The Monkees are often referred to as the “Pre-Fab Four” in reference to the fact that they were obviously a TV knock-off of the Beatles, recruited from a help wanted ad in Variety. Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Harry Nilsson all auditioned to become Monkees. Stills was even cast, but stepped aside over royalties issues, recommending his then-roommate Peter Tork for the role in instead.
Still, no matter how “uncool” they were supposed to be—and I think you’ll agree that the above trio were all pretty hip young guys— the Monkees casting was a rare example of stroke of genius by committee. It’s difficult to imagine anyone but the four of them having the same chemistry, both comedically and (eventually) musically. And to further refute their “uncool” rep, John Lennon called them “the Marx Brothers of Rock” and the Beatles even hosted a party for them in London when they toured England. (Furthermore, Mike Nesmith was at the Abbey Road recording sessions for “A Day in the Life” and Peter Tork played banjo on George Harrison’s Wonderwall soundtrack).
Even that most far-out of the really far-out musicians of the day, Frank Zappa himself, made not just one, but two onscreen appearances with the Monkees: First in a TV segment where Mike pretended to be Frank and vice versa (which certainly foreshadowed Ringo’s portrayal of Zappa in 200 Motels) before they destroyed a car with a sledgehammer to the tune of “Mother People,” and again in a brief cameo in Head..
Zappa’s Head cameo, offering Davey Jones some musical advice while walking a cow through the Screen Gems studio lot.
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