In an interview here, Peter was asked about the recent private memorial held for Davy, attended by Micky, Mike, Peter, family and friends: Q: Between your cancer treatment and more recently, the passing of your friend and Monkee partner Davy Jones, you have had quite a couple of years. Any thoughts?
A: Davy’s passing was hard. The rest of us, Micky, myself, and Mike Nesmith got together in California to attend a very private ceremony for Davy with some other friends and associates from the early days. At the end of the service 66 balloons were released, one for each year of Davy’s life. When some of the balloons got caught in the trees. Micky said, ”He’s not leaving while the lights are still on.”
Pictures from the memorial can be seen in a previous blog post below.
If you are on the fence about picking up Davy's The Bell Recordings, Friday Music did a nice job with it. It sounds good, and it's also the first time the 1971 album has been available on CD. Some new photos can be found in the galleries in the following sections: 1967 North American/British (including two pictures of Mike Nesmith wearing a black armband in support of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards over drug charges), 1986 North American and 1996 North American. The '96 page has two great Henry Diltz photos of the quartet that I had never previously seen (thanks to Psycho Jello). Here's a preview of one!  (Photo by Henry Diltz)
Check out some new photos in the 2001 North American section. There's also two new photos in the Head concert page, as well some updated information about the show that took place at the Patio Gardens after the filming of "Circle Sky."
With all of the items surrounding Davy's passing in February, I somehow forgot to re-post what Mike shared on Facebook about Davy on the day he died. It's below, along with a recent cartoon of The Born Loser.
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All the lovely people. Where do they all come from?
So many lovely and heartfelt messages of condolence and sympathy, I don’t know what to say, except my sincere thank you to all. I share and appreciate your feelings.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.
While it is jarring, and sometimes seems unjust, or strange, this transition we call dying and death is a constant in the mortal experience that we know almost nothing about. I am of the mind that it is a transition and I carry with me a certainty of the continuity of existence. While I don’t exactly know what happens in these times, there is an ongoing sense of life that reaches in my mind out far beyond the near horizons of mortality and into the reaches of infinity.
That David has stepped beyond my view causes me the sadness that it does many of you. I will miss him, but I won’t abandon him to mortality. I will think of him as existing within the animating life that insures existence. I will think of him and his family with that gentle regard in spite of all the contrary appearances on the mortal plane.
David’s spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us.
I have fond memories. I wish him safe travels.
This is today's second blog post, so be sure to check the earlier one below. This message comes from Michael Nesmith's Facebook page:
The clerk at the check-out counter at Safeway asked if I had any plans for this weekend. I thought about it a second, wondering if this weekend was special – a holiday or something.
Finally I said, “No. How about you?”
“Well, I have the weekend off. That’s pretty good.” He smiled.
I smiled. Quick little connect.
On the way out to the car I thought about these connections and my plans and what the days ahead look like. How much did I want to share with Safeway guy? How much did he want to share with me?
In these days of the “town as crier” where we all have a little something to say and a forum to share it in, we are not as private as we once were. We are more obviously connected.
Many of us hide. Or we don’t know what to say, or how to act when someone says something. We have such a hard time communicating. I know I do. But it is worth the effort. As I open up, I see things returning to me in every direction of thought. This reciprocity is an important part of the artistic process for me. Since I don’t have to “be” alive, then all I have to do is share my life. I am not worried about my privacy being invaded. There isn’t much I can do about that anyway, and for the most part people are respectful. We all have a visible line between society and solitude.
Here is a quick glance at my calendar and agenda for the next few months – just so you can see.
I am playing a short set – 4 or 5 songs — with Lambchop at the invitation of Kurt Wagner on May 4th in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall. And I am in the studio finishing up some tech stuff – building another computer – and writing and recording new music. I have put together a book proposal about MTV the Music Video and my mother’s invention of Liquid Paper. I am reconfiguring the Monkees special we did in ’98, and I connected with John Ware about reforming what is left of the First National Band for a short live tour doing the RCA material.
