Anyone out there ever met one of the Monkees?

Question

This September will be the 40th anniversary of their show's premier!

Answer 1

yes, yes, YES!!!!!!!!!!!

And I could write a BOOK about it, too! But, because we are on "Yahoo! Answers" here, I'll TRY to summarize my MANY experiences a bit more concisely.....

First off, let me say I grew up (in the '60s) absolutely WORSHIPPING them. I am what you would call an ORIGINAL fan. I watched them RELIGIOUSLY at 7:30 p.m. every Monday night on NBC. Saturday morning re-runs came LATER! My bedroom walls were literally COVERED with their pics (especially Davy!). I vowed to move to Hollywood someday to meet them.

In 1975, I fulfilled that dream. In November (just as I was turning 20, and Davy was about to turn 30), I met my very first celebrity. Can you guess who that was??? Yes, it was none other than DAVY JONES, himself!!!! I met him for the first time at a place called the Brown Derby, a coffee shop on Vine St., about 1 block off Hollywood Blvd. I can still remember what he was wearing that night: dark green dress slacks, and a dressy-looking shirt to match. Very classy! He was also very friendly - when I walked into the place, he was standing in the middle of the room signing autographs & talking to everyone. I thought I'd died & gone to heaven!!!!!

The very next morning, I convinced the girlfriend who had been with me the night before to take a walk past the Brown Derby again.... just so I could re-live it all again in my mind. We peeked in the front window - and lo & behold! - THERE HE WAS AGAIN!!!!

So we went in & ordered coffee, and sat in the booth right beside HIS. This time, there were no other fans around, just us. But this time, he had company. Also with him was his first wife, Linda, Tommy Boyce AND Bobby Hart, AND - MICKY DOLENZ! The reason they were all there was because they had all just teamed up with Boyce & Hart to tour & record together, and were in the process of making their album near by. They gave each of us tour programs, and all signed beautiful, personalized autographs. (Unfortunately, mine got tossed out with a stack of newspapers not long after, and I've been SICK over it ever since!). They all laughed & joked & talked with us for quite some time. Davy, remembering us from the night before, teased us, asking if we'd spent the NIGHT there! He had on the same clothes as the night before, and I got the impression that they had been up all night in the recording studio.

Both these two initial meetings were precious & memorable experiences.

About a year and a half later (March 1977) - they played at a place called the Starwood in West Hollywood, on Santa Monica Blvd. This time, Peter Tork joined them onstage for the encore. I believe this was his ONLY appearance with the other guys for the entire decade, and I was THERE!!! The show was great, of course. By then, Boyce & Hart weren't with them anymore. Unfortunately, I was suffering from a KILLER toothache as I recall that night, and didn't even TRY to get back-stage to meet them. (It was a fairly small club, and it wouldn't have been difficult) The Monkees were not exactly a big-name act in 1977, so the crowd was small and intimate - like getting a private concert. It was on a week-night, I do remember that. I wish SO much now that I had taken pictures that night or SOMETHING, but I was in so much agony, I would have just stayed home, period, if it had been ANYONE else!!!! I did, however, get a nice program they had printed out (complimentary) - and it is in my old scrapbook still today, along with my original autographs from '75 that I asked for in ADDITION to the ones they signed in the tour book that was mistakenly trashed.....

After the Starwood show in '77, there was a very long "dry spell" - nine more years, to be exact.

I was THRILLED BEYOND WORDS when I first found out they had re-united for a 20th anniversary tour in 1986, and did everything I could to see them at every possible opportunity!

