Some Monkees trivia that everybody already knows

Remember that Seinfeld episode where they're talking about someone who was a Civil War buff?

George: I'd love to be a buff. How do you get to be a buff?

Jerry: Well ... Biff wants to be a buff! I think sleeping less than twelve hours a day might help.


Well, I guess you could call me a Monkees Buff.

The girls, especially Rachael, are just getting to the age where they can start to appreciate it. We were listening to some of the Greatest Hits (ie, not their best songs) in the car yesterday, and it made my mind think about all the Monkees Enjoyment I've had over the years.

Here's some trivia that might be fun if you know very little about the Monkees, or just if you've forgotten this stuf because you actually have a life. Maybe tomorrow I'll post more hard-core stuff. Please note that I'm not cut-and-pasting or looking this stuff up. It's all in my head.


Monkees Trivia That Everybody Already Knows:

1. Michael's Nesmith's mother, Bette Nesmith, invented Liquid Paper, and he inherited the fortune. (Yes, I know, literally everybody knows this, but I wanted to start small.)

2. Jimi Hendrix opened for the Monkees on one of their tours. (Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz enjoyed hearing him at the Monterey Pop Festival.) He understandably got tired of fans chanting, "We want Davy!" while he was playing, so eventually one night he gave everybody the finger, walked offstage, and quit the tour.

3. David Bowie changed his name (his real name is David Jones) to avoid confusion with Davy.

4. People have been saying for years that Charles Manson auditioned for the Monkees, but this is not true. I think Snopes even has something about that.

5. Stephen Stills, however, did audition. The word is that he was turned down "because he had bad teeth," but it's debatable whether that was actually the reason. He was the one who told his buddy Peter Tork about the auditions.

6. Yes, the Monkees made a movie, called "Head," in 1968. It was Terri Garr's first movie role, and also Annette Funicello was also in it. Jack Nicholson helped write and produce it. It is a very dark, strange, and surreal film. If you ever have the chance to rent it, do not show it to your kids, especially if they are Monkees fans, thinking that it will be fun and cute for them. It's more like Pink Floyd's The Wall than it is like a Monkees episode.

7. Michael Nesmith played for Linda Ronstadt's band and wrote the song "Different Drum." (Well, I guess not everybody knows that one.)

8. Neil Diamond wrote three Monkees songs, including I'm a Believer. (No, it was not originally written for Shrek.)

9. Carole King wrote at least four Monkees songs, with her then-husband Gerry Goffin. The most popular was Pleasant Valley Sunday.