# RIP Michael Nesmith, of the Monkees **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death, music\ **Created:** [December 10, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845 "2021-12-10T18:17:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/61 "2021-12-11T02:16:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@aceplace57](#): > > > > Very solid material that The Monkees turned into hits. > > And for an ‘innocent’ ‘made-for-TV’ band, some of their hits were a bit subversive; e.g., Pleasant Valley Sunday reveals the banality of Suburbia, (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone is pretty bitter song about a social-climbing girlfriend, Last Train to Clarksville (considering when it came out) makes people think about the war in Vietnam, Randy Scouse Git blasts the recording industry (specifically, EMI). That was before they were allowed to play their own songs. _Pleasant Valley Sunday_ was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin so it’s not surprising it’s a good song. They wrote it about the neighborhood they were living in at the time. I’ve been on Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange NJ more often than I can count. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/62 "2021-12-11T03:41:44Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > have the originals I bought as they were released in the 60s. I wasn’t around for it. I discovered the Monkees when I was around 7-8 years old on Saturday morning reruns c. 1976-77. I did buy the first album at a garage sale for 25 cents. It’s probably original pressing but well worn out in every way. It’s the first record I bought on my own. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/63 "2021-12-11T04:19:51Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > You gave me some good tips on country music I should listen to in the past, especially the one for Emmylou Harris’s live album “Last Date”, which I love. If you like Emmylou, Michael Nesmith should be right in your ballpark. YouTube has some material from Michael Nesmith First National Silver Moon and Joanne are really good. I’m still working my way through what’s uploaded. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/64 "2021-12-11T12:11:43Z")
I’ve always liked this one from his post-Monkees career. [Michael Nesmith - Joanne - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxALH_3qadg) ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/65 "2021-12-11T14:45:18Z")
Then there’s bit of lunacy. [Michael Nesmith - The Cole Porter Homecoming from Television Parts - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laADtCmuFeE) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/66 "2021-12-11T14:57:39Z")
He made it possible for Alex Cox to make **Repo Man** The Monkees were a follow-through on the irreverent exuberance of the Beatles’ _Hard Days Night_ era. So it shouldn’t be a mystery that the same spirit could carry into Punk. People forget how much of Punk was plain sheer fun. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/67 "2021-12-11T18:04:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone is pretty bitter song about a social-climbing girlfriend > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > So it shouldn’t be a mystery that the same spirit could carry into Punk. People forget how much of Punk was plain sheer fun. “Steppin’ Stone” is the best example for that spirit. It became a garage classic, even the Sex Pistols did it. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/68 "2021-12-11T21:00:37Z")
Of course, with all due respect, the Monkees were by no stretch of the imagination the first Punk band. That distinction goes to [The Monks.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monks) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/69 "2021-12-11T21:17:56Z")
Saw this in the Times. He was always my favorite Monkee. I saw him when he was a guest on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell me when we saw it at Asilomar, and he came across just as nice and smart in person as he did on the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Cees-R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Cees-R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cees-R)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/70 "2021-12-11T21:44:30Z")
I had just found out he liked vaporwave [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/monkees-michael-nesmith-vaporwave-714253/?s=09](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/monkees-michael-nesmith-vaporwave-714253/amp/) ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/71 "2021-12-11T22:20:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > He wrote _Different Drum_ for Linda Ronstadt. He wrote it for himself and was pooh-poohed so he handed it off to her. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845/72 "2021-12-12T19:17:47Z")
Different Drum was nixed by the TV producers, but Mike did end up performing it (sort of) on the show: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CDgF-A_kGVg/hqdefault.jpg "The Monkees - "Different Drum" from "Too Many Girls"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDgF-A_kGVg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845.md?page=3)