<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You probably recognize the last name in the title and are thinking, \u201cHey bud, you got the wrong first name.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you mean \u2018Micky Dolenz\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 You are half right – I am talking about the former lead singer and drummer of The Monkees, but we will get to the \u2018Michael\u2019 part in a bit.\u00a0 We last discussed Micky Dolenz a while back under the title \u2018Micky Braddock\u2019 (FTV: 1-4-23).\u00a0 We explained how he became \u2018Micky Braddock\u2019 when he was signed to do a TV series called <\/span>Circus Boy<\/span><\/i> at the age of ten.\u00a0 When the series was canceled after three seasons, his parents made the wise choice of not sending him off to more acting auditions for fear that the pitfalls of being a ECA (ex-child actor) would be detrimental to his mental health.\u00a0 Micky went back to being a relatively normal public school student enjoying a relatively normal life in southern California.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, when he re-entered the biz, he enjoyed his second career as a TV\/Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll star\/celebrity as a member of the Pre-Fab Four, at least until the show was canceled.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Before they were taken off the air, The Monkees had banded together (pun intended) to show the powers that be (PTB) at Columbia\/Screen Gems they had evolved into a real band.\u00a0 As a TV product, they were adding their vocals on top of music beds laid down by studio musicians.\u00a0 With this formula, The Monkees were selling millions of records using their hit TV show to act as the greatest PR tool ever.\u00a0 When they began making noise about wanting to be \u2018more involved\u2019 in the music end, the suits kept putting them off.\u00a0 \u201cIf it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t try and fix it,\u201d they were told.\u00a0 Even the show\u2019s creators, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, kept them at arms length – they had convinced the four Monkees they did not need agents or formal representation.\u00a0 Bob & Bert told them, \u201cHey, no problem!\u00a0 We will take care of you guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If \u2018taking care of you guys\u2019 meant keeping them on a weekly stipend and cutting them\u00a0 royalty checks for their record sales, then they were true to their word.\u00a0 What they weren\u2019t so square on was the millions of dollars that rolled into the company from merchandising, tours, and promotional events.\u00a0 Without a strong, united front, The Monkees had little leverage to try and secure a better deal.\u00a0 The one and only time they tried the, \u201cHey, we want a better deal or we quit ” gambit, it was \u2018Mr. Anti-big-fat-business-cats\u2019 member Peter Tork who sided with the suits.\u00a0 Monkeeland was indeed a strange world as the end neared.\u00a0 Their TV show crumbled and their movie feature <\/span>Head <\/span><\/i>(written and produced with an unknown B-movie actor named Jack Nicholson) was a less than spectacular success.\u00a0 The band machinery didn\u2019t stop working, it just fell apart one piece at a time.\u00a0 Dolenz noted that after the one true group effort the band recorded (<\/span>Headquarters <\/span><\/i>– 1967) hit No. 1 on the charts, it only stayed there a week compared to their two previous albums (13 weeks and 18 weeks, respectively).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Headquarters <\/span><\/i>also marked the last time all four of them would collaborate together on an album.\u00a0 When the band did not return to the studio to work up a second album together, Peter Tork became disillusioned and jumped ship.\u00a0 The three remaining Monkees (Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Davy Jones) soldiered on but without a TV PR machine boosting their sales, they were never quite as commercially successful as before.\u00a0 When they quietly disbanded, they all thought, \u201cGreat, now I can pursue my own projects,\u201d never realizing that solo fame is a different, fickle animal.\u00a0 Micky\u2019s parents had protected him from the dreaded \u2018I have been canceled, don\u2019t they love me any more?\u2019 curse when <\/span>Circus Boy<\/span><\/i> ended.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Micky was in his twenties when The Monkees folded, so he experienced the ups and downs (a lot of downs) that go along with being the \u2018former star of\u2019 (the adult version of being an ex-child star).