NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Michael Nesmith, the Monkee for all seasons, dies at 78

AP
10 Dec, 2021 08:31 PM7 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Mike Nesmith of The Monkees singing group appears at press conference at Warwick Hotel in New York on July 6, 1967. Photo / AP

Mike Nesmith of The Monkees singing group appears at press conference at Warwick Hotel in New York on July 6, 1967. Photo / AP

Michael Nesmith, the singer-songwriter, author, actor-director and entrepreneur who will likely be best remembered as the wool-hatted, guitar-strumming member of the made-for-television rock band The Monkees, has died at 78.

Nesmith, who had undergone quadruple bypass surgery in 2018, died at home on Friday of natural causes, his family said in a statement.

Nesmith was a struggling singer-songwriter in September 1966 when "The Monkees" television debut turned him and fellow band members Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and David Jones into overnight rock stars.

After the group broke up in 1970, Nesmith moved on to a long and creative career, not only as a musician but as a writer, producer and director of films, author of several books, head of a media arts company and creator of a music video format that led to the creation of MTV.

Nesmith was running "hoot nights" at the popular West Hollywood nightclub The Troubadour when he saw a trade publication ad seeking "four insane boys" to play rock musicians in a band modelled after the Beatles.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Mike Nesmith, of The Monkees, performs in Rosemont, Illinois, on November 5, 2021. Photo / AP
Mike Nesmith, of The Monkees, performs in Rosemont, Illinois, on November 5, 2021. Photo / AP

The show featured the comical misadventures of a quartet that tooled around Los Angeles in a tricked-out Pontiac GTO called the MonkeeMobile and, when they weren't chasing girls, pursued music stardom.

Each episode rolled out two or three new Monkees songs, six of which became Top 10 Billboard hits during the show's two-year run. Three others, "I'm a Believer," "Daydream Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville", reached No. 1.

Jones, with his British accent and boyish good looks, was the group's cute lead singer. Dolenz became the wacky drummer, although he had to learn to play the drums as the show went along. Tork, a folk-rock musician, portrayed the comically clueless bass player. Nesmith, with his twangy Texas accent and the wool hat he'd worn to his audition, became the serious but naive lead guitarist.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A prankster by nature, he'd arrived at the audition carrying a guitar and bag of dirty laundry he said he planned to wash immediately afterward. With a harmonica around his neck, he stormed into a casting office, banging the door loudly. After pausing to gaze at a painting as if it were a mirror, he sat down and immediately put his feet up on a desk.

He got the job.

But he rebelled almost immediately when producers told him they were going to call his character "Wool Hat". He demanded they use his real name, as they did with the other actors.

It would be the first of many confrontations Nesmith would have with producers during a tumultuous two-year run in which "The Monkees" won the 1967 Emmy for best comedy series.

Discover more

Entertainment

Sex and the City: Major character death sparks dive in shares

10 Dec 08:30 PM
Entertainment

Jussie Smollett's grand delusion proves celebrities live in another world

10 Dec 10:00 PM
Entertainment

Aniston hits out at 'nasty' pregnancy rumours

10 Dec 06:57 AM
Entertainment

Travis Scott speaks out in first interview after Astroworld tragedy

10 Dec 02:16 AM
Members of The Monkees, clockwise from bottom centre, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork arrive at Tokyo International Airport on September 30, 1968. Photo / AP
Members of The Monkees, clockwise from bottom centre, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork arrive at Tokyo International Airport on September 30, 1968. Photo / AP

Nesmith and Tork, the group's two most accomplished musicians, railed against the programme's refusal to allow them to play their own instruments at recording sessions. But when Nesmith revealed that fact to reporters, music critics quickly turned on "The Monkees", dismissing the show as a fraud and the band as the "Prefab Four", a mocking reference to the Beatles' nickname, Fab Four.

Nesmith, meanwhile, had written several songs he hoped to debut on the show, but almost all were dismissed by music producer Don Kirshner, as sounding too country.

Among them was "Different Drum", which Linda Ronstadt recorded in 1967 for her first hit single, validating to Nesmith his opinion that Kirshner, hailed by the pop music industry as "The Man With The Golden Ear", didn't know what he was talking about.

Things came to a head when all four Monkees demanded they take control of the music. They were warned they would be sued for breach of contract.

At that, Nesmith rose from his seat and smashed his fist through a wall, telling Kirshner it could have been his face.

