Talk:Michael Nesmith

More Greatest Hits of the Monkees vs. More of the Monkees
In a 1980s Rhino Records interview (as recapped in The Monkees Tale), Nesmith referred to More Greatest Hits of the Monkees &mdash; NOT More of the Monkees &mdash; as "badly played, badly sung, marginally recorded, and they're weak tunes." This is a 1980s COMPILATION he was referring to, BY TITLE, NOT an original 1960s album. TWICE now someone has changed this to More of the Monkees, which Nesmith referred to in a 1967 press conference as "probably the worst record in the history of the world." Two DIFFERENT ALBUMS, folks. Zephyrad 04:24, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Just where was this monkey person born I ask you?
The article says he was born in Houston Texas and Dallas Texas. I'm not saying the article is wrong, just it would be difficult to pull off being born in two cities that are 250 miles apart. Not much mention of what an amazing guitarist Mikey is either. Listen to the solo in Valerie. Just sayin'...And Gretsch had a signature Monkey's guitar model that was sold to the public... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.233.178.253 (talk • contribs)


 * The guitar solo in "Valleri" was played by Louis Shelton. Nesmith did not keep up on guitar after the 1970s; Davy Jones commented in the 1980s that Nesmith "would need a few workouts in the gym" to be back up to performance level. Peter Tork had to take over as lead guitarist when the Monkees reunited in the 1990s, because Nesmith could no longer play the riffs to songs like "Last Train to Clarksville" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday". Sorry. Zephyrad 21:18, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

The riff on "Last Train to Clarksville" was played by Howard Roberts. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.94.38.34 (talk) 22:53, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

I don't know how to work this page, so please bear with me or make the necessary corrections. Anyway, that's not true at all. When Nesmith briefly rejoined the Monkees in 1996-97, he most certainly played lead guitar in concert as well as on the reunion album, "Justus". Also, when I asked him personally, he insisted that he never produced a follow up to 1972's "Tantamount To Treason Volume 1". Hope this clears things up.


 * Harris County, Texas. "Robert Michael Nesmith" on countyhistorian.com Wjhonson 17:59, 26 August 2007 (UTC)


 * That doesn't really clarify the matter... was he born all over the county? Zephyrad 19:23, 26 August 2007 (UTC)


 * It does if he was born in an unincorporated part of the county, say on a farm somewhere. I have no particular knowledge of where he was born, but if it was in an unincorporated part of the county, "Harris County, Texas" is as precise as one can get without use of topography, it seems to me.Monkeyzpop 00:48, 27 August 2007 (UTC)


 * My source, the Texas Birth Index only tells you the county in which they were born. I suppose that you could use a book on him, or a newspaper clipping of his birth announcement if there is any, to determine the exact place.  I just don't know it. Wjhonson 15:17, 1 October 2007 (UTC)


 * For what it's worth (probably not a lot), the sleeve notes to the Warner CD entitled "The Definitive Monkees" states that Nesmith was "Born in Houston, 1942". 86.138.157.238 (talk) 15:35, 27 July 2011 (UTC)

If born in 1942 he could not have been 6 in 1949 when entering first grade in Houston. I was born in 1944 and entered first grade in 1949.MisterHOP (talk) 23:35, 16 February 2014 (UTC)


 * Why not? Starting first grade at 6 is not unusual for people born early in the year or late in the previous year (I started first grade when I was 6 (with a February birthday), and the oldest people in my grade were born in December). As far as being 6 in 1949 -- with a birthday of Dec. 30, 1942, he was 6 for all but 2 days in 1949. 57.140.28.34 (talk) 22:32, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Neutrality
Some of the "Later Career" section seems to have a few POV problems. For instance, "some of the best country-rock music committed to vinyl" is a matter of taste, this should be converted to some kind of a pointer to a review that makes the claim. Practically every artist has partisans who believe that their music is the best; that kind of writing is not for Wikipedia. Alfvaen (talk) 21:55, 23 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Almost four years later, this language is still here. I'll remove it. DFS (talk) 07:58, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

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Nesmith Biography
The biography of Michael Nesmith in this article was either written by Michael Nesmith or his stenographer. Too many intimate details without any broad story. Hi Mike. JamesMadison (talk) 12:41, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I look forward to reading your improving edits. - DavidWBrooks (talk) 13:52, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Orville Rhodes death
The article characterizes Rhodes' death as "untimely". He died of illness at the age of sixty-five, after the Tropical Campfires tour. With all due respect for the dead, this is not what I would call untimely, which usually means that someone died young, or died in the middle of some major life-changing event, neither of which apply here.

