How have a group conceived as a shortlived commodity outlived so many
of their contemporaries? Why are The Monkees still important, and what
does this tell us about their music, their TV show, and our
understanding of popular culture today?
Despite being built in Hollywood, and not necessarily to last, The
Monkees and their music, TV, and cinematic output have proved enduring.
They are in many ways unique: as the first 'made for TV' band their
success introduced methods of marketing pop that have since become
standard industry practice, and their big-screen use of film and images
in live performance is now a firmly established principle of concert
staging. What's more, they changed the rules of the pop game, taking
control of their own affairs at the height of their success, risking
magnificent failure by doing so.
The Monkees invented a new kind of TV, gave a new model to the music
industry, and left behind one of the most enigmatic movies of the modern
era, Head. This book is about all that and more. Drawing on years of
original research and brand new interviews with key figures including
songwriter Bobby Hart and producer Chip Douglas, it includes an
extensive scene-by-scene analysis of the film and an exclusive essay on
the impact of The Monkees and Head by KLF founder Bill Drummond.
Beginning by exploring the origins and personalities of the four Monkees
before looking in depth at their work together on screen, on stage, and
on record, The Monkees, Head, and the 60s is the first serious study
of the band and the first to fully acknowledge their importance to the
development of pop as we now know it.