Let’s see – that’s pretty much it.
I live alone with Dale, my dog. I write and play and there are deep currents that run in my life about Life the Universe and Everything. (I miss Douglas every day.)
I am busy and active, but a little removed from society.
I am posting this on FB and Google+, my chosen SM voices, because I think it is important to connect, and I like knowing the guy at the Safeway is happy about his weekend off.
There is the dark furtive element in all of us.
But there is also the natural shine.
Standing alone in the presence of something wonderful I am filled with joy and wonder. At that moment I think I know what divine love is – that place where all of us just stand and love something like a sunrise or a forest or an ocean view – the light in the eyes of a child – or a clerk.
We do not need to gather or consume or objectify this moment. We do not need to respond or comment to complete the moment. The moment is complete of itself, and there is great satisfaction and happiness in that — our own light.
Selfless.
Effulgent.
Connected.
Or as MBE has it: “Love meeting no response, yet still remaining love.”
It is why I sing.
I’ll see you on May 4th in SF if you are around there. Great American Music Hall.
ITMT, if you get a chance please stop by Videoranch and browse the stuff. www.videoranch.com. Nothing new right now, but we are happy to have you visit, and wave.
And we are happy to know what you would have us know.
This Tuesday (April 24) will see the release of Davy's 1971 solo album for the first time ever on compact disc. Friday Music, who is overseeing the release, has added bonus tracks to the original album, including "Girl" and "I'll Believe in You," two singles from the same era. The CD also contains mono versions of some of the album's songs. The moderate hit "Rainy Jane" comes from this album, and David Gates, who wrote "Saturday's Child" for The Monkees, contributes the song "Look at Me." The disc, The Bell Recordings, is charting admirably at Amazon, and as of this writing is #26 in the Classic Rock albums category, and #284 in overall music sales. This Tuesday, Friday Music is also re-releasing The Monkees' 1987 album, Pool It!, as a deluxe edition with bonus DVD. There are no bonus tracks on the CD, and the DVD will contain Rhino's Heart and Soul: The Official Monkees Videography, originally released in 1988 and never before available on DVD. The videography contains all of the music videos for the Pool It! album ("Heart and Soul," "Every Step of the Way," and "Don't Bring Me Down") as well as a live video clip of "Last Train to Clarksville" with audio from the '86 tour and various footage in the video from the '86 and '87 tours, as well as other sources. Scattered through the approximately 40 minute long video is interview footage with Micky, Davy and Peter (sitting together for the interviews), Kellogg's commercials, some footage and skits from the '87 tour (including Peter playing "Cripple Creek" in Las Vegas at the end of the '87 tour) and more. Finally, the liner notes for the CD, which is being advertised as 'remastered,' is supposed to include recent comments about Pool It! by Micky Dolenz. As of this writing, the deluxe edition Pool It! is ranked #1,395 in overall music sales at Amazon. Time.com recently posted a story in support of The Monkees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a good read, and you can check it out here. Don't forget about Friday's blog post below with photos from the recent private memorial that was held to honor Davy Jones. (The post was updated on Saturday with additional photos added to the original post.)
A private memorial was recently held in Los Angeles, California at the home of Samantha Juste (Micky's first wife) to remember Davy Jones. All of the surviving Monkees attended, as well as family and friends. (All photos are by Nurit Wilde.)  Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz  Jason Nesmith  Micky Dolenz and his wife, Donna  Jessica Nesmith  Davy's daughters Sarah and Talia, and his ex-wife Linda  L to R: Sarah Jones, Talia Jones, Georgia Dolenz, Jason Nesmith, Ami Dolenz, Jessica Nesmith, Emily Dolenz  Michael Nesmith  Peter Tork with girlfriend Pam  Peter Tork with Marilyn Schlossberg (who worked on the TV show and Head)
I rewrote the first part of the 1986 20th Anniversary Tour page. The revision gives a better idea of how the reunion came to be that year. I also made a few small additions to updates made last week. The 1969 page now has a picture of The Monkees with Johnny Cash, the 2001 tour page has a new photo of the band onstage in St. Louis, and the 2011 tour page features a new picture of Peter onstage in Manchester, England. Other sections of the site will see an expansion of information soon, including the '68 Far East Tour.