The first re-union concert I attended was at Mud Island in Memphis. (I was, and still am, living back in Arkansas by then). In Memphis, I quickly found out Davy was staying at the Peabody Hotel downtown. I made my ex-husband take me there. Well, by that time word had got around, and the lobby was SWARMED with rabid fans. There were dozens - if not HUNDREDS - of us mostly girl fans, waiting. And waiting. Davy must have known this, because eventually he emerged from the elevator to greet us all. He had changed & showered, and he had on this real nice silky looking grey shirt. God, did he look FINE! My "ex" took a few pictures of me trying to get his autograph & stuff, but those pictures aren't the greatest because even tho I'm standing right next to him, so were mobs of OTHER adoring females, and Bill couldn't get close enough with the camera! Those pictures are OK, though. Davy was, as always, cooperative and at least he looked right AT my camera when I asked him to. I couldn't believe I was actually "meeting" him again - but hated that the crowd was too big to really talk.

After Davy signed every last autograph, posed for every picture asked of him - he finally went upstairs for the night, I presume.

My "ex" & I then proceeded on to Beale St. (aka party central, Memphis-style!). I had met Davy again, I was happy, and my "ex" wanted a BEER! So we went to this place called the "Rum Boogie Cafe", I think it was called. We decided to go upstairs & just check it out. There were LOTS of people downstairs, and it was too crowded. So we take our drinks upstairs, and there's pool tables up there. Guess who's shooting pool & drinking a beer, himself???? MICKY DOLENZ! His wife, Trina, was there, too. The bar had SOME Monkee fans who had attended the concert that night, but my guess was that MOST of these people neither knew nor CARED about it. So I just kinda played it cool (I think?!) - and joined in the fun of playing pool. Eventually, I let on that I was a big fan, and, oh by the way, this is my husband, Bill! Micky was very relaxed, friendly & sociable at THIS particular meeting - NOT always the case, as I would later discover! (As a matter of fact, on this occasion, I asked him if he liked being famous, to which his answer was, "Sometimes!") On this night, he introduced us to Trina, and we were all pool-shootin', beer-drinkin' buds just hangin' out in a saloon!!! Oh yeah, and I DID get a nice, close-up shot of us - Micky is holding up his cue stick with one hand; has his other arm around me with the other - smiling big!!!

Peter? I heard that he had also been out to the Rum Boogie that night, but had left before we got there, so who knows?! He was far more elusive, as always.....

My "ex" & I were staying at the TravelLodge about a block away from the Peabody, on the same side of the street. When check-out time came, there was NO WAY I was gonna go home to Arkansas without trying to meet up with at least Davy again, especially since the night before in the lobby had been such a mob scene. So I made my "ex" take me BACK to the Peabody again to see what was up.

The crowd was much smaller. There were only maybe another 6 or 8 girls/women besides me. Unlike the night before, totally managable! As we all hung around speculating as to Davy's whereabouts, his tour bus pulled up front of the hotel. We knew he would be coming out & leaving soon. We had a pretty good long wait. We found out why, too.... Davy had gotton up early 'cause he wanted to see Graceland before he left town! Anyway, he finally came downstairs, and onto the sidewalk, along with his assistant, David Lewis. Meanwhile, I (along with the others) had struck up a conversation with his TOUR BUS DRIVER, Ed Bennett. I told Ed that my hubby & I were planning a trip the following month to Milwaukee & his parents had already got us tickets to the Monkees show there at the state fair. Ed told me to look for him at the concert, and he'd see what he could do to get me backstage! WOW! I took a few more pics of Davy on the sidewalk before they left, THANKED Ed, and went on home to Arkansas! Hubby was SO impatient, we had to leave before THEY did!!!

The following month, August 1986, we went to see them at the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee. We had seats (along with his cousin, cousin's wife, and step-sister) in the 8th row, I think it was. Anyway, we had GREAT seats, and the cousin's wife video'd the WHOLE CONCERT for me. I mean, she aimed that video camera on them every minute, and I swear, I think Peter kinda gave us a strange look! The show was, of course, GREAT!

When the show was over, I found Ed. True to his word, he took me - and ONLY me - backstage. The Monkees were doing a SECOND show, and had time in between. Hubby & his relatives all went to enjoy the fair for a few hours, while I entered the gates of HEAVEN!!! Well, ok, maybe that is a SLIGHT exaggeration, but you know what I mean!

