(no subject)
Article published at MonroeNews.com on Oct 23, 2008
Hey, hey, it's Micky
Former Monkee Micky Dolenz
to entertain Saturday at MCCC
One day Micky Dolenz was sitting in his dressing room and decided to add up the number of performances he'd given in the Broadway musical and touring company of "Aida" and the number of performances in the TV show "The Monkees."
"I was in 'Aida' longer than 'The Monkees.' It was a short period of life - 52 episodes, 26 shows each season … I've had dinner parties longer than that period of life," he joked.
But it's those two years on TV, making records and touring with the band that have cemented his place in entertainment history. Now he brings that slice of his life - and more - to Monroe County Community College Saturday night.
He's not coming alone. He's bringing a big band and his sister, Coco.
"She's better than me," Mr. Dolenz said of her singing. "She used to sing backgrounds on a lot of the Monkees' songs."
At the show, "I do all the hits in their entirety. I believe it's important to give the fans what they want," he said in a recent telephone interview from California, where he lives.
He says he doesn't mind singing the old Monkees' tunes.
"I haven't had to go out and sing those songs for the last 40 years, so it's still fun for me," he said. "They pay me to travel; the singing is for free."
He also does other songs and audience participation and tells stories about his career, like when a young Jimi Hendrix opened for the Monkees on tour.
"There are a few little surprises," he said.
He describes the Monkees period of his life as a whirlwind but hard work.
"It was an intense 10 to 12 hours a day, then we'd record the vocals at night. Then we'd recharge on weekends for the tour. It was so fast. It was all one big blur," he said.
He credits the show's success to all the people involved, including the writers and the songwriters.
"It's a combination. Was 'Star Trek' a success because of William Shatner or Gene Roddenberry or the writers or director? You can't take it apart. It doesn't work in the arts," Mr. Dolenz said.
Even though "The Monkees" TV show eventually became a touring band, Mr. Dolenz never saw the two as one.
"I approached it as an actor. I was cast in a TV show. … It took place in an imaginary beach house and I was the wacky drummer … Gradually the group came into existence with the four of us as songwriters and musicians. Mike (Nesmith) said it was like Pinocchio becoming a little boy," Mr. Dolenz said.
One look at his resume shows that he's more than a former Monkee.
"I've never been one to sit around and wait for the phone to ring. I'm grounded in reality … There are two words in show business. Show and business and you have to be pretty good at both," he said.
After the TV show ended and the band broke up, Mr. Dolenz headed to his then-wife's (Samantha Juste) home country, England. He ended up staying for 15 years and worked as a producer and director for BBC and a few private projects.
Since returning to the United States, he has kept busy with acting, singing, directing, doing voices for cartoons, being a disc jockey, participating in the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp and some other endeavours people might not think about - writing books, painting in acrylics, remodeling and inventing.
"Before 'The Monkees' I was going to be an architect. … I have my first patent. I have the first sample on my desk. It's a picture-hanging tool," he said.
Look for the infomercial soon.
Besides occasional reunions, Mr. Dolenz says he doesn't see the other former Monkees regularly.
"After the show, we went our separate ways. If we do get together, it's a third party that brings us together," he said.
So what are the other three up to now?
Davy Jones - Performs with his band (scheduled to perform May 22 at the Lima Civic Center in Lima, Ohio), owns racehorses,
Mike Nesmith - Operates the Web site Videoranch 3D, which hosts live performances.
Peter Tork - Performs with his band Shoe Suede Blues, writes an advice column for The Daily Panic.com
There is an online petition drive to get the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The petition can be found at http://www.petitiononline.com/Kretch07/petition.html.
If you go ...
What: Micky Dolenz with his sister, Coco, and band
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Meyer Theater, La-Z-Boy Center, Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd.
Tickets: $25, reserved seating; $30, VIP seating, which includes balcony seating, snacks and a cash bar. Available online at www.monroeccc.edu/theater ($3 fee for each ticket charged), by phone at 384-4272, in person at the MCCC cashier's office in the Warrick Student Services/Administration Building, at the door if available. $2 discount for MCCC staff and students, senior citizens who buy tickets in person at the cashier's office.