Tag: Michael Nesmith

Micky Dolenz Covers R.E.M. Song That Was Partly Inspired By the Monkees: “Shiny Happy People”

Micky Dolenz is releasing a cover of R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People,” a song that was itself inspired by the music Dolenz created with the Monkees.

Micky Dolenz and the Monkees once inspired Michael Stipe and R.E.M. to create the song “Shiny Happy People.” The song became a hit for the band when it was released as a single following its appearance on their fantastic 1991 album, Out of Time. This month, the Monkees connection to the song comes full circle as Micky Dolenz of that band releases his version of R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People.” The song appears on an EP of R.E.M. covers called Dolenz Sings R.E.M. (2023).

Micky Dolenz reports that one of the inspirations for creating the R.E.M. covers project was to repay the members of R.E.M. for being fans of the Monkees. One might imagine that the singer whose wonderful talents have often not received its due might have found a connection to a song as popular and maligned as “Shiny Happy People” that was also discounted by some as being too poppy for R.E.M. Like the Monkees, though, “Shiny Happy People” had a deeper origin story, with a title inspired by Chinese propaganda posters and written not long after the Tiananmen Square uprising.

For the new recording, Dolenz worked with producer Christian Nesmith, son of his former bandmate Mike Nesmith (who passed away in 2021). Their goal was to re-imagine the R.E.M. tracks on Dolenz Sings R.E.M. Thus, he does not merely provide a note-by-note- cover of the songs. Instead, he brings his own musical background with a psychedelic touch to the songs. Check out his version of “Shiny Happy People.”

Meanwhile, the last-surviving Monkee remains as active as always. He is still touring, and he is releasing a new book, a limited-edition 500-page photo book, I’m Told I Had a Good Time – The Micky Dolenz Archives, Volume One (with Monkees producer Andrew Sandoval).

Dolenz Sings R.E.M. is officially released on November 3, 2023. The other songs on the EP are “Radio Free Europe,” “Man on the Moon,” and “Leaving New York.”

Leave your two cents in the comments.

Jimi Hendrix Opens for The Monkees

Monkees Hendrix On Sunday July 16, 1967, Jimi Hendrix opened for The Monkees for the final time. The opening performance by the Jimi Hendrix Experience was the last of three shows at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, New York, and it ended a seven-show run for Hendrix that started when he joined the ongoing tour in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 8. After Jacksonville, the pairing also performed in Miami Beach (Florida) on July 9, Charlotte (North Carolina) on July 11, and Greensboro (North Carolina) on July 12 before heading north for the final shows together in Queens on July 14, 15, and 16.

The Pairing of Jimi Hendrix With The Monkees

During the summer of 1967, Hendrix was popular in the United Kingdom, but he was still rising in the United States. He garnered attention at his performance earlier in the summer at the Monterey Pop Festival, where Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz had seen him.  But Hendrix’s first album Are You Experienced (1967) was not released in the U.S. until August. So, Hendrix ended up as the opening act for The Monkees, who were in the middle of their successful 1966-1968 TV series run.

The teaming of The Monkees and the Jimi Hendrix Experience was meant to go longer then seven shows, continuing until August 20. And the members of The Monkees were fans of Hendrix and enjoyed having him on tour.

The Eventual Split

But many who came to see The Monkees were not happy to hear an opening act so different from the band they came to see. For example, some fans yelled “We Want Davy [Jones]” as Hendrix played.

One often repeated story is that after Hendrix had enough, he flipped off the audience at the Forest Hills show and then left. Hendrix told NME magazine that it was just the “wrong audience,” joking that he was being replaced with “Mickey Mouse.”

Hendrix, however, also told the magazine that he got along well with the members of The Monkees.  And by most accounts the departure was amicable.

By some accounts, Hendrix’s managers knew the combination would not work and had planned the pairing as a publicity stunt all along. Either way, it was one of the most unique concert billings in rock history, and one that would never be repeated.

A little more than three years later, Hendrix passed away on September 18, 1970. Four days after Hendrix’s death, Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz recorded the final Monkees song for the original band, with Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith having already quit.

Tour Promo

Below is a radio promo for the Detroit show featuring Hendrix opening for The Monkees.  Note that the photos were added for the YouTube video and were not a part of the promotion.

The Detroit show took place on August 13, by which time Hendrix had left the tour. So fans who bought tickets based on this promo may have ended up disappointed. Check it out.

Note: The This Day in History website states that the final Hendrix-Monkees show was July 17, 1962, but the concert poster shown in this video verifies that the final Forest Hills date was on July 16. Also, some websites claim that Hendrix and The Monkees played together at eight shows, but a Monkees website that lists the shows between Jacksonville and Forest Hills confirms there were seven shows in that span.

Do you wish you had seen one of these concerts? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • New Jimi Hendrix Album (and Video): “Both Sides of the Sky”
  • Micky Dolenz Covers R.E.M. Song That Was Partly Inspired By the Monkees: “Shiny Happy People”
  • “Last Train to Clarksville” as a Protest Song?
  • The Brilliance of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”
  • My Train A Comin’: Watch New Jimi Hendrix Documentary
  • Happy Birthday Jimi Hendrix!

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)