Micky & Peter pretty much stayed to themselves in their own private tour busses, until it was time to come out & do their second show. Davy, on the other hand, dressed in nothing except a pair of shiny red shorts/bathing trunks(?) and tennis shoes - was sunning himself (working on his tan!) - on the asphalt, with his back resting on a chain-link fence.

As Ed's GUEST, I tried to remain as inconspicuous & inobstrusive as possible. But I DID get ONE good close-up photo of Davy sitting against that fence, on the ground, kinda squinting a bit in the sunlight, brown-tanned chest gleaming!!!! I'd have to say that was the single best picture I ever got of him! We spoke briefly, and he was polite as ever. But I didn't want to invade his "space", so I wandered off with Ed, keeping Davy in the corner of my eye.

While back there, I also met Davy's second wife, Anita, and their daughter, Jessica, who was about six at the time. Anita, was, unlike Linda, very British. She & Jessica posed for a great picture for me (Oh yeah - Jessica is also in the picture I took of Davy, but she is looking down, so you can't see her face too good). I also met Gary Puckett back there. I got a fantastic picture of ALL THREE Monkees "huddled" together behind the stage, right before they went on. (After I already took this one, I was informed by SOMEONE that this is an old show-biz "taboo" - a no-no!!! It's supposed to be some sort of superstition or something..) But anyway, I got the picture. I was just out of the way enough for them to not even realize I was taking it. It's a goodie! I also got some good close-ups of them coming down, OFF the stage to the backstage area the audience can't see, as soon as the concert ended.

Once the second Milwaukee show was over, Ed invited ex-hubby & I to the Sheraton, where they all were staying. They had a lounge. We spent some of the time visiting with Ed in his room, and some of it downstairs.

Memories can get a bit fuzzy at times, so I can't tell you which Monkees we saw first, or even a whole lot of details from that night. Both Micky and Peter (with his girlfriend, Jennifer) made separate appearances in the lobby area. As I recall, neither one of them seemed to be particularly pleased by the presence of fans that night; Micky seemed especially agitated.

The lounge was different. Davy was sitting at the bar, drinking - I THINK - a margarita! If there were any fans in there at all besides me, they were all older, more subdued than the teeny-boppers in the lobby. I remember making brief small-talk with Davy at the bar - can't remember exactly WHAT anymore - and then sitting down at a table with hubby - and Ed. But of course, I was TRYING to hang on to every word he spoke, without seeming too too obvious about it!

......Two months later, October 1986. The Monkees 20th Reunion Tour was such a success, they added on more dates, and LITTLE ROCK was one of them!

After Milwaukee, Ed Bennett & I had become pals, and he often called from the road, just to say "hi" & also, fill me in on some of the highlights of the tour. So when the entourage finally made it to Little Rock towards the end of October, we were pretty tight!

The ONLY reason I didn't get to go backstage to that concert was because Ed couldn't attend it himself! He did, however, invite the "ex" & I to come up to the Excelsior Hotel downtown where they were all staying to see him after the concert, which we did. We ran into Micky, with his eldest daughter, Ami, in the elevator. Again, Micky was NOT in any mood to be catering to any fans. Ami, on the other hand, was QUITE friendly!

.....It was nearly 9 more months till my next Monkee concert, July 1987. This time we drove all the way to Dallas to something called "Starfest". Weird Al opened. The concert itself was HUGE, I mean you would not BELIEVE all the people at that one!!!!! We couldn't even get anywhere near the stage with THIS frenzied mob! But all was not lost, however. Davy did a book-signing for his autobiography at some mall somewhere, and of course, I went. Like the concert, tho, the place was PACKED! I got a bunch of new pictures of Davy, but only ONE was close-up, and that was when I got my own book signed.

It REALLY starts to get fuzzy now, 'cause I know I went to a total of THREE Monkee Conventions altogether - two in Chicago; one in L.A. I THINK the first one was in '87, a month or two after the Dallas concert.

