Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
Category: Monkees
Quotes from “Why The Monkees Matter” by Dr. Rosanne Welch – 76 in a series – Music vs. TV Show
** Buy “Why The Monkees Matter” Today **
While the music was the marketing miracle, it was the program that created their personas. Rafelson remembered, “We interviewed several hundred guys. We didn’t want professional actors–they’re too concerned with image and acting technique. We finally settled on Peter, Mike, Micky, and one Englishman, Davy. They had not met before, they were all musicians. The one quality above all else was that they came over as original people.”
from Why The Monkees Mattered by Dr. Rosanne Welch — Buy your Copy today!
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
McFarland (Direct from Publisher) | Amazon | Kindle Edition | Nook Edition
21: Peter Tork and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (0:55)
Rosanne Welch talks about “Why The Monkees Matter” with Jean Hopkins Power
Watch this entire presentation (45 mins)
Jean Powergirl takes the host reigns and welcomes her guest Rosanne Welch, PhD to the show! They’ll be discussing Roseanne’s book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture.”
Transcript:
Jean: All right, we have one more Monkee to discuss. Who is this gentleman here — the guy right there.
Rosanne: This is Peter Tork and he has quite a following. He is, I would say, as cute as Davy and had Davy not shown up he himself might have been a teen idol.
Jean: He might have been singing the love ballads, right?
Rosanne: Seriously and he said in his later career that he wasn’t pushy enough. When they offered up songs he kind of stood in the background and didn’t jump on them.
Jean: I noticed in this town, in this industry, you’ve got to, you cannot be bashful, right? or you will lose.
Rosanne: No, That is very true and yet he was considered, he was quite polite and he was quite the true hippie of the day. He really believed in the message of peace. He also believed in the message of Buddhism, actually, so he wasn’t a pushy guy. Now as they have toured in later years he tends to sing all of the songs Davy sang in concert and he is quite proficient at them. So it’s kind of sad that he didn’t get into the mix more deeply himself.
A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy. Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.
This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.
Rosanne Welch, PhD has written for television (Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences) and print (Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space). In the documentary world she has written and produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline and consulted on PBS’s A Prince Among Slaves, the story of a prince from West Africa who was enslaved in the 1780s, freed by order of President John Quincy Adams in the 1820s and returned to his homeland.
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From The Research Vault Extra: Tom Petty and The Monkees
In honor of the loss of Tom Petty, I was reminded of his love for Monkees music in this quote I used in Why The Monkees Matter. He will be missed by many. — Rosanne
“In 2013 Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers liked to open concerts with a double dose of Monkee-themed material by playing the Byrds’ 1967 classic “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” back to back with “(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone.” — Roberts, Randall. “Review: Deep cuts from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at the Fonda.
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
From The Research Vault: Have yourself a merry atheist Christmas! By Penn Jillette, CNN, 2012
From The Research Vault: Have yourself a merry atheist Christmas! By Penn Jillette, CNN, 2012
[…]
The Monkees were on TV. They appealed to the broadest audience possible. The Monkees were sanitized. My mom and dad would watch the Monkees with me, and other than their stupid haircuts, Mom and Dad weren’t bothered much by the Pre-fab Four.
Mom and Dad bought me Monkees records. I read Monkees interviews and through them, learned about a guy named Jimi Hendrix who was their opening act in cities I couldn’t get to. I saw Frank Zappa of the Mothers of Invention on the Monkees TV show and in their movie, “Head,” and soon I’d moved from the innocuous to full blown dangerous rock ‘n’ roll. Things that are for everyone sometimes suck us into things that aren’t for everyone.
[…]
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
20: Even More on Davy Jones and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (0:57)
Rosanne Welch talks about “Why The Monkees Matter” with Jean Hopkins Power
Watch this entire presentation (45 mins)
Jean Powergirl takes the host reigns and welcomes her guest Rosanne Welch, PhD to the show! They’ll be discussing Roseanne’s book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture.”
![20: Even More on Davy Jones and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (0:57)](https://rosannewelch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/rmw-power-20-davy-jones-3-1.jpeg)
Transcript:
Rosanne: Sadly, he passed away of a heart attack in about 4 years ago and the band had been talking about having a 50th Anniversary Tour. So after he died, the three of them did get together and do a short tour and it went well, so they did actually a longer tour the next year and actually they did a big 50th Anniversary Tour last year that was only Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork.
Jean:…but they won’t replace Davy right?
