What can I possibly say that hasn’t been said about the “smartest” Monkee, Michael Nesmith. I’ll pull a quote from one of my favorite music writers Bob Lefsetz who said:
“So when it was over, Nesmith was the only one who had any traction as a musician. Dolenz stayed in TV, Jones went to legitimate theatre and Tork faded away, but Nesmith had the First National Band, and consensus was they were good, and credible, which was quite a leap if you consider his start in the public eye as a member of the Monkees.”
Here is his first hit song by himself, a rare version of “Different Drum”
It’s taken me some time to process the loss of Mike Nesmith. I have been lucky enough to interview him a few years ago for the Ernie Kovacs Award.As for his work in the Monkees, a TV show about an imaginary band … that wanted to be the Beatles, he helped turn this “fake band” into a real one. By May of 1967, Headquarters proved to the world that these guys were real musicians with great songs. To honor him, please listen to the music that made this a uniquely American band that has stood the test of time, and long outlasted those early naysayers of the music press. Rest in peace, Papa Nez.