For years Nesmith would refuse to confirm or deny the incident, even as the other three gleefully recounted it to reporters. In his 2017 memoir, "Infinite Tuesday", he did acknowledge it, saying he'd lost his temper when he felt his integrity was being questioned.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was an absurd moment in so many ways," he wrote.

It did give the Monkees control over their music, however, beginning with the group's third album, "Headquarters",

After the show concluded in 1968 the band embarked on a lengthy concert tour where members sang many of their own songs and played their own instruments before crowds of adoring fans. Jimi Hendrix was sometimes their opening act.

Following the band's breakup Nesmith rarely rejoined the others for reunion tours, leading many to believe he disliked the band and the show, something he steadfastly denied.

"I really enjoyed being in the show. I really enjoyed working with Davy and Micky and Peter," he told Australian Musician magazine in 2019.

It was, he would often say, that he was simply too busy doing other things.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Over the years he recorded more than a dozen albums and toured with the First National Band, the country-rock-folk group he assembled.

He wrote scores of songs, including "Some of Shelly's Blues", "Papa Gene's Blues", You Just May Be the One" and "The Girl That I knew Somewhere" that he performed with the Monkees. Others, performed with the First National Band, included "Joanne", "Propinquity (I've Just Begun to Care)" and "Different Drum".

For the Monkees' 30th anniversary he induced the others to reunite to record a new album, "Justus", for which all four composed the songs and played the instruments. He also rejoined the others for a brief tour and wrote and directed their 1997 TV reunion film, "Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees".

Nesmith also wrote and produced the 1982 science-fiction film "Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann" and earned executive producer credits on "Repo Man", "Tape Heads" and other films.

This June 4, 1967 file photo shows, from left, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees posing with their Emmy award for best comedy series at the 19th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Photo / AP
This June 4, 1967 file photo shows, from left, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees posing with their Emmy award for best comedy series at the 19th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Photo / AP

His 1981 comedy-music video "Elephant Parts" won a Grammy and led to "PopClips", a series of music videos broadcast on the Nickelodeon cable network that in turn led to the creation of MTV.

Nesmith even published two well-received novels, 1998's "The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora" and 2009's "The America Gene".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In 1999 he prevailed in a bitter courtroom battle with the Public Broadcasting System over royalties from a home-video deal his media company, Pacific Arts, had struck with PBS. A federal jury awarded him $48 million, concluding the popular purveyor of children's shows and documentaries had defrauded him.

Nesmith, showing he hadn't lost his Monkees sense of humour, said afterward: "It's like catching your grandmother stealing your stereo. You're glad to get your stereo back, but you're sad to find out that Grandma's a thief."

Both sides agreed on an undisclosed settlement and Nesmith founded another company, Videoranch.

After Jones died in 2012 he began to rejoin the Monkees more frequently, their concerts now earning glowing reviews from critics. He attributed that to most of the group's original critics having died or retired.

Following Tork's death in 2019, Nesmith and Dolenz took on the name The Monkees Mike & Micky.

Robert Michael Nesmith was born December 30, 1942, in Houston, Texas, the only child of Warren and Bette Nesmith.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

His parents divorced when he was 4 and his mother often worked two jobs, as a secretary and painter, to support her son and herself. It was that latter job that inspired her to whip up a typewriter correction fluid called Liquid Paper in her kitchen blender. By the mid-1970s it had made her a fortune, which she eventually left to her son and to nonprofit foundations she endowed to promote women in business and the arts.

Her son, who was married and divorced three times, is survived by four children, Christian, Jason, Jessica and Jonathan. - AP

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Opinion

Jason Momoa's 'Chief of War' turns to NZ amid Hawaiian film industry struggles

Premium
Entertainment

James Gunn didn’t want to make Superman - what changed his mind?

Entertainment

George Clarke: Homes in the Wild - Trailer

Watch

Sponsored

Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Jason Momoa's 'Chief of War' turns to NZ amid Hawaiian film industry struggles
Opinion

Jason Momoa's 'Chief of War' turns to NZ amid Hawaiian film industry struggles

OPINION: The series stars Momoa as a chief in the reunification of Hawaii.

02 Aug 03:20 AM
Premium
Premium
James Gunn didn’t want to make Superman - what changed his mind?
Entertainment

James Gunn didn’t want to make Superman - what changed his mind?

01 Aug 09:00 PM
George Clarke: Homes in the Wild - Trailer
Entertainment

George Clarke: Homes in the Wild - Trailer

Watch
01 Aug 08:00 PM


Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY
Sponsored

Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY

31 Jul 04:21 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP