Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Weekend Comments (Part 1)

Is FH broken? ... No postings since Wednesday, February 23, 2011? C'mon ... I need something to read while at work!!!! :-)
Best,
John

Not "broke" exactly ... (unless you mean financially, of course!) ... but we've certainly been overwhelmed these past few weeks ... and especially these past few days ... my work schedule for the past four weeks has consisted of mostly 12-14 hour days, leaving precious little time to work on Forgotten Hits ... so we've thrown together a "Double Whammy" Weekend again, chock full of recent comments. Enjoy! (kk)

re: THE MONKEES:
Are the 45h Anniversary Tour rumors true?
We've been speculating about it for months now ... and then just heard this bit of news:

MONKEES RE-UNITE IN THE U.K.

New York – 60s TV sensations The Monkees, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork, will appear today on England’s The One Show, to confirm the rumors are true -- they will be uniting to tour together for the first time in 20 years. Prior to the press announcement, Jones confirmed a new round of shows to begin in the U.K., where they will rehearse and perform ten initial dates in May. A tentative 30-date U.S. is also in the works and is targeted to kick off on June 3, 2011. Why get back together, after all these years? According to author Eric Lefcowitz, author of the recently-released book Monkee Business: The Revolutionary Made-For-TV Band “they are always guaranteed box office. Especially in this day and age, when it’s difficult to sell tickets and legacy rock acts are disappearing. Plus, it’s just a fun brand. Hearing Micky belting out hits like “I’m A Believer” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” and Davy’s classic performance of “Daydream Believer,” is usually worth the price of admission."

On a human interest level, there is also Tork’s recent throat cancer ordeal and hard-earned recovery. "Peter's courage in the face of such a major health scare is also compelling this time around," continues Lefcowitz, noting that Tork battled the disease and went straight back to performing live shows with his band, Shoe Suede Blues, within months of completing treatment. "A Monkees tour always produces some drama," he goes on to say. "From 1967, when Jimi Hendrix opened for them, to 1997 when they last toured together as a foursome, there's always some intrigue. When you think about it, there aren't any other TV show casts touring, unless you include recent arrivals like Glee and American Idol. So The Monkees are a rare breed, indeed.”

While it certainly hasn't been 20 years since the THREE Monkees have toured together, it is ALWAYS a VERY entertaining show. Keep watching Forgotten Hits for more details as they become available. (kk)

Monkees Reuniting For 45th Anniversary Tour

Kent ... If I was a D J, right now I'd be playing "Monkey Time" by Major Lance, 1963. Frank B.


The Monkees' European Dates are causing quite the buzz ... they were INCREDIBLY popular over there (and I can't believe a U.S. tour won't follow closely behind.) But apparently a quote attributed to Micky Dolenz has been circulating in Jolly Ol' England that simply isn't true ... so we heard this from Micky himself:
Micky Dolenz: I wanted to call Forgotten Hits this morning to set the record straight.

(Apparently, with the burst of press this past Tuesday surrounding the upcoming U.K. reunion tour, starting on May 14 in Manchester, one of the articles incorrectly stated that Micky ‘didn’t like working with songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.’ The pair wrote “Last Train to Clarksville” and the theme for their TV show. Here’s Micky's clarification:

I want to make it clear that I DID NOT make the comment that has been reported in some of the press that I did not like working with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. That comment was made by my friend, Peter Tork, and wrongly attributed to me. Peter is, of course welcome to his opinion but, any of you who know me and my career knows that Tommy and Bobby were two of my best friends and I always enjoyed working and playing with them.

-- Micky Dolenz

We know this to be the case ... in fact, just recently Bobby Hart was telling me that he probably stays in contact with Micky the most out of all of The Monkees ... and let's not forget their time together as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart ... "The Guys Who Sang 'em and The Guys Who Wrote 'em"!!! Happy to help set the record straight, Micky! (kk)


And, speaking of Micky Dolenz, we just received THIS piece of news from FH Reader Marlene O'Malley:

Monkees’ Dolenz to headline summer concert series


re: JIM PETERIK:

Enjoyed seeing the photo of Jim Peterik! Keep up the GREAT work.