🎧 Micky Dolenz on How The Monkees Went from TV Band to Real-Life Band

Episode summary: Micky Dolenz was a successful child-actor, but he became a full-fledged star at 20 in 1966 as the exuberant singer and drummer of The Monkees — or rather, as the actor playing that character. At first, the band was a creation of NBC and only existed on the show The Monkees. For the first season, much of the backing music was played by a studio band. Eventually, that changed, and The Monkees’ transition from a TV band to a real band is a fascinating story of hard work, perseverance, and marketing genius. Dolenz brings all the energy and humor he showed on The Monkees to this episode of Here’s the Thing, telling Alec about the dynamics among the bandmates, his years as a successful TV producer in the UK, and what it’s like touring — and recording — as a member of The Monkees 50 years after the end of the show.