Dear Readers,
Peter really got after me the other day when he found some errors in my column and I wanted to set the record straight. It’s Chip Douglas yelling “I think you got it now, Micky” on their Headquarters album, not Peter. Also, in “The Book of Tao,” Tao is spelled T-a-o, not T-o-a. Have you found any mistakes in Monkee Spectacular? If so, let me know, because that’s the purpose of this column—to tell it like it is. Truth is beauty.
Love, Ann Moses
Q. When I was in Minneapolis on my vacation I read that Mike had seven cars. Is this true?
A. Mike has six cars—a Cadillac limousine, a Buick Riviera (navy blue with blacked out windows), a Pontiac GTO, a yellow jeep, a Dodge pick-up truck, and a Mini-cooper (brown with blacked out windows).
Q. What I was wondering was this—do you know, or could you ask Davy the story behind his beads? He wore them with almost every outfit during their live concert. They were tuff!
A. I did ask Davy about them, because I think they’re outasite too, and he told me he bought them on Kings Road in Chelsea, which is sort of the new Carnaby Street of London. Most of the groovy shops are there now. He just saw them in one of the men’s shops and dug them so much he bought them on the spot.
Q. I LUV the Monkees and I have no criticisms whatsoever about them, but I want to ask just one question. What are their true ages? I have heard all different answers and now I’m all confused.
A. We’ll set you straight. Davy was born on Dec. 30, 1945, he’s 22 years old. Peter was born on Feb. 13, 1942, he will be 26 this month; Micky was born on March 8, 1945, he’ll be 22 next month. Mike was born on Dec. 30, 1942, and he is 26 years old.
Q. My girlfriend and I are having a fight about Davy using vinegar to straighten his hair. Is this true or not?
A. Davy does nothing to his hair except wash it, comb it and occasionally have it cut. He doesn’t need to straighten it.
Q. My cousin says that the Monkee song, “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone”, was written by the Dave Clark Five. Please end our dispute by printing this.
A. “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. It was also recorded by Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Q. We recently read in a very reliable local radio magazine that Samantha Juste is quitting her job at the BBC TV in England and is moving to California to get married to Micky Dolenz. We are heartbroken. We are not trying to intrude in his life, but he’ll break the hearts of millions of girls. Before we jump to any conclusions, please tell us if this rumor is true. Please don’t try to hide the truth from us.
A. Part of what you wrote me was accurate, but part was not. I talked to Sammy on the Monkee set the other day and she told me she had quit her job at “Top of the Pops” and is now residing in Hollywood indefinitely. However, she and Micky are not married and have no definite plans to be married at this time.
Q. I heard Davy Jones got a crew cut and got a wig. Is it true?
A. No, that beautiful hair is all Davy’s. I’d like to see someone make a wig to look as shiny and nice as Davy’s real locks!
Q. In Tiger Beat and other magazines, I’ve seen Mike in sunglasses and regular glasses. My friends tell me he wears glasses because he can’t see very well without them, and he wears sunglasses because his eyes are sensitive to bright lights. Please tell me if these rumors are true. I also heard that Mike crashed his motorcycle and spent a whole week limping. I love Mike dearly and I have to know these things.
A. I have never seen Mike with regular prescription glasses, but just to be sure I did question him about his vision and this is what he told me: “My vision is so good I can see things that aren’t even there.” Mike doesn’t wear prescription glasses. He wears sunglasses just because he digs them. Also, he didn’t have an accident on his motorcycle.
Q. My girlfriend and I have heard that Peter used to play the role of “boy” in “Tarzan.” Is this true? If so, why keep it a secret?
A. Peter’s first professional acting role was with the Monkees. He didn’t play “boy” in “Tarzan.”
Q. I read that Davy Jones is a midget and wears elevator shoes. Is this true? And how tall is he really?
A. Davy is really 5'3" tall in his stocking feet. For the show he stands 5'5" because of the special boots he wears. Davy digs his height just as it is, but because of the tight camera shots, it’s important that his height be in proportion to the taller Monkees.
Q. I’ve heard a lot of rumors that Davy is left handed. Is he?
A. Davy is not left handed, but he did tell me he’s left footed. This means he can kick as hard and with equal control with his left foot as with his right. This comes from practicing soccer as a boy.
