Davy’s favorite form of relaxation is traveling, and whenever he has a free weekend, he usually manages to slip away to San Francisco, Palm Springs, Mexico City, Las Vegas or anywhere. But he never plans these trips; he might decide to go somewhere at 5 o’clock one Friday afternoon, and by 6 o’clock we’d be airborne.
I asked Davy why he preferred this spur of the moment method of traveling and he answered me by saying, “When I was a child my parents would spend months planning a vacation. It was decided beforehand exactly where we were to go, what clothes we were to wear, where we would stay, and how we would spend each and every minute of our trip. I don’t like to plan all these details. I like for things just to happen. I look upon my weekend jaunts as adventures, and too much planning would ruin the fun.”
At about 4 o’clock on a Friday afternoon Davy walked into the house and said, “I feel like going somewhere. Why don’t we all fly up to San Francisco? There’s a plane that leaves in and hour, so everybody grab a toothbrush and let’s go!”
I went upstairs and was busy packing when Davy walked in and said, “What are you doing with that suitcase? Just get dressed, put a toothbrush in your pocket, and we’ll leave. Don’t plan anything. Let’s just go like we are and see what happen!”
Davy way wearing a pair of brown leather pants, a matching fringed leather coat, a blue shirt, an Indian necklace made of beads, and dark brown suede boots. The rest of us were wearing everything from blue jeans to long Indian robes. Now I see why we got so many strange stares as we boarded the plane!
Once we were airborne, I decided to ask Davy a few questions which I hoped might be of interest to TiGER BEAT readers. The following is part of our conversation during the flight:
Question: What do you plan to do after the Monkees series is finished?
Davy: “I don’t really know yet. I hope I will continue to be in show business. We might make a series of movies, one with Peter, one with Mike, one with Micky and one with me. But these movies would not just be an extension of the television show. Each one would be different—one might be a western, another might be a war movie. Also, I plan to become a little more active in ‘Zilch’” (a string of clothing stores for young people which Davy owns). “I might even design some of the clothes.”
Question: Have you ever thought about getting married?
Davy: “Of course I have. And I will get married when the time is right. But right now my schedule is too hectic to even think about marriage. The tours, recording sessions, and the show don’t leave me much time at home. It’s not that I have anything against marriage; it’s just that the time is not right.”
At that moment San Francisco came into view, and our conversation ended. After we landed Davy rented a bright red convertible and we headed for Sausalito (a district in San Francisco famous for its shops and its food).
We ate dinner at a beautiful but tiny restaurant in Sausalito. Everyone else had lobster and steak, but Davy ordered kidney pie. Ah, those crazy English!
After dinner we went to a small jazz club to hear Wes Montgomery. He was even better than we had expected!
Finally, we trudged back to the hotel and, after a brief pillow and water fight in which I was the undisputed loser, we all fell asleep.
The next morning we went shopping for furniture. Davy bought an antique Spanish coffee table, a huge bamboo chair, some very tall bamboo bar chairs, a huge brass horn to be hung from the ceiling, some oriental rugs, and a box of scented candles. Davy loves oriental furniture and he plans to furnish his home, at least partially, with oriental furniture.
After lunch Davy and I decided to go for a trolley ride in order to see the scenery. I had never been to San Francisco before, and the beauty of that city completely astounded me. It is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cities in America. I asked Davy why he liked San Francisco and he said, “The people here seem more content with themselves. Nobody seems to be in a hurry. It’s a peaceful city, a good place to relax and think.”
But all good things must come to an end, and we son found ourselves airborne again headed back for Los Angeles. On the plane we discussed our trip and traveling in general. Davy said, “In England a trip of four or five hundred miles is considered quite a lengthy journey. But here no one thinks twice about traveling two or three thousand miles in a single weekend. The fact that it is so easy to travel is one of the things I like about America. Even though my schedule is tight, I can still manage to take one or two trips per month.”
Finally, just as the plane was landing at the Los Angeles airport, I asked Davy where he planned to to go n his next weekend excursion. He answered me by saying, “I don’t know; I might go anywhere. Sometimes I like to go to small towns that I’ve never heard of. It’s fun to travel to small out-of-the-way places.”
So be on the lookout in your town. If you see a group of strangely dressed people wearing everything from Indian robes to blue jeans, Davy Jones just might be in the group. And if he is, don’t be shy; go talk to him. Davy doesn’t travel to see different scenery or different places; he travels to meet and talk to different people.
Maybe next weekend he’ll be talking to you! Who knows?
