Review of Monkees Town Hall on SiriusXM

On May 16, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork participated in a Town Hall event for SiriusXM Satellite Radio in Nashville, Tennessee. The first airing of the special occurred this afternoon at 5PM ET. Here's a rundown:

• Host Felix Cavaliere (of The Rascals) talked about the chart domination of the first two Monkees albums. Micky gave credit to the team that produced and wrote the albums, including Michael Nesmith.
• Felix asked about The Monkees’ partnership with Jimi Hendrix. Micky and Peter recalled their friendship with the legendary guitarist.
• Micky spoke about attending sessions for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and shared his usual stories about interacting with John Lennon in the studio.
• Bill from Spring Hill, Tennessee asked Micky to talk about “Randy Scouse Git.” Micky recalled writing the song on the guitar and its references to The Beatles, Mama Cass, and Samantha Juste.
• Joseph from Nashville, Tennessee asked Peter about the first Monkees recording session. Peter said he showed up with his guitar and was devastated when told that it wouldn’t be needed since the backing tracks had already  been completed.
• Bruce asked Micky, Michael, and Peter to share their memories of Davy Jones. Michael said that he and Davy shared a lot of time laughing, and that Davy always had great jokes.  “My recollection of him is a lot of smiles and laughter.” Michael also told a story about how he and Davy purchased a Jeep together in the early days. Micky talked about sharing a love of horses with Davy and recalled the first time Davy encouraged him to ride. "I just loved the guy," Peter said. "He was really extraordinary, and had great musicality."  "He was a great song and dance man," Nez added. 
• Crystal from Kentucky asked The Monkees what they would be doing if they weren’t a Monkee. Micky talked about his study of architecture during the pre-Monkees era and guessed that he would be an architect. Peter noted his love of folk music and speculated that he would still be a performer. Nez said his first craft was writing songs and poetry, and like Peter, he’d be doing the same thing, because that’s what he continues to do today.
• Sharon from Cherry Hill asked what Monkees cut they would have selected as a single. Peter responded and chose "Shades of Gray" and "Randy Scouse Git."
• Host Cavaliere asked The Monkees about when they first took over the reigns of their musical output, which started a lengthy discussion about this time period in Monkees history. Michael credited support from Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, and then started to speak about the genesis of The Monkees as a live act and juggling all of these tasks while also filming a television series. Nez said that The Monkees initially decided they could do everything, but after Headquarters, they discovered that it was too overwhelming and that there wasn’t enough time in the day.
• Tom from Tennessee asked Michael about what he was promised regarding musical control at the start of the Monkees  project. Nez referred to Peter’s earlier assumption that he was being hired to write, produce, and sing music for a television show. He was later “heartbroken” when the production team said that people like Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were completing most of the musical processes. Michael also credited Micky for helping him work on his acting skills and then said in character, “He’s gone!”, referencing an old gag from The Monkees' TV show.
• “Love to Love” from Good Times! was played, despite host Cavaliere saying that they were going to listen to “Me & Magdalena.”
• Paula asked Peter if he ever thought The Monkees would actually become a touring band that went out on the road.  He credited Rafelson & Schneider for being true fans of the Monkees project and encouraging the group to shoot for the stars.  Both Micky and Michael concurred and talked about how Raybert embraced each of the Monkees and expected the best from them, and that The Monkees returned that dedication.
• “Your Auntie Grizelda” was played.
• Laura from Nashville asked Michael how it felt to be such a memorable part of so many people’s childhoods. Nez gave a heartfelt response. “It’s spiritual in a way,” he said.
• Cassandra from Nashville asked Peter about his best road story. He deflected and said the best could not be shared on radio! Peter instead talked about playing “Sunny Girlfriend” while on tour in Japan in 1968 and “hitting the pocket” onstage, and what a  wonderful moment it was to share with Micky, Michael, and Davy. Peter then said how he remembered Davy, banging his tambourine, bounced over to him during this performance and shouted, “We’re going to form a group!”
• “You Bring the Summer” was advertised as being the next song to be heard, but “I Know What I Know” was aired!
• Cavaliere asked about the new album, Good Times!  Peter mentioned how all of The Monkees contributed new material and proceeded to run though the other songwriters who will be included.
• “Rhino is doing a great job” regarding the promotion of the album, Michael said.  Nez is “thrilled” with the new songs, and gave credit to producer Adam Schlesinger.
• Micky mentioned that The Monkees would visit Australia and New Zealand on the 50th Anniversary Tour.

If you are a subscriber to SiriusXM, you can do a search for "Monkees" and listen to the Town Hall on demand. Or, you can hear a repeat of the show at the following times:

Schedule and Airtimes for Monkees Town Hall on SiriusXM