Recently, IFC started marathoning episodes of The Monkees on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It’s weird to think that these episodes are almost 50 years old because, despite their age, they’re immensely entertaining. (Well, entertaining enough to give me an excuse to stay in bed on a Saturday or Sunday morning. To be fair, that’s a low bar.) But, now, watching these again for the first time since they were in reruns on MTV in the late ‘80s, I can’t stop thinking about one important question: Who is the leader of The Monkees?
And I don’t care who the leader is in real life, I’m talking about their leader on the fictional television series. They have such a strange dynamic, it’s almost impossible to figure out. But, being that it’s the last day before a three-day weekend, perhaps while we are celebrating our nation’s independence, we can also take some time to ponder this question and come up with a viable answer. So, let’s try to figure out who the leader of The Monkees is.
Peter Tork
Peter Tork is the only Monkee I can definitively say is not the leader. There’s one episode in which three Monkees are on trial for a bank robbery (Mike, Davy and Micky thought they were in a movie, but it was an actual robbery), and Peter is the only Monkee who can clear their name. I had no confidence in Peter, and I was fairly certain the other three Monkees would be put away for good. But after an elaborate chase scene involving many doors, set to “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” Peter wound up clearing the other three Monkees of any wrongdoing. The only reason Peter was put in a position of leadership was because he was the only one left, and it’s a miracle he succeeded. Peter is not their leader.
Micky Dolenz
Micky sings lead on most of The Monkees’ songs, so this one is a little trickier. For the life of me, I can’t figure out if Micky is a genius or if he’s mentally challenged. There are times when Micky certainly thinks he’s their leader, often barking orders, but quite often these orders come after Mike has already made a decision. In one episode, Micky is mistaken for a mob boss named Baby Face, then he’s coerced by the police to infiltrate the mob and pretend he’s the real Baby Face. Thrust into a real position of power, Micky is outed as a fraud. Micky is the Chandler Bing of The Monkees; he’s entertaining to have around, but he’s not the leader.
Davy Jones
Davy is, without question, the most popular Monkee. And a good number of the episodes center around Davy and whomever his new love interest is that week. In one episode, Davy is mistaken for a prince and later pretends he’s the real prince (The Monkees meeting people who look just like them is a recurring theme) and winds up handling his leadership role well, even after an attempt on his life. Other than Mike, Davy seems to be the only Monkee who has a mind of his own. I think if Davy truly wanted to be the leader, that title would be his because he’s too popular. If he threatened to leave, The Monkees wouldn’t be able to continue without him. He’s the heartthrob.
Mike Nesmith
Mike seems to make most of the band’s decisions, and the rest of the Monkees do seem to listen to him, but Mike doesn’t even seem like he wants to be a Monkee half the time. The other three Monkees seem to annoy Mike. He’s the most obvious answer to this question, but how can someone who doesn’t even really want to be a Monkee be their leader?
In an episode in which the Monkees join the circus, Davy has a bad experience after a performer throws knives at him; the first person Davy runs to for help is Mike. When the Monkees receive an award from a magazine, Mike accepts it on the band’s behalf. These events would lead you to believe that Mike is the leader. But how would that dynamic work? Mike is arguably the least famous of The Monkees; this seems unsustainable. This would be like George Harrison somehow being the secret leader of The Beatles, always ordering John and Paul around. I’ve seen the most evidence to support that Mike is the leader, but if he is, it’s by default and it won’t last.
Answer:
In an episode where a children’s television show offers The Monkees a chance to perform on the show on a regular basis, The Monkees take a meeting with the show’s young producer. There are four chairs in this office, two right in front of the producer’s desk and two off in the corner.
Micky and Davy sit in the chairs in front of the desk, Peter sits in the corner. Peter know his place and accepts it. Mike then tells Micky to get up and takes Micky’s chair, Micky then sulks over to the corner. This is because Micky thinks he’s the leader, but is not the leader. Mike and Davy sit in front of the producer in their rightful spots. Davy IS the rightful leader, but chooses not to be, instead focusing his attention on being popular. Mike assumes the leader’s duties, but would lose his leadership if Davy ever decided to challenge Mike for the title. And because Mike really isn’t much into any of this anyway, he would gladly let Davy become the leader.
You’re welcome.
Mike Ryan has written for The Huffington Post, Wired, Vanity Fair and New York magazine. He is senior entertainment writer at Uproxx. You can contact him directly on Twitter.