Rosanne: No, they chose never to replace him because he was unreplacable. When he died it was announced on television that the episode — he did a guest spot on The Brady Bunch, which was a big sitcom — a couple of years after the movie and that turns out to be — according to ABC News — the most rerun episode of television ever of any show in the years of reruns. He was that popular.
Jean: I remember that like when Davy Jones shows up on The Brady Bunch.
Rosannne: Marsha wanted him to sing at her prom because she was the president of the Davy Jones Fan Club and he shows up.
A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy. Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.
This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.
Rosanne Welch, PhD has written for television (Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences) and print (Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space). In the documentary world she has written and produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline and consulted on PBS’s A Prince Among Slaves, the story of a prince from West Africa who was enslaved in the 1780s, freed by order of President John Quincy Adams in the 1820s and returned to his homeland.
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Quotes from “Why The Monkees Matter” by Dr. Rosanne Welch – 75 in a series – Actor vs. Character
** Buy “Why The Monkees Matter” Today **
During their 2013 reunion tour blogger Russ Kazmierczak Jr., commented that “the line between the Monkees as actors and their zany onscreen personas was so blurred because they opted to use their real names throughout — a logical choice when establishing a franchised band, but rather short-sighted in retrospect if the guys had any hopes of shedding their Monkee skin later in life.
from Why The Monkees Mattered by Dr. Rosanne Welch — Buy your Copy today!
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
McFarland (Direct from Publisher) | Amazon | Kindle Edition | Nook Edition
From The Research Vault: The Changing Portrayal of Adolescents in the Media Since 1950 by Patrick Jamieson and Daniel Romer.
Adolescents are eager consumers of mass media entertainment and are particularly susceptible to various forms of media influence, such as modeling, desensitization, and contagion. These once controversial phenomena are now widely accepted along with the recognition that th media are a major socializer of youth
During the economic boom of the post-World War II era, marketers and advertisers identified adolescents as a major audience, which led to the emergence of a pervasive youth culture. Enormous changes ensued in the media’s portrayal of adolescents and the behaviors they emulate. These changes were spurred by increased availability and consumption of television, which joined radio, film, and magazines as major influence on youth. Later, the rapid growth of the video game industry and the internet contributed to the encompassing presence of the media. Today, opportunities for youthful expression about to the point where adolescents can easily create and disseminate content with little control by traditional media gatekeepers.
In The Changing Portrayals of Adolescents in the Media since 1950, leading scholars analyze the emergence of youth culture in music and powerful trends in gender and ethnic-racial representation, sexuality, substance use, violence, and suicide portrayed in the media. This book illuminates the evolution of teen portrayal, the potential consequences of these changes, and the ways policy-makers and parents can respond. — Amazon
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
Quotes from “Why The Monkees Matter” by Dr. Rosanne Welch – 74 in a series – Identity Confusion
** Buy “Why The Monkees Matter” Today **
In the case of The Monkees, identity confusion came from the start since they were not immediately recognized entities coming into the production and the choice was made to use their real names rather than fictional ones. Of the group of them, Dolenz had the greatest chance of being recognized by the television audience due to the two seasons he spent playing Corky on Circus Boy in the late 1950s.
from Why The Monkees Mattered by Dr. Rosanne Welch — Buy your Copy today!
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
McFarland (Direct from Publisher) | Amazon | Kindle Edition | Nook Edition
19: More on Davy Jones and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (0:44)
Rosanne Welch talks about “Why The Monkees Matter” with Jean Hopkins Power
Watch this entire presentation (45 mins)
Jean Powergirl takes the host reigns and welcomes her guest Rosanne Welch, PhD to the show! They’ll be discussing Roseanne’s book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture.”
Transcript:
Rosanne: So between the two of them — Micky Dolenz sang most of the leads on the rock songs and Davy sang most all the ballads the girls remember and anything that had a girls name in it because that’s why the girls would by it because Davy was singing to them.
Jean: Singing to them personally.
Rosanne. Exactly. So he was — and it was funny in driving to your house today I didn’t realize that the exit off the freeway is 7a and that’s the phrase at the beginning of Daydream Believer which is his big hit. They have a little snippet of conversation on the album and he says ‘What number is this?” 7a is the number that they are recording at the time which is Daydream Believer so that’s known in Monkee circles as a very important number. I thought that was very — it said something about destiny of doing this recording.
Jean: It was meant to be.
A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy. Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.
This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.
Rosanne Welch, PhD has written for television (Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences) and print (Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space). In the documentary world she has written and produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline and consulted on PBS’s A Prince Among Slaves, the story of a prince from West Africa who was enslaved in the 1780s, freed by order of President John Quincy Adams in the 1820s and returned to his homeland.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS