More than a Monkee: Mike Nesmith

   Okay. So this is a blog about dolls. But every now and then something else comes up that I can't not comment on. In 2019 it was the death of Peter Tork. Today it's the death of his bandmate in The Monkees, Mike Nesmith.

  I was a kid in the 60's, and my sister and I were fans of The Monkees.  I've talked to a lot of Monkees fans over the years, and no matter who their favourite was when they were kids, as adults, an inordinate amount of them like Mike best. I'm not sure why that is. Is it because his character on the show was the most adult and mature of the four? Hard to say. It's a strange but true fact though.

  Robert Michael Nesmith was born in Houston Texas on the 30th of December, 1942. As a young man Mike served in the Airforce. Before The Monkees, Mike started out as a folk singer/songwriter, and landed a publishing deal for his songs. Some of those songs  were recorded by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and, later,  Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys, whose version of Nesmith's  "Different Drum" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard charts. 

  Mike also had a small recording career before the Monkees, mostly under the name Michael Blessing. But one fateful day in 1965 he rode his motorcycle to an audition for The Monkees. He happened to be wearing a wool hat, (What would these days be called a 'beanie', but was then a 'toboggan'.), to keep his hair out of his face while riding the motorcycle. Afterward he probably wished he had taken it off before his audition, because he got stuck having to wear it in character on The Monkees TV show. In fact, early on the character was only referred to as 'Wool Hat'. I love the fact that in the beginning the hat was plain, but after the show had been on for a while, and The Monkees had become known for their double breasted 'flap' shirts, somehow Mike's hat acquired buttons too, and became a double breasted hat.

  Mike, being a songwriter and actual musician, balked at the limitations in The Monkees. Session musicians were brought in to perform on their albums, and Mike had a hard time getting his songs recorded. (Although one of my favourite Monkees songs has always been the Nesmith penned "Sweet Young Thing".)  His frustration grew, and he pushed for The Monkees to be able to play their own instruments and for more of his songs to be used. He had arguments with the Monkees' producer Don Kirschner, and threatened to quit if things weren't changed. The attorney for Screen Gems, the company that held The Monkees contracts, suggested Mike should read his contract, at which point Nesmith famously put his fist through a wall, telling the attorney, "That could have been your face!" 

  Mike tired of The Monkees, and his disinterest shows in the second, and final, season. He seems bored, often delivering his lines sarcastically or ironically. After the show ended the Monkees began to drift off one by one. Peter left first, (Peter was also a real musician.), and then Mike. Mike went on to form his own band, The First National Band. They had a hit with "Joanne" in 1970, which reached number 21.

  In the mid 70's Nesmith founded Pacific Arts, a company that released records and cassettes, and later videos. (Some of the most often played videos in our house when the kids were small were the four tapes that made up the "Dinosaurs!" documentary series from PBS. We were surprised one day to discover that they were produced by Mike's company.) This company did quite well until a dispute with PBS over unpaid royalties put an end to it. (Nesmith won the case and was awarded a large sum of money.) 

  In 1981 Mike released videos for his singles, "Rio", and "Crusin'", and a full length video of music videos and comedy sketches, "Elephant Parts". "Elephant Parts" won the very first Grammy awarded for music video. I don't quite agree, since short films were made to promote songs way back in the 60's, and probably earlier, but Mike's clips are considered the first 'music videos'. Around the same time, Mike developed a show for Nickelodeon called "PopClips", a music program with video clips and hosts. The idea was either sold to, or stolen by, Warner Brothers, depending on what you read, and turned into MTV.  After "Elephant Parts" Nesmith had a short lived TV series called "Mike Nesmith In Television Parts".

  Mike also became a movie producer, (His films included "Time Rider", "Repo Man", and "Tapeheads"), and author, (He wrote several books, including "The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora".), and even served on various boards of the American Film Institute. Over the years he continued to make albums, and perform. He released his autobiography, titled "Infinite Tuesday: An Autobiographical Riff",  in 2017. 

  In 2016 The Monkees released the album "Good Times", which reached #14 on the Billboard charts. Not bad for a band that hadn't released an album of original material since 1996. The album was praised by critics and included songs written for the Monkees by famous fans like Andy Partridge of  XTC, Paul Weller of The Jam and The Style Council, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, and Rivers Cuomo of Wheezer, as well as a couple of old recordings, which allowed for the appearances of Davy Jones, who had passed away in 2012. and old friend and Monkees songwriter, Harry Nilsson, (Known for "Everybody's Talkin' at Me", "Without You", and the theme from "The Courtship of Eddie's Father".), who passed away in 1994.

Daughter Emma with Mike at one of his solo shows.

  In 2018 Mike's tour with fellow Monkee Mickey Dolenz was interrupted when Mike had to undergo a quadruple bypass. That same year the Monkees album "Christmas Party" was released. It featured new songs written for the band by some of the songwriters from "Good Times", and also mixed in some old recordings, so as to include Davy Jones. The album was less well received than "Good Times", and only reached #66 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, but got to #3 on Billboard's Holiday album chart. My daughter Emma, who has long loved The Monkees has the cover hanging on her wall as part of her Christmas decor.

  Just short of a month ago Mike and Mickey completed what was called The Monkees 'farewell tour'. , Emma attended one of the shows with her boyfriend, who had never seen The Monkees with her. I was really glad they got to go.

   Today Mike passed away of natural causes, at his home. He was almost 79. 

  The Rock and Roll Hall of fame has long spurned The Monkees. They have been shut out. If Abba, strictly a pop group, can be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, why can't The Monkees?! I leave you with the amazing harmonies of The Monkees on the Christmas song "Riu Chiu".