Anyway, I flew up to Chicago & spent 3 or 4 glorious days rubbing elbows with Monkee "second string" cohorts, as well as a few thousand OTHER truly devoted fans! I met ALL the guys: Chip Douglas, David Pearl, Bill Chadwick, Henry Diltz, you name it..... the more I think about it, the more I feel '87 WAS my first convention.....Of course, all three (participating) Monkees were there, and we got treated to a show, as well as they all came onstage at different times for "Q & A" sessions. More photos, of course!

Also, I went to a private party in one of the rooms one of the nights, and Ami Dolenz was there. We really hit it off, and ended up talking mostly to ourselves till about 5 a.m.! (when Ami was an infant, her mom, Micky's first wife, Samantha Juste, had a boutique in West Hollywood called "One of a Kind". I was then a 12-13-year-old growing up in the south bay section of L.A., and I got the phone number to the boutique. To my surprise, Micky's sister, Coco, ran the store, and we often spoke on the phone. She was ALWAYS very sweet, taking time out to talk to me. Once in awhile, Samantha answered the phone, and we would talk. I remember once her feeding Ami while we were on the phone, and hearing her cry a bit, like babies do when they get cranky. She was less than a year old while these conversations were taking place. But all THAT'S another story!) Anyway, Ami seemed to appreciate hearing this little anecdote from her baby-hood, and she is one real sweetheart of a person!!!!!

If I remember correctly, '88 was a "down" year. No convention, no more concert tours.

But '89 was a DIFFERENT STORY!!!!

The '89 Monkee Convention was scheduled to coincide with not only a MAJOR show at the Universal Ampitheatre (and another concert in Orange County, where I had a MUCH better seat!) - but also, this was a landmark SERIES of events, because the Monkees - at long last! - were finally getting their star on Hollywood Blvd.!!! A "BIG DEAL", believe me!!!!! It wasn't easy squeezing my way through the massive crowds, but I WAS THERE! Like others attending the convention, I was staying at the Sheraton Universal, close to the Ampitheatre. I had been on very friendly terms with someone named Julie, who was Chip Douglas' friend/secretary. We had met two years before in Chicago. She had a CAR there, and I didn't. Besides, EVERYONE at the Sheraton was car-pooling 'cause parking off Hollywood Blvd. was gonna be a NIGHTMARE!!! Others were taking shuttles, as most of us were there from out-of-state, and didn't have vehicles. I was one of the very, very LUCKY, however. Julie invited ME to ride along with her to the festivities. We were running a bit late, and just as we were leaving, her good friend, CHIP DOUGLAS ("7 a.....What number is this, Chip? 7-A!!!!!!!) suddenly comes TEARING out the front door of the Sheraton, trying to catch us! Seems he was caught without a ride at the last minute!!! I offered him my passenger seat up front while Julie drove, but he wouldn't hear of it. Such a gentleman. And I really gotta consider this one of those really special moments in time.... here I was, going to the Monkees Star dedication on Hollywood Blvd. - my longtime IDOLS - riding IN THE SAME CAR with the very man who produced their biggest-selling hit (although certainly not my personal favorite - too overplayed!). Because I was with Julie & Chip, I got to go into the area BEHIND the ropes that were set up for crowd control. As always, I made every effort to remain CALM and low-key whenever in The Monkees presence, and know when & when NOT to go whipping out my camera! But I do remember chatting briefly with Micky's wife, Katrina, whom I had only met once before, 3 years earlier in Memphis. This time, she had all three of hers & Micky's small daughters with her, looking adorable. I took a great picture of them all together.

As I said, this was the only time I ever saw Mike. Twice, actually. The Monkees held a press conference in some huge room at the Sheraton, before the concert. I was there, but was too far away to see him up real close. At the concert, the physical distance was much further even.

