January 20th – The Monkees TV show was first broadcast on
this day in 1966, an early-day heads-up that Simon Cowell-land was only just
around the corner. They were launched on the back of the Beatles’ success which
was accompanied with the vitriol the American commerce league felt for us Brits
succeeding at anything better than them…well anyone succeeding better than the
Yanks in anything really, but particularly us Brits.
You only have to listen to John McEnroe commentating on any tennis match that
has a Brit in it at Wimbledon or any other
Grand Slam to understand that…I think it’s a residue from our burning of the
capitol, banks and such back in the 18th century; typical Yanks, can’t take a
joke. It was three centuries ago; get over it and move on!
Anyway, The Monkees. 1966. They
weren't the first but they certainly were the most reliable confirmation, if we
needed any, that the only people who can successfully shovel shit uphill with
little or no spillage are those working in the pop/modern music industry. We’d
had inklings of it in the payola scandals and the Mr. Freedman accusations, but
because inside information was less freely disseminated back then than today
(the lying bastards kept quiet or paid off whistle-blowers…and the celebrity
culture and ‘kiss-‘n’-tell’ piggy-bank we know and love today was just a fledgling)
only the very few were in the know about the fiddles being perpetrated by the
pop industry.
As a precursor to what we ended up
with, ‘Top of the Pops’ gave a certain legitimacy to the level of stupidity contained
within the masses with its miming credentials openly advertised and there for
all to see; a useful pointer to the pop industry of just what the record-buying
public would put up with. Bit of a double-edged sword though for it also gave a
useful pointer, to those performing on this show, of the level of high esteem
their fans held them in; of such things as ‘loyalty’ and ‘brand recognition’
and of just how disposable they were…’Top of the Pops’ one week, bottom of the
heap the next…sorry folks, off the tracks again… sorry. Right, The Monkees.
Well, in honesty, they started off
from a poor position if they were out to win the loyalty or even passing
interest of the music aficionados of Great Britain Britain
The TV show was a massive hit (see,
what do I know?) with speeded-up clips a la Benny Hill (unoriginal) – ‘zany’
humour a la the Goons (unoriginal) – mop hair cuts worn by all four (unoriginal
and stupid) especially that worn by Davey Jones (the one Brit who was the
original member and who gave the band a semblance of ‘credibility’ with the
British public because, “’E cum frum oop’t North lad”).
It has to be said, in all fairness, that
Nesmith and Tork had a certain musical nous. Nesmith’s song-writing ability and
post-Monkees film career showed a level of ability that should have protected
him from membership of such a train-wreck of a band. Tork, too, built up a
certain musical pedigree…post-Monkees…again (do you think someone was trying to
tell them something). But I guess, even if you do have higher musical thoughts,
when you’re put under the rack of the dollar and a chance to take a tilt at all
that eager-to-please flesh…? Well, who amongst us wouldn't say;
“Fuck this artistic, living-in-a-garret-on-bread-and-water-whilst-I-suffer-for-my-art
shit; gimme the Waldorf Astoria penthouse suite, a constant supply of girls (or
guys) and enough pop ‘n’ chop to sink a small yacht.”
Well, I wouldn’t of course, but…
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