“Hey Hey with the Monkees” was a familiar tune that drew us all to our black-and-white television sets with the “bunny-ear” antenna and crumpled aluminum foil at the ends on Monday nights in 1966 when the show first aired. For me, it was the Saturday morning reruns through 1973 and beyond that truly enamored me to America’s Marx-Brothers-esque comedic answer to the Mop-Top British Invasion of the Beatles.
Davy Jones, the British former jockey-turned teen heartthrob and tambourine playing vocalist; Peter Tork, the simple, soft-spoken bassist; and Michael Nesmith, the shy, wool-cap wearing guitarist surrounded a multi-talented drummer and vocalist sporting wild hair and a sense of humor to match with Italian roots in show biz, Micky Dolenz.
Although Micky was born in Los Angeles in 1945, the Dolenz family had quite the journey to America that got him there. His father, George (Giorgio), was born in Trieste, Italy and came to America to avoid Mussolini’s mass military draft of young Italian men by working as a waiter on a steamship through Cuba to Florida. In 1934, he “jumped ship” hearing of the new, rich opportunities on the west coast of America. Looking to capitalize on his good looks and charm, Giorgio made his way to the new, exciting city of Hollywood, California.
As most aspiring actors did, Giorgio took a job as a waiter, finding a maître d position at the infamous Café Trocadero on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. As Micky tells it, “The story goes that my dad met Howard Hughes in the restroom and he signed him on the spot!” Micky said laughingly.
“George” was able to get bit parts, supporting roles and a few leading roles as Hughes put him under contract at RKO Studios. It is there he met his wife to be, an actress who gave up her career to be a full-time mom to Micky and his three younger sisters.
“We never lived in Hollywood. I was born on a chicken ranch and grew up mucking out the horses. I would visit my father on set (I thought everyone’s dad was an actor), but if my friends asked what my father did, I said, “mow the lawn” because 90% of the time he wasn’t acting,” Micky said.
“I was never coerced into showbusiness, but it seemed natural to follow in my father’s footsteps,” Micky continued. “When I was 10, my mother convinced me to audition for a show called Circus Boy and asked if I’d like to go. I remember saying no at first – I had a baseball game. But I must have changed my mind because I got the part and that changed my life in one swell swoop. Even at 10 I knew it was a game-changer. I spent two years on the show and definitely got bit by the bug!”
“My father got me into music at this time. I learned classical guitar and loved it. But when I took my little guitar to parties, I discovered that the girls preferred the Kingston Trio to Segovia and soon I was playing Rock ‘N Roll,” Micky recalled.
While Micky was a college student in 1965, he auditioned for this off-the-wall concept by icon producer Don Kirshner. It was a made-up band of quasi-musicians hired more for their looks and personalities than their musical talents. In fact, since Micky was also a bassist and not originally a drummer, Peter taught him to “mime” playing the drums, but by the time the show took off and they were to start touring, Micky learned how to play drums for real!
Even though he was only 21 when The Monkees went out touring, he was instrumental in the elevation of “Monkee-Mania”. “I saw this great guitarist, very theatrical. I thought he would be great to open for us on our first tour,” Micky said. “That guitarist was Jimi Hendrix!”
“I even auditioned to be ‘The Fonz’ on “Happy Days,’ he said. It came down to me and Henry Winkler. But I was taller than Ron Howard, so they went with Henry. Thank God!” he said.
Sixty years after its inception, The Monkees remain as one of the best-loved bands in pop culture history. Mickey is still touring, and I have been fortunate to have presented him at my theatres for the last two decades. His demeanor is always soft-spoken yet commanding. As the sole surviving member of the band, he still is appreciative and generous with his fans. His on-air humor transcends even to this day, always with a fun personality.
“It’s still fun to do the shows but getting there is the tough part! It’s still better than it was back then. We would film 10-12 hours a day, then rehearse the tours and record the albums on the weekends. I was 21 years old then. I’m 78 now and still on the road!” Micky said.
When we do shows with Micky, the fans pile in sporting faded Monkees t-shirts with Monkees albums and Tiger Beat magazines with a young Micky on the cover in hand. His sister Gemma Marie or “CoCo” joins him on stage and does a few songs herself. It a fun, family-affair of Monkee memories.
It becomes an all-out sing along to “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “I’m a Believer” plus so many other tunes bringing the crowd back to simpler days. But my favorite times are the backstage conversations we have before the shows.
Micky relaxes before a show, conserving his energy for what is always a fabulous performance. “How we lookin’ out there?” Micky will ask me, referring to the tickets sold for the evening. “Another full house, Micky!” I would reply. Then we would lay his head back on the chair with a comforted smile. “Its gonna be a good night,” he would say.
Yes, I am blessed to work with these pop culture icons. The best part is the “down time” when they become human. I think back to when I fan-worshipped these show biz stars and it’s hard to believe how close we have become. Yes, I AM star struck, and proud of it! He may be a 78-year-old Monkee, but his music, demeanor and his legacy are still that of a 21-year-old budding superstar!