MOnkees FAQ FAQ
Andrea Chempinski
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The Official Monkees FAQ FAQ version 3.4 last updated 6/1/97
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-acsii art by Rob Block
This document will attempt to give a brief overview as to what's
out there in terms of FAQs, mailing lists, newsgroups and some other kinds
of cool introductory stuff. Distribution of this FAQ in any form is
prohibited without the express permission of Hooloovoo. Just ask and I
will most likely grant permission. :)
-Hooloovoo
hoo...@crl.com
NEW MATERIAL is prefaced by a @ symbol.
THis faq is now available on the web in a full html version at
http://www.crl.com/~hooloo/micky/faqs/faqfaqweb.html
Monkees Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
1. Who are the Monkees?
A group of four actor/musicians originally from the 1960s comedy
show The Monkees. But if you're here reading this you probably know that
already.
2. I've just become a Monkees fan, how can I keep them all straight?
-Well for those having trouble figuring out who is who here's a
quick and easy identification chart:
Micky Dolenz: The most insane one. Played the drums. Depending
on the season had either straightened hair or his natural mop o' curls.
Can also be seen wearing a tablecloth in many video clips.
Mike Nesmith: The tall quiet deadpan humor Texan. Played the
guitar. Was the one wearing the green wool hat. Out of the whole group
probably the most serious of any.
Peter Tork: The dumb one - though not in real life. Played a
variety of things from guitar, banjo, piano etc. Most frequently needed
things explained to him.
Davy Jones: The short British one who was always falling in love.
Played the tamborine and maracas. FRequently seen with stars in his eyes.
3. What are the guys up to these days? (in general)
As the Monkees: Well much to the delight of generations of fans,
the guys (minus Nez) spent the summer on the road touring for their 30th
Anniversary. Although Nez did not make the tour, he did join the guys in
the studio for their new album "Justus" which came out on October 15th.
They also completed a new documentary for the Disney channel and of
course there are the usual rumors of movies and television deals. Most
recently, on Feb 18th the guys made a return to television with an all
new special for ABC. After completing a month long tour of the UK, the
guys came back to the states to rest up before their summer tour. As of
this time it will only be Micky, Peter and Davy as Nez will be staying
home to work on a Monkees screenplay.
3a. What about their post Monkees careers? (in the 90s at least)
Micky Dolenz: Well for the 90s Micky came back from England
where he had been doing various kinds of directing. His return to the
States included things such as: touring with the off-broadway musical
Grease!, doing a short set of dates with Davy, various television
appearances, and his first ever solo art exhibit.
Mike Nesmith: Nez also moved on in the television industry as a
producer and director of several films and television works. He also kept
up his solo career and his most recent album was an instrumental CD and
booklet combination entitled "The Garden". He even took time to write an
ongoing story on the web (at http://www.primenet.com/~nez/)
Peter Tork: After several different careers and such Peter
finally returned to the music scene with his first solo album entitled
Stranger Things Have Happened. This album release was followed by a tour
of various clubs with friend and fellow acoustic guitar player James Lee
Stanley. Also in December he released "Two Man Band" a studio version of
a live show with James, Peter is currently finishing up his May-June tour
with James.
Davy Jones: Having held the role of Vince Fontaine in Grease!
prior to Micky, Davy then went on to tour with Micky for several months
before heading off for a small solo tour of Japan. Recently Davy also
achieved a lifetime goal of being a jockey by riding in several races in
England (including the one that resulted in a fractured leg during the
tour!).
3b How to find out the latest info!
Well Maggie and Brad finally answered some of our prayers - there
is now an autorepsonder set up to give us the latest of the latest.
Currently it houses all the known tour dates / tv appearances and Maggie
updates it regularly when she find out new info.
so how does it work? simple. Just send an empty mail message to
this address: monke...@flexquarters.com and it will send you back the
info. many thanks to both for setting these up.
For the most specific info on what the guys are doing (#3 only
gives a "in the past few years/months" overview) the best place to look
is their individual web pages as they tend to be more specific.
3c I heard something about a new album, is this really true?
Yes finally after oh so many years the four guys (yep nez too!)
got together and put in some serious studio time towards a new album.
The album came out on the 15th of October and in entitled "Justus"
because for the entire album it is only the four of them.
They wrote every tune, played every instrument as well as produced it themselves.
4.How old are the guys and how many kids do they have?
