All right everybody: tonight on TCM Underground it's The Monkees in the awesomely wonderful and bizarre HEAD from 1968. The film that basically pulled the plug on the Monkees music machine is one of the most deliriously anarchistic feature films ever released by a major studio (Columbia). Not too surprisingly, the film was a commercial flop.
Directed by Bob Rafelson (who would deliver FIVE EASY PIECES two years later as well as a raft of incredible films thereafter) and written and co-produced by Jack Nicholson (a full year before EASY RIDER), the film defies conventional description apart from the fact that it seems to be about the Monkees and their desire not to be the Monkees anymore. (They ceased to exist within a year.) A whole host of strange people wander through the film (Victor Mature, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa, Timothy Carey, Teri Garr, Toni Basil, etc, etc) to the accompaniment of some of the trippiest Monkee music ever. Even if you hate the Monkees, give this superbly unusual and visually fantastic film a shot! A perfect choice for TCM Underground!! 5 stars on the Dewey-Meter!
HEAD's up tonight -- on TCM Underground
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benwhowell
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Can you dig it?
Looking forward to it. Here's Davy performing Harry Nilsson's enigmatic song, "Daddy's Song-"with a little help from Toni Basil...
Huzzah! Another person who loves this movie as much as I do!
I made a post about this in TCM City just to make sure it was brought to attention, because I'm super excited this is on tonight (even though I've seen it about a hundred times--no kidding).
The history and the behind the scenes info about Head fascinates me as much as the movie itself. On the first day of shooting, only Peter showed up--Mickey, Mike and Davy held out because they wanted screenwriter credit and more money. Rafelson felt betrayed by this and that contributed to the Monkees downfall as well. The sense of camradarie was gone.
The movie bombed not only because it's such a weird movie (I love that scene where they're dandruff in Victor Mature's hair!), but because the promo campaign was terrible as well. Nicholson and another guy almost got arrested for slapping "Head" stickers on the back of a policeman's helmet. The commericals were vague: no mention of the Monkees at all, just a shot of a guy's head with the word "Head" popping up at the end (there's a shot of him in one of the tv commercial montages). And it was rated "R" when it came out (probably because of the Vietnam scenes), although the trailer on my antique VHS copy says it's rated "G".
There was a lot of scenes cut from the original print as well. It ran almost 2 hours and the test crowds HATED it.
Have you ever seen the tv special, "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee"? OMG, it's HORRIBLE (and I say this as a lover of bad 60's psychadelic and kitsch). It was supposed to be another version of "Head" but it's awful. It's not even entertainingly awful, except for Mike's solo number (but I'm biased, because he's always been my favorite).
I made a post about this in TCM City just to make sure it was brought to attention, because I'm super excited this is on tonight (even though I've seen it about a hundred times--no kidding).
The history and the behind the scenes info about Head fascinates me as much as the movie itself. On the first day of shooting, only Peter showed up--Mickey, Mike and Davy held out because they wanted screenwriter credit and more money. Rafelson felt betrayed by this and that contributed to the Monkees downfall as well. The sense of camradarie was gone.
The movie bombed not only because it's such a weird movie (I love that scene where they're dandruff in Victor Mature's hair!), but because the promo campaign was terrible as well. Nicholson and another guy almost got arrested for slapping "Head" stickers on the back of a policeman's helmet. The commericals were vague: no mention of the Monkees at all, just a shot of a guy's head with the word "Head" popping up at the end (there's a shot of him in one of the tv commercial montages). And it was rated "R" when it came out (probably because of the Vietnam scenes), although the trailer on my antique VHS copy says it's rated "G".
There was a lot of scenes cut from the original print as well. It ran almost 2 hours and the test crowds HATED it.
Have you ever seen the tv special, "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee"? OMG, it's HORRIBLE (and I say this as a lover of bad 60's psychadelic and kitsch). It was supposed to be another version of "Head" but it's awful. It's not even entertainingly awful, except for Mike's solo number (but I'm biased, because he's always been my favorite).
"Some of the best parts of life are frivolous." - Arthur Kennedy in A Summer Place
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The Roadshow Version: A Modern Take on Classic Movies
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The Roadshow Version: A Modern Take on Classic Movies
sugarpuss wrote: "Huzzah! Another person who loves this movie as much as I do!"
