Mike Nesmith Didn’t Say Much About The Monkees in His Autobiography for This 1 Reason
Mike Nesmith appeared to have been conflicted about his past as a cast member of The Monkees television show, and subsequently, the music group spawned from it. He seemed to have a deep appreciation for the music he could perform that was not geared toward commercial success. Nesmith was also the first to stand up against Monkees producers to write and perform their songs.
He touched on these topics in his book: “Infinite Tuesday: An Autobiographical Riff.”
However, he did not say much about the band and television show when putting pen to paper to tell his life story. This is the one reason why.
Mike Nesmith once alluded to being the ‘difficult Monkee’
In an interview with USA Today, Nesmith once revealed that he didn’t know if he genuinely was known as the “difficult Monkee’ or, rather, the one that wouldn’t fall in line.
He said, “I don’t know whether I called myself that or was pointing out that others called me.”
However, he claimed that The Monkees belonged “to the people and the fans and not to me.”
He claimed that they could never be a part of him in that way.
Nesmith said he was forever grateful and happy for his Monkees association. He felt it was positive and beneficial in his life, a substantial and welcome part of the puzzle.
Nesmith didn’t say much about The Monkees in his book
In his book, Nesmith kept his history with The Monkees close to his chest.
He was asked by AZ Central why he kept that large part out of his professional life out of his autobiography.
Nesmith replied with this take on Monkees Mania.
“It seems to me that everyone has had their say. All that needs to be written has been written,” he wrote.
“It seemed the better part of wisdom to leave that story in the book where it was in my life — an important and pleasant chapter, but only a chapter, followed by many others that put the Monkees in their proper perspective,” Nesmith concluded.
The guitarist called ‘The Monkees’ television show ‘an old and treasured friend’
The Monkees television show lasted two seasons, with 58 episodes. However, Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones’s impact on pop culture runs deep.
Not only did it impact a generation of television viewers from 1966-to 1968, but it also continued to generate feel-good vibes for a generation of viewers in syndication for years afterward. It also enjoyed a revival in the 1980s when MTV aired the series and breathed new life into the franchise.
In 2018, Nesmith looked back at that time in his professional history and admitted he had “grown to love the show” as he did other comedy shows.
He claimed that only time would tell how good it was, but it seemed to get better as it aged.
“There will come the point at which the show will no longer inspire or uplift or make people laugh. Such is the way of things like this. But for now, it is a pleasant addition to my life — like an old and treasured friend,” Nesmith concluded.
