Monkee Mania

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Hey, hey, did you like the Monkees? I NEVER missed a show—and back then (senior citizen voice) you had to watch it when it was on—or you missed it.   Remember?

Well, Monkee mania has changed the life of a dear friend of mine…and I cannot wait for him to tell you all about it.

“They Made a Monkee (Writer) Out Of Me”

By Scott C. Forrest-Allen

It took me nearly fifty years for me to score my first official writing assignment – and it came so easily!

A routine scroll through Facebook led me to a post from Rebeat Magazine  with whom I was unfamiliar at the time. They were honoring the Monkees’ 50^th Anniversary with a countdown of their Top 50 Songs. My love for both the Monkees and countdowns drew me in. 

Reading these song reviews brought me back to when I was in my single digits enjoying their TV program. I have vivid memories of watching them and seeing how much fun these boys were having challenging authority and society.

Initially impressed at how much research each individual Rebeat writer had contributed to the entries, I was hooked, especially since they were including several album tracks and not just the “hits.” There were even some tunes that I had forgotten.

HANK: So then what?

I reviewed the entire website and noticed how well written the articles were. Then I spotted the “Write For Rebeat” button. Deciding to be bold, (which is rare for me), I wrote an email expressing how much I enjoyed the countdown and asked if they would consider me to be on their staff. Included in my email were writing samples with links to my blog and theatre reviews. It is both humbling and rewarding for me to admit that several of my musical reviews have made it to the North Shore Music Theatre website.

  

HANK: Holding breath. And then what?

They responded to me, and I was thrilled to read that not only did they appreciate my writing, but they invited me to be a contributing writer to their upcoming weekly series that would recap the Monkees’ TV episodes fifty years after their premieres!

HANK: Oh, that is hilarious. What a job!

SCOTT: Yes, after I started breathing again, I accepted. Not long after that, my first assignment arrived – to review the episode “Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers.”

And soon: there it was! My very first official article on-line! What made it more real was to see it as a post on Facebook! I did it! It was and is happening! It was okay to breathe again!

Here’s where you can read it:

http://www.rebeatmag.com/every-monkees-episode-your-friendly-neighborhood-kidnappers-s1e4/

The Monkees helped my dream come true!

(And there’s a villain named Trump! This was what, fifty years ago?)

Since then I’ve written eight more articles, including a recap of “Success Story,” my personal favorite episode. It was very early in the TV series and was unafraid to take a serious turn halfway through.

HANK: What happens?

SCOTT: In it, Davy’s uncle threatens to take him back to England because he is not a success. There is a very poignant scene during which his band mates say farewell to him before his flies back to England, complete with Peter handing Davy a parachute in case his uncle changes his mind. It was that sincerity that cemented my love for the Monkees, both TV show and music. This scene always made me cry when I was younger, and I loathe admitting that I choked up when I was writing about it! I’ve seen the episode numerous times, and I know how it all turns out!

HANK: Aw.  Has this assignment taught you anything?

SCOTT: Yes, absolutely. Reviewing these episodes and reading other articles by my fellow scribes has me refelcting on the band’s career and my never-ending attachment to them.

Although time has been kind to the Monkees, I will never understand the initial backlash from critics and fans alike. Remember?  People were outraged when they discovered that the Monkees weren’t playing their own instruments; at least not initially. They had never lied to their public – the TV show was about four actors portraying a struggling rock band. Mission accomplished.

To be fair, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork were accomplished musicians in their own rights, and Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones both had musical theatre backgrounds. So, they had all approached the project with valid experience. Eventually, they became a “real” band and played all of their own instruments for their concerts and would eventually compose material for subsequent albums. Theirs are some of the most professional concerts I’ve every attended.

People are just now realizing how important they are to popular music. On one side, the show could be considered nothing more than an entertaining half-hour filled with great music; on the flip side it was and still is one of the most clever half-hour commercials to promote a band and sell albums, complete with an unofficial introduction to Music Videos.

The plan worked. If the TV show was an innocent salute to the madcap comedy of the Marx Brothers, the music was always approached seriously, being written by the top songwriters in the business and professionally produced.

HANK: There were some big names!

SCOTT:  Definitely. Carole King helped to catapult the Monkees’ success with “Sometime in the Morning” and “Take a Giant Step,” both co-written with Gerry Goffin.

Neil Diamond contributed “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,” to the group’s catalog. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Singles Chart, but his “I’m A Believer” peaked at #1.

The band enjoyed two more #1 singles – “Last Train To Clarksville” and “Daydream Believer.”

As a matter of fact, their first four albums (The Monkees, More of the Monkees, Headquarters, and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones, Ltd.) all peaked at #1.

HANK: What if you run out of Monkee episodes?