Q. I wanted to write and tell you that my family is moving to Japan. Do they have the Monkees over there? Please! Find out and tell me!
A. You are really in luck. The Monkees are planning a big tour of Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii just after the first of the year! Also, they are the biggest pop attraction in Japan right now, so once you learn to read Japanese, you can read all about them in the magazines there.
Q. My girlfriend and I are killing each other with the answers “yes” and “no.” Is Micky really joining the Beatles?
A. No, Micky is not joining the Beatles, though he admires them very, very much.
Q. Could you please tell me who wrote the words and the music to the songs “For Pete’s Sake” and “Valerie”?
A. Peter co-wrote “For Pete’s Sake” with his friend Joey Richards. “Valerie” was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.
Q. There is this rumor out in my town that says, when Davy’s and Peter’s hair was at its longest, they set it to make it look shorter. Of course we find this very hard to believe. Could you please set us straight? Did they?
A. When they both had slightly longer hair when the Monkees first started, the set hairdresser would sometimes curl the ends at the nape of the neck with hot rollers so it wouldn’t hang down on their necks. Now since Peter and Davy have shorter hair, all they need do is comb it.
Q. Does Davy play the drums on any of the Monkees’ releases? I’m wondering because on the show Davy was shown playing drums on “Words” and “Randy Scouse Git.” I hope you can answer this.
A. Davy didn’t play the drums on the studio recordings of those songs. The Monkees use several recording tracks for one song, so Micky can play his drums and have it recorded on one track, then record his vocals on another track. Davy does play the drums, and when Micky stands and takes the microphone of [sic] several songs, Davy takes over on drums.
Q. Why wasn’t Mike Nesmith on the Monkees’ show on October 16? It just wasn’t the same without him.
A. That show, called the “99 Pound Weakling,” was one of the shows the Monkees filmed before they left on tour last summer. The week they filmed that particular show, Mike was in the hospital having his tonsils out. Remember? I missed him too, but don’t worry, he’s in all the other shows, except one, shot while he was recovering.
Q. I read in a magazine that Phyllis is older than Mike and she is English. Please tell me this is not true; and how old is she?
A. Phyllis is not English, she was born in Texas of American parents. She turned 21 last September, so she’s not older than Mike.
Q. We would like to know who Peter’s stand-in is. Could you please tell us?
A. Yes, Peter’s official standin is David Pearl. David Price stands-in for Davy and Bruce Barbour, Mike’s brother-in-law, stands-in for him. Rick Klein has been Micky’s stand-in most recently. Actually, these boys stand-in for shots whenever they are needed on the set, not just when “their” Monkee is doing a scene.
Q. What color is Peter’s hair? I’m terribly confused. I’ve heard that it’s strawberry blond, light brown, dark blond, and very light blond. Would you please set me straight?
A. I like to think of Peter’s hair as dark blond, because to me there’s more blond there than brown. However, I thought the best authority on Peter’s hair color would be Peter himself. He calls his color light brown, but as you can see in the color photos in Monkee Spectacular, his hair looks different colors in different lights. I guess you’ll have to see him in person to decide for yourself. How does that sound?
Q. Did Davy Jones take Paul Petersen’s part as Jeff Stone on the “Donna Reed Show” for about six months?
A. Davy never appeared on the “Donna Reed Show,” though he did make a guest appearance on the “Ben Casey Show” before he was chosen for the Monkees series.
Q. On the latest Monkee album, “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones, Ltd.”, who sings lead on “Don’t Call On Me”?
A. Would you believe it’s Mike—with no special recording effects. He just sang very low and stood close to the microphone to get that beautiful soft sound you hear on “Don’t Call On Me.”
Q. I saw the Monkees in Greenwich Village in New York at the opening of Davy’s store, “Zilch.” They were just groovy. When they were leaning out the window I saw a cigarette in Peter’s hand. All the magazines I’ve read said that Peter had given up smoking. Has he started again?
A. No! You must have mistaken something in Peter’s hand for a cigarette. Peter used to smoke, as you mentioned, but he gave it up and hasn’t smoked for well over a year.
