Why does Michael Nesmith still have such a stick up his ass about the Monkees?

[An_Arky]

I was watching Biography last night and there was an episode on the Monkees, and it makes me wonder about something:

I get that he was the “serious” Monkee and he felt that his skills were underappreciated. I also get that he doesn’t need the money. I even get that he might have been embarassed at his Monkeedom. But for chrissakes, he won’t even do an interview or anything? Why is he such a douche about this? He should get over himself, IMHO.

Bonus: name some other folks who completely eschew their past like that, and why, if known.

[Crotalus]

I think he really strongly wanted to distance himself from the Monkees when he left the band, but I didn’t realize that he still felt that way. I don’t know how he feels now, but Wikipedia says that

@Wikipedia

In 1995, he reunited with the Monkees to record their last studio album (and first to feature all four since Head) titled Justus, released in 1996. He also wrote and directed a Monkees television special, and briefly toured the UK with the band in 1997.

Was there some indication in the Biography show that he refused to talk about his Monkee days?

[An_Arky]

…and I guess I should’ve delved a little deeper before posting this… :o

Apparently, he has posted to some newsgroups, etc, and doesn’t seem to have THAT much of a stick up his about it, but still…

@Michael Nesmith

As for me, I had a great time. It was hard work but fun work. I look back
on those times like you might look back on your own early years. I liked
most of the music. Some of it quite a bit…some of it I disliked quite a
bit. It was not much of a creative forum for me as most of you know.
especially those who have follwed the work since then, but it was a good
forum as an actor. I really liked the shows and the whole idea of the
thing. And I really liked the other guys…still do. ( Micky was my
favorite). Yes I would like to go out and play in concert with them
(like I say I LIKED the music) but that may never happen because of many
things…not the least of which is my own schedule and agenda. Not only
were the Monkees not a hoax to ME, I thought it was first class landmark
Television and I have always been proud of it.

[Labrador_Deceiver]

How long were the Monkees around, 3 years? I can’t imagine being hounded to do interviews and reunion projects for the following 40, especially if I didn’t need the money.

[Crotalus]

I was eleven when the TV show began and really liked the show and their music. When I used to sing and play guitar in bars during the 70s and 80s, I did a few of his songs (Different Drum, Joanne, Propinquity, Some of Shelley’s Blues), and got a kick out of introducing them as being written by Mike Nesmith of the Monkees.

I’m glad to see that he has some good memories of the show and the band.

[kayaker]

Maybe it is the whole white-out thing.

[Crotalus]

@kayaker

Maybe it is the whole white-out thing.

Actually, his mother invented Liquid Paper.

[An_Arky]

@Crotalus

I think he really strongly wanted to distance himself from the Monkees when he left the band, but I didn’t realize that he still felt that way. I don’t know how he feels now, but Wikipedia says that

@Wikipedia

In 1995, he reunited with the Monkees to record their last studio album (and first to feature all four since Head) titled Justus, released in 1996. He also wrote and directed a Monkees television special, and briefly toured the UK with the band in 1997.

Was there some indication in the Biography show that he refused to talk about his Monkee days?

He didn’t appear on the show. I’ve seen plenty of shows about the Monkees and never once have I seen him chime in, just the other three.

[Koxinga]

I can’t imagine what it’d be like for people to come up to me all the time, decades later, and ask about flaky experimental things I briefly did when I was in my early 20s. Mike Nesmith bears it with better grace than I would, I’m sure.

[Contrapuntal]

@An_Arky

…and I guess I should’ve delved a little deeper before posting this… :o

Apparently, he has posted to some newsgroups, etc, and doesn’t seem to have THAT much of a stick up his about it, but still…

I don’t see a stick at all.

[kayaker]

@Crotalus

@kayaker

Maybe it is the whole white-out thing.

Actually, his mother invented Liquid Paper.

Of course. I was referring to his bitterness over it. He came up with the formula, but used india ink pigment. He called it Black-out. His mother made a batch without the india ink. The rest is history.

[An_Arky]

@Contrapuntal

@An_Arky

…and I guess I should’ve delved a little deeper before posting this… :o

Apparently, he has posted to some newsgroups, etc, and doesn’t seem to have THAT much of a stick up his about it, but still…

I don’t see a stick at all.

