Michael's Father
Daye
Okay, I am into heavy Monkees research mode at the moment for an idea
for a website. When and if it comes together, you guys will be the
first to know about it.
I know that Michael's father's name is Warren, and that Bette & he
divorced when Michael was quite young. But that is where my trial of
information ends. I don't want all the details, but I am curious as
to who he was. I know it is none of my business, but I can't help but
wonder.
Anyone know anything about him or where I can find information
(online, if possible)?
--
Daye
Mommy to:
DD - age 3
DS - under 1
woo...@atlanticbb.net
Again, from what I've read, etc...here's a quick syopsis (sp?):
1. Bette & Warren married early 1942
2. Mike born 12/42
3. Warren stationed in South Pacific (Sgt-Major. Warren A. Nesmith),
was not present at the birth, nor for ~3 years. I remember reading an
article (true, who knows??), but it said that Mike didn't see his
father for the first time until he was 3.
4. Bette & Warren divorce when Mike was 6.
5. Bette & Mike moved to Farmers Branch.
In an article I found recently in my Monkees/Nez stash, Bette was
quoted as saying (& I'm paraphrasing here), "Michael went to see his
father when he was 15" (I think that article had his dad in Oklahoma,
but I've read before, that Mike visited his dad during the Monkees
thing, in New Orleans, LA.
In another book, it was stated that Mike & his dad became closer during
the 70's....
Again, hope that helps. Now, of course, who knows if any of this is
true....Nez likes his privacy & has never stated much (if anything)
regarding his father. I've heard him numerous times, talk about his
mom.
Take care,
Nina
Daye
<woo...@atlanticbb.net> wrote:
>Me again :o)
From your posting name, I will bet that you are a Nezhead. Always
good to have those around... We seem to have an abundance of Davy and
Peter fans. For the record, I am a Peter fan, but Michael has always
been a very close second.
>Again, from what I've read, etc...here's a quick syopsis (sp?):
>
>1. Bette & Warren married early 1942
>2. Mike born 12/42
>3. Warren stationed in South Pacific (Sgt-Major. Warren A. Nesmith),
>was not present at the birth, nor for ~3 years. I remember reading an
>article (true, who knows??), but it said that Mike didn't see his
>father for the first time until he was 3.
>4. Bette & Warren divorce when Mike was 6.
>5. Bette & Mike moved to Farmers Branch.
Okay, I knew 1, 2, & 5. I lived in North Texas for a while so I am
very familiar where Farmers Branch is. (I lived about 2+ hours NW of
there). I actually met someone who went to HS with Michael at a
Monkees concert in 1987. He had the yearbook to prove it too.
I knew that Michael was young and that Warren served in WWII. I
didn't know the other details, so thank you for filling me in.
>In an article I found recently in my Monkees/Nez stash, Bette was
>quoted as saying (& I'm paraphrasing here), "Michael went to see his
>father when he was 15" (I think that article had his dad in Oklahoma,
>but I've read before, that Mike visited his dad during the Monkees
>thing, in New Orleans, LA.
>
>In another book, it was stated that Mike & his dad became closer during
>the 70's....
I just did a search on Warren A. Nesmith, and I came across a very
weird article (posted in a Super Mario Brothers Board, no less) that
was comparing ee cummings to Mr R.M. Nesmith. It said that Michael's
father died when he was very young. To check it out for yourself, go
to:
http://www.vgf.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=30;t=000062;p=3
The post seemed to be well researched and included sources. However,
from my own readings over the years and my own recollections and
impressions of Michael and his father, I don't recall EVER reading
that Warren died when Michael was young. I think I even recall
reading something about a meeting (maybe a reconciliation) after
Michael became a Monkee, which you also mentioned.
>Again, hope that helps. Now, of course, who knows if any of this is
>true....Nez likes his privacy & has never stated much (if anything)
>regarding his father. I've heard him numerous times, talk about his
>mom.
I have read and heard him speak numerous times about his mother. It
seemed that he not only loved her, but he respected her as well. That
is a special gift for a mother from a child.
I know that Michael likes his privacy, and I fully respect that. Most
of the stuff that I read about Michael just states that Warren was his
father and that Bette & Warren divorced early in Michael's life.