Don't forget to check out yesterday's blog post below with Mike Nesmith's view on The Monkees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He posted the following today on his Facebook page:
“Should The Monkees be included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?”, you ask.
I’ll try to keep this short -- may not work.
When The Beatles were recording Sgt. Peppers, Phyllis and I spent a few days with John and Cynthia at their home, and one in the studio with “the boys." That’s where those pictures of John and I come from – the “Day in the Life” session.
The minute I had the wherewithal –cachet and money – I raced to London and looked up John.
During the ‘60s it seemed to me London was the center of the World and The Beatles were the center of London and the Sgt Pepper session was the center of The Beatles.
It was an extraordinary time, I thought, and I wanted to get as close as I could to the heart of it.
But like a hurricane the center was not stormy or tumultuous. It was exciting, but it was calm, and to an extent peaceful. The confidence of the art permeated the atmosphere. Serene – and really, really fun.
Then I discovered the reason for this.
During that time in one of our longer, more reflective, talks I realized that John was not aware of who The Beatles were. Of course he could not be. He was clueless in this regard. He had never seen or experienced them. In the strange paradox of fame, none of The Beatles ever saw The Beatles the way we did. Certainly not the way I did. I loved them beyond my ability to express it.
As the years passed and I met more and more exceptional people sitting in the center of their own hurricane I saw they all shared this same sensibility. None of them could actually know the force of their own work.
With no intention of comparison of work, I am in something of the same position with The Monkees. It was one of my private hurricanes – long gone and calm now, leaving me with great memories and artifacts – but with a critical element hidden to me in a most profound way.
Indeed. I don’t even know what the element is.
Weird, I know. But there you have it.
With this latest group of inductees into the RARHOF, once again I see this campaign to induct The Monkees. I hear a lot of anger and sense a feeling of injustice among the Monkees’s (Monkeeses?) fans about The Monkees being “overlooked” or worse, somehow snubbed.
This all may be true. In this I am afraid I am the last person qualified to judge – or even opine.
I can see the HOF is a private enterprise. It seems to operate as a business, and the inductees are there by some action of the owners of the Enterprise. The inductees appear to be chosen at the owner’s pleasure.
This seems proper to me.
It is their business in any case. It does not seem to me that the HOF carries a public mandate, nor should it be compelled to conform to one.
And that may be the rub.
The main argument afoot is that popularity and the history and the work should somehow provide the HOF not only a mandate but also validation that should compel and convince them/it, and also be enforceable.
That doesn’t seem like a good argument, but as I say – I don’t know. I rode out the hurricane in the mobile home that is all that is left standing while all about it are vacant concrete pads and stubbs of power lines.
It would be nice if the Monkees were inducted – but frankly a bit odd. I would try to go to the show if I was invited, but I might not.
I am not for it or against it. I find myself somewhere between Axl Rose and Woody Allen – but very likely not for the same reasons. I imagine there are three very different drummers here.
The whole Monkees/ HOF question could use some good critical thought. But I have no inclination to do it. (Go over to The New Inquiry if you want to see how critical thinking is done. It’s hard.)
I have moved out and on from the pristine, intact mobile home left after the hurricane, to my own endeavors. I have met with great good fortune in the meantime and am happily free from these quandaries.
I have my Little Shop of Wonders –Videoranch www.videoranch.com -- and I have happy horizons in every direction of thought.
Rays, everywhere, Rays. http://www.videoranch3d.com/mm5/merc...y_Code=1000-IT
Except this one.
So please, dear friends, don’t ask me about The Monkees and HOF.
I don’t have a clue.
Check out today's update...the Billboard Live '96 page has been rewritten and redesigned. Enjoy.
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