Really? I think his level of non-participation, with the old saw of an excuse of being too busy “Yes I would like to go out and play in concert with them
(like I say I LIKED the music) but that may never happen because of many
things…not the least of which is my own schedule and agenda.”

I wonder what some of those “many things” are. I don’t necessarily see a stick, but he has given the appearance of having one, for the most part. I’m just wondering what it might really be.

[Crotalus]

@An Arky

He didn’t appear on the show. I’ve seen plenty of shows about the Monkees and never once have I seen him chime in, just the other three.

I guess it’s possible that he’s busier than the others, but it does seem from your experience that he is avoiding taking part in such shows.

@Koxinga

I can’t imagine what it’d be like for people to come up to me all the time, decades later, and ask about flaky experimental things I briefly did when I was in my early 20s. Mike Nesmith bears it with better grace than I would, I’m sure.

I have trouble putting myself in his place, too. I think he really wanted some recognition as a legitimate musician and writer, but he got that pretty quickly. Linda Ronstadt had her first hit with a song he wrote, Different Drum, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band used two of his songs on what was their best-selling album up to that time, and he had a middling hit with Joanne in 1970. Nothing he did after was as popular as the Monkees, but it’s not like there’s anything shameful in what he did on the show. I could understand avoiding taking part in retrospective shows for privacy reasons, but I can’t imagine wanting to distance myself from it otherwise.

[Crotalus]

@kayaker

@Crotalus

Actually, his mother invented Liquid Paper.

Of course. I was referring to his bitterness over it. He came up with the formula, but used india ink pigment. He called it Black-out. His mother made a batch without the india ink. The rest is history.

Ah, the rest of the story. Thanks.

[SmackFu]

@An_Arky

I wonder what some of those “many things” are. I don’t necessarily see a stick, but he has given the appearance of having one, for the most part. I’m just wondering what it might really be.

I don’t know if there is any answer that would please people other than “I’d love to be in a Monkees reunion!”

[smiling_bandit]

Look, maybe he just doesn’t particualrly want to do it. He’s just not interested, and it’s not like he owes to you so you can somehow have a complete picture on the biography channel. Get over yourself.

[An_Arky]

@smiling_bandit

Look, maybe he just doesn’t particualrly want to do it. He’s just not interested, and it’s not like he owes to you so you can somehow have a complete picture on the biography channel. Get over yourself.

Well, I get that part, and I’m not demanding to know what’s up, just curious. I don’t think that’s anything that I need to get over.

[GrandWino]

@smiling_bandit

Look, maybe he just doesn’t particualrly want to do it. He’s just not interested, and it’s not like he owes to you so you can somehow have a complete picture on the biography channel. Get over yourself.

Wow, who would have thought a Monkees thread would take such a nasty turn so soon.

I have nothing to add about Nesmith but I worked at a hotel back in the early 90s and we had Davy Jones staying with us while he was in town to perform at an oldies festival. We weren’t a big town but we’d get a lot of minor celebrities staying with us since we were the nicest place in the area.

Jones was by far the biggest jerk of any of the has-beens that stayed with us (and that includes Mark Furhman who stayed with us shortly after the OJ trial and who was actually a pretty nice guy.)

Jones had all kinds of demands and was outright mean to fans who would approach him in the lobby. He also refused to sign for his room because he thought we were going to sell his autograph.

[Contrapuntal]

@SmackFu

I don’t know if there is any answer that would please people other than “I’d love to be in a Monkees reunion!”

Right. He’s not the only guy not to be playing with his former bandmates. Are they all stick inflicted?

ISTR that early on Nesmith distanced himself from the Monkees, probably because he was trying to establish a solo career, but that was years ago.

[silenus]

I can see his point. He regards himself as a serious musician, he has had a career post-simians, and to be constantly asked about a brief moment of your life would be very annoying.

“See that wall? I built it without mortar and it has stood for years. Do they call me Omar the Fence-builder? No. See that church? I paid for its construction. Do they call me Omar the Church-builder? No. But you fuck one goat…”