Mike Nesmith has taken the Last Train To Clarksville

[Honeyman]

RIP

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... d-1270079/

[matt1]

Story here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Nesmith

[Bobbert]

Sad news. He was the best musician in the group. I'll be listening to some of his Monkee songs this afternoon.

[sfpcc1]

I'm about to listen to Door Into Summer.

[km1125]

Sad news. He was the best musician in the group. I'll be listening to some of his Monkee songs this afternoon.

Wasn't he the ONLY real musician in the group? I thought one of the others was a musician, but not really serious about it. Saw some kind of pseudo-documentary a while ago about the group, and during it they pretty much implied he was the ONLY one that really wanted to take the music seriously and had to convince the others to go along with him in contrast to the show producers desires. Not sure how accurate that was though. Be interested to hear more.

[MichMash]

Mike and Micky Dolenz just had a farewell concert of sorts in California last month. On Dolenz' FB page, there's a video clip of them sharing a hug at the end of the show. Nesmith looked pretty frail in the video, I thought. Nesmith fought hard, even frequently against the other three in the band, for the Monkees to have autonomy over their work, and his own desire for autonomy might have accelerated the band's breakup in 1969. I'm glad for his sake that he was able to reconnect with Micky, Davy and Peter in later years and have some happy times with them on and off stage before Davy's and Peter's untimely deaths.

[kager]

In a forum that has primarily become more a 'Music Celebrity DeathWatch' than music discussions, it is interesting that the Monkees garner so many more responses than most these days.

Then again, they were a TV show.

[Musicrewired]

Of the people listed posthumously, and yes, it's a roll call of that sometimes, Nesmith was one of the few who'd still been somewhat active in the past 5 years. TV show notwithstanding, he and the Monkees have been known names for over 50 years, with the songs still heard to this day.

He was also the only Monkee to have a solo top 40 hit, "Joanne". Given the number of hits Micky and Davy sang, that was surprising.

https://youtu.be/QcG6V84zr1w
It's a fan video of a song Mike and Micky sang on their 2016 "Good Times" album. The images give a good sense of how they had fun with that television show.

[Bobbert]

In a forum that has primarily become more a 'Music Celebrity DeathWatch' than music discussions, it is interesting that the Monkees garner so many more responses than most these days.

Then again, they were a TV show.

They were the singers of a lot of great pop music, even if a lot of the music was performed by session musicians. Their output in 1967 was phenomenal.

[Bobbert]

Sad news. He was the best musician in the group. I'll be listening to some of his Monkee songs this afternoon.

Wasn't he the ONLY real musician in the group? I thought one of the others was a musician, but not really serious about it. Saw some kind of pseudo-documentary a while ago about the group, and during it they pretty much implied he was the ONLY one that really wanted to take the music seriously and had to convince the others to go along with him in contrast to the show producers desires. Not sure how accurate that was though. Be interested to hear more.

I'd agree with that.

[matt1]

I do have Mike's First National Band "Loose Salute" (RCA Victor orange label) which has the song "Silver Moon" that went to # 41 (Hot 100) in January 1971. Also has the remake of "Listen To The Band"!!

[moldyoldie]

A memorable music video, almost Zappa-esque. RIP

[TC Talks]

Sad news. He was the best musician in the group. I'll be listening to some of his Monkee songs this afternoon.

Wasn't he the ONLY real musician in the group? I thought one of the others was a musician, but not really serious about it. Saw some kind of pseudo-documentary a while ago about the group, and during it they pretty much implied he was the ONLY one that really wanted to take the music seriously and had to convince the others to go along with him in contrast to the show producers desires. Not sure how accurate that was though. Be interested to hear more.

Tork was regarded as a troubadour musician. Nesmith fancied himself the best musician and he may have been the best at composing.

Tork began studying piano at the age of nine, showing an aptitude for music by learning to play several different instruments, including the banjo, acoustic bass, and guitar. He attended Windham High School in Willimantic, Connecticut, and was a member of the first graduating class at E. O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut. He attended Carleton College before he moved to New York City, where he became part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village during the first half of the 1960s. While there, he befriended other up-and-coming musicians, such as Stephen Stills.

[sfpcc1]

A memorable music video, almost Zappa-esque. RIP

I remember see this on MTV when we first got it in 1982. (I called it the why can't i stop watching this phase.
It kind of pissed of my family.)

Even from a somewhat young age, seven or eight, he was my favorite Monkee. He had another minor hit with Rio around 1977.

[sfpcc1]

I checked the WDET website just now. Rob Reinhart just played Mike Nesmith's recient version of Different Drum on his Accoustic Cafe about a half hour ago. Has Mike Nesmith ever played the Ark in Ann Arbor?