<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Dolenz had money in the bank.\u00a0 He had high profile friends like Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, and John Lennon.\u00a0 Micky was near the top of the L.A. party A-list, but was still feeling unfulfilled.\u00a0 When John Lennon went through his \u2018lost weekend\u2019 phase during his separation from Yoko Ono, Dolenz was part of that scene even though he quips now, \u201cI am told I had a good time.\u201d\u00a0 He married his English girlfriend Samantha and together they had a daughter, Ami, who is now a successful actor.\u00a0 In the end, however, Micky found out family life and the endless L.A. party scene were not compatible.\u00a0 Samantha filed for divorce and he tried to blot out his sadness with more partying, drugs, and alcohol.\u00a0 As he said in his book <\/span>I\u2019m A Believer – My Life of Monkees, Music, and Madness <\/span><\/i>(Micky Dolenz & Mark Bego – 1993 Hyperion Books), \u201cThere\u2019s a period of about a year in here (1975?) that is simply missing from my life.\u00a0 I was taking antidepressants, drinking a little too much, smoking a little too much, and completely wallowing in my self-made misery.\u201d All in all, he was lucky because a person with less self control might have been the next Hollywood tragedy.\u00a0 Instead, Dolenz found the treadmill lifestyle he was living a bore and began looking for a constructive way to work out his grief.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The lifeline he was tossed by songwriters\/producers and musical artists Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart was the beginning of Micky\u2019s rehabilitation program.\u00a0 Boyce and Hart suggested that the four of them (including Davy Jones) go on tour as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce, and Hart – \u201cThe guys that sang \u2018em and the guys that wrote \u2018em\u201d.\u00a0 With <\/span>The Monkees <\/span><\/i>TV show now in reruns, the timing for them to cash in the mini-nostalgia wave was perfect.\u00a0 Micky says, \u201cWe hit it hard – fair dates, club dates, lounge dates, amusement parks, the works.\u00a0 The five-star hotels and the airborne Monkees Express (the name of their old touring plane) were traded in for Ramada Inns and a Buick Station wagon.\u00a0 It was shades of Micky and the One-Nighters (Dolenz pre-Monkees band).\u201d\u00a0 Again, Dolenz recalled, \u201cThings were looking up.\u00a0 I stopped the drinking, the smoking, the Valium, etc, and was beginning to get my life back in order.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When the D,J,B&H gig ended, Davy and Micky went out on their own until they had performed the act enough times, \u2018too many times\u2019 (\u201cthe old songs over again\u2026.and over and over and . . .\u201d).\u00a0 The first time the four Monkees were in the same room together, it was to consider an offer to do a commercial for the Golden Arches.\u00a0 First, they tried to impress each other with how busy they were in their post-Monkees careers.\u00a0 Then Peter put the old kibosh on the commercial:\u00a0 \u201cIf you think that I\u2019m going to do a commercial for those meat-eating, fat cat, rain-forest-killing, bourgeoisie, fascist pigs . . .\u201d.\u00a0 One wonders; where was this version of Peter\u00a0 hiding when they were trying to renegotiate their deal with B & B back in their glory days?<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Old pal Harry Nilsson was turning his very successful TV cartoon\/album <\/span>The Point<\/span><\/i> into a stage musical in London.\u00a0 He convinced Davy and Micky to co-star.\u00a0 Though he was not the stage veteran that Jones was, Dolezn thought it would be a great way to get back to London.\u00a0 After being typecast from his role in The Monkees (\u201cI am an actor, not a drummer!\u00a0 I played a drummer on TV!\u201d) Micky thought doing a theater gig with Davy would be another way to broaden his horizons.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Jones had changed.\u00a0 His sunny demeanor had gone south and he had baggage galore (problems with managers, accountants, agents, business partners, etc.).\u00a0 Micky found it was becoming increasingly hard to work with him.\u00a0 \u201cHe had changed from the fun-loving, cheeky little rascal I had known into an unhappy, bitter, misanthrope.\u00a0 One night after a performance, Davy and I had a massive fight, a real knock-down, drag-out battle.\u00a0 We finished the play but I canceled all of my upcoming engagements as Dolenz and Jones, and I washed my hands of the entire relationship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When the twelve week run of <\/span>The Point<\/span><\/i> ended, Micky found himself \u2018footloose and fancy free\u2019 in London.