Micky Dolenz Up-Close

Nearly 40 years ago Micky Dolenz raided

America’s television screens as the

drummer for the new pop sensation the

Monkees.

To capitalize on the pop culture of the mid-

1960’s, a T.V. pilot was proposed for what

was to become television’s first rock ‘n roll

series.The Monkees auditions were similar

to that of casting a musical. Requirements

included playing an instrument or singing,

as well as acting and improvisation. Micky

had been a professional actor at the ripe

old age of 10, playing Corky in NBC’s

“Circus Boy”from 1956-1958.He also sang

and played guitar, beginning with classical

guitar training before moving on to folk

music. Prior to the Monkees he started a

rock ‘n roll band called “Micky and the

One-Nighters.”These talents combined

with his outlandish comedic ability won

Micky the role.

This set the stage for some of the most

popular music of all time, with Micky pro-

viding one of the most distinctive singing

voices in pop. Just listen to “Pleasant Valley

Sunday.”Put the top down on the convert-

ible, turn up the radio, cruise down the

Boulevard and enjoy!

Whether or not you’re a Monkees fan,

there’s no denying that many great songs

were written and recorded because of the

Monkees’existence. The songs were played

by professional studio musicians, and

within a short while, by the Monkees

themselves. On the concert front, the

Monkees silenced their critics.They played

competently in a garage-pop style that was

raw and appealing, certainly of a caliber

with the zestful energy of the early Kinks

and Beatles in concert. Without question,

their music as well as their T.V. series, had

a major impact on American culture of the

‘60’s and earns Micky a rightful place in the

annals of pop history.

VDM: Micky,how old were you when you

were cast as the drummer on the Monkees

TV show?

Micky: I was twenty years old. This was

1965.

VDM: Did you play drums at the time you

were cast?

Micky: No, I played guitar. It wasn’t until

after I was cast for the part,that I learned to

play the drums. I had played around on

drums a little, but had never taken formal

lessons until being cast as the drummer for

the Monkees.

VDM: Where you immediately given les-

sons?

Micky: Yes, I took drum lessons for a solid

year from a few different teachers in the

Los Angeles area.

VDM:What was the first drum set used on

the series?

Micky: The first set promoted for the show

was a (champagne sparkle) Gretsch kit. I

by Billy Jeansonne

had those drums for years and when I

moved,I didn’t take them with me.I wish I

still had that set. The black Rogers drums

were also used on the show.That is the set

I took on the road. I still have the black

Rogers kit.

VDM: Micky, at what point did you begin

playing on the Monkees’studio albums?

Micky: The first album that we did all the

playing on was “Headquarters.”Originally,

they didn’t want us to play on any of the

albums,but we revolted and won the right

to play and record all our own stuff. I do

not consider myself a studio drummer. I

play what I play and I do it okay, but I’ve

never played drums on any studio sessions

other than the Monkees albums. Jumping

ahead a bit, after the Monkees, Frank

Zappa called me up and wanted me to join

The Mothers of Invention,but I couldn’t do

it because I was under contract with

another record company. Right from the

beginning we were playing on some of the

Monkees albums.Mike Nesmith was insis-

tent about playing

on the albums. He

wrote a song on the

first album with

Carole King called

“Sweet Young

Thing.”But it was

very difficult to get

the opportunity to

play on those first

albums. All they

wanted me to do

was sing.

VDM: Did Hal

Blaine play drums on the earlier record-

ings?

Micky: Oh yes, the Wrecking Crew not

only did a lot of our early stuff, but played

on the Beach Boys,The Byrds,The Mamas

and Papas,and many more groups’albums.

I learned a lot from Hal in the early days,

not formally,but I picked up a lot from Hal.

VDM: Did you do most of the singing on

the albums?

Micky: Me and Davy did all the lead vocals

on all the singles.Mike did a few songs that

were album cuts. Peter did a couple of

tunes.But I had the majority of the hit sin-

gles.

VDM: Aside from Europe,have you toured

other foreign countries?

Micky: Yeah, back in the 60’s we toured

Japan. Davy and I toured all the Far East

countries.We went to Singapore,Malaysia,

Korea,Taiwan, and Japan. We even toured

Australia.

Live in Japan courtesy of Micky Dolenz

- 18 -

The Monkees were great to work

with! We made some good records

with them. They were certainly

another feather in our cap.

Hal Blaine

Legendary session drummer.

VDM: Do you still play drums on tour?

Micky: Well, when the four of us toured

England in 1997,we reconfigured the orig-

inal Monkees setup. I played drums and

sang lead,Mike was on guitar,Peter played

bass and keyboards, and Davy played

percussion and acoustic guitar.When Peter

left the group originally, Mike, Davy, and I

went out on the road (in 1969), it was not

practical to play as a threesome,so we had

other sidemen (Sam & The Goodtimers).

On tours where Davy,Peter,and I went out,

we had double drummers. Sandy Genero

and I played drums, but I only played on

some of the tunes. Over the years, people

wanted me to be more out front, since I

sang all the leads. It is a little boring visu-

ally for an audience when the lead singer is

behind the drums all the time.Davy sort of

convinced me to come down from the

drums because he was out front doing

background vocals and it didn’t really work

well with me being behind the drums.

VDM: Does Sandy Genero still play drums

with the band when you are on tour?

Micky: Sandy is one of our first calls. Max

Weinberg from the E Street Band played

with us back in 1986.

VDM: Were you influenced by any drum-

mers when you began playing?

Micky: Cozy Cole. Buddy Miles used to

come to our house and give me some

pointers.I suppose Ringo had an influence

on me because I was such a huge Beatles

fan. I still think to this day that Ringo is

probably the best rock and roll drummer

ever.He is not the fanciest drummer but he

had such a feel for the song.

VDM: What is your favorite Monkees

song?

Micky: I have a few,but the one that I tend

to keep coming back to is “Pleasant Valley

Sunday.”A Carole King tune. It just seems

to stand up real well over the years.

VDM: Did you write any of the Monkees’

songs.

Micky:Yeah, but I never wrote any of the

big hits. None of us did. Most of the hits

were written by Neil Diamond, Gerry

Goffin & Carole King,and Tommy Boyce &

Bobby Hart.

Micky is currently starring in a rock musical

on Broadway called Aida, written by Elton

John and Tim Rice. For information on

Micky’s live concert schedule and Aida,

visit www.mickydolenz.comand www.micky-

dolenz.com/aida/.

Cover photography by Billy Tompkins

www.billytompkins.com

212-249-2067

Gretsch drums supplied by John Sheridan

Micky was a wild,

madcap, zany kind

of guy. Always very

nice, very fun; a

great guy!

Bobby Dick, with

“The Sundowners”

who toured with

the Monkees

http://www.classicdrummer.com