Speaking of the press conference - I heard a VERY interesting tid-bit from a VERY reliable source (though I forget just WHO told me, exactly!) just prior to the press conference. It seems, The Monkees were all FEUDING again, this time on the ELEVATOR on their way to the actual CONFERENCE!!! I can't remember now just WHO said WHAT to WHOM, but apparently it got PRETTY NASTY, and they were ALL in a snit!!!!!!!!! Now that I think about it, I DID record that press conference myself - and I can't remember now after so many years, so I need to dig it out & listen to it - and it seems to me there were a few snide comments being made, especially between Davy & Peter, as I recall!

Anyhow, once the Big Blast in Los Angeles '89 was over, that was it for another year.

In July of 1990, I attended my third, and last, Monkee Convention; my second in Chicago. It was held once again at the Bismarck Hotel downtown (I found out fairly recently that John Dillinger had also once stayed there!). As always, it was a memorable experience. Most of the "regulars" were back, and it was like one great big family reunion!!! Seems this time, Davy's two oldest daughters, Thalia & Sara, were at this one. I didn't get to talk to them a whole lot, but we were all on the elevator at the same time, and I took two or three really GREAT photos of them together - and with their boyfriends who were with them. Nice girls. Seemed a bit more reserved than Ami, who was/is very outgoing, but that's ok, too!

After the Chicago convention in 1990, things kinda died down for the Monkees. I don't think they were even speaking to each other after that, to be honest. That convention may well have been their final appearance (at least for Davy, Micky, & Peter) together untill they all got back (with Mike) for that TV special in '97.

In any case, I did see Davy, by himself, at an "Oldies" concert at the Memphis Colliseum. I had to look this one up on the cassette I recorded, but it was in July of 1992.

This concert was SO not like the '86-'87 shows. First of all, there was HARDLY ANYBODY THERE!!!! I couldn't believe it - I got there late, after a nerve-wracking 3-hr drive - and the Colliseum was practically empty! I IMMEDIATELY seated myself in the front-row center (ANOTHER dream come true - this was the ONLY time - EVER - I got to sit RIGHT IN FRONT OF DAVY FOR AN ENTIRE SHOW!!!!) Because of all the personal interaction (after all, the place was DEAD!) - this was possibly the most special of ALL the shows. And AFTER show!

Before I go any further on that, let me tell you about this "oldies" line-up he was performing with. It had to be one of the most BIZARRE ever!

We had Conway Twitty! And Little Anthony & the Imperials, and Spencer Davis, and TINY TIM, of all people!!!! I don't know how much you know about music, but it don't get much more diverse than THIS! It was very strange, almost surreal in a way. Of course, DAVY JONES was the STAR of the show - what few fans showed up to this shindig, were all there for HIM!!! (Ok, and maybe a FEW Conway Twitty-hillbillies!)

After the concert, which was SO great because it WAS so small & intimate, the backstage area was completely open - no restrictions whatsoever - I had NEVER seen anything like it before or since, in a large concert venue!!!!

So, of course, I was hanging out backstage, with a relatively small number of die-hard fans, waiting for Davy to come out of his dressing room to greet us, which, of course, he did. Davy loves his fans, and WE love Davy!

I was standing there, in a small crowd of, I don't know, maybe 20 people (?), and this is what FLOORED me - he came out of his dressing room, came walking down the hallway, and THEN..... he looked STRAIGHT AT ME with a look of recognition, and said, "Well, hi there!"

I stared back at him in utter DISBELIEF, and said, "You REMEMBER me??!"

To which he replied, "Well, sure I do!"

I ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!!!!! Of course, he didn't remember my name, even after all those autographs he'd signed over the years, but STILL!!! It was another great moment of my life, just knowing I was a familiar face to him at the time.... just THINK of all the MILLIONS of girls he's met over the years!

After that '92 concert in Memphis, I never got another chance to see ANY of the guys again for 10 more years......

Then, in 2002, Micky & Davy, alone together again, toured & played at some college here in Arkansas; Conway, I THINK it was! I went with 3 friends in tow. After the show - which was great, as always - I told my friends to all just WAIT outside for me, while I did my best to finagle a way backstage.