\u00a0 He figured he may as well spend a little time\u2026and ended up staying fifteen years!\u00a0 So what does a former TV star\/musician do in England for fifteen years?\u00a0 First off, he hired a literary agent named Linda Seifert and armed her with his \u2018director\u2019s reel\u2019 (consisting of one episode of <\/span>The Monkees<\/span><\/i> and a couple of commercials he had directed) to see if he could find some work behind the camera.\u00a0 Needless to say, he was in the right place at the right time and started to find work directing a variety of shows for the BBC and various commercial interests.\u00a0 One of the first was a TV sitcom about a boy and the mechanical robot he built in his basement that suddenly comes alive.\u00a0 Ironically, during his time directing <\/span>Metal Micky<\/span><\/i>, he decided to formally change his first name to \u2018Michael\u2019 as it sounded more professional in his new trade:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe truth was that I did feel like a new person.\u00a0 I found that the British don\u2019t have nearly the same problem with typecasting as they do here in the States.\u00a0 I was soon working full-time, and best of all, there was no mention made of the Monkees . . . ever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One might accuse Dolenz of being a name dropper, but in viewing his credentials during this period of time, it isn\u2019t bragging – \u2018just the facts, ma\u2019am\u2019 as Sgt. Friday used to say.\u00a0 As a director, he worked with Monty Pythons\u2019 Flying Circus members Michale Palin and Terry Jones.\u00a0 Micky takes credit for discovering, \u201ca very funny, talented young actor named Robbie Coltrane,\u201d who would later resurface in a couple of James Bond films.\u00a0 The recently deceased Coltrane was probably best known for his portrayal of Hagrid in all of the <\/span>Harry Potter <\/span><\/i>movies.\u00a0 Dolenz also remarried and added three more daughters to his family.\u00a0 At the time he was writing <\/span>I\u2019m a Believer<\/span><\/i>, they were 11, 9, and 8.\u00a0 All was idyllic in the Dolenz household until 1986 when Peter Tork called and asked if Micky would be interested in a new Monkees tour celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the show.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Dolenz contacted the tour producer in New York, David Fishof, but declined the offer because 1) the money wasn\u2019t very good, 2) he was ready to start production on a new TV series in England, and 3) he had no real desire to get back on stage again.\u00a0 In fact, he turned Fishof down twice, but as they say, the third time’s the charm.\u00a0 The money was better and during the re-think, Micky reasoned it would be a great way to show his kids America while getting to revisit his musical past.\u00a0 Mike Nesmith declined the offer so it was just Davy, Peter, and Micky involved.\u00a0 Their first meeting in the Catskill mountains to rehearse started poorly – it seems Davy was still living in the past.\u00a0 Dolenz and Tork gave him the task of \u2018staging\u2019 the show (putting together the set list) which eased the tensions some but Davy, in a repeat of the London scene, became more and more of a fly in the ointment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The 1986 outing was the highest grossing tour of the year.\u00a0 Offers to record more music, films, commercials, and what not were rolling in.\u00a0 With MTV re-running the entire Monkees series to a new, younger audience, it seemed the sky was the limit and the world was poised for another dose of Monkeemania.\u00a0 When Davy had a meltdown backstage at the <\/span>MTV Music Video Awards Ceremony, <\/span><\/i>the golden goose was cooked.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Davy was upset that Arista Records was ready to release a second single from their newest album, <\/span>Then and Now\u2026.The Best of the Monkees.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Peter and Micky had recorded a couple of new songs for the <\/span>Best of<\/span><\/i> release and Davy had pointedly turned down the opportunity to participate.\u00a0 He was angry when the first single <\/span>That Was Then, This Is Now<\/span><\/i> became a hit.\u00a0 He went ballistic when he found out the label was now planning on releasing another new track, <\/span>Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>The backstage blow up was set aside long enough for the three to present their part of the awards program, and then they scattered to the wind.\u00a0 It is no wonder the tour ended on a sour note – they didn\u2019t speak again for a month after the MTV awards show.