And how about the unbelievable opening scene where they jump from the bridge and the psychedelic underwater ballet that follows; truly beautiful and inspired. Many have speculated (and probably correctly so) that it symbolically represented the "suicidal" demise of the Monkees once they decided to make this film! I CAN'T WAIT!!
And how about the unbelievable opening scene where they jump from the bridge and the psychedelic underwater ballet that follows; truly beautiful and inspired. Many have speculated (and probably correctly so) that it symbolically represented the "suicidal" demise of the Monkees once they decided to make this film! I CAN'T WAIT!!
Yeah, she is. Honestly, sometimes I forget she's in it because her appearance is so brief.JohnM wrote:I remember going to see it, because Annette was in it. My only memory was being disappointed that Annette was basically a cameo,
benwhowell, I love "Daddy's Song". Davy is my least favorite, but I absolutely love that dance routine, especially when it keeps flipping from the light and dark scenes. When I was a teenager, I wanted to learn that dance routine. Great stuff!
And Dewey, you are correct in the whole suicidal demise of the Monkees, although I think Mickey is the only one to jump at the beginning, while everyone jumps at the end. The first time I saw it, I actually cried--not because the Monkees were "killing" themselves, but because there's a real beauty in the whole scene: the "All for one and one for all" mentality, the slow motion cuts as each one enters the water, with the majestic "Porpoise Song" in the background. It's a great scene.
The ending is hilarious though. That last scene (I'm not spoling it for anyone who hasn't seen it) just kills me.
"Some of the best parts of life are frivolous." - Arthur Kennedy in A Summer Place
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The Roadshow Version: A Modern Take on Classic Movies
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The Roadshow Version: A Modern Take on Classic Movies
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movieman1957
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Sugarpuss:
I heard even The Monkees couldn't stand "33 1/3." Retroplex showed it recently, not in widescreen so I've seen a little of it recently. I'll be watching it all soon.
Anybody:
If you're a fan (closet or not) which is your favorite album?
I heard even The Monkees couldn't stand "33 1/3." Retroplex showed it recently, not in widescreen so I've seen a little of it recently. I'll be watching it all soon.
Anybody:
If you're a fan (closet or not) which is your favorite album?
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
movieman1957 asked: "If you're a fan (closet or not) which is your favorite album?"
The Monkees always struck me more as a "singles" group rather than album oriented one, with terrific pop hits interspersed with a fair amount of dross on each LP. Tracks like "Daydream Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville," "When Love Comes Knockin At Your Door," "She," "Papa Gene's Blues," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and "A Little Bit Me and A Little Bit You" are still fresh and highly listenable today. But if I had to actually pick an LP, it would be the soundtrack to HEAD. As a "conceptual" LP it doesn't quite stack up with The Beatles' SGT. PEPPER or The Beach Boys' PET SOUNDS, but it comes close enough in its own special way.
The Monkees always struck me more as a "singles" group rather than album oriented one, with terrific pop hits interspersed with a fair amount of dross on each LP. Tracks like "Daydream Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville," "When Love Comes Knockin At Your Door," "She," "Papa Gene's Blues," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and "A Little Bit Me and A Little Bit You" are still fresh and highly listenable today. But if I had to actually pick an LP, it would be the soundtrack to HEAD. As a "conceptual" LP it doesn't quite stack up with The Beatles' SGT. PEPPER or The Beach Boys' PET SOUNDS, but it comes close enough in its own special way.
Dewey,
Whoa, my friend. Let's not forget that much, if not the vast part, of The Monkees' success has to be attributed to Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. They were responsible for more than their share of the "Bubblegum" genre of Pop Rock. If memory serves, they not only wrote and produced dozens and dozens of those mostly forgettable (and yes, regrettable) ditties, they chipped in with one or two of their own. "I Wonder What She's Doin' Tonight" was their own biggest hit if I recall correctly. And at the outset, only Mike Nesmith had any real musical talent to speak of in terms of even playing an instrument. But I digress. Back to the real point of my missive. It is sacrilege to even mention any of the Monkees releases in the same breath with either Pet Sounds or Sgt. Pepper which were (and remain) groundbreaking albums. You can't honestly begin to put The Monkees tunes into the same realm with Brian Wilson and Lennon/McCartney. We're talking some seriously rarified air in that level of the musical stratosphere. A level not shared by all that many of rock's progenitors, and must assuredly not any Bubblegum band. To me, they were pre-MTV, MTV and nothing more. Good for a laugh or as background music for some future elevator ride but hardly to be taken seriously. I agree with most of what you write and have a healthy respect for your knowledge but on this point we have to agree to disagree.
