“I know that Davy has always put the fans first since he became successful. When he was last in London, he always put himself out to meet people who waited around for him. I think it’s most important. After all, the fans are the people who make things happen for an artist, aren’t they?
“Altogether we had a month or so together in Manchester—and I’ve kept up the friendship with Davy. He’s a most warmhearted sort of bloke. What I remember most about his days in Manchester was his hairstyle. He looked just like he had a black skull—all tight hair and it just wasn’t a bit long. Now, of course, he’s let it blossom out. I don’t get a chance to see much of him on television because we’re always working at the same time, but it’s the hair that has changed. But Davy is, in himself, just the same old Davy…
Big break Permalink
“Perhaps the oddest thing is that when they were casting for the stage show ‘Oliver’, which was one of the big breaks in Davy’s life, one of the blokes saw me acting in England and flew me over to New York to audition for the same part of the Artful Dodger. I was only sixteen then. Seems they quite liked me, but one of the producers had this fear that I’d suddenly grow to about six feet tall and have a deep voice… he said: ‘You know how it is with these kids—they suddenly grow up and upwards.’ So they turned me down and in came Davy, who was much smaller and really much more right for the part.
“Just another one of the strange coincidences that go on in this business. And there’s another. On BBC television, ‘Dr. Who’ has been going on immediately in front of the Monkees’ show—so lots of fans will see both shows. Both Davy and I have a lot to be thankful for since the days when we hung about the television lounge of Granada TV in Manchester, hopefully sticking bets on different horses in the middle of the afternoon.”
Frazer, alias “Jamie”, said “People are always asking me if I like the Monkees—and I must say that I do, very much. I get fed up when people say they’re not as good as, say, the Beatles… because you just can’t compare two very different groups. It’s very hard for the Monkees to keep going, week after week, at the pace they do for the television series. Remember they have to find a lot of different stories—the Beatles, for example, won’t make another movie until they find exactly the right style of story.
“I’ve got several Monkees’ records and I specially like ‘Last Train to Clarksville’. But perhaps my favourite track of all is on the first album, ‘I’m Gonna Buy Me A Dog’. I love all that ad-libbing in the background. Especially when you hear Davy, in that thick Manchester accent of his, saying something about ‘You Need All The Friends You Can Get’. Knocks me out.
Funny Permalink
“So it’s really a funny old business between Davy and me. There was him looking up to me, early on, because I had done more acting and was better known. Now I’m trying to make a start in records and there’s old Davy with number ones and million sellers.
“But they’ll never change Davy Jones. He’s one of those blokes who will take everything in his stride and remain exactly the same all the time.”
With which Jamie (alias Frazer) went back to stave off a few more Daleks. A very pleasant and talented mate of the very pleasant and talented Davy Monkee.