Warren is a footnote in his life as far as the fans are concerned. If
that is how Michael wants it to be, then it is his business, not mine.
I respect that.
Thank you for helping me! If you find out anything else, please
share.
woo...@atlanticbb.net
you're right, I'm a big Nezhead :o) Any Nez is good Nez for me!!!
That article is an interesting read...but I do think that Nez' dad died
not too long after his mother...I think about 2-3 afterwards.
I will pass on any Nez info I have.
Daye
<woo...@atlanticbb.net> wrote:
>you're right, I'm a big Nezhead :o) Any Nez is good Nez for me!!!
If I find any more interesting articles, I will pass them along.
>That article is an interesting read...but I do think that Nez' dad died
>not too long after his mother...I think about 2-3 afterwards.
>I will pass on any Nez info I have.
Yeah, even though it had resources, it seemed a little bit wrong that
his dad would have died when Michael was young.
I did find this on my travels tonight. Not sure if you have seen it
or not, but I found it interesting. If I find more, I will share:
From:
http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/ryn/projects/inventors/graham/graham.html
"Below is a first person narrative written as if it was spoken by
Bette Graham:
Hello. I'm Bette Graham. I invented liquid paper.
I am famous for inventing a liquid which is used to cover up
typewriting mistakes. It's called," Liquid Paper." I made it with
white, water-based, tempra paint and my watercolor paintbrush.
I was born on March 23,1924 to Jesse and Christine McMurry in Dallas,
Texas. While I was growing up I didn't like school. I dropped out of
high school when I was 17 years old. I tried out for a secretary job
even though I couldn't even type. They hired me because I was young
and energetic. They sent me to secretarial school. While I was working
I earned my high school diploma at night school.
When I was 19 I married Warren Nesmith. Shortly after we got married,
he was sent away to fight in World War II. I had a baby boy while he
was away. He was named Michael Nesmith. A year later, when Warren came
home we got a divorce.
By 1951 I was an executive secretary for W.W. Overton who was the
chairman of the board of the Texas Bank & Trust in Dallas. That was
about as high as a woman in the 1940s and 50s could get in the
business world. I and other secretaries were having trouble with the
new electric typewriters. They had a different ribbon than the old
ones so it made mistakes harder to erase. While I was painting the
bank window for the holidays, I noticed artists just painted over the
mistakes they made. Maybe I could paint over my typewriting mistakes.
I used a bottle of white, water-based tempra paint and my watercolor
paintbrush. It worked. I tried to keep it a secret. For five years I
did just that but, still others found out about it.
In 1956 I sold my first batch of , "Mistake Out." I made the batches
in my kitchen and I got Michael and his friends to bottle it in the
garage. Several years later I improved and changed the name of my
product to , "Liquid Paper." I wanted to hire a chemist to make the
liquid thicker and faster drying but, I couldn't afford it. I learned
how to patent it myself with help from some friends. I also educated
myself on business methods, promotion, and research until I was
satisfied. I then offered it to IBM but, they turned me down. I was
not easily disappointed. At the end of 1957 I was averaging sales at
about 100 bottles per month and my life was built around my business.
In October, The Office mentioned liquid paper. About 500 people wrote
to the magazine to order it. Hundreds more wrote to the company.
During this I was still working at the Texas Bank & Trust. I was then
fired because I accidentally put my company name on an important
business letter for my boss.
We were getting more and more orders for liquid paper.A dealer in San
Antonio bought large orders. By 1962, I had 2 part-time employees
working for $1 per hour. In that same year I met and married Bob
Graham. He also shared interest in my liquid paper business. In 1964 I
hired my first full-time employee, Judy Canup. More followed after
her.
In 1966 Michael moved to Los Angeles. He became a guitarist in The
Monkees. Their big hit was, "I'm a Believer." He earned more that year
than my whole business did so far.
In 1969 the liquid paper business was moved to a new building that had
plenty of space. 60 bottles could be made per minute by machines. That
year 1 million bottles were sold. 2 years later 5 million bottles were
sold.
In 1979 I sold the, "Liquid Paper" business to the Gillette
Corporation for 47.5 million dollars and royalties on every bottle
till the year 2000.
