Tell Me :
Talk
Steve Stills told him, not Browne. Actually, Stills told the producers (Rafelson and Schneider) about Tork "Well, there's this guy I know who kinda looks like me and is a good musician." Nesmith heard about it from Frazier Mohawk (Barry Friedman), an L.A. sort of jack-of-all-trades, producer, ran the Troubadour, helped the Springfield in their first few gigs. It was a small community back then, really.
Stills told the producers - but Jackson told me himself he had heard of the audition and told him to go up to hollywood to give it a shot
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-03-01 05:02 by hbwriter.
Indeed. It is close to 50 years ago (whew!). Browne has mentioned a few times hanging out at Tork's place (where the Stones '69 crew hung out) with "naked chicks in the pool" and all that. Van Dyke Parks also auditioned (whom the produces liked) as did Bobby "Boris" Pickett (deemed too old).
The reason they rejected Stills was because of his bad teeth
Me, too. It's been a very sad day. I was born in '65, so I wasn't around for the TV show's original run, but still played the heck out of my older brothers' Monkees records when I was a kid, and have been a fan the last 40 years or so. Finally got to see Davy, Micky and Peter last summer...only time I ever saw any of them in concert...so glad I did.
Yes and no. Stills has always said "they could have fixed my teeth" but there's more to it than that. Stills said he wanted to write songs for the show but found out they had Boyce & Hart ready to go. The real reason is that, according to the producers, he didn't have the craziness they were looking for. He was a bit timid. According to the Buffalo Springfield book, he was VERY disappointed on not getting the gig.
He never made it to the taped audition stage.
I think that's probably true. In fact Sit Down I Think I Love You, the Springfield tune, I noticed, has a Screen Gems copyright on it, which I've always wondered about.
Doesn't matter. If he was chosen, he would have made a mint.
Davy singing this song brought a few tears to my eyes, he still sang it so nicely after all these years, remembering when it first aired in one of their first episodes on TV...so long ago. This video is a perfect tribute to Davy. Thanks for posting this.
Seeing clips like this is what makes this site so special. Thanks so much for sharing Chris. It brought a tear to my eye.
+and+Colin+Lomax+(Davy+Jones)+in+Coronation+Street,+1961)
"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"
Silver- a pleasure - brings a tear to mine, as well - what a special night this was - my wife was nervous about meeting him - really loved him - and he talked her ear off for half an hour
Marsha Brady?
Just kidding. I loved the Monkees (and Marsha Brady).
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-03-01 16:25 by Elmo Lewis.
me too
Talk about your favorite band.
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Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
tomk
()
Date: March 1, 2012 04:33
Quote
hbwriter
Tork was down here in huntington beach - a dishwasher at the old golden bear - until jackson browne told him an audition up in hollywood....
Steve Stills told him, not Browne. Actually, Stills told the producers (Rafelson and Schneider) about Tork "Well, there's this guy I know who kinda looks like me and is a good musician." Nesmith heard about it from Frazier Mohawk (Barry Friedman), an L.A. sort of jack-of-all-trades, producer, ran the Troubadour, helped the Springfield in their first few gigs. It was a small community back then, really.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
spsimmons
()
Date: March 1, 2012 04:38
What a bummer. I loved the Monkees.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
Thru and Thru
()
Date: March 1, 2012 04:51
This is so sad, I used to love the Monkees back in the day. I just read in the paper last weekend that he had several concerts scheduled in my area in a few months' time. RIP, angels on your shoulder.
Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind...
Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind...
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
hbwriter
()
Date: March 1, 2012 05:02
Quote
tomkQuote
hbwriter
Tork was down here in huntington beach - a dishwasher at the old golden bear - until jackson browne told him an audition up in hollywood....
