 In early 1995, The Monkees attended a ceremony at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood that was hosted by Rhino Records. The first five Monkees albums had been re-certified by the RIAA for platinum and multi-platinum sales, and the group were presented with plaques to commemorate the occasion. Shortly thereafter, Rhino offered replica awards as a limited edition item. Rich emailed some photos of his award, which can be seen below. It's labeled as #33 of 2500, and features a silver tone disc, dedication plaque, the band's autographs, and Monkees album cover reproductions. The piece measures 17.5" x 21.5" (including the frame). Thanks, Rich!     From the Monkees Tour Facebook page comes this notice:
UPDATE! For one night only on The Monkees' Tour, the Uptown Theatre show in Napa, CA will feature an opening presentation of rare and unseen Monkees films curated by Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval. This mini-festival of outtakes, promos and vintage commercials will be followed by The Monkees' full two-hour concert. California residents, join us for this cool one-off - it is the smallest venue on the tour and there are only a few hundred tickets left. To purchase tickets for this show, click here. A big thanks to Michael Lundy who took this photo of Michael's Gretsch guitar and Fender amp before the show in Philadelphia on July 20.  (Photo by Michael Lundy) Michael Lundy snapped this photo of the gear setup for Micky and Peter before the show in Philadelphia on July 20.  L to R: Micky's guitar, Peter's bass, Peter's Ode banjo and Peter's guitar (Photo by Michael Lundy) This article appeared in TV Guide when The Monkees were featured on the cover for the second time in the fall of 1967. Click on each image to enlarge.    Thanks to Al Bigley for scanning the article! The Monkees appeared on the cover of TV Guide twice in the 1960s:
In 1997 during the Justus era, TV Guide profiled the group in the weeks leading up to their 1997 television special and tour of the United Kingdom.
 Pre-show in St. Augustine, Florida The Monkees will complete a trio of concerts in the state of Florida this evening, the last East Coast dates on the tour, with a performance at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. This venue is no stranger to the group as Micky, Davy and Peter performed there previously in 1986, 1987, 1997, 2001 and 2011. Michael stopped there in 1992 as a part of his Tropical Campfires tour. The Monkees will then move to Texas for three shows in Austin, Houston and Grand Prairie this week.
Pictures and reviews from Florida have been scarce for some reason or another, but if you have anything to share from the shows, please feel free to contact me. There are some tickets still available for tonight's performance in Clearwater...click here to purchase.  New Monkees member Marty Ross was interviewed by Bill Groves in the July 1995 issue of Television Chronicles, which also included an extensive article about the short-lived group. For easier reading, click on each image and then click on it again.
If you wrote to Nez in the mid-1980s during the second wave of Monkeemania, this is the postcard you received back via the Pacific Arts Corporation.   Micky speaks about his musical influences, songwriting, Circus Boy, and looks back at his song "Mommy and Daddy" in a new interview with Examiner.com. Note that Micky says he played drums (and piano) on "Mommy and Daddy," apparently allowing us to add this song to the list of tracks where Micky was the drummer in the studio after the Headquarters sessions (the others being "The Door Into Summer" and "Cuddly Toy"). Fans have long speculated that Micky drummed on "Mommy and Daddy" as it sounds like his playing style, and Andrew Sandoval's book credits Micky as "possibly" playing drums on it (most likely because the session logs were incomplete or missing). It will be interesting to see if Andrew has updated the personnel listing for "Mommy and Daddy" in the upcoming deluxe edition of The Monkees Present. I love that song. I wrote it on my mom’s old piano at my little house up in Laurel Canyon. I don’t remember what exactly inspired me. I am part Native American Indian on my mom’s side. I was supporting their cause in the late ‘60s, which might have had something to do with it. It’s kind of a musical cousin to “Randy Scouse Git” in terms of the protest angle. Besides my vocals, I played drums and piano [August 1968] on the song and intended to include it on Instant Replay, our first album released after Peter left the band. However, Screen Gems music coordinator Lester Sill deemed my lyrics (e.g. “Ask your mommy and daddy who really killed J.F.K.?... Ask your mommy if she really gets off on all her pills”) too controversial for our teenage audience. These days it’s not so shocking. I’m eternally grateful that Mike encouraged me not to abandon the song, so I eventually rewrote it. The record label decided that it was acceptable, and it was finally released on our penultimate Colgems album, The Monkees Present [October 1969] in addition to being the B-side of Mike’s “Good Clean Fun.” The original, unedited version appeared decades later on the reissue of Monkees Present [Note: a lavish three-CD deluxe set chronicling the album sessions is slated for mid-August]. I’ve sang it a few times in concert, but that would have been a long, long time ago. I haven’t performed it recently. But never say never [laughs]. I always thought “Mommy and Daddy” was one of my best. -Micky Dolenz Peter joined Micky and Davy onstage at Hollywood's Starwood Club on March 24, 1977. Micky's sister, Coco, is in the background.  (Photo by Henry Diltz) The 2012 tour program is now available to purchase at the official Monkees store. The cost is $20 and can be ordered here.  The December 27, 1991 issue of Goldmine celebrated the 25th Anniversary of The Monkees with a cover story that included separate interviews with Micky, Michael, and Davy. In this interview with Micky, he discusses the Pool It! album, his solo career at that time, Circus Boy, and more. Also included is a review of his then current album, Micky Dolenz Puts You To Sleep, and a complete solo discography up to 1991. For easier reading, click on each image and then click on it again.       Michael's Gretsch is up front and center in the audio of this clip.... All photos by Derek Brad Photography |
Bob Rafelson
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