Rest in Peace PETER TORK

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Rest in Peace Peter Tork aka Peter Thorkelson from The Monkees.

He had a form of Throat Cancer I guess, for many years.

2009 per Wikipedia anyway.

So my wife is a LIFER Monkees fan (and Michael Nesmith), and ever since meeting her in 2011, I have been brought-in to the world of The Monkees beyond the casual knowledge and experience I had had previously.

And when Davy Jones passed away in 2012, while Davy was her least favorite of the band, she still took it hard. Still to this day it seems they have been missing Davy a lot, even if the full Monkees lineup with Nesmith only happened once on tour in 1996 in Europe.  The American leg Mike left and so for those looking to finally see Nez with The Monkees in the States, it didn't happen, etc.

And Mike was planning on returning as he did in 2012.

Anyway, Peter while hardly a favorite of her and I suppose myself now, was always someone to like. My favorites from him are Can You Dig It! Shades of Gray and For Pete's Sake off the top of my head.

Peter was like Mike, one of the experienced/trained musicians in the band. And I always get that sense about him with the music. The music and songwriting was important, especially after they wrote the majority of their tunes.

Also the fact he attended college at Carleton gives Peter Tork(elson) a local connection.

I guess I am very saddened to hear about this, but at least he's at peace now. I can only imagine how difficult it got at times, living with that condition for a decade.

I wonder if on the upcoming Mike and Micky shows (including March 14th at Mystic Lake in Prior Lake, MN) if they will pay homage/tribute to Peter. Maybe play some of HIS songs live. Even perhaps a video montage.

He's up there in heaven jamming with Davy now.

Rest in Peace Peter!

FALSE GOSSIP: Jimmy Fallon + The Monkees? (Michael Nesmith FB post)

11/3/12 4:57PM

edit:
Nez more or less confirmed on Facebook a bit ago, this and the thing with Kevin Spacey WERE A JOKE. He was just being Mike, but me being the relatively new Monkees/Nesmith fan, I was naive to this fact.

So, just in case those who stumble upon this posting are scratching their heads about this notion, it is a FALSE ALARM, etc.

My apologies, but I suppose better safe than sorry, right.

9/23/12 10:46PM
Mike Nesmith's most recent post on Facebook (which in all likelihood will get deleted soon as pretty much all of his posts are on Facebook)

As I get relatively older the corporeal sense data set goes more and more non-linear. I’ve been watching Emmy Blotnick all morning and laughing hard, but I know somewhere deep down I am not laughing at the right thing.

There is a kind of horror in finding oneself inapt, and yet, there is a certain joy to it – coming loose from the moorings, as it were.

Emmy does this stand-up that is very funny to me – “I made you a sandwich” and I watched it two or three times just this morning – and something inside me wants to tell Emmy why I think it’s so funny.

But I know better than to do that, so I am keeping my mouth shut and laughing with the rest of the people that think she is funny.

The reason I was watching her is because she is a blogger for Jimmy Fallon.

And I have been talking to Mick and Pete about how we are going to do Daydream Believer without David. We have some ideas – and clearly we have to do it – it’s one of the Monkees best songs – but how?

Stay with me here.

Mick and I are heavy into rehearsals and hanging out – and I have started privately nourishing this idea that – in New York and LA at least – I think Jimmy Fallon should come do Daydream Believer with us.

First, he is a good singer and musician. And second, he seems pretty easy going. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, he is the only person I think that could actually do the Davy dance with the proper gravitas and respect it deserves.

(Lord knows Axel Rose did his best – and it may be that Axel has even won the name wars for the dance – but to me it is, and always will be, the Davy dance and not the Axel Rose dance.)

In any case -- I think Fallon could do it great, sing the song great, and I am thinking seriously about inviting him to come and do it with us – just a couple of nights. I am giving it a lot of careful thought.

Careful, non-linear-wacked-out, goofy thought.

So far I haven’t got this past Mick and Pete – I actually haven’t even asked them – but I am drifting that way because of Emmy Blotnick who has now (unwittingly)re-enforced the notion that Fallon could do it great – “birds of a feather” is more than enough validation for me. That’s the best I can explain it: Blotnick sandwich = Jimmy Fallon sings Daydream Believer and delivers his version of the Davy dance.

So, Mick and Pete and I have the show covered, it will be fun and satisfying to the hardest core Monkees fan –but --

There is this one last thing we absolutely have to work out and get right -- who will sing Daydream Believer?

I’m starting with Jimmy Fallon – and if he won’t do it -- then I’ll just let the non-linear world take over and see where the ball lands next.

It may land in the town we’re coming to.

If this happens, I'm not sure how much I will care, especially given it's only at 3 shows. Micky can and has done the tune live, but maybe AS A SPECIAL TRIBUTE, getting Fallon to do it, or even just have Fallon EMCEE or have The Monkees (with Nez) make an appearance on Fallon's show would be nice.

We'll see, but I hope Fallon gets word about this (I'm going to try both Facebook and Twitter anyway).

Michael Nesmith - Wax Minute

 This song is awesome. I was just reminded by that fact in chatting on facebook with some friends.

I really haven't added much about Mike or The Monkees in here, like I should have. Especially the Davy Jones passing. Why? the ole time, procrastination, and too many other items to post about as well.

My girlfriend worships Mike and The Monkees, among others like Mayer Hawthorne, Josh Rouse, George Michael, Michael Jackson, Hall and Oates to name just a few.

But maybe it's Mike, among all her favorite music, I am most intrigued by. The guy has made some amazing music, with The Monkees and on his own. And I have listened to some of it, but not as much as I'd like.

If/when the time happens, I will try and include a lot more about both him and The Monkees. In the mean time, I will say Michael Nesmith, despite my gf's take, was doing progressive music of a sort. Sort of alternative country of a sort, with psychedelic elements thrown in. Pedal-steel and/or slide-guitar featured at times.

Also some of his music has this driving funk/groove to it. Like the track "Capsule" for example off his 1979 record Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma.

The thing to watch for is, within the last month, Mike is for some reason posting a ton on facebook. Why? perhaps due to his eyesight returning after Cataract surgery. Also maybe due to his realizing time is catching up with him and others with Davy's passing. He is opening for Lambchop on May 4th (ironically my gf's birthday) in San Francisco, along with some other tour dates soon. Plus an album is in the works.