Here’s raver Maureen O’Grady with more facts on America’s overnight successes, and now Britain’s favourites—the Monkees.
Last month Hollywood writer Derek Taylor told you about the current hottest property in the States, the Monkees. Now, I can tell you about one of them first hand, for English Monkee Davy Jones recently paid a surprise visit here to see his family and go to his sister’s wedding, and I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to a breakfast reception held in his honour!
Twenty-one year old Davy, now resident in the States, first went over to America with the show “Oliver” and then “Pickwick”. In between this last show and “The Monkees” he appeared on several TV, shows like “Ben Casey” and got two discs into the American charts—“What Are We Going To Do?” and “The Girl From Chelsea”. David signed for “The Monkees” series, whereas the rest of the group—Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith were picked as Monkees out of five hundred applicants after answering a newspaper ad. requesting “four insane boys aged 17–21 required for acting roles in new TV. series.”
No-one could have guessed at the time just how popular the Monkees would become
It was only after the fourth episode of the show that the Monkees became the biggest happening in pop America, with a guaranteed thirty million viewers.
Davy told me, “On the show we sing two songs every week, and play the part of a pop group. One week we might be in a Western with gunfighting, next week we might get involved with bank robbers, then it might be the Mafia. It could be anything. As well as the TV. show we’ve just started personal appearances. Our first one was in Hawaii and we played for one hour and ten minutes, whereas most groups only play for about twenty-five minutes! Apart from singing together as a group, we also sing with different backing groups. For instance, I’d sing a Tony Newley-type number, while Micky, Mike and Pete do Motown, Bo Diddley and folk stuff. We’ve got quite a variety of music between us.”
Coming from Manchester Davy has the usual Mancunian personality, friendly and humorous. He’s short and cute, with hair that flicks up as it touches his shoulders. “It usually curls under” he said. “I’m glad that the customs man didn’t open my bag, I had four hair rollers on the top! I’m called Hayley Mills at the studio!”
Apparently very long hair for boys is still ‘in’ in Hollywood, especially if it’s bleached! Davy said the Monkees get upset about one thing—the rumour that they don’t play their own instruments. “Someone’s going to be in for a shock when we start our big tour in America” he said. “How do they think we’re going to get by if we only pretend to play? They’re mad!”
On the record scene, the Monkees have chalked up one phenomenal success after another. Their first L.P. “Meet the Monkees” sold three million, five hundred thousand copies after only two months on sale and all their singles have reached the top of the U.S. Charts.
“Most shops in America are out of stock of our singles as a matter of fact,” said Davy.
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It looks as if the same thing might happen here in Britain!
Davy says that one of the reasons why the Monkees are so big in America is that English artistes in the States are spoiling things for themselves. “Herman especially” he said. “He has had about five singles out at the same time over there—it’s madness. At the most we have only three singles in the U.S. charts at the one time—I’m a Believer’, ‘Stepping Stone’ and ‘Last Train To Clarkesville’, and I think that three is enough. We don’t want to over-expose ourselves.
“We’re thrilled with our success here. We thought the series had a good chance. I’m sure everyone’s sick of programmes like ‘Juke Box Jury’ and ‘Top of the Pops’.”
The life of a Monkee isn’t all thrills. They’re up at seven in the morning, working till seven at night, five days a week. “With my spare time, which isn’t much, I like driving my motorbike down to the beach, do a bit of swimming and bowling.”
In America the Monkees’ story is the Beatles’ story all over again. They have set off fads like Monkee clothes, Monkee belts, Monkee bubble gum. But comparing the Monkees to the Beatles led Davy to say, “We didn’t intend to sound like them. We just wanted to sound commercial!”
Well, they’ve certainly done that!
[Magazine provided by Senti.]