Hollis (born in 52 so I remember them all very well, thank you very much)
Whoa, my friend. Let's not forget that much, if not the vast part, of The Monkees' success has to be attributed to Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. They were responsible for more than their share of the "Bubblegum" genre of Pop Rock. If memory serves, they not only wrote and produced dozens and dozens of those mostly forgettable (and yes, regrettable) ditties, they chipped in with one or two of their own. "I Wonder What She's Doin' Tonight" was their own biggest hit if I recall correctly. And at the outset, only Mike Nesmith had any real musical talent to speak of in terms of even playing an instrument. But I digress. Back to the real point of my missive. It is sacrilege to even mention any of the Monkees releases in the same breath with either Pet Sounds or Sgt. Pepper which were (and remain) groundbreaking albums. You can't honestly begin to put The Monkees tunes into the same realm with Brian Wilson and Lennon/McCartney. We're talking some seriously rarified air in that level of the musical stratosphere. A level not shared by all that many of rock's progenitors, and must assuredly not any Bubblegum band. To me, they were pre-MTV, MTV and nothing more. Good for a laugh or as background music for some future elevator ride but hardly to be taken seriously. I agree with most of what you write and have a healthy respect for your knowledge but on this point we have to agree to disagree.
Hollis (born in 52 so I remember them all very well, thank you very much)
Last edited by Hollis on June 3rd, 2007, 2:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hi Hollis!
First off, though I compared the fact that HEAD was a conceptual rock LP in the same sense that SGT PEPPER and PET SOUNDS were conceptual LPs, my comment was that HEAD didn't actually stack up against those two classics (that much should be a given to anyone who was alive at the time!) But overall we shouldn't be so dismissive of Top 40 pop music from that period--many of the so-called "one hit wonders" and bubble-gum artists of that era gave us beautifully crafted melodic examples of an art form (the "out of the blue" pop hit song) that has sadly gone by the wayside. What The Monkees accomplished, through the efforts of some of the 60s most talented songwriters (Carole King, Neil Diamond, Boyce & Hart, etc), was to keep the whole blessed notion of tin pan alley (via the Brill Building) alive for just a little longer. For a group that really wasn't a group, they gave back about as much as they got.
And thanks for the nice compliment; I always appreciate hearing what you have to say as well. Apart from discussing movies, popular music comes in a close second and it goes without saying that you do know your stuff! By the way, I was born in '48, young man!!
ps: While I seriously don't put any of The Monkees' recordings in the same class as The Beatles or The Beach Boys, I do feel that HEAD is a much groovier (better) film than either A HARD DAY'S NIGHT or HELP.
But that's just me! - Best to you -- Dewey
First off, though I compared the fact that HEAD was a conceptual rock LP in the same sense that SGT PEPPER and PET SOUNDS were conceptual LPs, my comment was that HEAD didn't actually stack up against those two classics (that much should be a given to anyone who was alive at the time!) But overall we shouldn't be so dismissive of Top 40 pop music from that period--many of the so-called "one hit wonders" and bubble-gum artists of that era gave us beautifully crafted melodic examples of an art form (the "out of the blue" pop hit song) that has sadly gone by the wayside. What The Monkees accomplished, through the efforts of some of the 60s most talented songwriters (Carole King, Neil Diamond, Boyce & Hart, etc), was to keep the whole blessed notion of tin pan alley (via the Brill Building) alive for just a little longer. For a group that really wasn't a group, they gave back about as much as they got.
And thanks for the nice compliment; I always appreciate hearing what you have to say as well. Apart from discussing movies, popular music comes in a close second and it goes without saying that you do know your stuff! By the way, I was born in '48, young man!!
ps: While I seriously don't put any of The Monkees' recordings in the same class as The Beatles or The Beach Boys, I do feel that HEAD is a much groovier (better) film than either A HARD DAY'S NIGHT or HELP.
