RIP Michael Nesmith…
This is such sad news…Michael Nesmith, who achieved fame for his role in the musical comedy TV series “The Monkees” has died at the age of 78, it was just announced.
The iconic band not only had a massively popular TV shows in the late 60’s, but they were best-selling musical artists as well, with Nesmith writing many of their hit songs.
Nesmith also won the first Grammy for video, with his hilariously imaginative “Elephant Parts” sketch comedy movie…I discovered this video thanks to the great music video “Cruising””, known to many as “Lucy And Ramona”:
“Elephant Parts” is terrific, you can read more about it here:
It was a story of a person who never stopped exploring, searching out for inspiration far beyond just music…you can read more about it here:
And did you know that The Monkees made a film – written by Jack Nicholson!
The section about “Head” and Jack Nicholson are particularly fascinating – Nesmith is very candid about his friendships during that time, especially with Nicholson – they hung out a lot, saw a lot of music together, and went to Ojai with the other Monkees and the show creators to freeform the idea of “Head!”
Yes, Nicholson wrote the script for the surreal comedy “HEAD”, which starred the band in their only big screen outing…
The movie was their attempt to capture the surreal nature of fame – it bombed upon release, and Nesmith discusses that in detail – and now a new Blu-ray release captures the insanity of the film perfectly..see more here:
Michael has a hilarious quote from Jack in the book – here is the setup, when Nesmith was hanging out with Nicholson:
“As we sat by the pool talking about career and next steps and the arts, he said that he had made a personal rule that he would never appear on television. I was up to my knees in televisions, so I want dto know more. He said:
“Theater is life. Cinema is art. Television is furniture.”
HA! Jack wasn’t even a star yet, but he knew what he was going to do, and he stuck to it! It’s just one of the many great anecdotes in the book…
He was a gifted Artist, Writer, Singer, Actor and Producer who will be greatly missed…
RIP Michael Nesmith…
Categories: 70's Music, Art, Books / Media, Classic Rock, Cult Movies, Hollywood, Memoirs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, TV Show
johnrieber 
Oh, no! That’s very sad. I love the Jack Nicholson quote.
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Sadly, many of our favorites entertainers from our formative years, being in some cases much older, will pass on before we do – but we will always have their work to enjoy!
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Yes, we will! I’m glad you’re always the glass-half-full (like me) 🙂 .
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great tribute post
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Now when I watch the Monkies TV show or listen to their songs, I wonder how I could have underrated them like I did.
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Aw, I loved my monkees
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Jack was lying about television. He’d already guest starred on “The Andy Griffith Show” twice!
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But the myth always wins, right?
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He was so droll and I adored him for that. Michael was well aware from the start that the TeeVee show was a parody and he gracefully ran with the premise. He always implied a raised eyebrow, even when his face didn’t show one.
Planet Earth shall miss him, but shall remember his gifts.
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Beautifully said, thanks for sharing
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So sad to see them go, and at 78. That really isn’t all that old anymore. A very talented guy and I know he’ll be missed.
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That is really sad to hear. I loved his solo career after The Monkees, and his song ‘Rio’ has been a great favourite of mine ever since it was released. RIP, Michael.
Best wishes, Pete.
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