He's a believer
Peter Tork defends the Monkees' viability for Rock
Hall of Fame

BY JOSEPH DIONISIO
joseph.dionisio@...

April 18, 2007

'So you better get ready," shouts the theme to the
Monkees' 1960s TV series, "we may be comin' to your
town!" Unless, of course, your town is Cleveland.

Peter Tork - whose band Shoe Suede Blues visits East
Setauket and Patchogue this week - says the Monkees
merit consideration for the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame, but one man opposes their induction.

"The only person ... holding a grudge is Jann Wenner
of Rolling Stone," says the former Monkee. The
magazine editor "has never written a gracious word. He
personally has the veto power to keep us out."

How does the band - whose Emmy-winning show aped the
Beatles' film "A Hard Day's Night" - rank against
other inductees? Neither the Animals, the Rascals, the
Lovin' Spoonful, the Dells, Del Shannon, Frankie Lymon
nor Black Sabbath have more Top 20 singles than the
Monkees' 10. Ratings aside, classics such as "Pleasant
Valley Sunday" have aged better than the likes of
Shannon, whose "Hat's Off to Larry" seems laughable as
Hall justification.

Bands as disparate as the Sex Pistols ("Steppin'
Stone"), Run-D.M.C. ("Mary, Mary") and The Church
("Porpoise Song") have covered Monkees' songs. Even
Radiohead's "Go To Sleep" eerily channels Micky
Dolenz's vocals.

"I'm convinced that Micky is one of the great singers
of our time," Tork says. "He's always been something
of a genius."

One notable fan is Michael Stipe, who reportedly vowed
to bar R.E.M. from the Hall until the Monkees got in.
Stipe declined comment, but in 1994 he did tell
Rolling Stone that "The Monkees ... meant a lot more
to me" than the Beatles. R.E.M. was finally inducted
last month.

Wenner - who didn't reply to an interview request -
allegedly denounces Tork, Dolenz, Davy Jones and Mike
Nesmith for not playing their own instruments on the
band's first albums.

In this "American Idol" era, when acts are
"manufactured" like toasters, fewer critics crucify
the Monkees for being a TV show that spawned a band.
So have they faced an unfair standard? Were they, in
fact, a "real" group?

"I've not heard the slightest murmur about the Monkees
being fake," Tork, 65, says from his Connecticut home.
"Everybody's forgotten it, except Wenner. He's been
vicious."

One Rolling Stone reporter, Tork says, wrote a glowing
story crystallizing their merits. But before
publication, Tork adds, "The writer said, 'Jann took
my article, gutted it and rewrote it to [bury] you.'"

Backed by producer Don Kirshner's songwriting stable -
Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka,
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart - the band unleashed four
straight No. 1 albums and three chart-toppers. They
eventually penned their own catchy pop, albeit with
less chart success.

"George Harrison used to say he wished his best songs
were as good as the worst of Lennon-McCartney," Tork
says. "So, we used to hope our best songs were as good
as the worst of the Brill Building."

Tork's fame, however, is more about musicianship than
songwriting. So said Jimi Hendrix, who called him the
most talented Monkee. The guitarist opened several
Monkees' gigs, including a '67 show at Forest Hills'
West Side Tennis Club. Was his compliment accurate?

"I'm not sure it's quite true," says Tork, who plays
guitar, banjo, piano and bass. "I'm far and away the
best-trained musician, but I'm in awe of all three
[Monkees]. Jimi meant that I was the most [receptive]
to his kind of music."

Tork's new album - Shoe Suede Blues' "Cambria Hotel"
(sold at cdbaby.com) - stars guitarist Richard Mikuls,
bassist Arnold Jacks and drummer Jeff Olson. The
band's name doesn't reflect Elvis, so much as a less
fractious era in radio.

Besides a bluesy "Last Train to Clarksville," its
hidden gem is an Indian violin-laced "For Pete's
Sake," aka the show's closing theme. The album has
medicinal value, Tork suggests.

"People listen to dance music like taking aspirin: to
shut down the pain," he says. "But the blues puts you
back together. Like penicillin, it's therapeutic. If I
can bring a microscopic bit of that feeling ... my
career's in good shape.

The Monkees today:

DAVY JONES, 61 ... the lone British Monkee

His fame led David Bowie (originally David Jones) to
change his name ... Tony nominee for "Oliver!" in '60s
... he and Dolenz had little musical training before
the series' NBC debut on Sept. 12, 1966.

MIKE NESMITH, 64 ... aka Wool Hat

He wrote Linda Ronstadt's "Different Drum" ... video
pioneer who paved the way for creation of MTV ... his
mom, Bette Nesmith, invented Liquid Paper in the '50s
Skipped most Monkee reunions, and keeps little
contact.

MICKY DOLENZ, 62

Earned TV success as child star (1956's "Circus Boy"),
director ("Boy Meets World")... auditioned as Fonzie
on "Happy Days" and Riddler in '95's "Batman," but
voiced Two-Face in a Bat 'toon ... son of actor George
Dolenz … former DJ at WCBS/101.1 FM.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.



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