Karl gregory jones (talk) 18:18, 9 December 2009 (UTC)


 * Yeah, most people's deaths are "untimely" to those who liked them. I've removed that adjective ~dom Kaos~ (talk) 14:10, 18 September 2012 (UTC)

Missing Info
This article doesn't mention that he has synesthesia. Michael Nesmith has big ups synesthesia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.30.108.158 (talk) 06:29, 20 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Citation, as they say, needed. 86.138.157.238 (talk) 15:31, 27 July 2011 (UTC)

Never heard this anywhere. Where did this information come from?

Dead external links to Allmusic website – January 2011
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 * http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Aktkbikzhbb89

Air Force
I'd like to know more about Nesmith's Air Force career. What was his rank? What was his specialty--the aforementioned "aircraft mechanic" covers a wide range of jobs, from airframe to powerplant to fuel, etc. I think everybody wanted to be in jet engines at that time in the early 1960's. Was he a jet mechanic? Why'd he leave the Air Force after only two years? A normal enlistment is 4 years. 50.202.81.2 (talk) 23:29, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Was he 17 when he joined the Air Force in 1960? With a birth date of Dec. 30 1942, he would have been 18 for only the last 2 days of 1960. MisterHOP (talk) 23:10, 16 February 2014 (UTC) Also if he started school in 1949 he would have, in 1960, been a second semester Sophomore or first semester Junior when he joined the Air Force.MisterHOP (talk) 23:44, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

"Creating the genre of the music video"
You sure about that? My understanding is the Beatles are credited with this for their late-60s videos for songs like "Penny Lane". 68.146.70.124 (talk) 15:19, 8 April 2014 (UTC)


 * This is a matter of definition - and opinion - amongst folks. There is the thought you mention. Dick Lester, who directed both of the Beatles first films, received honors from MTV for being the "father" of the music video/MTV. He mentions this in commentaries for both Help! and A Hard Days' Night. Fans like to credit the Beatles in this area, but it seems to fall into the category of opinion. I believe art influences art and certainly the Beatles' promo films had to have influenced later music oriented films. It depends on the criteria used on this subject of genre creation. There is perhaps no definitive answer.THX1136 (talk) 21:54, 23 April 2014 (UTC)


 * I deleted the sentence from the article -- not because Nesmith may not have been credited by various people with creating the music video genre, but rather because nothing in the text of the article actually says that. We probably shouldn't be asserting things in the introduction that aren't backed up in the rest of the article.


 * The Eagles' video for "One of These Nights" was also impressive for its time (1975).


 * That said, I remember when the video of "Rio" came out in the 1970s, and it was definitely something different. Of course, "Rio" was not the creation of the genre. The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" videos came out in 1967. And, the Beatles actually had music videos earlier than that. I can't remember exactly, but I believe I saw their video for either "Paperback Writer" or "Rain". That would have been around 1966. Famspear (talk) 12:57, 24 April 2014 (UTC)


 * You are correct in your recall. My take is the promo films the Beatles made to be shown on various TV programs in lieu of a personal appearance are what many refer to as "music videos/films". As mentioned they were made to be places the Beatles could not, so to speak. Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out are the earliest ones I can remember. Nesmith's using "music videos" in a deliberate manner to exist as a work instead of being used in lieu of a personal appearance may be what tips this issue in his favor as one of the first to do this. His work certainly was done well as the awards received indicate. It would be good if there was a source that could be referenced to support the contention.THX1136 (talk) 15:54, 25 April 2014 (UTC)


 * "Creating" may be a strong word given the murky history, unclear criteria, and other potential claimants. On the other hand, he was indisputably a "pioneer" ("Nesmith Was Also a Music Video Pioneer"). The word "pioneer" is already several times in this article, so a phrase like "early innovator" would also work. --Arxiloxos (talk) 16:12, 25 April 2014 (UTC)


 * I would agree. The word "creating" is too strong. Pioneer and/or innovator seems like a quite acceptable replacement term. Good job Arixloxos!THX1136 (talk) 15:59, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Personal life
Mike's marriages and children shouldn't be included in the early life section, so I've shifted that information to the personal life section and it could confuse people into believing that he got married during his childhood, which would've been impossible. 203.221.15.210 (talk) 07:19, 10 February 2018 (UTC)

Edited 3 marriages to 4. He stated on stage tonight that he’d been married 4 times. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.35.6.107 (talk) 05:02, 6 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Reverted as it needs a reliable source where it can be verified - Arjayay (talk) 09:17, 6 October 2019 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
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 * The Monkees 1966.JPG

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This article is in need of edit patrolling
Many questionable edits are being slipped in here by determined novice editors. I'm hoping experienced editors can keep an eye on this page. Moncrief (talk) 04:47, 13 December 2021 (UTC)

“Live At The Palais” live recording in Sydney, Australia 1977 & released in 1978
Was omitted in Michael’s discography! 2600:1702:15A0:AF10:54DD:F338:6EE1:21D3 (talk) 01:42, 3 January 2024 (UTC)