Micky: March 8, 1945
married Samantha, - daughter Ami
married Trina, - daughters, Charlotte, Emily, Georgia
Mike: December 30, 1942
married Phyllis, - children, Christian, Jonathan, Jessica
affair with Nurit Wilde - son Jason
married Kathryn, no children
Peter: February 13, 1942
married Jody, no children
married Reine, - daughter, Hallie
married Barbara, - son, Ivan
Davy: December 30, 1945
married Linda, - daughters, Talia, Sarah
married Anita, - daughters, Jessica, Annabelle
Oh my gosh i need a complete list of.... where can i get it?
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5. What was the title of that episode?
-A complete Monkees TV FAQ is available from Hoo. Just email me
at hoo...@crl.com. It is also posted once a month to both the newsgroup
and mailing list. All of Hoo's faqs can be found on the web at
http://www.crl.com/~hooloo/micky/faqs/faqs.html.
5a. Is the tv show still on the air? Can I get copies of the episodes?
Well much to the delight of fans, SONY has finally released the
series for air. Right now VH-1 and Canada's MuchMusic are airing the
episodes during the day and evening. Also coming later this
year Rhino will be reissuing it's phenominal Box Set which contains all
the episodes, 33 1/3, and the original pilot. Currently fans can get this
fix by buying videos that contain two episodes each (though not all the
episodes have been released yet).
@Nickelodeon is also slated to begin airing episoes as part of their Block
Party Summer which runs from July 7th through Labor Day. Six episodes of
the Monkees will be shown on Monday nights from 8:30-11:30pm.
6. Discography?
-A complete group and solo discography is also available
from Hoo and is posted once a month. It's on Hoo's Web Page as well.
New for November is a full html version at
http://www.crl.com/~hooloo/micky/faqs/faqmusicweb.html
7. Do any books about the Monkees exist?
-Once again a complete Book FAQ exists and is available from Hoo
and is posted once a month. It's on Hoo's Web Page as well.
New for November is a full html verion at
http://www.crl.com/~hooloo/micky/faqs/faqbooksweb.html
8. Any cool trivia?
-Hoo (yes me again) has the online version of _The Monkees
Scrapbook_ trivia quiz but it is only available via email.
9. Any other FAQs?
Well actually yes. Saturday's Child and Hoo created two more FAQs that
list all the TV and print references that are made about the guys in today's
media. These FAQs are also posted once a month with the rest of the
FAQs. These too are available on the web at
http://www/crl.com/~hooloo/micky/faqs/faqs.html
10. Can you tell me who's covered various Monkees tunes?
Love a Monkees song but wanna hear another version of it? Well
drop a line over to Glenn at gsa...@mfi.com and he'll send out a complete
listing.
11. Anyone know when that was recorded and who played on it?
If you ever wondered who all the musicians were and on what days
the various tracks were recorded The Monkees Sessionography is the answer
to your prayers. Ken Wang has combined all the liner notes plus info
from other sources to make an excellent listing of the Monkees recording
time. It is now available on the web at
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/3152
Where Can I Find Monkee Discussions (and their fans)?
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12. The newsgroup. [The Friendliest Place In Cyberspace]
-What started it all was alt.music.monkees a USENET newsgroup.
This is officially "The Friendliest Place In Cyberspace" [tm] Flaming on
this list is prohibited unless specifically requested by a a.m.m. member
and the only kinds of wars allowed are those involving the occasional eraser
or water gun.
13. The Mailing List [The Other Friendliest Place In Cyberspace]
-A spinoff of the newsgroup, the Monkees Mailing List was started
and maintained by Brad. Both an instant and digest version are
available. The number of daily messages ranges anywhere from 50 to 100
and off-topicism is mostly permitted. This is "The Other Friendliest
Place in Cyberspace."