Turns out, there WAS a "meet & greet" up some stairs, for the "VIPs" at the concert. I had some difficultly gaining access to this gathering, but I CAN be resourceful! Even after I had been turned away due to my lack of a coveted "Backstage Pass", I STILL managed to slip in with the crowd that was ushered upstairs to where Micky & Davy were - I thought it was pretty SLICK how I pulled THAT one off, and my friends were all pretty impressed, too!

Once I actually got upstairs with all the INVITED guests, no one bothered to hassle me. It didn't last NEARLY long enough!!! I barely came in contact with Micky the whole time, 'cause I was waiting my turn to speak briefly with Davy, who was, of course, surrounded. I'm not quite so sure he really remembered me or not after not seeing me for 10 years (I think I mentioned something to him about having met him MANY times before, and I'm not for SURE, but there seemed to be some sort of vague familiarity with his response) - but, anyway, since Tommy Boyce had JUST died, and I had tons of pictures of him, I picked out a few favorites beforehand to show Davy, IF, and when, I saw him. So I showed Davy these pictures I had with me, and he seemed GENUINELY interested in them. He asked me to give my "information" (phone number, address) to his assistant so that he may contact me in the near future about getting some copies to him. (I did so, and I'M STILL WAITING, DAVY!) Anyway, that was almost 4 years ago now, and my last opportunity to see any & all Monkees! Maybe his assistant LOST my information, I'll probably never know. On the other hand, IF and WHEN we ever meet again, I'll have to ask Davy what ever happened to my phone call/ mail?! And oh yeah, I got another picture of myself with him, although it's not the most FLATTERING of either of us!!! After all, we ain't getting any YOUNGER, now are we??! (Ha!)

So I guess that about covers most of it! Are you still there?!

Anymore questions? Just ask!

Davy, Micky, Peter, and even Mike - have all remained a big part of ME for 40 of my 50 years now. Thank God they are all still alive. They're all human, and they've got their little quirks, I've learned. But I feel very grateful that I've had the opportunity to "know" them in a sense, for so long. It was my childhood dream. They may have started out as a so-called "manufactured band", but they still have certainly earned their legendary status......
LONG LIVE THE MONKEES!!!!!

Thanks for asking this question. I've really enjoyed taking "a trip down memory lane" in answering it for you!

Answer 2

I met Peter when they did a live concert in Memphis, Tenn in 1966. It was one of those radio contests - 3rd caller gets a free ticket and a backstage pass with the radio DJ. I was 13 years old and scared speechless. Later on I realized Peter was probably so drugged out that he didn't know he was there and he certainly did not seem to acknowledge me. It was still enough to be a BIG thrill and a wonderful memory.

Answer 3

Summer of 1968, Chicago Illinois.

Answer 4

Misha Collins from Supernatural (he stayed with me for a week)-Bob from Sesame highway, he's provided in has lobster the place I artwork. In my section is the place each and every of the wealthy and properly-enjoyed come for the summer season, Have geared up few residences for countless properly-enjoyed human beings.

Answer 5

I was on a cruise in 1999, where Mickey Dolenz was one of the featured performers on the nightly shows. My Aunt took his picture in the lounge. I didn't go up to him though.

Answer 6

No but I think they are awesome, and I seen them live in a reunion tour. I also used to watch the TV show all the time when it was on the air.

Answer 7

You're talking about the monkeys from the Planet of the Apes, right? Its been 40 years since the first one came out.

Answer 8

No but had a wicked crush on Davy..,just ordered a shirt and mouse pad thats autographed by Davy.

Answer 9

i mey davey and mickey while working at an oldies radio station in richmond, va back in '86...when they were celebrating their 20th anniversary AND their first top 40 hit in a long time "that was then (this is now)"...

man...i'm gettin' old...

Answer 10

No but I would love to meet any one of them though; especially Mickey.