Steve Stills told him, not Browne. Actually, Stills told the producers (Rafelson and Schneider) about Tork "Well, there's this guy I know who kinda looks like me and is a good musician." Nesmith heard about it from Frazier Mohawk (Barry Friedman), an L.A. sort of jack-of-all-trades, producer, ran the Troubadour, helped the Springfield in their first few gigs. It was a small community back then, really.
Stills told the producers - but Jackson told me himself he had heard of the audition and told him to go up to hollywood to give it a shot
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-03-01 05:02 by hbwriter.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
tomk
()
Date: March 1, 2012 05:04
If anything else, Jones was probably the first person to say "sh**" on American TV.
This tape of his audition was broadcast on a Monkees episode in early 1967, and the censor missed it. At about :36.
This tape of his audition was broadcast on a Monkees episode in early 1967, and the censor missed it. At about :36.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
hbwriter
()
Date: March 1, 2012 05:19
but hey, who knowsQuote
hbwriterQuote
tomkQuote
hbwriter
Tork was down here in huntington beach - a dishwasher at the old golden bear - until jackson browne told him an audition up in hollywood....
Steve Stills told him, not Browne. Actually, Stills told the producers (Rafelson and Schneider) about Tork "Well, there's this guy I know who kinda looks like me and is a good musician." Nesmith heard about it from Frazier Mohawk (Barry Friedman), an L.A. sort of jack-of-all-trades, producer, ran the Troubadour, helped the Springfield in their first few gigs. It was a small community back then, really.
Stills told the producers - but Jackson told me himself he had heard of the audition and told him to go up to hollywood to give it a shot
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
71Tele
()
Date: March 1, 2012 05:35
Very moved by all the posts here. Didn't think this would affect me that much, but it did.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
tomk
()
Date: March 1, 2012 05:41
Quote
hbwriterbut hey, who knowsQuote
hbwriterQuote
tomkQuote
hbwriter
Tork was down here in huntington beach - a dishwasher at the old golden bear - until jackson browne told him an audition up in hollywood....
Steve Stills told him, not Browne. Actually, Stills told the producers (Rafelson and Schneider) about Tork "Well, there's this guy I know who kinda looks like me and is a good musician." Nesmith heard about it from Frazier Mohawk (Barry Friedman), an L.A. sort of jack-of-all-trades, producer, ran the Troubadour, helped the Springfield in their first few gigs. It was a small community back then, really.
Stills told the producers - but Jackson told me himself he had heard of the audition and told him to go up to hollywood to give it a shot
Indeed. It is close to 50 years ago (whew!). Browne has mentioned a few times hanging out at Tork's place (where the Stones '69 crew hung out) with "naked chicks in the pool" and all that. Van Dyke Parks also auditioned (whom the produces liked) as did Bobby "Boris" Pickett (deemed too old).
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
loog droog
()
Date: March 1, 2012 05:46
Quote
tomkQuote
hbwriterbut hey, who knowsQuote
hbwriterQuote
tomkQuote
hbwriter
Tork was down here in huntington beach - a dishwasher at the old golden bear - until jackson browne told him an audition up in hollywood....
Steve Stills told him, not Browne. Actually, Stills told the producers (Rafelson and Schneider) about Tork "Well, there's this guy I know who kinda looks like me and is a good musician." Nesmith heard about it from Frazier Mohawk (Barry Friedman), an L.A. sort of jack-of-all-trades, producer, ran the Troubadour, helped the Springfield in their first few gigs. It was a small community back then, really.
Stills told the producers - but Jackson told me himself he had heard of the audition and told him to go up to hollywood to give it a shot
Indeed. It is close to 50 years ago (whew!). Browne has mentioned a few times hanging out at Tork's place (where the Stones '69 crew hung out) with "naked chicks in the pool" and all that. Van Dyke Parks also auditioned (whom the produces liked) as did Bobby "Boris" Pickett (deemed too old).
The reason they rejected Stills was because of his bad teeth
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
Jah Paul
()
Date: March 1, 2012 05:47
Quote
71Tele
Very moved by all the posts here. Didn't think this would affect me that much, but it did.