To subscribe to the list send a message to majo...@lists.primenet.com
with the message body:
SUBSCRIBE monkees
To subscribe to the digest version send a message to
majo...@lists.primenet.com
with the message body:
SUBSCRIBE monkees-digest
14. The IRC [The Third Friendliest Place In Cyberspace]
Yep we crazy Monkees fans are there too. Some of us chat there
at odd hours but our "official" asylum hours are Sunday evenings starting
usually around 8pm est and going til when the cows come home <eg>. New
faces are always welcome. Given the insanity of the general efnet part of
the irc, us monkees nuts are found on the dal.net extensions. If you're
not sure what the irc is or how to get to dal.net check out tami's page:
"/join #monkees" at http://www.equineart.com/monkees/chat.html
15. The World Wide Web (we don't miss a place)
-If you're looking to hit all the main sites on the web the best
place to start is the Monkees WebRing which includes the basics for every
Monkees fan. The WebRing is at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7842/monkees.html
Some of the sites found there include:
Monkees HomePage: http://www.flexquarters.com/monkees.htm
Micky: http://www.crl.com/~hooloo/micky.html
Nez: http://www.flexquarters.com/nesmith.asp
Peter: http://www.pond.cam/~zanapd/tork
Davy: http://www.pond.com/~zanapd/jones
15a. But you still want more? well you're in luck - sharon has taken over
the listing of all Monkees related pages as well as most listers
pages. This list tells all the Monkees mentions that can be found on
the web. For a copy email: flam...@ids.net
15b. Like a good parody? Just like everything else we do Monkees fans
have taken the parody to a whole new level - we even have web pages for
the stuff!
Monkees Cows Parody: http://www.pond.com/~zanapd/cows/
Monkees Peeps Parody: http://users.ids.net/~flamingo/mp.html
Monkees Christmas Parody:
http://www.geocities.com/~Hollywood/Hills/4827/holiday.html
16. I just love the Monkees so much, are there any fanclubs?
Well yes there are several. The biggest and best would have to be
Maggie McManus' "Monkee Business Fanzine." Maggie has been hard at work
at this quarterly publication for over 19 years! The quarterly issue are
jam packed with info (and photos) and updates are sent out for things
occurring in your area. To be a member just:
Send a $12.00 US check or money order made out to Maggie McManus
at: 2770 South Broad Street
Trenton New Jersey 08610
or email her at monk...@prodigy.com
Also there are the following fan clubs:
Purple Flower Gang
Petermaniacs
PO Box 98
Fremont, CA 94537-0098
Band 6 (run by Laura Dever)
Torkaholics Anonymous (Pres: Patti Shields)
275 College Drive
Edison, NJ 08817
$3.00 for four newsletters
David Jones Fanclub (Pres: Elly van Leeuwen)
Davy Jones (the Monkees) Fanclub
Schoppenhauerstraat 255
7323 MA Apeldoorn
The Netherlands
Acknowledged by David Jones
Membership US$ 17 per year
Magazine: "Davids Dreamworld" - 4 issues/yr
For free info: write to the above address.
Davy Devotees Digest
c/o Abby Guernsey
507 Garden Grace Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46239
email her at: DSL...@prodigy.com
Dolenz Believers
Monkees only Canadian fan club.
for a free sample email mon...@pathcom.com
The Monkees, Boyce and Hart Photo Fan Club
P.O. Box 411
Watertown, SD 57201
17. So you want to send out a fan letter and need to know where to send it?
Micky Dolenz: c/o Agency for the Performing Arts, 9000 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Michael Nesmith: c/o Rhino Record, 10635 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90025
Peter Tork: 524 San Anselmo Ave #102, San Anselmo CA 94960
Davy Jones: P.O. Box 400, Beavertown PA 17813
18. Can any of these guys be reached online?
-Well yes indeed both Micky and Nez are at:
Nez: n...@videoranch.com
Micky has dropped netcom and for now is unreachable online til
he finds a new server - he said he'd let us know though :) But through
his business account he still has IRC access so if you see "higgs" that's
him :)
18a. Thats a very unusual account name for Micky - does it have any
significance? (it was higgs137)
The clue is in the July 1995 issue of Wired. The article is "Big Bang
Bust" about *Physicist* Andrei Linde. The important part of the article is:
(* indicates italics) "Two scalar fields that are important for
inflationary theories are sometimes called the *inflation field* and the
*Higgs field*. These fields fill the universe and show their presence by
affecting the properties of elementary particles."
Cross referencing "Higgs" led to "The God Particle: If the Universe Is
the Answer, What Is the Question" (HHGTTG anyone?) written by Leon
Lederman with Dick Teresi, copyright 1993. On page 22, the book informs
us about the mysterious Mr Higgs: "There is, we believe, a wraithlike presence
throughout the universe that is keeping us from understanding the true
nature of matter. It's as if something, or someone, wants to prevent us
from attaining the ultimate knowledge. This invisible barrier that keeps
us from knowing the truth is called the Higgs field. Its icy tentacles
reach into every corner of the universe, and its scientific and
philosophical implications raise large goose bumps on the skin of a
physicist. The Higgs field works its black magic through -- what else?
-- a particle. This particle goes by the name of the Higgs boson. ...
