In his own words, Davy Jones tells about his wonderful visit with family and friends in England
First of all when I left California, I was late for the airplane because I was waiting for some checks. I gave my father and sisters checks for Christmas. The studio called ahead and I said I was coming and to hold the plane. I was five minutes late, so the minute I got on the plane, it took off. We saw a movie going over and it was a movie I’d seen four times before. Every time I saw it, it was on a plane and this particular movie was one you wouldn’t even go and pay to see.
I slept for a couple of hours and talked to the stewardesses. They’d seen “The Monkees” on TV and they said they liked it. I was signing autographs for the first hour and a half, but after that the people were really cool. I played gin for a while with some guy on the plane.
Arrived in London Permalink
I left at 12 noon on Tuesday and we landed in London at 7:30 A.M. on Wednesday. RCA Victor had a Rolls Royce waiting for me at the airport and it took me to the hotel. I put my bags away and I was quite punchy because I hadn’t slept. I took my suits out of the bags and hung them up. Then we went downstairs and I met with about 150 people from the magazines, newspapers and all kinds of groovy little goodies.
We had sausage and eggs for breakfast and tea and crumpets and things like that. I was so tired I couldn’t eat much. I just had some tea and a couple of crumpets. I went around talking to all the people and they were interviewing me. About 11 o’clock we went outside and by this time I was really getting punchy. I was so tired. We did some running pictures and then we went back inside and talked until 12:30.
At 12:30 we left for a picture studio to take pictures for a magazine. We took pictures for an hour. At about a quarter to two, I went down to the TV studios and did some promos for the show. I’d say, “Hi, this is Davy Jones of the Monkees and you can see us on BBC at…”
Everyone was amazed that I could do them so fast. Usually they have to do them about 50 times. I said, “Hi, this is Davy Jones of the Monkees. I hope you’ll be watching us on BBC 2 on Saturday at 6:30.” They were all watching me with their mouths open. I did five of these things straight off the top of my head. It took me seven minutes to do it.
Home to Manchester Permalink
We left the studio at 2:30 P.M. and rushed to the London airport and I caught the plane and landed in Manchester, England at 5 o’clock. I went down to another cocktail party. I hadn’t even been to bed. I got home about 7:30. I didn’t have a car so they rented a limousine service for me. The car they rented was a ’66 Pontiac with a girl driver. She was a young girl… only about 19. She was kinda groovy. She took me home.
No one knew I was coming home. I had written and told them I wasn’t sure if I could come home or not. Then I wrote and said I couldn’t make it. I knocked on the door and my sister answered. She looked at me and as soon as she did, she started to cry. I told her to be quiet and I walked through the hallway to the living room and my father nearly fainted.
Meeting old friends Permalink
By this time it’s Wednesday night and everybody’s excited and we sat around and talked and I showed them pictures and things like that. I took the dog for a walk. His name is Dodger. He’s called Dodger because I played the Artful Dodger in ‘Oliver!’ My dad registered him at the Kennel Club as the “Artful Dodger” and we call him Dodger for short. We went for a walk for about an hour. It was very cold and when it gets dark in England, it gets just black. Here you get stars and you can see for 100 yards, but there it gets black because of the clouds and the overcast.
I got back about 11 and we made some corned beef sandwiches. My father went to bed and I went to bed about 1:30. I got up Thursday morning about 12 noon. All day Thursday there were press people coming to my house taking pictures and what not.
In the evening I split out of the house and went over to my friend Ned Kay’s house. He’s one of my best friends over there. We went and picked up Colin, then we picked up John, another friend of mine, and Fred. Then we went around to the local pub and we had a couple of beers and played darts. I was as lucky as ever.
They had this kind of sweepstake-ticket thing and every time you lose at darts you have to pay for someone else’s name to go in the pot. It’s got like 80 names on it. They rip this thing off at the bottom and it says which team has won and someone gets the jackpot. I won the jackpot. These guys have been playing for three months to win the jackpot! I go in, play two games of darts, put my name on the thing, and I win. That was a joke.
Stolen car Permalink
Then we went downtown and went into an Indian restaurant. Another friend of mine was with us. His name was Ronnie. While we were in the restaurant his car was stolen. So we went down to the cop shop and I don’t know if he’s found it yet. I haven’t heard from him.
All day Friday I saw reporters again. Friday evening I went around with the same guys and went to the pub again. Then we went dancing. We went to a place called the Domino Club. We always used to think we’d go when we got older and all these guys had been going for the last five years. We listened to a few groups and then we went downtown again and we ate in another restaurant.
I spent all day Saturday milling around the house and then I went and saw some old school friends. It was Christmas Eve and I had to leave at 8 o’clock that night, because there was no plane leaving in the morning to London in time to catch my 12 o’clock plane to America. I spent Saturday night in a hotel room. I didn’t go out in London because I wanted to make sure I made the plane. Christmas Eve in London is like chaos.
I got on the plane, flew back here, arrived Sunday night and went right home to my apartment. I called up the guys and told them I was back. They came by and picked me up at 7 the next morning and we left on our 8 city tour. I was completely exhausted. But it was groovy because my father was so excited.
I guess you could call the whole trip one of the wildest but most rewarding visits I’ve ever made in my life.
