Os Monkees

This is definitely one of the most influential shows in television history. The show was so funny and at times surreal but you could see that the boys had a lot of fun doing the shows even if they didn't like a lot of the music they were forced to do in the early shows. Speaking of the songs, this show was also a great showcase for many of the greatest songwriting talents of the 60's including Goffin and King, Neil Diamond, Boyce and Hart, John Stewart and Harry Nillson.

I have enjoyed watching this show for years since I first saw it in syndication on local television back in the late 1970s. From the first time I watched The Monkees I was hooked and have watched the show ever since. Whenever it would be shown over the years I was there to watch it, including the revival in popularity that arose in 1986 when MTV ran a Monkees marathon that exposed their antics to a new generation of fans. The show had a great zaniness that blended a unique mixture of music and comedy, which made the show a delight for me. As a kid I enjoyed the entertaining plots and thought it would be cool to hang around with these 4 guys. I did, though, always look forward to the musical numbers that occurred in each episode.

The music on the show was what really appealed to me and made me a fan in the beginning. Their albums from the 60s still make up part of my music collection. The show was never that popular when it was originally airing on commercial television, but the music really helped push the popularity of the band giving The Monkees a cult-like status similar to The Beatles at the time. I especially like the music of Michael Nesmith. The songs that appeared in the show by Nez were most appealing to me and this carried over to his solo career as well. Another thing that was a great part of the show was the comic timing of Mickey Dolenz. He always cracks me up with his wacky style of voices and improvisation. All four were talented in their own way, but Mickey Dolenz was the funniest to me.

It is still one of my all time favorite shows and has left a lasting impression on me that will stay with me my whole life. One of the more memorable shows was the parody of Faust called The Devil and Peter Tork. It had some seriousness, but that helped the comedy to play. Some episodes played out better than others with the second season being a little more reflective of the 60s culture that was growing popular during that period in America.

Was it a TV show? Was it a rock n' roll group? It was neither, and it was a little of both. Mickey Dolenz equated their becoming a group to Leonard Nimoy becoming a Vulcan. No matter what you believe, we can all agree that The Monkees, although brief in its original run, was about a group that did play, that did perform their own music and the way they did it left an impact on generations both young and old and will do so for years to come.

Every now and then, on TV, they repeat The Monkees, and when they do, you know you're in for half an hour of lunacy.

I've been to a few staff parties at the places I've worked over the years, and when "Here we come..." blasts out, the dance floor's always packed in seconds.

LONG LIVE THE MONKEES!

Something for everyone, the Monkees is still funny and eye-catching today. They exemplified the sixties for a lot of people in my generation and I still love them today. Not only for the nostalgia but just for the fun of it all.

I don't know what to say except that I first saw this series on MTV in 1986 and I was almost immediately hooked on it. It's a great deal of fun to watch because it has plenty of genuinely funny laughs and awesome music. It is very easily the best of the 'fictional band' series of that era.