Me, too. It's been a very sad day. I was born in '65, so I wasn't around for the TV show's original run, but still played the heck out of my older brothers' Monkees records when I was a kid, and have been a fan the last 40 years or so. Finally got to see Davy, Micky and Peter last summer...only time I ever saw any of them in concert...so glad I did.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
tomk
()
Date: March 1, 2012 06:23
Quote
loog droogQuote
tomkQuote
hbwriterbut hey, who knowsQuote
hbwriterQuote
tomkQuote
hbwriter
Tork was down here in huntington beach - a dishwasher at the old golden bear - until jackson browne told him an audition up in hollywood....
Steve Stills told him, not Browne. Actually, Stills told the producers (Rafelson and Schneider) about Tork "Well, there's this guy I know who kinda looks like me and is a good musician." Nesmith heard about it from Frazier Mohawk (Barry Friedman), an L.A. sort of jack-of-all-trades, producer, ran the Troubadour, helped the Springfield in their first few gigs. It was a small community back then, really.
Stills told the producers - but Jackson told me himself he had heard of the audition and told him to go up to hollywood to give it a shot
Indeed. It is close to 50 years ago (whew!). Browne has mentioned a few times hanging out at Tork's place (where the Stones '69 crew hung out) with "naked chicks in the pool" and all that. Van Dyke Parks also auditioned (whom the produces liked) as did Bobby "Boris" Pickett (deemed too old).
The reason they rejected Stills was because of his bad teeth
Yes and no. Stills has always said "they could have fixed my teeth" but there's more to it than that. Stills said he wanted to write songs for the show but found out they had Boyce & Hart ready to go. The real reason is that, according to the producers, he didn't have the craziness they were looking for. He was a bit timid. According to the Buffalo Springfield book, he was VERY disappointed on not getting the gig.
He never made it to the taped audition stage.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
keefriffhard4life
()
Date: March 1, 2012 06:26
actually i thought Stills said he had to sign over the rights to any songs he wrote
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
tomk
()
Date: March 1, 2012 06:35
Quote
keefriffhard4life
actually i thought Stills said he had to sign over the rights to any songs he wrote
I think that's probably true. In fact Sit Down I Think I Love You, the Springfield tune, I noticed, has a Screen Gems copyright on it, which I've always wondered about.
Doesn't matter. If he was chosen, he would have made a mint.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
Blue
()
Date: March 1, 2012 06:40
Quote
hbwriter
last year a good friend of mine turned 50 - he had a lovely party, small gathering of interesting people -including Davy - this was us in the office, middle of the night, with my friend playing guitar and Davy singing (this, after a living room concert)
Davy was so gracious this night regaling us with great stories- Henry Diltz, the photographer was there too and was very interesting- told me all about those amsterdam shots of the stones he got when still sat in around '70
Davy singing this song brought a few tears to my eyes, he still sang it so nicely after all these years, remembering when it first aired in one of their first episodes on TV...so long ago. This video is a perfect tribute to Davy. Thanks for posting this.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
The Sicilian
()
Date: March 1, 2012 08:01
I was at work today while my supervisor was pulling up a screen for me on his machine when I saw the story on MSN over his shoulder and told him to wait and go back. We both reflected on it. Very sad to hear.
Davy played one of the last 4th of July festivals on the waterfront in LaSalle Park in Buffalo some years ago.
Davy played one of the last 4th of July festivals on the waterfront in LaSalle Park in Buffalo some years ago.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
Green Lady
()
Date: March 1, 2012 08:34
Oh, that's a shame. All those Monkees clips remind me of my teenage years - I enjoyed that show a lot, and had Davy Jones's picture on my bedroom wall. Thank you, Davy, for giving us a lot of happy memories.
