Dear Readers,
So many false stories get started about my friends the Monkees that I want to take this opportunity to get some of them straightened out.
Here are some answers to the questions that I am most often asked.
Love, Ann Moses
Q. Is it true that Davy Jones of the Monkees is leaving the group? I hope he isn’t, I’ll just die!
A. No. There is no thought of his leaving and never was. Someone probably got that crazy idea in their head when Davy formed his own record company. But don’t worry, it’s strictly for other artists. The only recording Davy has planned is with the Monkees.
Q. I heard that Peter Tork of the Monkees is engaged. Is this another one of those rumors? I think Peter is great. In fact; I dig the whole group.
A. It’s another one of those rumors. Peter is not engaged. He’s dating no one in particular at the moment.
Q. Could you please tell us what was the third Monkee record (45 rpm) released? This is very important. Please answer.
A. The Monkees third single release was “Little Bit Me, Little Bit You,” written by the talented composer Neil Diamond with lead vocal sung by Davy. Their first single was “Last Train to Clarksville” written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and their second was “I’m A Believer” written by Neil Diamond. Micky sang lead on the first two singles.
Q. Does Davy Jones play the drums? I am a Monkee fan and watch their show every Monday night. One time when I was watching them singing, Davy was sitting there playing the drums! I was just wondering because I never knew he could play before.
A. Davy learned to play the drums so Micky could stand up and sing “Mary, Mary” on stage. It’s a wild number where Micky sings and dances at the same time. What you saw on TV was Micky standing at the mike. This is what he used to do with his old group “The Missing Links”. They did it just for fun, but Davy can really play the drums.
Q. In one issue of Tiger Beat I read that the Monkees were splitting up and that their show was going to be taken off. Could you please tell me if this is true because I say “Monkees Forever”!
A. I doubt you read it in Tiger Beat and I would like to see WHERE if you’re convinced you did. Anyway, there is no thought of their splitting up and they are currently filming NEXT season’s shows, so that should answer your question about their show going off.
Q. There’s a rumor going around my school that Davy Jones is married and wants to get a divorce. Is that true?
A. It’s not true. Davy is the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood at the moment… that is next to Micky and Peter. Davy has never been married and doesn’t plan to think about it for several years. He wants to concentrate on his career.
Q. Please put this in your magazine. Is it true Mike Nesmith is breaking up with his wife Phyllis?
A. No, it’s definitely not true. They are getting along beautifully. Mike loves his wife and son dearly and has just bought a new home for them in Bel Air.
Q. I read in a magazine that Peter Tork was once married and now divorced. Tell me it isn’t so!
A. Sorry, but it is so. He was married to a girl named Jody for 3 months in 1964.
Q. I heard Davy Jones (my fave Monkee) wears a wig. Please tell me it is not true.
A. It is not true. Davy’s hair is all his own. He did have his hair trimmed in a “dutch boy” style after returning from his vacation in March. He did wear a wig for a couple of the Monkee programs, but it was purely for a gag.
Q. I heard a rumor that Davy got in an accident and had his hair shaved off, is it true? And every rumor that goes around is not true.
A. No, it isn’t true. Perhaps that rumor began when Davy appeared on one of the Monkee shows with a bald head. It was only for one scene and he was wearing a special head mask. He’s been in no accidents.
Q. Was Mike Nesmith born in Dallas or Houston, Texas?
A. Mike was born in Houston, but raised in Dallas.
Q. I’m writing to find out about a rumor. My girlfriend says that a girlfriend of hers in Buffalo has a picture of Davy Jones sitting in a hearse. She says it’s his hearse, but I say it’s not because in Monkee Spectacular #1 under his column when they listed his cars, it didn’t mention a hearse. Anyway, he doesn’t look like the kind of guy who would own one. Please tell me who’s right.
A. Davy did own a hearse, long and black, for about three weeks last December, then he sold it. He’s now driving a white convertible GTO and his Honda.
Q. I just love the Monkees but best of all I love Peter. His smile is cute and I really love his hair. But there are some questions I’d like to ask: Is his hair oily and what color is it? Also, I would like to know if he smokes.
A. Peter’s hair is normal, not oily, and it’s a beautiful golden blond, although sometimes it photographs as if it were light brown. No, Peter does not smoke.
Q. Can you, tell me where Davy got his silver ring?
A. Davy’s ring, which he treasures, is a black star sapphire in a silver setting. He made the ring with the help of a friend.
Q. Although my favorite Monkee is Micky, I also look at Peter’s pin-ups. Some show him with freckles and other pictures don’t show him with freckles. Does he really have freckles?
A. Yes, Peter does have freckles, but in most pictures you don’t see them because the boys so often have make up on and this covers them in the photographs.
Q. I have a question I have wanted to ask. Is it true that Davy is leaving the Monkees and is going to be a d.j.? And what color is Mike’s hat?
A. Davy is NOT leaving the Monkees and has no intentions of becoming a d.j. The hat that Mike wears most often is bright green with white buttons. He also has a royal blue one, which he sometimes wears on the show.
Q. I’ve heard that the Monkees are going to make a movie soon. Is this true?
A. Originally the Monkees were supposed to film their first movie in the spring. However, they had trouble finding a suitable script for a full-length film, so the movie was postponed until this summer. At this writing they haven’t found a script, but by the time you read this they may well have.
Q. I heard that Pete was going to marry a girl 14 years old. Now, I just can’t believe that! Tell me it isn’t so, it’s not that I’m jealous, but that she’s too young for him.
A. As you guessed, it’s not true. Peter’s not planning to marry a 14-year-old, a 20-year-old, etc. He’s just not planning to get married right now.
Q. I love Micky and I heard that Micky has a bone disease and that he stabbed his girl friend. Is it true or is it a rumor?
A. Micky did have a bone disease when he was five years years [sic] old, which has now healed. Micky did not stab his girlfriend. He’s not even going with one girl.
Q. Recently, in a magazine, it said that the Monkees wear wigs. I would like to know if that is true.
A. None of the Monkees wears wigs, except now and then when they play the part of a girl in some funny sketch for the TV show. All their hair is their own.
Q. I read in a magazine that Micky Dolenz was going to join the Beatles. Is this true? If so, he must be cracking up.
A. Micky is NOT joining the Beatles. Perhaps someone misunderstood when Micky spent a day with Paul McCartney while he was in London, but whatever, he plans to be with the Monkees for a long time.
Q. I’m in the fourth grade and the kids in my school said that Micky and Mike were teaching Peter how to drive. I asked my big brother and he said Peter already knew how to drive. Could you tell me what’s true?
A. Peter already knows how to drive, so he needs no instruction from any of the other Monkees. He just bought a new Swedish sports car, two-seater, that he loves to drive.
Q. I’m puzzled. In the May issue of Tiger Beat, Micky said you’d know the right answer, so here it is, do Micky and Davy live together? Do Micky and Davy mess around with each other (out of the Monkees)?
A. Davy and Micky lived together for a few weeks last September when they were both looking for their own places. After that, Davy moved into an apartment in the Hollywood Hills and Micky into a house in Laurel Canyon. They’ve each recently moved, Davy into his new home and Micky into his new home, so they don’t live together. They sometimes go to a club together or visit each other’s houses for dinner, etc.
Q. I heard a rumor that Peter Tork had plastic surgery because he is 54 years old. I know this is not true, but could you please tell me the month, date and year he was born?
A. Peter was born on February 13, 1942, he’s 25 years old.
NOTE: Talk about crazy rumors, there was one out around Louisville that two of the Monkees were lost in the Sahara Desert!
