Micky Dolenz will be part of the Teen Idols Show at the Chinook Winds Casino Resort on Dec. 4-5.
By Jack Carrerow
Gig Staff Writer
Former child actor George Michael Dolenz (Micky), along with songwriter Michael Nesmith, folksinger Peter Tork and British musical star Davy Jones were only supposed to act in a television series based loosely and not so loosely on the Beatles.
Broadcast on NBC Television every Monday night, The Monkees followed the trials and tribulations of a garage band trying to make the big time.
It was created by Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson, who would later go on to produce and direct films like Five Easy Pieces, The King of Marvin Gardens and The Monkees’ movie Head.
Although not a musical group in the traditional sense, In 1967 the Monkees sold more records than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones – COMBINED.
The Monkees had FOUR (4) No. 1 albums in ONE year with their first two albums dominating the No. 1 position on the album chart for 31 weeks. Not too shabby for the so-called “Pre-Fab Four”. In 1967, selling five million copies of one album was unheard of.
The Gold Record an award for those rare recordings selling one million copies. Very successful bands including Paul Revere the Raiders, The Kinks, and the Animals never had a gold single in the 60’s. Albums were also given Gold Records, if they sold more than one million copies. When the Monkees sold five million albums in a single year, it was a music industry milestone.
According to “Billboard” Album Charts:
• “I’m a Believer” was the fifth biggest song of the 60s.
• As of 1995 “More of the Monkees” was the 11th most-weeks-at-number-one No. 1 album.
• “More of the Monkees” made the second biggest jump to No. 1 in history going from No. 122 to No. 1 in one week
• “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.” was the 10th biggest jumper, going from No. 29 to No. 1 in one week.
• The Monkees are No. 27 on the Top Artists of the Rock Era. They were ranked higher than The Eagles, Madonna, Pink Floyd, Neil Diamond, and Bruce Springsteen.
• They are the No. 8 biggest selling band/artist of the 60s.
• They are No. 11 on the list of the most weeks at #1 on the album chart
• They’re No. 15 on the list of the most No. 1 albums. FOUR.
Gig was fortunate enough to catch up with Dolenz, who will be coming to the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, Dec. 4 & 5, as part of the Teen Idols Show, that also features Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits and Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Gig: Even though you had experience in series television, were you required to audition for the role in the Monkees?
Dolenz: There was an actual casting call for The Monkees … in fact, Stephen Stills tried out for my part. I sure he still regrets not getting it … and, I regret not being Stephen Stills!
Gig: While doing the show (Monkees) did you feel you might be involved in something unique, or was it just a job?
Dolenz: The filming of the show was so all-inclusive, we recorded the music for the show at night, so, we had no idea what the impact was. It was one of those situations, until we got out, toured and saw first-hand what the reaction was.
Gig: After the run of the show, did you guys consider staying together as a musical entity and just record and tour?
Dolenz: I went to England and began a career as a director and writer with the BBC. I can’t say what the others felt, but I had other muscles that needed stretching.
Gig: Did you guys feel challenged to have to prove yourselves as musicians because of what the critics at the time dubbed the “Pre-Fab Four?”
Dolenz: Not really because we knew first-hand what we were capable of.
Gig: What part of the business gives you the most creative satisfaction, music, acting or directing?
Dolenz: Whatever end of the business I’m involved with at the time, I’m there 100 percent. I want to be working with the best material, the best artists, the best there is, so I can really run with it. If it’s not good, I’m not interested. In the early 1980s, in England I directed a version of Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone, which included a then-unknown 14-year-old Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Gig: Is the staying power the group still experiences a surprise to you?
Dolenz: Considering all the talent involved … no. Look at the Beatles, bigger than ever now. The best writers; Paul Williams, Nilsson, Neil Diamond, and Carole King. It was a privilege for me to have sung the best songs ever written during the ’60s.
Gig: The comedy on the show was sometimes very inside and seemed influenced by the Hope and Crosby Road pictures (breaking proscenium and talking to the camera). Did you guys have a lot of input as far as the scripts were concerned?
Dolenz: There was a lot of improvisation. The scripts were excellent, but there was room to play around … and, we did.
Gig: OK-I give up-Did you have a particular episode that you’d consider your favorite?
Dolenz: The episode “The Mijacogeo” — which I wrote and directed.
Gig: Are you seeing just the baby-boomer crowds at your performances?
Dolenz: No, because the music is timeless. And, we perform the songs as they were originally performed. I know the crowds are coming to hear them in their original form … I don’t know whether a reggae “Pleasant Valley Sunday” would work. At my shows, there are all ages … it’s a terrific crowd.
Gig: Any plans for the future you’d like our readers to know about?
Dolenz: This year I appeared on GONE COUNTRY on CMT … they had several pop artists living in Nashville, working with country artists, and the game plan was to come up with their own country track. My song was “Country In Me.” It was a thrill to be there; we met George Jones and working with John Rich (the host) was terrific. I also just finished an album, called ‘King For A Day,’ which is a tribute to the songs of Carole King; something I’ve wanted to do for years; it’ll be out next year. And, in February I’ll join the cast of ‘Hairspray’ in the U.K., where I play the part of ‘Wilbur.’ I’ve done a lot of theater and love it. This is a great play and is a great opportunity.
Gig: How about any plans you might want to keep secret? Just kidding…no, really.
Dolenz: Well, there are always secret plans afoot!
One Comment
Jack,
Very informative and interesting. I didn’t know that they were as big as they were! Wow! He still looks the same. I can see why it was a fun interview to do… Keep up the great work!