I worked during the 1940s and 1950s. My invention showed people what
women can do. Back then women weren't expected to do much more than be
a housewife.
My invention is most important to secretaries and people who use
typewriters a lot. It helped to make some lives a little easier.
In 1980, when I was 56, I passed away. I still had a small fortune. I
left half of it to Michael and the other half to charity foundations."
CatGOD29
>weird article (posted in a Super Mario Brothers Board, no less) that
>was comparing ee cummings to Mr R.M. Nesmith. It said that Michael's
>father died when he was very young.
If memory serves, I think Michael's father died in the late 70s. In 1972, his
father was photographed with the late psychic Jeane Dixon and another person in
Oklahoma City, which appeared in one of the local newspapers. He was identified
in the paper as W. A. Nesmith but there was no mention of Mike being his son.
But the family resemblance, make that the facial resemblance between Mike and
his father was rather startling; if his dad had hair (on top) and had a beard,
they could've passed for each other's twin!
Daye
> If memory serves, I think Michael's father died in the late 70s.
Without going into a whole lot of detail about how I found out the
information, I have reliable information that Warren died in 1984.
Bette died in 1980.
star collector
Total Control." You can probably find it on Amazon.com or order it through
any bookstore. It will tell you just about anything you want to know about
Nez.
"Daye" <da...@australia.edu> wrote in message
news:ufpat091pargfqoeo...@4ax.com...
Daye
<starco...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>A fan wrote and published a biography a few years ago, "Michael Nesmith:
>Total Control." You can probably find it on Amazon.com or order it through
>any bookstore. It will tell you just about anything you want to know about
>Nez.
Thank you! I am aware of the book, but I have read what the regulars
here have said about it. Since it isn't an autobiography (unlike
Micky & Davy's books), I would tend to take anything said in there
with a grain of salt.
Apparently, Michael didn't take part with the book. Regulars have
said that some just outright rumors were written as truths. So, I am
reluctant to head down that path.
It isn't that I don't appreciate you bringing the book to my attention
because I do. I forgot about that book until you mentioned it. I
have found some confirmation about some things about Warren... enough
to satisfy my curiosities about him. However, the book is there if
and when I want to read it.
Again, thank you!
woo...@atlanticbb.net
take it with a grain of salt.....I did find some pictures that I
haven't seen before, but that's about it.
take care,
Nina
David
I honestly can't tell you how accurate the information in it is because
Randi's writing style was so dull I could never finish it.
"star collector" <starco...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:pTDBd.5347$JC2....@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
star collector
Nesmith Story." Pretty good biography with photos that will tell you all
you need to know.
"Daye" <da...@australia.edu> wrote in message
news:ufpat091pargfqoeo...@4ax.com...
CatGOD29
>I honestly can't tell you how accurate the information in it is because
>Randi's writing style was so dull I could never finish it.
Much of the information in her book came from articles published on Michael
and/or the Monkees, sources which are notated in the back of the book. But,
previously published information is still no guarantee that the information is
factual.
Her writing style is that of a fan and not that of a professional writer; it
might have helped if an editor had been available to highlight passages needing
to be rewritten (the one-eighth page chapter titled "Rebirth") or deleted ( the
unnecessary definitions of words Mike uses when he's speaking) before the book
was published.
But, the book was a vanity project and she may have relied on the opinions of
family and friends to evaluate what she had written. The writing could've been
better but I've seen far worse writing in the two local daily newspapers and in
several magazines.
ObstetGynedude
>weird article (posted in a Super Mario Brothers Board, no less) that
>was comparing ee cummings to Mr R.M. Nesmith. It said that Michael's
>father died when he was very young. To check it out for yourself, go
>to:
>
>http://www.vgf.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=30;t
=000062;p=3
>
NO doubt! And one of cumming's pubs (he mentioned, I read in college) is a
GREAT read :
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?show=HARDCOVER:USED:1199468525:25.00
&partner_id=26741
But, *I* didn't see a lot of the connections between the two he spoke of...
OTHER, of course, than the fact the two were ingenius innovators of their
respective times... Thanks for the chance to READ it!