MONKEE MICKY reveals all the deep-down secrets about himself NEVER TOLD BEFORE
I CONFESS—I’m near-sighted. Very near-sighted. That means I can’t see things that are too far away from me—like, say, six inches from my nose! That’s why I’m always squinting on the show (and you thought that was just one of my little jokes!). I’ve tried contacts, but they don’t work on me. Maybe it’s that I don’t work on them. Anyway, I have three pair of glasses (that I know of—I’m always losing them, you see): one horn-rimmed very round pair, one rectangular pair, and one pair of prescription shades. I can’t drive without ’em; I can’t eat Kellogg’s without ’em; in fact, I can’t even walk without ’em. But I can sleep without ’em.
I CONFESS—that the gold ring I sometimes wear is an initial (or signet) ring—not a wedding ring. I don’t wear it all the time, because I am not sentimental—and also because I am very forgetful. I wear a gold chain around my scrawny neck (well, the guys all say it’s scrawny!) with a big medallion on it. On one side there is a St. Christopher medal, and on the other side there is a Jewish Star. We all have one. They were a gift from Steve Blauner, the vice president of Screen Gems. (Rah-rah!)
I CONFESS—that super beautiful (or even very pretty, for that) girls usually bore me. I like girls who are funny, self-contained, warm and affectionate, who don’t mind showing they care (without over-doing it) and who have lots of “cool”. I don’t like girls who try to attract attention to me or to themselves, or the kind of girls who are impressed by me because I am a Monkee—and who are not really interested in the real me.
I CONFESS—that I am a photography nut. I have a Pentax with two lenses—and I am getting more, more, MORE! Gaspar, our special effects man, is helping me build a complete photo lab in my garage. Late at night, I love to drive down Sunset Strip and take time exposures of street lights and others cars driving by.
I CONFESS—that (at times) I am a public menace and should be declared a disaster area. For instance, about six months ago Honda gave all of us Monkees 450 c.c. motor bikes. The second day I had mine, I drove over to pick up Ward Sylvester, the associate producer of The Monkees, to take him to Peter’s house. On the way up the hill (I wasn’t going too fast—honest), I slipped the bike and dumped Ward into a big pile of dirt. Thank heavens it was soft dirt, for he arose sooty but unhurt. Now, for some strange reason, Ward refuses to ride with me—even in my car!
I CONFESS—that one of the most embarrassing moments of my life came when I discovered that somebody had stolen the hub caps off my brand-new GTO! I had driven it out to the Columbia “ranch” in Burbank to shoot some exterior footage, and I parked it in the Columbia lot about 7:30 A .M. When I got back there at seven that evening, I looked at my chariot and the hub caps were gone! Whoever, you are out there what copped me hub caps—please return ’em. I’m embarrassed to drive around with my nuts and bolts showing.
I CONFESS—that one of the great pleasures of being in The Monkees is shooting at the aforementioned “ranch”. It is really a mammoth studio. It has a “Western town”, a “Main Street, U.S.A.”, and an “Italian town”, a big lake, and gangs of horses. We shoot all the “romps” out there. “Romps” is what we call the sequences we do while you hear our voices singing on the “track over” the film. We really are having as much—if not more—fun as we seem to be having when you see the “romps” on TV.
I CONFESS—that I have a weakness for Lenny’s Boot Shop. It is a men’s clothing store near the studio (don’t tell DeVoss, but I’ve seen Gloria Stavers shopping in there!). They not only sell groovy boots, but they have things like those double-breasted shirts we wear on the show (by the way, you can now get those in your local department stores—just go and demand to see “The Monkees Clothes”). Anyway, I was recently in Lenny’s and I went stark and bought an enormous gang of clothes. I got a bluish-green suede with stovepipe pants and a “pop art” zippered jacket, two pairs of black leather boots, two double-breasted shirts (one red and one blue), and a beige suede jacket. Watch for these things on the show, for I wear a lot of my own clothes on The Monkees.
I CONFESS—that I am a lunatic over the drums. I have three sets—one at the house, one at the studio, and one at our rehearsal hall (I’m not permitted to tell you where that is, but here’s a hint: it’s on Hollywood Boulevard). I average about two hours’ practice a day this way. I love working out new sounds on the drums, but I get carried away and usually break the foot pedal of the bass drum about twice a week. How’s that for talent?
I CONFESS—that when I go out on a date, I dig going to clubs to see other groups perform—partly because I like the music, and partly because I always learn something new when I watch other performers work. So, if you dig me, you really have to dig listening to live performances—lots of them.
You can write to Micky (and the other Monkees) at 1334 N. Beechwood Drive, Hollywood, Calif. Remember to put “I Am A 16 Reader” on your envelope.