This boson is so central to the state of physics today, so
crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so
elusive, that I have given it a nickname: the God Particle."
(info from calico)
The 137 is a reference to the "fine structure constant" of quantum
electrodynamics, which takes a value of very nearly 1/137. Just a bit of
physics numerology (info from Dan)
19. I've been reading this group for a while now but i can't understand
why you all refer to micky as Mick3y? Well I'll try to explain (or
actually Zan will)
Sometime in January 1995, tami asked if anyone on alt.music.monkees had
an address for Micky. In her quest to track down Micky for a Q&A session
she innocently asked for a mail address. Well, not long after that up pops
an answer -- short, sweet, to-the-point -- "higg...@netcom.com" sent by
someone identified in the sender line as Mickey Dolenz.
Being the sometimes skeptical folks that we are, we immediately
suspected someone who obviously didn't spell Micky's name correctly. Several
of us sent this person e-mails asking if it was indeed "him", and if so, WHY
was the name misspelled? The debate over the authenticity of the sender
raged until nez himself stepped in (at about the same time that Micky
responded to the rest of us via e-mail <G>) and told us that yes, indeed,
it was REALLY Micky ... nez had signed him up to netcom himself. nez,
however, couldn't resist joking with us, and told the newsgroup that he'd
told Micky to spell it Mick3y.
Well, ever since then it's been a sort of running joke on the newsgroup
.... just about anytime Micky's name is mentioned in a post, especially
from someone who's been with the group for awhile, it's spelled Mick3y.
(It turns our that the misspelling of his name was a mistake on
netcom's part.)
20.I keep hearing everyone talk about Generation Fans, what exactly are they?
Well contrary to your first guess it, doesn't necessarily
represent what age you are. Your Generation identifies when you first
heard or saw or learned about the Monkees...ie. when you became a fan.
Here's a brief guide to generations.
1 - original airing: to be this you MUST have seen the episodes
when they first aired
1 1/2 - Catching them after the show was off the air but before
the 70s reruns began (this also follows for picking up
albums like Present, Instant Replay or Changes)
2 - the 70s reruns
2 1/2 anytime after the 70s reruns but before the big 20th anniversary
in the mid 80s. This does include the early airings of
episodes around 81 and 82.
3 - mid 80s 20th anniversary tours/tv/Mtv marathon time/nickelodeon
3 1/2 anytime between the end of the 20th tours in 89
and before the Rhino reissues in 1994
4 - Anytime starting with the Rhino reissues in and the 30th
Anniversary tour.
21. Where can I order my various Monkees goodies?
Rhino Records (reissued albums + videos + merchandise)
1 800-432-0020.
rh...@cerf.net
Beachwood Records (Peter Tork & James Lee Stanley)
4872 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Ste. 223,
Woodland Hills, CA 913664.
1-800-668-7420
Golden Treasures/Sound Express (authentic vinyl and collectibles)
P.O. Box 601
Bentonville, AR 72712
(501) 795-4209
Hercules Promotions (Davy's solo stuff)
P.O. Box 9539
Metairie, LA 70055
Dome Press (Davy stuff only)
P.O. Box 400
Beavertown, PA 17813-0400
21a. How can I get copies of material or bootlegs?
Well it's a complex issue but in the eyes of the law copying of
any copywrited material is illegal - end of story. But to help you on
your quest we monkees fans here have a couple of guidelines.
1) available material: This material is not to be copied for any
reason. Aside from the basic legality of the issue, out boys make money
off these and if they don't continue to do this Rhino and others will not
release more stuff. So please just go out and purchase a copy yourself
2)our-of-print material: Some of the guys solo stuff has been
out of print for many years and there is just no way for you to go out
and get a copy. SO in this case it is quite acceptable to ask for or
make copies of out of print stuff.
3)Bootlegs: This consists of rare tracks or live concerts which
the law kinda defines as illegal. It's basically up to the artist as to
how much they pursue it. And since the Monkees don't mind us recording
their stuff - this too is acceptable for copying.
22. What were the New Monkees?
The New Monkees were tv's blatant attempt to try and recreate the
Monkees phenomenom in the 80s. They threw together four guys and tried
to make things work again with crazy scripts and bizarre plots. Yes they
even put out a record. After a too long short period they died out.
Needless to say Monkees fans were angered at the new attempt with old
name and the show ultimately disappeared.
