Mike has to be the moving-est guy on the fave scene today. Just name the most exciting thing you can think of and the supercharged Mr. Nesmith is either already doing it, or, planning to. And, he’s having a great time all the while!
As you read this Mike’s boyhood dream of becoming a pilot is coming true. He has wanted to learn to fly for many years, and at last he is taking lessons. Practically every day when the Monkees aren’t filming you can find Mike at a San Fernando Valley flying school, busily learning how to do takeoffs and landings and other groovy things connected with flying airplanes.
Flying school Permalink
To make it even more fun, John London, Mike’s best friend, is taking lessons with him. They both go several times a week for ground school (where they learn schoolish things like the mathematics of flying, weather, and all the other things pilots need to know before they can safely fly). Then they take several lessons a week in a real airplane.
As soon as Mike earns his pilot’s wings, he plans to fly Phyllis, Christian and their new baby all over the United States. If you live in a town with any sort of airport at all, watch out, for Monkee Mike and gang could fly in any day.
The new ranch Permalink
But flying isn’t Mike’s only interest. He has wanted a ranch in Colorado for a long time and this dream, too, seems ready to come true. He spends a lot of weekends in the Rocky Mountains looking at different “spreads” that are for sale. He hasn’t found the perfect one yet, but maybe by the time you read this he will be a true ranch owner.
Mike’s dream ranch has to be the sort of place he can go for a weekend or a few days. This means it will probably be away from the big cities and, instead, near one of the small towns that make Colorado so great. This way he will be able to relax away from the pressure and hassle of being a celebrity.
The record bit Permalink
There are other things that Mike is doing too! He is a record producer in addition to being a record star. He reserves the same studios the Monkees use and then he takes his own group there to record. This time Mike is directing the show—not singing in it. He tells the engineer how to turn the knobs on the control board and the musicians how to perform their songs. He listens to them over and over and suggests ways to make them the best possible.
The new house Permalink
Finally, the Nesmiths will be moving soon. Mike and Phyllis have bought a beautiful home in Bel Air which is being specially re-done just for them. When it’s finished it will be a real dream house—for Mike and Phyllis, Christian and the expected baby.
As you can see, there’s really not much that Mike leaves undone. Flying, buying, producing, planning, building—he’s truly a man on the move! And as soon as he thinks of some other goal to conquer, you can bet that Mike will be right there to see that it’s done!
