Calling Toni B!
We were rummaging through the Nuttycombe Archives™ and came upon a copy of Love Letters to the Monkees, the "new wild mad groovy" 1967 nonbook tie-in to the TV show. We found the slim paperback in some area secondhand store years ago and it's inscribed, "Joyce from Chris, Christmas 1967."
But our interest was piqued by the very first letter, which reads:
Darling Micky,
I'm not just another fan writing to you because you're a Monkee. It's you I love, Micky, that happy-go-lucky, carefree, funny person inside you. And I don't care if you are crazy, pug-nosed, scrawny-necked, hairy, skinny, or funny looking. Nobody's perfect, and I'll love you always.
Your truest fan,
Toni B.
Silver Spring, Md.
So, Toni, if you're still in the area, we wanna know:
- Did Micky ever get back to you?
- Are you still his truest fan?
- Were you aware that your letter was published?
- Were you aware that the Monkees were entirely fake, a cynical ploy by the entertainment industry to cash in on the success of the Beatles?
And to Joyce: Why would you get rid of such a classic work of literature?
2:39 pm
You found a note from "Toni B." that basically says, "Hey Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey"? This is the pop music scoop of the century, or at least the scoop of 1981!
2:56 pm
Omigod! Carrie, you are totally right, I completely missed the beat on that one. And now I can't get that song outta my head!
3:12 pm
Dave, it says nothing but *good* things about you and your musical tastes that it did not spring immediately to mind. I've killed more brain cells with shitty 80's lyrics than I have with beer.
Now if you can just track down a love letter from a young Dennis DeYoung to his schoolboy crush, Mr. Roboto, you should have a book deal in no time flat! :)
3:22 pm
So, you're basically saying that Toni Braxton got ripped off by Paula Abdul?
...and how about Prince inspired by the letter openning...
4:48 pm
Dave, this album totally blows point 4 out of the water.
5:03 pm
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" alone blows it out of the water.
5:03 pm
Re: Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. -- I am not immune to the many charms of the original pre-fab four, both TV show and recorded output. And I admit that Mr. Nesmith especially was possessed of much original talent. Still, no matter how many Moog machines Mickey Dolenz acquired, the fact remains that Don Kirshner and Bob Rafelson were the true auteurs of the "band."
5:09 pm
Re: "Pleasant Valley Sunday" -- a lovely work by professional hired songwriters Goffin and King, as were most of the tunes on the album, save two inconsequential songs by Nesmith and a silly poem thing by Tork. Come on, guys--the Monkees are great fun, but they weren't "real," no matter how much Nesmith sulked.
5:12 pm
Commence stultifying authenticity-in-rock argument....now!
5:58 pm
I can't argue. I'm too busy securing my tickets for Dolenz at the Tennessee Soybean Festival--"Crossroads and good livin"-- in Martin, Tennessee, Sept. 9. With his sister. Coco. Toni B. you in?