SCOTT: No problem!  Since then, Rebeat Magazine has asked me to contribute to their “Deep Tracks” Section with an article reviewing 10 underrated songs and one album by Fleetwood Mac, who is also celebrating fifty years!

This has been such a rewarding experience for me because not only am I discussing subjects that I love, but I am learning how to expand my writing style. I’ve always written with a very compact approach, but Rebeat Magazine has taught me how to write and express more. Instead of expressing my thoughts in a few sentences, I am now writing several paragraphs.

This experience has done wonders for my self-confidence when it comes to my writing. I have since then dug out drafts that had been otherwise abandoned; I’m co-writing the Book for a full-length musical; I’ve contributed an article to a charity organization’s newsletter; and an author has asked me to write reviews for his books. My Dad is happy for me, and my Mom would be proud too.

So, Fifty looks pretty good for the Monkees, Fleetwood Mac, and me!

They made a believer out of me!

HANK:  A daydream believer, right?  SO happy for you!  And now I’m singing.  So Reds, did you love the Monkees? Any Monkee memories?

"Oh, Kaye!" does not talk about the weather, politics, Harley, or her new hat. But does chat about music and food (again!)

I was a little stuck when it came time to write this month's blog.  

What, oh what, to write about??  'Twas a mystery.


I could write about our weather.  We had our first snow of the year yesterday.

photo taken by me at our house 

But, it's early.  We have a lot more winter to go through after all, so I can do that another time.  So instead, I talked about it and posted a lot of pictures at my Meanderings and Muses, if you're interested.



Or, I could talk about politics

internet meme

Or not.


Or, I could talk about how much Harley dislikes Halloween

Photo by me

Or I could talk about my new hat

Photo taken by my Donald

'cept I think I'm in the minority in my love of hats.



Instead, for a bit of an inspirational nudge, I decided to see what I had written for Jungle Red in October last year.  It was a blog entitled, "What's Cookin'?"  And I looked at the blog I wrote in October the year before that.  It was a piece about our trip to Nashville for the Country Music Awards.

Imagine that - two things I love.  


Food and music.  Especially live performance music.  I am a fool for concerts.

Too much of one of those things has me now living in a partnership with Nutrisystem.  


And it wasn't the music.  Or the concerts.

Photo by me

So.

Me and Nutrisystem.

We're in this together.  Temporarily, of course.  

Lord A Mercy, it better be temporary.  

And I hope it's not for terribly long.

But however long it takes.  It is what it is, and it's past time for me to do this.

And - the food is, surprisingly, not bad.

The best thing is that it's in the proper portions.

photo by me

Proper portions means - they. are. tiny.  TINY!

I grew up a skinny girl, and stayed skinny for an awfully long time. 

Photo by Alan "Dad" Wilkinson

I have always had an appetite as big as a lumberjack, and didn't have to worry about how many slices of pizza I ate, or how many scoops of ice cream I had. 

Photo by me

I never learned how to count calories, or carbs, or even had a clue that my portions were an affront to most people.

Well, okay, so Donald did mention a time or two that he was a little stunned by it, but he was always very sweet when he said it.

But, all that has changed.

It's past time to get things under control.  

Breakfast can't be quite so much of this

photo by me

There will be less of this

photo by me

Definitely less of this  

public domain photo

And I, for sure, won't be baking as many of these

photo by me

'Cause here's the thing.


My favorite jeans are too tight, and I can't even button my favorite white shirts.


And since I'm addicted to white shirts, this is particularly painful.




However.



However, my shoes and my boots still fit.


And that's a good thing.



Because.



I'm gonna want to be wearing a pair of boots to a particularly exciting upcoming event.


Probably these boots - 

Photo by Donald Barley

For this event -

advertisement poster

Squeeee!!!

And maybe, just maybe, by the time this rolls around next March, I'll even be able to wear one of my favorite white shirts and a favorite pair of jeans.

Cross your fingers for me, please.

We're going to be sitting on the floor in the 10th row, and you know Stevie, Christine, Lindsey, Mick and John are going to want me looking fit while I'm on my feet singing along with them at the top of my lungs.

Can you tell I'm excited?!  

Boy Howdy.  

I am VERY excited!

I love Fleetwood Mac.

To the moon and back!

And their concert is the goal I've set for myself to get back to my "fightin' weight."

So, how 'bout it Reds, do you guys do this sort of thing?  Do you pick an upcoming event as a goal to help you lose a few pounds, or am I just being silly?  I mean, I do know that Stevie, Christine, Lindsey, Mick and John are going to have things on their minds other than me and the fact that I'm finally able to button my blouses and wear my favorite jeans, but this is sorta what "goal oriented" means to me.  What can I say?

AND - I want to know - who's seen Fleetwood Mac?  

When?  Where?

Do you love them?

Were they great?  

Did you love the show?  

Anyone seen them or planning on seeing them on this tour?