The Monkees

Of course the Monkees were invented for television, but they hit the mark and at their peak they drove the circulation of 16 higher than it ever was before or since. The 1967 "ownership statement" declares monthly sales of a million copies, which of course didn't count pass-along readership; in all, about four million people a month were reading 16 in the Monkees era. A weekly series about a rock band, using many of the cinematic tricks invented for "A Hard Day's Night," starring 4 boys selected from over 500 who auditioned, and accompanied by a string of genuine hit singles, could hardly fail to enchant teenagers, and indeed it did. With the debut of their show, the Monkees took the top spot of the cover and held it though the end of 1967. Because the Monkees were considered characters in a TV show and not real people (a distinction some other TV characters had difficulty in comprehending, to their neverending dismay), 16 had to pay a license fee for each story about them. What's more, story ideas had to be submitted to Screen Gems for their approval, but this process was largely legal ceremony; Gloria was not about to wound the goose that was laying such a very golden egg, and Screen Gems in turn was in awe of Gloria, and terrified of getting into a fracas with her. It was quite lovey-dovey, and the actors who played the Monkees cooperated more or less willingly, fully realizing how lucky they were to have landed such a plum series. The were known to display a certain mild contempt for the very naive questions put to them by 16's editors; even actors playing the Monkees had to assert their creative selves every once and a while. Peter Tork was the most cooperative (encouraging his grandmother to help 16's editors), Dolenz and Jones would do whatever they were told, and Mike Nesmith was the least cooperative, striving mightily to convey that he cared little about the whole thing. In fact, it was Nesmith (rich in his own right--his mother invented Liquid Paper correction fluid) who shocked the crowd at a 1967 press conference by complaining that as individuls the Monkees were being misrepresented (Oh?) In fact, the career of the Monkees is as full of irony as an anthology of O. Henry stories. At the time, "serious musicians" mocked (and perhaps envied) their success, and especially hated the fact that the monkees had hit records (since others played the instruments on the Monkees' early recordings). Now many years later, genuinely "serious musicians" of our own time, like Michael Stipe of R.E.M., believe that the Monkees should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, on the grounds that for millions of viewers too young to go to live concerts, the Monkees were rock and roll and inspired thousands of their fans to start rock bands, so they too could have as much fun as Davy, Micky, Mike, and Peter. We leave the argument to aestheticians and social historians; from 16's point of view, the Monkees were made in heaven, er...Hollywood, er...heaven, er...what's the difference?