"The Monkees" Rewatch: Too Many Girls (Davy & Fern)

“Too Many Girls” opens as the title implies; too many girls lurk around the Monkees’ pad in the middle of band practice and distract Davy. After the others manage to (briefly) shoo them all out Davy vows he’ll “never look at another girl, ever.” Despite the boys’ “best” efforts (like surrounding him when they walk in public) the vow is, of course, immediately put in jeopardy. Their troubles deepen when they visit a tea room operated by pushy, conniving stage mother Mrs. Badderly desperate to nab Davy as partner for her daughter Fern’s amateur hour act. Part of her plan involves using tea leaves to persuade them that Peter will get a virus, Mike will get a flat tire, and within twenty-four hours Davy will meet a girl and fall in love so hard he will leave home, because “the tea leaves never lie!” With some extra help from a nail and pepper, the boys are convinced and keep Davy locked up in the pad until a telegram sends him dragging a chair to judge a beauty pageant where a blurry Fern is the only contestant. After some batted eyelashes and more tea leaves, Davy decides to help Fern with her performance and it’s up to Billy Roy Hodstetter, Locksley Mendoza, and the Astonishing Pietro to bring him back to some sense.

While it’s hilarious to watch Locksley Mendoza that out-hack Mr. Hack, I gotta be honest here: this episode rests on probably the stupidest piece of Sitcom Logic in the series. I think I’ve used the term before and I should probably explain exactly what I mean by it. Basically, Sitcom Logic refers to the often stupid characteristics and behaviors exhibited by sitcom characters that no rational human would take part in it, but the comedy hinges upon their existence. It’s basically a specific brand of plot contrivance. Incidentally, I find it interesting that “contrived” is often used as a criticism when analyzing narrative media. I mean, technically speaking, most if not all art is contrived on some level, but a good craftsman of their art can keep you from seeing those strings (unless, of course, seeing those strings is the entire point.) Now, The Monkees series calls attention to its strings plenty and does well at making the audience ignore them when it wants. Neither of which happens in the case of “Too Many Girls,” because I find it impossible to overlook Davy’s total stupidity. Like, dude would’ve been completely safe from the consequences of so-called prophetic tea leaves if he had stayed in the pad for just that one measly day. One! Like, come on! I can begrudgingly forgive and understand superstition, but not that.  And yeah, yeah, I know this is pretty much a “why didn’t the eagles take the Ring to Mordor?” situation where doing the “sensible” thing would result in no story at all (and no Billy Roy Hodstetter would indeed be a loss), but… man, there had to have been a better way to go about it.

I also wanted to touch on the fact that this is one of a few episodes in the series to have an alternate or subtitle. I’ve already discusses a few, like “One Man Shy” and “Here Come the Monkees.” It’s an aspect of the series that always kind of confused me in that I don’t know why they just couldn’t settle on a title for the episodes in question. Of course, as someone who often has a difficult time settling on one word to describe things (hell, I’ve done it a few times in this very post), I know I have no room to judge. I’m just curious. I know these posts are meant to mostly be off the cuff and loose, but maybe this is one thing I should try to look into, see what I can find, and report back on when the next dual title wielding episode comes up.

Daily Album Digest: September 6 - October 3, 2015

Carrying on February's Music Writer's Exercise (#MWE), each day I listen to a new album and tweet a brief review of it. Then every two weeks compile those tweets here with some extra thoughts.

9/6: Ben Folds' So There: Ben Folds and chamber music/baroque pop? Oh, yes. Highlights: "F10-D-A" and "Phone in a Pool"

Why? Featured on NPR’s First Listen.

Additional Thoughts: Ben Folds is one of those artists so good that I wish I listened to them more often, but paradoxically can only apparently handle their genius in small doses. I just… ugh, the man is brilliant, truly. So much so that what can really be said about his work? But, of course, I’m here to at least try to say something. So. As the cover says, So There contains “8 chamber rock songs with yMusic” and the three movement “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra” performed by the Nashville Symphony. The melodies on “Phone in a Pool” and “Yes Man” are simply gorgeous. “Yes Man” also serves as a great example of Folds’ ability to balance humor and sincerity, both overall and sometimes even in the same song. It’s a tricky line to walk and a lesser artist would fall flat on their face, their credibility flung out of their hands along the way. This skill isn’t new to Folds, as evidenced by Way to Normal’s “Hirsoshima,” but I find it remarkable, nonetheless.

