The Monkees love, Hangin’ Round…

Mike Nesmith’s vocals in this classic Monkees tune are completely golden. For those of us who loved The Monkees, this declaration is not news. Contrary to some popular Monkee belief, Nesmith was actually a very talented musician. I mean, I love Davey just as much as the next person, but let’s face it: playing the Maracas while looking cute is not hard work.

Michael Nesmith, Magnetic South, 1970. Yes, please…

If you watched and actually listened to The Monkees, Nesmith’s native Texas drawl was an indication of his awesome, alt-rock tendencies. If Nesmith’s signature drawl didn’t do it, his 1970 release, Magnetic South with his First National Band, did. Nesmith also favored playing Gretsch guitars. Other Gretsch fans include Joe Perry & Neil Young. Nesmith has very good taste in guitars. Which is why it makes perfect sense that Nesmith was the creative genius behind MTV and the executive producer of one of the greatest movies of all time, Repo Man.

Mike Nesmith does his best Lou Reed impression on “Crusin”

To further prove Nesmith’s excellent street cred, here’s three minutes with Mike Nesmith as Frank Zappa. Or is it three minutes with Frank Zappa pretending to be Mike Nesmith while wearing Nesmith’s excellent pom-pom-ball hat. At any rate, I’m pretty sure Zappa was a Monkees fan.

Michael Nesmith, 2006.

In 2006 Nesmith released, Rays, his first record since 2001. It’s a pretty atmospheric, jazzy little record. When he’s not making music, Nesmith heads up the progressive, non-profit, Council on Ideas, a biannual think-tank gathering of distinguished individuals brought together to brainstorm big ideas that can help heal the world. Whoa.

Just like the characters in Repo Man, Mike Nesmith is fact, intense.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 11:30 am and is filed under Best Video Ever, Music, Musicology, Trippy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.