Let The Monkees In!

Revisiting something I wrote about in August of ˜01. Sort of.

If you’re a male of a certain age, then you surely remember a TV show about a group of cool guys who called themselves The Monkees. It was a show about what was supposed to be a fictional rock and roll band that was called, interestingly enough, The Monkees. For the uninitiated, the show starred four young, cool guys with the names of Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith. These four cool guys lived together in a house that was chock full of cool, sometimes bizarre things, and the boys were always getting caught up in whacky, sometimes hilarious situations. But something very odd happened on this show: These four cool guys had real musical talent, and when they played, they sounded great. Essentially, these four guys who auditioned for parts on a TV show about a fictional band, became a real band, with real songs, and real records.

Let me admit right now, that I was, and still am, a fan. When the show aired back in the 60’s, I never missed an episode. My older sister watched it too, because she thought the guys, especially Davy Jones, were cute. But young males watched it because the guys were cool, they lived in a cool house that was full of cool, crazy things, and they had cool car, a 1966 Pontiac GTO that had been customized into a drop-top station wagon by custom car builders, George Barris and Dean Jeffries. I even had the Plastic model kit of this car, as did all the kids on the block. A school chum of mine could walk home and keep all of us entertained with his rendition of I’m Not your Stepping Stone. So, how many kids try to emulate today’s bands in this fashion? Not many, would be my guess. (And Paul, if by some chance, you are out there in the world and you’re reading this, you should try out for that show, Don’t forget the Lyrics!. I’ll bet you would be terrific!)

In recent months, there has been some controversy of sorts regarding this classic band. The controversy is whether or not The Monkees deserve to be admitted to the Rock N’ Roll hall of Fame. It seems that there are detractors, who feel that The Monkees are not eligible for this honor, as they were not a real band.

To this I say, with great emphasis, HOGWASH! (Actually, I want to say something else, but we try to be family friendly here at Mymac)

If there has ever been a band that deserves to be admitted to the Rock N’ Roll hall of fame, it is The Monkees. These four guys had musical talent, far more than a lot of the musical acts of today. Some may argue that The Monkees were the pre-fab four, that they were created for a TV show. Well, I could make the very same argument about a lot of the made-for-MTV groups of today, most of which sound putrid compared to The Monkees.

Someone has even taken to posting an on-line petition, in favor of admitting The Monkees. You can read it, and sign it here.

Kudos to the friendly folks who posted the petition. And the answer is yes, you bet I have signed it.

Fellow fans, the time has come: Let the Monkees in to the Rock N’ Roll hall of fame. This classic group group deserves it.