow!! Everything I know about Mike Nesmith I learned at the World of 'Weird Al' Yankovic forum.

But perhaps Mike's biggest contribution to pop culture was that in the very early 80's he was developing a program for Nickelodeon that would feature music videos. Apparently, somebody at the company thought that the idea would better fit a whole network than just one show. I can't remember which network it was, but I think a few years later, Dire Straits sang about it in their song "Money For Nothing."

That is very interesting. Kind of brings it all back to AL. I also didn't know that Mike produced Tapeheads.

Debby

CatraDhtem · Post by **CatraDhtem** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 4:23 am

I also didn't know that Mike produced Tapeheads.

And for an extra bit of mindless trivia, Mike's cameo in "Tapeheads" immediately precedes Al's. Mike is the gent playing the water delivery man.