But that's just me! - Best to you -- Dewey
Hello again Dewey,
Thanks for your own kind words, old timer! What the kids of the 70's, 80's and beyond missed out on I wouldn't dream of trading for anything! Remember "I Am the Walrus" and the whole "Is Paul Dead" scenario and the never ending discussions of "OPD", walking barefoot (and out of step) with the others across Abbey Road and "Number 9, Number 9, Number 9...?" Did you ever try playing a vinyl LP backwards? I ruined more than one! Before Elvis, there was little to listen to, and after him, Buddy Holly and a flock of imitators (with respect to the always self aggrandizing Little Richard and his own inflated ego) pretty much gave us most of what we listened to (and our parents hated!) Then the Beatles opened the door for everyone else that followed. I think that much is undeniable, don't you? I'll never understand how people can say they don't like the Beatles. Either their own appreciation for rock came later or much earlier. Without them paving the way, many of the bands we still love would have never begun (i.e. Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Kinks and even Cream (maybe the best heavy metal band ever)) bestowing their own versions of Rock upon us. I find both of The Beatles films (Help! and A Hard Day's Night) a hoot to this day! Like JohnM said, I also find Head unwatchable. The music just isn't powerful enough to offset the film's lack of interest. But like you said, that's just me! And Yellow Submarine may just be the most innovative animated film ever made! Where would Monty Python be without it?
As always afflicted with insomnia,
Hollis
Thanks for your own kind words, old timer! What the kids of the 70's, 80's and beyond missed out on I wouldn't dream of trading for anything! Remember "I Am the Walrus" and the whole "Is Paul Dead" scenario and the never ending discussions of "OPD", walking barefoot (and out of step) with the others across Abbey Road and "Number 9, Number 9, Number 9...?" Did you ever try playing a vinyl LP backwards? I ruined more than one! Before Elvis, there was little to listen to, and after him, Buddy Holly and a flock of imitators (with respect to the always self aggrandizing Little Richard and his own inflated ego) pretty much gave us most of what we listened to (and our parents hated!) Then the Beatles opened the door for everyone else that followed. I think that much is undeniable, don't you? I'll never understand how people can say they don't like the Beatles. Either their own appreciation for rock came later or much earlier. Without them paving the way, many of the bands we still love would have never begun (i.e. Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Kinks and even Cream (maybe the best heavy metal band ever)) bestowing their own versions of Rock upon us. I find both of The Beatles films (Help! and A Hard Day's Night) a hoot to this day! Like JohnM said, I also find Head unwatchable. The music just isn't powerful enough to offset the film's lack of interest. But like you said, that's just me! And Yellow Submarine may just be the most innovative animated film ever made! Where would Monty Python be without it?
As always afflicted with insomnia,
Hollis
Hey again Dewey,
Well, it's 4:45am and I just uploaded and listened to the entire Beatles "White Album." Has a finer album ever been released? It's so eclectic and far reaching, and musically diverse as well. It's not my personal favorite (The Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East is) but it probably comes in at #2. I wouldn't want to be stranded on a desert island without it! That and Yoko Ono with me so that I could strangle her slowly, oh so very slowly....
Hollis
Well, it's 4:45am and I just uploaded and listened to the entire Beatles "White Album." Has a finer album ever been released? It's so eclectic and far reaching, and musically diverse as well. It's not my personal favorite (The Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East is) but it probably comes in at #2. I wouldn't want to be stranded on a desert island without it! That and Yoko Ono with me so that I could strangle her slowly, oh so very slowly....
Hollis
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Mr. Arkadin
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That and Revolver are my personal faves of the Beatles work. I'm not as old as you, so I never had a chance to see them or remember when SP came out (by the way does anyone remember the 80's PBS doc It Was Twenty Years Ago Today?), but I have been a rabid fan since 5th grade and have owned all their work in various formats since then (8track?Hollis wrote:Hey again Dewey,
Well, it's 4:45am and I just uploaded and listened to the entire Beatles "White Album." Has a finer album ever been released? It's so eclectic and far reaching, and musically diverse as well.
).Unfortunately there are not many innovative bands like that now (heck who even plays now--they're all auditioning for AI!). If you like Beatlesque harmonies with a little heavier edge you might check out Kings X. Amazing harmonies and one of the singers sounds a bit like Lennon as well.
Here they are live on the Dennis Miller show around 91. Pretty good job even though they undermixed the bass and it's very clear they are straining to hear themselves in the monitors. The guitar player does a nice solo at the end as well: