As the 50th anniversary of the Monkees’ ground-breaking television program nears in 2016, fan interest in the group’s long-hoped-for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has grown. There have been online petitions, Facebook pages and online ruminations. NPR has even weighed in.
Still, as of now, the idea seems more pipe dream than possibility — and Micky Dolenz is fine with that. “I’ve never been one to chase awards and inductions or things like that,” he tells Guitar World. “It’s never been part of my psyche. I’ve never been too bothered by it, although I’m flattered that the fans have started some petitions about it.”
Unfortunately, it seems the closest the Monkees will get to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is that legendary tour with 1992 inductee Jimi Hendrix back in the 1960s. Even all of these years later, Dolenz remains in awe of what the guitarist was able to do nightly on stage. “I clearly remember many times standing in the wings with Mike Nesmith and just thinking to myself, ‘How the hell does he do that?!,'” Micky Dolenz says, laughing. “To this day, I’m not sure how you can answer that question.”
The Monkees haven’t announced much in the way of touring activity for 2015, beyond dates featuring Dolenz and Peter Tork. Dolenz confirms that they’re resting up for what promises to be a busy year celebrating the Monkees’ big anniversary in 2016.
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Love you guys so much, especially you Micky! I miss David (-_-).
Hall of Fame for the Monkees as musicians? I don’t think so. They were actors and it shows in their performance on the show, which I liked at age 14. Musicians like the Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, whose music I loved as a teen, and still like, I’m sure could not act and would have done horribly on the screen. But, their music was excellent. The Monkees’ music was good, for the most part, but not as good as the other groups.
All the ‘musicians’ you mentioned used session artists. The Monkees did the same thing. The Monkees at one point in history out sold the Beatles, Stones, Doors, and Mamas and Papas (all which are in the HOF). The Monkees wrote some of there songs and played instruments on there albums, but used session artists like all bands and artists, but in the 1960s they performed live and played there own instruments (they even have a live 1964 album). The band Run DMC who are in the HOF sampled a song written by Mike Nesmith (Mary, Mary). Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith were musicians and Day and Micky were actors.
I don’t agree. Being much younger than the Monkee generation, I have discovered them only last year and I’m amazed at their music, which does not get old. Comparing the Monkees with the Beatles or Jimi Hendrix is like comparing Beethoven with Mozart (keeping all proportions) — art cannot be evaluated or graded as e.g. scores in athletics. As an old Beatles’ fan, I am finding Monkees way too interesting than I thought they would be, so much so that I prefer listening to them than to the Beatles. There is a lot of innovation in their music and — mind you — they had no George Martin to arrange their pieces and unlike the Beatles they had all musical media establishment against them (with Jann Wenner as its leader). The fact their music is still alive against all odds is the best proof of its vitality.
Concerning their not being musicians — nothing further from the truth! That’s what I thought half a year ago. Until I started reading about it. Reading is a good way of finding things out 😉 Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith had been professional musicians before, Peter Tork played piano, harpsichord, organ and all kinds of keyboards, guitars, banjo and bass, and even trombone! He played folk music in Greenwich Village before he joined the Monkees — and he continues to play his own music, Monkee music and old standards with his own blues band and with other professional musicians. I won’t go into Mike Nesmith musical carreer, read yourself, if you want to know the facts, not the gossip of jealous people with big money, but no musical talent of their own.