With the incredibly sad news of Monkees bassist Peter Tork passing away, a lot of us are feeling a sense of loss that rivals that of a beloved family member. Who am I kidding? For many of us, the Monkees were family.
For many of us, they were the most dependable baby-sitters you could ask for, arriving with a smile and a joke every weekday afternoon at 4PM, or whenever re-runs showed in your area.
At 4PM, we kids plopped down in front of the boon tube and. for half an hour. forgot all about our complete lack of troubles.
Sure, we knew they were fabricated, didn't write their own material (well, not the big hits), and probably couldn't play all that well, but there was a chemistry there that nobody, not even those who cast those four rapscallions - complete unknowns who somehow caught fire when they got in the room together.
Those who considered Tork their favorite have always had a soft spot for "Auntie Grizelda". Most notably, it was Peter's first turn at lead vocals on this boisterous goof of a rock tune. Whether by intent or desperation, Tork's vocal performance is part punk/part lunkhead. An easy track for we kids to sing.
As I play the song now, I feel lucky to have arrived on this earth just in time to completely miss most of the lightning strike moments in rock & roll. By the time I had gotten old enough to begin noticing the artists behind the music I was hearing, both they and the Beatles had broken up.
Even so, reruns of "The Monkees" TV show were plentiful growing up, giving us the illusion that they were still young and still together.
When we were old enough to start going to concerts, catching 75% of the band in the here and now was an eye-opening experience.
"THE MONKEES AGE JUST LIKE THE REST OF US!!"
Sadly, we woke today to the news of Peter's passing, which no doubt reminded us of the sudden passing of Davy Jones in 2012.
On the plus side, Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz are alive and touring.
Even so, reruns of "The Monkees" TV show were plentiful growing up, giving us the illusion that they were still young and still together.
When we were old enough to start going to concerts, catching 75% of the band in the here and now was an eye-opening experience.
"THE MONKEES AGE JUST LIKE THE REST OF US!!"
Sadly, we woke today to the news of Peter's passing, which no doubt reminded us of the sudden passing of Davy Jones in 2012.
On the plus side, Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz are alive and touring.