Exclusive!
A new TiGER BEAT monthly column from us to you… by Davy, Peter, Mike, & Micky
Each month in TiGER BEAT the Monkees tell all about themselves and their lives… in their own words!
Exclusive!
Mike talking: Permalink
Since next month starts our big summer tour, I thought I’d fill you in on some of the inside things that happen once we begin these personal appearances.
Right from the start we’re prepared for everything. And believe me, everything always happens. It’s not so easy to get all of our equipment on the right stage at the right time. Once on tour, our equipment didn’t get sent on the right plane and right up until show time we weren’t sure whether the instruments would arrive or not. That can get you uptight and that time we really were.
Sleeping is something you just forget when you’re on tour because before and after each concert your moods are very strange. For instance, before a concert I get so nervous that I usually want to pace up and down or practice a number just once more before going on stage. Then I worry about the microphones and whether or not they’ll work once we get on stage. Can I remember the lyrics? I wonder if the lighting will work ok. Then there’s you, the audience. Will we disappoint you? All of these things keep running through my mind up to the time we step on stage.
Once our show begins I can forget about all the things that were worrying me and concentrate on fun. Believe me, performing is fun, but only once you’re on stage. The before feelings and the after feelings leave a lot to be desired. After the show, I’m usually still pretty excited. If the show went well, I don’t want to sleep because I want to stay up and talk to the others about it. If it didn’t go too well, then I’m pretty upset and sit and sulk about the things we did wrong.
Either way, touring can really get to you. This summer we’ll be on the road for over two months. Whether or not we hit your part of the world, I sure hope you’ll keep us in mind on our travels. If you can get to one of our concerts we’ll really appreciate it.
The thing I like best about touring is seeing the different fans around the country. Naturally, we’re really looking forward to our concerts in London next month because this is the first time we’ve ever done a live show there. The thing I like least about touring is the fact that whatever city we play in, there just isn’t enough time to do any sightseeing. I’d really like to see around each city we visit. But one thing’s for sure, some day I’m going to take some time off and go back and see every city up close that I missed seeing on the tour.
Keep watching for us this summer and I hope I can see you all personally.
Love,
“Honest”
Mike Nesmith
Micky talking: Permalink
Thinking about the future is always fun for me. I kind of like looking ahead and making predictions, so for this month’s column I jotted down a list of questions (my own) about what would be happening for me five years from today. Here are my questions and my !! answers:
- Will you still be a Monkee?A. Yes.
- Will you married or single?A. Married.
- Any children?A. Yes. At least two.
- What will have changed about you?A. My weight. I’ll be heavier.
- What kind of car will you be driving?A. I hope I’ll own at least three different cars. One will be a Rolls Royce.
- What will your wife be like?A. She’ll be kind, thoughtful, a good mother, and lots of fun.
- What will music be like?A. Music will be even more exciting than it is now. Rock and roll or whatever you want to call it will still be definitely in. Music will have a strong beat with more emphasis on lyrics than various types of sound effects.
- Will you still be going on tours?A. If I can still stand I’ll be touring, if anyone wants to see me.
- What will the world situation be like?A. Peaceful (I hope).
- Will England still be influencing music?A. Definitely.
- What kinds of clothes will be popular?A. I think clothes will be looser and more conservative for men and more feminine and frilly for women.
- How will girls be wearing their hair?A. Wigs and falls will be bigger than ever.
- How will boys be wearing their hair?A. Short.
- Who will be the reigning movie actress?A. My sister Coco.
- Will you be happy?A. Yes. Definitely.
Peace
Micky Dolenz
Peter talking: Permalink
People have asked me if it’s hard to be a Monkee. I mean they’ll say, “I bet a lot of people like you just because you’re a Monkee.” Well, this is probably true. I do have a lot more friends now that I am a Monkee than I did before.
But, somehow, this really doesn’t worry me. Actually, I’m not the same person that I was before I became a Monkee. As people grow older and have more experience, they naturally change. This, I have done. I don’t mean that my values have changed much or that I think I’m better than other people just because I’m a Monkee. But any new experience does change a person and being a Monkee has changed me. For the better I hope.
So when people say to me that I’ve changed since I became a Monkee, I agree with them. And when they say they bet people only like me because I’m a Monkee, I agree with them, too. You see, if I weren’t a Monkee, I wouldn’t even be meeting lots of people like press reporters, directors, and others. Now that I’m a Monkee, they do come in contact with me for what I am… a Monkee and Peter Tork. I’m both of these things now and very happy to be.
One thing that has changed about me since I’ve become a Monkee is the fact that I’ve got so many things to do that I sometimes become forgetful of someone or something. I’ve been trying to sort things out in my mind so that I don’t forget, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to keep myself from forgetting some things. I’ve even thought of trying a string around my finger to remind me of things, but I would have to use too many strings to remember everything there is to remember.
If any of you have any suggestions on how to remember everything you’re supposed to remember, you might drop me a note c/o TiGER BEAT, 1800 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, California 90028.
Peter Tork
Davy talking: Permalink
Sometimes it seems as though it’s been a long time since I’ve been a child, but really it hasn’t been so long ago that I can’t remember what it was like. Sometimes when I get the chance I like to sit and think about the things I loved when I was a child. It gives me a good feeling all over to remember some of these things. Perhaps some of the things I loved as a child are some of the things you also think are important.
One thing I’ll never forget is the scent of cooking that came from my mother’s kitchen. I can especially remember the smells that came from my mother’s kitchen. I can especially remember the smells that came when she was baking cakes, breads or cookies. Nothing ever smells as good as that to me now. And the way everything tasted! Maybe it’s because your taste bugs are sharper as a child, but it seemed to me that things were much stronger tasting… especially vegetables. In a way, I really objected to highly seasoned foods when I was a child because of how strong they seemed. Now I like lots of seasoning in my food.
When it got very windy as a child I loved running in the wind. I used to get this same feeling of the wind rushing against my face when I was training to be a jockey. I still love to ride.
I really can’t ever remember being afraid when I was young. I think the reason for this was the way my parents brought me up. They always made me stand up to things and even when my mother died, my father gave me the strength to act like as much of a man as I could. But there were some sad times, too. I never liked losing at things… even games… and I can remember more than one time having to lock myself away in my own room until I recovered my sense of good sportsmanship. Sometimes it wasn’t very easy.
Being a child was wonderful, but now that I’ve really looked back on it, I think I like being 21 much more than I did being 12. Wonder how many of you feel the same way.
Love David Jones
