The story goes that rocker Stephen Stills tried out for the sixties television show, The Monkees, but didn’t get a part. According to Monkees drummer and lead vocalist Micky Dolenz, it appears that this is true. In an exclusive interview with Dolenz, we also discuss his relationships with fellow band mates Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith and David Jones. Dolenz reveals that he never listens to, or reads stories about, himself out of self-consciousness. He also is fairly pessimistic about touring anytime soon because of COVID-19. Following are edited excerpts from a longer phone conversation.
Jim Clash: Do you ever read things written about you, or listen to stuff you’ve done?
Micky Dolenz: Not really. I just find that when I used to, I got very self-conscious. I start second-guessing myself. “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that, and I should’ve said this.” If it’s filmed or recorded, “Oh, I sounded crappy and I looked like hell, or I should’ve worn a different shirt.” There’s a level of spontaneity I’m looking for. You don’t want anything that’s too planned and thought-out. So I find when I don’t read or watch myself, it’s better.
Clash: I heard that Stephen Stills auditioned for The Monkees television show, but didn’t get a part. True?
Dolenz: I heard that, too. I probably had a conversation with him about it at some point. It does appear to be true, and it’s pretty well documented. He auditioned, and the joke is he didn’t get it because he had bad teeth [laughs]. He is also the one who told Peter Tork about the audition, because they had been in New York together in the Greenwich Village-era scene. He and Peter had similarities in a lot of ways, especially the way they looked. People would confuse the two. But Stephen did okay [laughs]. He’s not hurting.
Clash: With COVID-19, any idea when you and Mike Nesmith might tour again?
Dolenz: We had been touring. And we were ramped up to go out in the spring of this year, March, I believe. Then it was postponed until fall. A few weeks ago, we were informed that we now would be postponed until spring of next year. I’m not optimistic that anybody is going out anytime soon. I just don’t see it until there is a vaccine and/or a treatment. I know that Nes [Michael Nesmith] had some pretty serious medical issues last year, and his doctors said that he just cannot go out there, get on airplanes and such. I don’t know when the heck it’s ever going to be back to normal, where you can have three or four thousand people in an auditorium.
Clash: Do you miss the late Peter Tork and Davy Jones?
Dolenz: Of course. Siblings is the closest analogy I can come up with. I probably spent more time with Peter and David, certainly in the sixties and even after, than with my real siblings, in terms of amount of time. My siblings all have families with children, and have moved to different places, but Peter and David, and, to a degree Nes, spent a lot of time together, and not just casual hanging out, having-a-beer time, but intense work and play. There were up times and some really intense tough times, being on the road, which is tough for anybody at any age.
The saying goes, “They pay us to travel, we sing for free” [laughs]. The shows are the easy part. That 90 minutes on stage is when I relax. It’s the getting there, in-and-out of airports and hotels, restaurants. David passed, of course, and then Peter. But when you get to this age, it’s kind of expected. Peter’s was cancer, so that was not a huge surprise as it had been going on for a while. But David was right out of the blue. Supposedly, he just had a physical and came out in good shape, and then had a heart attack. They must have missed something. He went out riding in the morning with one of his horses, which is very strenuous. And that was it.
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