23. Well what about the New Monks?
Aha! This my loyal reader, was a legitimate band put together by Peter
Tork in late 1980. This was the band with whom he recorded the famous "Peter's
Back" single (featuring "Stepping Stone" and "Higher and Higher") in February
1981. Band lineup: Vince Barranco (drums), Nelson Bogart (guitar, trumpet),
Paul Ill (bass, music director), Phil Simon (guitar), and of course, Peter
Tork (guitar, lead vocals). They toured Japan in August 1981, and broke up
while on the road in the USA in March 1982. (info from torkaholic)
Trivia Tidbits a.k.a. What did he say? a.k.a. Is that what really happened?
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24. What's up with that racoon reference in "Gonna Buy Me A Dog"?
Micky says "I'd buy a racoon but John already has one"
Davy replies "yeah 35 bucks"
John is none other than John London who was in band with Nez before
and after the Monkees. (ie: Mike, John, & Bill and The First National
Band). At the time John owned a pet racoon and we are to presume it cost
him $35.00.
25. On the album The Monkees, Micky Peter and Davy are all smiling, but
Mike looks like he's is the middle of a frown/sentence, what's up with
that?
The photographer had been taking pictures of the guys all day long, and
Mike was gettin' a bit tempermental and impatient, so he told the
photographer that he until the count of three to take that photo, and he
counted one . . . two . . . Thhrr (picture Snap) eeee. (info from jordan)
26. How do you pronounce the title in "The Monkees Present..."?
It is pronounced present as in "Let me present this award to
you" The full title of the album is actually "The Monkees Present Micky,
David & Michael" This is proven by listening to the Rhino reissue
CD which has the radio spot for present on it. Originally the album was to
have fours sides, one per Monkee but with Peter gone it was condensed down
into one double-sided album. Speculation also exists as to whether the
title was also a play on words by Nez to be pronounced Present (as in
present tense) to indicate that at present time there were only three
Monkees remaining. (though in typical nez fashon he refuses to say <g>)
27. The final episode of season two is entitled Mijacogeo, does this
mean something or is it a random jumble of letters?
Well in fact the title does mean something. Since the episode
was co-written and directed by Micky, he created the title which stand
for various members of his family.
Mi = Micky
ja = Janelle (his mom)
co = Coco (his sister)
geo = George (his father)
28. Micky's song Randy Scouse Git had to be released in England as
Alternate Title, why?
Well while Micky was in England he heard those words and made
them the title of his song. Unfortunately he did not realize that in
England this is considered to be an insult.
To be more precise:
"randy" means horny
"scouse" is a derogatory way of referring to a
working-class Liverpudlian
@ "git" is an idiot or a shortened form of illigitimate
When asked to provide an alternate title for the song in England he
did just that.
29. There's a rumor that Micky is dead, is this true?
Well maybe not exactly true but be sure and read the Micky Dolenz
Dead FAQ to get all the details. This FAQ is compiled by Raenna and she
can be reached at inf...@umich.edu. Copies can also be found on her web
page at http://www.umd.umich.edu/~infinit/deadmicky.html or on the
Monkees Home Page.
30.In the episode "Hitting the High Seas" Micky and Peter sing a few lines
of some song, what is it?
Those oft mentioned lines are none other than an acoustic version
of "Tear the Top Right Off My Head". According to Rhino's latest effort
(Missing Links 3) this song exists nowhere in that acoustic format - the
tapes having disappeared. Currently copies can only be found on various
bootlegs.
31. On the Headquarters album, during "Band 6" someone says "that was, uh,
little too long". It sounds like Peter, is it?
No in fact, the person saying those lines is none other than Chip
Douglas, the albums producer.
32. <mumble mumble> just WHAT is everyone saying during "Zilch"?
Mike: It is of my opinion that the people are intending
Micky: Never mind the furthermore the plea is self defense
Davy: China Clipper calling Alameda
Peter: Mr. Dobalina, Mr Bob Dobalina
.........................................................................
The following people deserve a great deal of thanks for helping this
FAQ get going: Tami, Zan, Brad, Torkaholic, Eva, Lou, Rob, Frank, Jordan,
Glenn, maggie, Davi3d, Griz, A-Mx
Hoped this has helped people out!
-Hoo
Hooloovoo --> A superintelligent shade of the color of blue
hoo...@crl.com http://www.crl.com/~hooloo/
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Monkees FAQ-mistress The Official Micky Dolenz Home Page
The Corey Feldman Home Page & The Marco Sanchez Home Page
James Lee Stanley - The F.A.Q.
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Always remember to pillage BEFORE you burn