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0By 1993, Micky was back in Los Angeles, living closer to his first daughter Ami and charting a new course.\u00a0 His first two marriages lasted 7 and 15 years but he has been with his current wife since 2002.\u00a0 He spent the better part of his time after the last Dolenz and Jones tour both acting and working behind the camera.\u00a0 Dolenz says he is comfortable on camera but actually prefers the behind the scenes aspect of entertainment better.\u00a0 This does not mean Micky has gotten totally out of the music business.\u00a0 After the passing of Jones (2-29-2012) and Tork (2-21-2019), Dolenz and Nesmith joined together for what they called The Monkees Farewell Tour.\u00a0 In clips of their last tour date together at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles (November 14, 2021), Dolenz shouldered the majority of the workload.\u00a0 Nesmith participated but came and went from the stage several times.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t look feeble, but he moved like a man feeling his age.\u00a0 Less than a month later, Nez passed away at the age of 78 leaving Micky as the only surviving member of the Pre-Fab Four.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0March 9, 2021 saw the release of Micky\u2019s latest album, <\/span>Dolenz Sings Nesmith.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Dolenz said the album, his first in nine years, was meant to honor his friend and colleague and was recorded during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic.\u00a0 Always a fan of Nesmith\u2019s songwriting, Micky even unearthed a few numbers that had not been previously recorded.\u00a0 Early in 2022, Dolenz announced he was going to continue to honor his old friend by taking their touring band back on the road to celebrate the music of the Monkees for as long as the public wants to hear it.\u00a0 As of this date, <\/span>The Monkees Celebrated by Micky Dolenz<\/span><\/i> tour has a full set of bookings into June of 2023 including an April 21 date at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0George Michael Dolenz has a resume that many would give their right arm for.\u00a0 He started out as a child star who got to ride a small elephant in parades across the land.\u00a0 He was able to survive being an ECA (ex-child actor) because his parents were willing to let him go back to being a normal kid.\u00a0 He got to spend time touring with Micky and the One-nighters before The Monkees upped the ante.\u00a0 When the Monkees ended, he was able to explore both sides of the acting world – in front of and behind the cameras.\u00a0 He survived wild times, raised four daughters, and pretty much has been able to pick and choose what projects he wanted to pursue.\u00a0 Dolenz got to live in both England and America and learn to appreciate the subtle differences between the cultures in both countries.\u00a0 Micky has now come full circle and as the last Monkee standing, he is enjoying every minute he can performing the music that made them stars.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To the fans, Micky Dolenz is eternally grateful.\u00a0 To the haters who tried to diminish the music the Monkees made out of jealousy or spite, he has a short two word declaration that we can\u2019t print here.\u00a0 Love them or hate them, one can not deny Micky Dolenz his right to celebrate his career anyway he wants to. \u00a0 He may be, after all, the last Monkee standing, but he isn\u2019t just Monkeeing around.<\/span><\/p>\n Top Piece Video:\u00a0 Micky and Michael Nesmith performing\u00a0The Last Train to Clarksville<\/em> on one of the earlier dates of their final tour together.\u00a0 Nez still looked pretty fit at this stage of their last tour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You probably recognize the last name in the title and are thinking, \u201cHey bud, you got the wrong first name.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you mean \u2018Micky Dolenz\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 You are half right – I am talking about the former lead singer and drummer of The Monkees, but we will get to the \u2018Michael\u2019 part in a bit.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11,8,12,6,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bands-musicians","category-education","category-from-the-vaults","category-humor","category-new-music","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2784"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2787,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784\/revisions\/2787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}