Even after more than four decades, Micky Dolenz still doesn’t see himself as a Monkee. Well, not entirely, anyway.
“I don’t consider it in those terms,” he tells John J. Moser. “I was cast in that television show. And I was playing the wacky drummer, and singing the songs and playing the drums, and acting and improvising and playing the part on the television show. So when I revisit or am asked to go on tour, or whatever, I consider that I’m recreating that role for that period of time, to some degree.”
Over the years, Dolenz has participated in a series of notable musical-theater productions, any one of which could be considered just as iconic. That includes Aida, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Grease, and Hairspray.
Long before the Monkees short-lived television series, Dolenz had also starred as Circus Boy. He’s even done a turn in a remake of a horror classic. These days, his solo shows move well behind the Monkees repertoire, as well — taking in everything from the Beatles and Chuck Berry to the Beach Boys and Brill Building classics. Later this fall, he’ll appear in Comedy is Hard.
That said, “I’ll always be associated with the Monkees,” Dolenz admits. “There’s no question about that, but I’m not a Monkee every day [Laughs].”
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