(and yes, I remember him being the Artful Dodger - thanks for the clip, Deltics )
(and yes, I remember him being the Artful Dodger - thanks for the clip, Deltics )
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
hbwriter
()
Date: March 1, 2012 09:08
Quote
Blueby the way, if you notice Davy's shoes in this clips - and my friend Seth's attire - it was Seth's 50th and the theme was sort of vintage 1960s retro - it explains Davy's wife's wig, as well - and go go outfit - ringo was supposedly on his way, too - but caught up in something else - but this was some partyQuote
hbwriter
last year a good friend of mine turned 50 - he had a lovely party, small gathering of interesting people -including Davy - this was us in the office, middle of the night, with my friend playing guitar and Davy singing (this, after a living room concert)
Davy was so gracious this night regaling us with great stories- Henry Diltz, the photographer was there too and was very interesting- told me all about those amsterdam shots of the stones he got when still sat in around '70
Davy singing this song brought a few tears to my eyes, he still sang it so nicely after all these years, remembering when it first aired in one of their first episodes on TV...so long ago. This video is a perfect tribute to Davy. Thanks for posting this.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
Silver Dagger
()
Date: March 1, 2012 11:06
Quote
hbwriter
last year a good friend of mine turned 50 - he had a lovely party, small gathering of interesting people -including Davy - this was us in the office, middle of the night, with my friend playing guitar and Davy singing (this, after a living room concert)
Davy was so gracious this night regaling us with great stories- Henry Diltz, the photographer was there too and was very interesting- told me all about those amsterdam shots of the stones he got when still sat in around '70
Seeing clips like this is what makes this site so special. Thanks so much for sharing Chris. It brought a tear to my eye.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
GravityBoy
()
Date: March 1, 2012 13:14
The clip is great.
Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for sharing it.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
Adrian-L
()
Date: March 1, 2012 13:34
Ena Sharples grandson is no more & the world is a sadder place for it. RIP
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
Deltics
()
Date: March 1, 2012 13:36
Quote
Adrian-L
Ena Sharples grandson is no more & the world is a sadder place for it. RIP
"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
hbwriter
()
Date: March 1, 2012 15:48
Quote
Silver DaggerQuote
hbwriter
last year a good friend of mine turned 50 - he had a lovely party, small gathering of interesting people -including Davy - this was us in the office, middle of the night, with my friend playing guitar and Davy singing (this, after a living room concert)
Davy was so gracious this night regaling us with great stories- Henry Diltz, the photographer was there too and was very interesting- told me all about those amsterdam shots of the stones he got when still sat in around '70
Seeing clips like this is what makes this site so special. Thanks so much for sharing Chris. It brought a tear to my eye.
Silver- a pleasure - brings a tear to mine, as well - what a special night this was - my wife was nervous about meeting him - really loved him - and he talked her ear off for half an hour
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
Elmo Lewis
()
Date: March 1, 2012 16:05
Quote
hbwriter
btw - that gorgeous blonde at the end is Davy's wife
Marsha Brady?
Just kidding. I loved the Monkees (and Marsha Brady).
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-03-01 16:25 by Elmo Lewis.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
hbwriter
()
Date: March 1, 2012 16:41
Quote
Elmo LewisQuote
hbwriter
btw - that gorgeous blonde at the end is Davy's wife
Marsha Brady?
Just kidding. I loved the Monkees (and Marsha Brady).
me too
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
dannyhowells
()
Date: March 1, 2012 16:58
Head is one of the most out-there rock movies I've ever seen .. I love it.
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
steffiestones
()
Date: March 1, 2012 16:58
The monkees had great tunes!!!
Davy RIP
Davy RIP
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
loog droog
()
Date: March 1, 2012 19:00
Here's a very nice piece about Davy by Robert Lloyd that appeared in today's L.A. Times.
Davy Jones, who died Wednesday of a heart attack at the age of 66, was, from 1965 and on and off for the rest of his life, a member of the Monkees, a pop group invented for a television show: "Davy, the little short English one," as bandmate Micky Dolenz described him in one episode of "The Monkees," which ran from 1966 to 1968 on NBC.
