How would you like to live next door to the Monkees? Here’s the scoop on what it’s like!
Monkee neighbors come in two categories—the kind who can’t wait to tell everyone they know that the Monkees live nearby and the kind who don’t want to say anything for fear that people will bother the guys, which is the last thing any of the Monkees need when they already do the work of two people.
So that no one will be sneaky enough to look up the addresses of the Monkee neighbors and then figure out where the Monkees live, we promised not to give out their last names.
Davy’s neighbor Permalink
Scott K. is a college student who works part time for a Hollywood record store and used to live in the same apartment building as Davy. In fact, Scott still lives in the same apartment but Davy has moved.
“I first saw Davy when he was moving in,” Scott recalls. “He was carrying something really big and all I could see was this huge picture or something with two legs under it. I was studying and I thought maybe I’d been at it too long until I blinked twice and the package with legs didn’t go away. As it turns out, it was Davy.
“A couple of days later I was trying to make some pancakes and had everything together but I didn’t have an egg. It was really early in the morning—I had an exam and I’d gotten up early to study—and I didn’t think anyone in the apartment building would be up.
“I stuck my head out the door to check and just then I saw Davy walk out of his apartment. We’d waved at each other a few times and so I was about to call after him when he turned, like he’d forgotten something, and went back into his apartment.
“I walked over and asked if he had an egg and he said he’d just eaten the last one this morning himself. He was turning off his stereo—that’s what he’d forgotten—and Davy suggested I try another apartment down the hall.
“I never really got to know Davy very well. He was so busy I couldn’t believe it, but we always waved at each other in greeting when we met at places like the garage or mailboxes.
“The manager was always telling me what an ideal tenant Davy was except for once in awhile when he played his stereo too loud. But then, in Hollywood everyone plays their stereo loud. It’s the only way.”
Nesmith house Permalink
Paula M. is 16 and lives down the street from Mike and Phyllis Nesmith. She says she doesn’t like to talk about the Monkees too much because she likes them on the show and isn’t certain she really wants to know them as people.
“I don’t think I could take it,” she says. “I see Mike and Phyllis driving down the street with their kids sometimes and it’s hard to believe Mike is the guy I see on the screen.
“Besides, my father gave me a big lecture about how stars are also people and I shouldn’t bother them because they have their own lives to live.
“He’s right, too. I mentioned to some girlfriends that Mike lived up the street and they nearly flipped! They started coming over and then walking up to Mike’s house and hanging around in front, being a nuisance and talking and laughing very loudly to attract attention.
“Boy, my father got mad when he found that out, so now I don’t mention it to people. It’s my own secret. Besides, now both Phyllis and Mike sometimes wave and I wouldn’t want to spoil that.
“They have two sons to raise and all and I wouldn’t want people bugging me if I were busy. Besides, Mike is gone a lot and Phyllis is alone.”
Peter’s pad Permalink
Arnie T. is a musician and lives about two houses away from Peter. Arnie is out of town a lot and doesn’t see much of Peter but when he’s in town, he says, he sees Peter driving in and out of “The Hills,” the name they’ve given the area where they both live.
“Peter doesn’t like to go out much, I don’t think. He’s afraid he’ll cause trouble in stores and places so he stays at home except to go to the studio.
“But people come over all the time to Peter’s place. I see members of rock groups and their friends walking in and out quite often. Parking is a problem so they are always trying to find somewhere to park their fabulous, really fabulous, cars.
“Sometimes I think Peter has a whole tribe living at his pad, but I guess that’s just because so many people are always visiting. They don’t run around on the street riding skateboards or anything but I do hear the stereo a lot. I’ve been told Peter has two huge stereo speakers and boy, do they put out a sound!
“I don’t get bugged about it but it’s a good thing little old ladies don’t live in the neighborhood. I don’t think they could take Jimi Hendrix at midnight.”
Micky’s mansion Permalink
Chuck B., who lives on the same street as Micky Dolenz, says Micky’s place is sometimes a show in itself.
“When he first moved in, it was wild! Micky was always driving a go-cart or Honda or something in the middle of the street. Once someone must have given him a pair of roller skates because, honest, I saw him skating down the hill.
“All the houses up here are pretty rustic looking and Micky’s place is no exception. I always check it out when I drive past and sometimes I see flowers in the window or films being projected on the wall like a light show or something. I wonder if he has one of those miniature light machines?
“Every once in awhile I’ll be out walking and I’ll go past and hear pounding coming from the house so I know that Micky is working on one of his projects. That guy does more in his spare time than I do all day at work.
“I can always tell when Micky is gone because the place just seems deserted. I sort of keep an eye on it, though I’ve never mentioned it to Micky—as a good neighbor policy or something. We’ve had some burglaries in the area so if I ever saw someone trying to climb in the window or something, I’d call the police.
“It’s great having a Monkee for a neighbor. My little sister, who lives at home with my parents, practically puts me on a pedestal. And her girlfriends are always bugging me for pictures of his house.”
