The Monkees Were Once Reprimanded by This Member of the British Royal Family
The rising popularity of The Monkees in Great Britain in 1967 catapulted the group to the top of the Billboard charts. Their song “Alternate Title” peaked at number two. However, one British royal family member had little patience for the group’s boisterous fans and reprimanded Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork for this one hilarious reason.
In 1967, The Monkees were at the top of their popularity
During the summer of Love took hold of the population, The Monkees were at the top of their game professionally.
The band had finished the first season of their self-titled NBC series and was readying for a second.
After two albums where The Monkees did not perform their material, the group recorded Headquarters. This was their third album in less than two years, following The Monkees and More of The Monkees.
Dolenz wrote and recorded his first song played by the band titled “Randy Scouse Git.” The direct translation of those slang words means “horny, Liverpudlian jerk” reported Songfacts.
Told to give the song an alternate title, “Randy Scouse Git” was later renamed “Alternate Title” outside of the United States, said Dolenz in the book I’m A Believer: My life of Monkees, Music, and Madness.
“Alternate Title” would propel the band to almost the top of the Billboard charts in the United Kingdom.
This British royal reprimanded The Monkees upon their visit to the U.K.
Dolenz wrote that in 1967, The Monkees headlined five sold-out concerts at the Wembley Arena.
He explained that the band stayed at the Royal Kensington Gardens Hotel in London.
“Day and night, there were hundreds of screaming, crying, and singing kids under out windows, blocking the sidewalks, and stopping traffic in the street,” he wrote.
“Every once in a while, one of us would ‘throw them a bone and consent to make an appearance on a balcony. When we did so, the steady drone of ‘We love The Monkees’ became a thunderous roar that rattled the windows and rattled our brains,” Dolenz explained.
However, the racket caused by The Monkees’ appearances in London also appeared to get under the skin of Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth.
She wrote a note which she sent to the band. It contained the following message.
“Dear Sirs: Could you please arrange for your arduous admirers to refrain from their boisterous plaudits as it is very difficult for one to get one’s sleep.” HRH Princess Margaret signed it.
When their tour ended, The Monkees returned to filming season 2 of their television series
Dolenz explained that he felt the band’s overseas tour ended “abruptly.”
Soon, the group was back in LA and filming season 2 of The Monkees.
“It was straight out of the Twilight Zone,” he wrote in his book.
“From the roar of the crowds and the smell of the aviation fuel to the road or the assistant director and the smell of the electricians. What a shock.”
However, the second season of The Monkees was not without its changes.
Dolenz explained that the band appeared to be a bit freer to express themselves than during the first season of episodes.
“Gone was the JCPenny wardrobe. Gone were the conventional Monkee suits and shirts. Now it was Nehru jackets, love beads, and in my case, a will head of Afro hair,” he said of the significant turnaround of the look of season 2 of the series.
