Before we even had our own record player, Aimee and I were Monkees fans. I remember my mom going into the utility room one day and coming out with one of her old records, More of the Monkees. We brought it to our friend Kelly’s house and used to play it every day, acting out the songs and taking turns playing Micky. (If I recall correctly, Aimee preferred to play Davy. No one wanted to be Mike or Peter.)
I won’t go into our entire fictional mythos but there were many adventures as we played outside all summer as the Monkees, with an assortment of villains in pursuit. We’d play until we heard the noon whistle go off, our cue to come inside for lunch in the kitchen and The Monkees on channel 32. The hit sitcom of 1966 was alive and well in syndication in the mid-80s.
A decade later, Davy Jones was touring with The Real Live Brady Bunch and came to Connecticut College. He performed “Daydream Believer” after the reenactmentof the Brady Bunch episode “Getting Davy Jones.” Since I worked in the box office, I got great seats and an autographed program for Aimee.
For the past 20 years I’ve been listening to the 4-volume Rhino compilation Listen to the Band on my iPod, which is now docked to a speaker in the kitchen (because the battery can no longer hold a charge) and it’s one of my favorite things to listen to while cooking. Through that comp I fell in love with Michael’s songwriting and singing style. His “autobiographical riff” Infinite Tuesday illuminated the Monkees days and his own remarkable career for me.
It was a great thrill to see Michael and Micky at the Copernicus Center in 2018 with Amy and Aimee. They played everything I was hoping for, including the Andy Partridge song from 2016’s Good Times. Andy is one of Jim’s very favorite musicians and “You Bring the Summer” is delightful pop.
More recently Jim, Simon and I saw Micky and his sister, Coco, at the Arcada in St. Charles in a matinee of songs and stories. He talked about being at Abbey Road to see a Beatles recording session in 1967. I’ve barely started looking through the collection of his personal archives I bought a few months ago, I’m Told I Had a Good Time, but it seems like he knew and partied with almost everyone in the late 60s.
I’m glad to see him alive and touring in 2025 at 80 years old. I look for used Monkees records to fill out my collection when I’m shopping with Simon, and I still listen to my mom’s copy of More of the Monkees. Maybe I’ll watch Head again this weekend to celebrate.
What a true, blue fan you are! I love knowing the early days and that your mom was a Monkees fan too. Your story is bouncy and light and steeped in meaning. Such a fun read, Rachel.