Designed to channel the energy of the Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" into an American sitcom, it was at once a product of old-school show business and an emerging Hollywood counterculture, created by Bob Rafelson, who would direct "Five Easy Pieces," "The King of Marvin Gardens" (and the revisionist Monkees movie, "Head," co-written by Rafelson and Jack Nicholson) and Bert Schneider, who would produce those movies along with "Easy Rider" and "The Last Picture Show." A human cartoon whose main attraction was the self-aware naturalism of its leads, the show was of two worlds, and, to a remarkable extent, was successful in each.
Although their success was undoubtedly an influence, it is too much to class the Monkees with such subsequent whole-cloth pop creations as the Archies, the Banana Splits, Josie & the Pussycats, the Partridge Family and, some would say, the Spice Girls -- though it is clearly the model on which Nickelodeon's successful, and not bad at all, "Big Time Rush" is based. Pop has always had its industrial wing. The band was itself split between, as it were, the raw and the cooked. Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork were Sunset Strip cowboys who came to the project as musicians looking for a break; Jones and Dolenz were actors. Dolenz had already starred in his own TV series, "Circus Boy," and Jones had been in the business since the age of 11; he'd worked on British television before taking over the role of the Artful Dodger in the musical "Oliver!" on the London stage. He coincidentally appeared with its Broadway cast on "The Ed Sullivan Show" the night the Beatles made their American television debut there, in February 1964.
When "The Monkees" went into pre-production, Jones was already signed to Screen Gems, the TV arm of Columbia Pictures, which produced the series, and recording for its record label, Colpix, a multimedia strategy that was not uncommon then and is standard practice now, in the post-Miley Cyrus world of tween television. Still, in the world the Beatles remade, it had become newly important for musicians to write the songs they sang, and to play the instruments on their records, and to be the people they seemed to say they were.
The question of whether the Monkees were a "real" band is a question -- a false question, the history of pop repeatedly shows -- that dogged them from the beginning; indeed, it was an issue between the group and their bosses, and within the group itself. (They came to actual blows at times over their meaning and direction; but such disunity is something they share with every band that ever was.) It has been enough to some to keep them out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and yet to the many more who watched their show, bought their records and, as late as last year, attended their concerts, it is entirely beside the point.
In Beatle terms, Jones was the Paul, the cute one, the one who sang the pretty melodies and let his music-hall roots show; he could dance, as well as sing. ("I Wanna Be Free," "Daydream Believer," "Valleri," "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," and the Harry Nilsson-penned "Cuddly Toy" were among the songs on which he took the lead.) His Englishness, at a time when pop consciousness was dominated by the Fab Four -- many young American musicians who would have considered themselves authentic to the core strove to sound as if they were just off the boat from Britain -- gave the Monkees a kind of Limey cred.
That he was short -- at 5-foot-3, he had apprenticed as a jockey -- just made him a more comfortable fit for the daydreams of the little girls who bought Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine and pasted his picture on their walls or in their scrapbooks; he was a pre-teen idol, and the series' designated romantic lead. (If in Marx Brothers terms -- the other great influence on "The Monkees" -- this made him Zeppo, he also got his fair share of comedy to play.)
Still, becoming famous as a version of yourself is a hard legacy to escape. As a performer in subsequent years, Jones was often asked to play Jones: Once a Monkee, always a Monkee. Did this bother him? I don't know. But when there was Monkee business to do, he always showed up smiling.
[latimesblogs.latimes.com]
Davy Jones, who died Wednesday of a heart attack at the age of 66, was, from 1965 and on and off for the rest of his life, a member of the Monkees, a pop group invented for a television show: "Davy, the little short English one," as bandmate Micky Dolenz described him in one episode of "The Monkees," which ran from 1966 to 1968 on NBC.
