Micky Dolenz Talks Music, Monkees, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles

MickyDolenz1Fifty years ago, Micky Dolenz’s agent called him about an audition for a new pilot about music and comedy.

It was the beginning of a journey that would take Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork to the world of super-stardom.

Although the show would last only two seasons, the impact the Monkees had on music cannot be ignored. Their first four albums went to Number 1 and included such hits as “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.”

The Monkees have sold more than 65 million units worldwide, easily putting them on par with the biggest artists of all time and making a case for their placement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dolenz has seen a lot of musical history up close, including touring with Jimi Hendrix and sitting in while the Beatles were working on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band album. Dolenz’s 2012 album, Remember, contains an acoustic-driven version of a Beatles song he heard in those sessions.

I recently spoke with Dolenz about the Monkees, his career and a some of his side projects.

GUITAR WORLD: When you first got word about The Monkees, as in the show itself, did you have any idea how huge it would become?

The Monkees was actually the second TV series I had. I had done a show called “Circus Boy” in the Fifties and had gone to school for architectural drafting. My plan was to become an architect when the Monkees audition came along. But when I read the pilot script and went in for the first interview, I remember thinking it might be something special. There were other shows about music at the time and a few other pilots I had been up for, but I remember telling everyone I knew that I really hoped I get this one.

Read the rest of my
gw_logoInterview with Micky Dolenz by Clicking Here!

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