NOW, You Can Find Out, Too!
by Deana Martin
What is it like dating a Monkee? That’s a tough question to answer because when I’m with David, his being a Monkee doesn’t enter my mind. He’s too much of a regular guy for me to think about his being a Monkee.
I’ve received a lot of letters recently that say “you’re the luckiest girl in the world” and they say, “I’m only 13 years old and my mother says I’m too young to be in love with Davy Jones. But I know I love him. Do you think I’m too young?” And I sit down and answer these letters, because it’s something I feel I must do.
Easy to love Permalink
So I write back and say—so you’re 13 years old and you think you’re in love with Davy Jones. I don’t blame you ’cause he’s the nicest, one of the greatest people, I’ve ever met!
Just look at me, I’m 19 years old and I really like going out with him, so it’s possible for me to love him, so I can see how it would be possible for you to love him too!
Don’t listen to what other people say! Maybe one day you’ll meet him and then you’ll really find out. You can’t really tell from only what you see, but I’m sure if you did meet Davy you’d find out that you could really love him.
Different Davy Permalink
In liking Davy as I do, I feel I see a different Davy than the public does. In the Monkees’ series the writers write his character the way he really is, but he’s in a different frame of mind when we’re together. And I’ve never met an actor yet that didn’t have a somewhat different personality off stage.
When I see Davy he doesn’t have the other Monkees around and we just talk and watch television and he’s really fun. The most fun I have when I’m with him is when my dad is around. He and Davy really like each other and they joke with one another for hours.
Sometimes we’ll go out to dinner and Davy will be laughing hysterically, making jokes and having a great time. Dad can bring that out in a person. Dad has never really been that close with any of the boys I’ve dated before, but he really, really likes Davy. And that makes me happy because I like to make my father happy.
Davy’s secrets Permalink
One thing I think most people are unaware of is that Davy hates talking on the phone. He’s never said it, but when he calls it’s, “Deana?” and he doesn’t sound English at all over the phone. “Deana, hello, David,” and he laughs and says, “do you want to do this or that,” and I say, “Yeah, sure,” and he says, “Okay, see you at seven,” and hangs up. He doesn’t like telephones because you can’t see who you’re talking to, so he tries to avoid them.
He also loves putting people on, an awful lot, especially me. He’s always putting me on. I mean, I’ve never been nervous or embarrassed around anyone, but the minute David comes around he gives me some kind of look that I can’t even describe. It’s like he really knows what you’re thinking. That’s one thing about Davy—he really knows people, he likes people and he watches them.
Other girls Permalink
When you date a boy as popular as Davy, you have to make up your mind not to be upset when he dates other girls. Luckily, I’ve gotten used to this because I’ve dated other guys in the business. Still it’s hard sometimes.
Like we had been dating about once a week, when I had to leave and play some dates with the group I was in. Davy had come to our opening at the Whiskee and he came the next night. Then the following weekend I had to go to Phoenix with the group.
When I got back from Phoenix I heard on the news that David had taken Sally Field to New York for the “Zilch” opening. But when I got back I called Davy and said, “Hi, I’m back.” And he said, “When did you get back? Why didn’t you call me?” I said, “I just got back.”
Sally Field Permalink
So he explained it was Sally’s birthday that night and he was taking her out to dinner. I said, “Okay, that’s fine.” And he said, “By the way, I took Sally to the opening in New York.” I said, “Oh, that’s very nice, did you have a nice time?” And that’s all we said about it.
I couldn’t get upset with David because if I wouldn’t have been working he might have asked me or maybe not, you never know. I like Davy so much I just want him to be happy, ’cause he’s such a nice guy and we’re not going steady or anything.
My responsibilities Permalink
There are many things you have to cope with when you’re dating a personality like Davy—like David has his work, so he can’t stay out real late. He has so many interests, like the store, and his other business deals that I can’t expect to be with him all the time.
I really have to work at not being possessive. It’s a very hard thing to do when you really care for someone, but you work at it and get better. Like in the past years I’ve known that if I’d get an invitation to go to an opening or party, I’d automatically call my boyfriend and say “We’ve got a party tonight,” and that would be great.
But with David—I’ve got like a thousand invitations and he couldn’t possibly want to go to all of them, even if I did, so I have to sacrifice. You have to be able to understand this and cope with it. If you’re not ready to accept the hard facts, you’re not ready to get hung-up with someone like Davy.
Christmas time Permalink
One thing about Davy—he’s very hard to buy a present for. At Christmas I thought, “What can I possibly get him he doesn’t need clothes, he doesn’t need anything!” So he was over at our house one night and we have some glass decanters in the den that hold crackers and candies and David said to me, “Deana, do you know where your mother got these decanters? They’re really great looking.” I told him, “I don’t know.”
The next day I asked my mother and she said she had gotten them in a decorator shop in Beverly Hills. So I went to the shop and I was so relieved because I found something he really wanted. So I took them over the day before Christmas and he opened them and he thought they were fantastic.
Grooviest present Permalink
And we were sitting there and I said, “I got 22 presents and yours was the last.” And he’s sitting there checking off his Christmas list and he said, “I bought 22 presents and do you know who I haven’t got one for? You! What can I possibly get you?” I said, “David, I can’t help you. I’ve got all the things I need.”
So that night he was leaving for England and he came by the house and left a giant package. On Christmas morning it was the first thing I opened. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I did. It was the most beautiful music box I’ve ever seen!
It’s got little records and you wind up the box and it plays all the records. It’s big and it’s all in silver with delicate carvings on it. I think it’s such a beautiful gift because it’s something I’ll always be able to keep. It’s so like Davy to give a gift like that—he’s the most thoughtful person in the whole world!
[Magazine provided by Michael.]