Designed to channel the energy of the Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" into an American sitcom, it was at once a product of old-school show business and an emerging Hollywood counterculture, created by Bob Rafelson, who would direct "Five Easy Pieces," "The King of Marvin Gardens" (and the revisionist Monkees movie, "Head," co-written by Rafelson and Jack Nicholson) and Bert Schneider, who would produce those movies along with "Easy Rider" and "The Last Picture Show." A human cartoon whose main attraction was the self-aware naturalism of its leads, the show was of two worlds, and, to a remarkable extent, was successful in each.
Although their success was undoubtedly an influence, it is too much to class the Monkees with such subsequent whole-cloth pop creations as the Archies, the Banana Splits, Josie & the Pussycats, the Partridge Family and, some would say, the Spice Girls -- though it is clearly the model on which Nickelodeon's successful, and not bad at all, "Big Time Rush" is based. Pop has always had its industrial wing. The band was itself split between, as it were, the raw and the cooked. Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork were Sunset Strip cowboys who came to the project as musicians looking for a break; Jones and Dolenz were actors. Dolenz had already starred in his own TV series, "Circus Boy," and Jones had been in the business since the age of 11; he'd worked on British television before taking over the role of the Artful Dodger in the musical "Oliver!" on the London stage. He coincidentally appeared with its Broadway cast on "The Ed Sullivan Show" the night the Beatles made their American television debut there, in February 1964.
When "The Monkees" went into pre-production, Jones was already signed to Screen Gems, the TV arm of Columbia Pictures, which produced the series, and recording for its record label, Colpix, a multimedia strategy that was not uncommon then and is standard practice now, in the post-Miley Cyrus world of tween television. Still, in the world the Beatles remade, it had become newly important for musicians to write the songs they sang, and to play the instruments on their records, and to be the people they seemed to say they were.
The question of whether the Monkees were a "real" band is a question -- a false question, the history of pop repeatedly shows -- that dogged them from the beginning; indeed, it was an issue between the group and their bosses, and within the group itself. (They came to actual blows at times over their meaning and direction; but such disunity is something they share with every band that ever was.) It has been enough to some to keep them out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and yet to the many more who watched their show, bought their records and, as late as last year, attended their concerts, it is entirely beside the point.
In Beatle terms, Jones was the Paul, the cute one, the one who sang the pretty melodies and let his music-hall roots show; he could dance, as well as sing. ("I Wanna Be Free," "Daydream Believer," "Valleri," "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," and the Harry Nilsson-penned "Cuddly Toy" were among the songs on which he took the lead.) His Englishness, at a time when pop consciousness was dominated by the Fab Four -- many young American musicians who would have considered themselves authentic to the core strove to sound as if they were just off the boat from Britain -- gave the Monkees a kind of Limey cred.
That he was short -- at 5-foot-3, he had apprenticed as a jockey -- just made him a more comfortable fit for the daydreams of the little girls who bought Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine and pasted his picture on their walls or in their scrapbooks; he was a pre-teen idol, and the series' designated romantic lead. (If in Marx Brothers terms -- the other great influence on "The Monkees" -- this made him Zeppo, he also got his fair share of comedy to play.)
Still, becoming famous as a version of yourself is a hard legacy to escape. As a performer in subsequent years, Jones was often asked to play Jones: Once a Monkee, always a Monkee. Did this bother him? I don't know. But when there was Monkee business to do, he always showed up smiling.
[latimesblogs.latimes.com]
Re: RIP Davy Jones
Posted by:
24FPS
()
Date: March 1, 2012 19:14
I was at just the right age, 12, when the Monkees came on the scene. The Beatles were moving beyond me and the Monkees enabled us to hang on to the more jangly pop Beatles era a little while longer. 'Last Train to Clarksville' was a perfect debut. I've also been surprisingly sad about Davey Jones death. I can't imagine being that deeply affected by the others in the group passing. I guess I was a sucker for Davey's upbeat persona. That English 'chins up, boys' kind of thing.
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