Memoir From Monkees Idol to Major Songwriter – Mike Nesmith Rejects Commerciality, But Mother’s Ingenious Invention Makes Him a Multimillionaire

Culture|Memoir

In The Monkees has sold over 75 million records and become a major songwriter in his solo career Michael “Mike” Nesmith died at the age of 78 after prolonged heart problems, says for example The New York Times. Nesmith was born in Houston, Texas, on December 30, 1942.

Nesmith had already made a couple of singles and won a publishing contract as a songwriter when she was recruited for a comedy series about the fictional band The Monkees on television. The series was inspired by The Beatles Hard Day’s Night and was shown between 1966 and 1968.

Television series On the basis of this, singles and albums were also started, for which the producers commissioned music from external songwriters to be performed by studio musicians. The Monkees Actors initially received vocal contributions and Nesmith also received works from the producer and rarely the composer.

Hits were born, but members stressed early in the public that they mostly starred in a real rock band.

However, playing skills developed and concert appearances were added to the concept. Nesmith eventually led a successful revolt against the producer Don Kirshner against, and the band gained control over the music they released.

Already Headquartersin the spring of 1967 they did as a real band and continued after the TV series until 1970. Nesmith’s Monkees compositions included Mary, Mary, You Told Me and You Just May Be The One.

Nesmith found his own voice as a country-influenced songwriter. First National Band got Top 40 hits like Joanne and Silver Moon, but broke up just before The Eagles gained immense popularity with similar music.

Nesmith moved into a solo career and made expertly acclaimed albums in the 1970s without further list success. He was also a producer with the Countryside sub-brand on Elektra Records.

The Nesmith cult was born in Finland when he was the early editor-in-chief of Musa and Soundi magazines Waldemar Wallenius praised Nesmith and also inspired his colleagues to get to know the production. Heikki Harma that is, Hector translated from the Nesmith classics into Finnish Silver Moon Seppo Närhelle (I both brought the moon) and Talkin to the Wall song To Freeman (Business card). Raul Reiman in turn, into Finnish Magicsong Raimo Kerolle (This night is ours).

In the late 1970s, Nesmith has said it was in big financial trouble due to bad contracts and declining popularity. Everything changed with the inheritance when his mother died of an illness at the age of 56 in 1980.

Bette Nesmith Graham had once invented typing to facilitate Liquid Paper and set up a company that grew successfully after a loss-making early years. Gilette bought the company in 1979 for more than € 150 million today.

Nesmith would perhaps have succeeded again without a legacy, as he became the pioneer of music videos at just the right time. Already The Monkees performances were like early music videos, and he took advantage of his background by writing Rio-singlen (1979) nifty video. It put the song on the charts in several countries.

Utilizing the aesthetics of Nesmith’s music videos Elephant Parts TV won Grammy for Best Video in 1981. The program combined sketches and music videos.

In the same year 1981, MTV was founded and the demand for videos increased. Nesmith was asked, for example Lionel Richien and Michael Jackson as a video producer. With his inheritance, he also produced films, the most prestigious of which is Repo Man.

Sooloura recovered in 1992, when he released his first new album since 1979. After that, a few more solo albums were accumulated.

Now that Nesmith was able to do anything free from financial worries, to the surprise of many, he revived his collaboration with The Monkees members. Nesmith again participated in the Monkees albums in 1996, 2016 and 2018 as well as some tours.

Michael Nesmith performed with Monkees in 2012 in Escondido, California. Picture: Hayne Palmour / ZUMA

Nesmith told Rolling Stone that he didn’t lose the Monkees stage of his career at all. “That was a really fun and great time in my life,” he recalled. In his memoirs Infinite Tuesday (2017) he also stressed that he was by no means the only “real musician” in Monkees as was often claimed. Some of the band members reached their time after practicing their playing skills, which was also reflected in the return tours.

After the deaths of the other original members, Nesmith and Micky Dolenz continued to collaborate both on stage and in the studio. Released this year Dolenz sings Nesmith -plate. They performed their last joint concert a few weeks before Nesmith’s death on November 14 in Los Angeles.

Nesmith was the father of four children. Her three marriages ended in divorce.

Read more: Michael Nesmith, known for The Monkees, is dead