9/7: Janet Jackson's Janet Jackson: Very of 1982, for good and ill. Decent dance songs can't compensate for its weaknesses.

Why? I know was going through Green Day’s discography, but I suddenly remembered that while getting caught up on Janet earlier this year, I neglected her first two albums.

Additional Thoughts: I suppose I should expand on the “very of 1982” bit. Well, I say that because of the combination of disco touches in tracks like “You’ll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)” and the vaguely Gap Band-esque (but not nearly as funky) aspects of others, like “Young Love.” I don’t know, the album does a pretty good job of summing up my image of dance music in the early eighties. The album does have some duds, of course, most notably the saccharine ballad “Love And My Best Friend.” The problem with the record, even on the good tracks, is the fact that, at 16, Janet is noticeably shy and didn’t yet have her powerful stage presence and many tracks could’ve benefited from some extra confidence.

9/8: Grace Potter's Midnight: Striking in its variety and Miss Potter's powerful voice, particularly on "Delirious."

Why? 2015 release.

Additional Thoughts: Midnight is the solo debut from Grace Potter frontwoman of the “rootsy” band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. As said in the tweet, this album covers and mixes a wide variety of genres, such as pop, rock, gospel, country, soul, R&B, and even disco, like on the aforementioned “Delirious.” Another stand out is “Instigators,” which sounds like the rowdy child of “Layla” and the White Stripes. Add in her powerful, raspy voice and on paper it seems like it shouldn’t work, but it does; due in large part to Grace’s commanding voice and presence. Seriously, she can wail. It’s a strong, great record, but unfortunately it was met with blowback from male Nocturnals fans that called it a sell-out move and accused Grace of, how do I put this, turning herself into a “pop tart” via sexy photoshoots. Now, I have yet to listen to any of her previous band’s work and will concede this record is quite polished, but ehh… the comments I saw just felt like gatekeeping and typical latent misogyny that pervades dude-helmed music fandom. Maybe I’m wrong on that, but I can’t help but be suspicious when such criticism is thrown at smaller acts, particularly when they’re women.

9/10: Janet Jackson's Dream Street: If Control shows Janet in full bloom, Dream Street planted the seeds.

Why? Rounding out what’s left of her discography before Unbreakable.

Additional Thoughts: What a difference a couple years makes! While Janet is still a ways away from pulling off the likes of “Nasty” or “If,” she is most definitely on the road there. Dream Street is, by probably every metric, better than her debut. The album’s finally three songs (“Hold Back the Tears,” “All My Love To You,” and “If It Takes All Night”) are fantastic dance/R&B tracks and it’s a shame that this period gets ignored in Janet’s set lists.

9/11: The Libertines' Anthems for Doomed Youth: Ironic that its very existence is remarkable, yet it feels a bit safe.

Why? New release.

Additional Thoughts: The Libertines are a weird case for me. I enjoy their stuff well enough, but came to them after things had gone to hell for them and therefore don’t have the deep love and nostalgic affection many folks have. It’s that same love and affection that made this record something people hoped would exist one day and, after everything, it’s damn near miraculous that it does. And while I wouldn’t call this album bad (good bits, like “Heart of the Matter.” are about on par with good early Libertines tracks), I worry the pedestal the band’s been placed on might cause folks to be too harsh or too kind to it – myself included. I mean, on the one hand. I want growth, but on the other hand, I can see why they’d want to tread lightly and given how this project could’ve very well gone horribly wrong to the point of not coming to be at all, I almost feel bad saying anything negative about it. I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to see what, if anything, follows this and hopefully that will give better perspective on this record.

9/15: Beirut's No No No: Feels sparse at times, perhaps, but it has some shining moments, like "Gibraltar."

Why? 2015 release.

Additional Thoughts: Positives first: the album is loaded with very, very pretty melodies, such as “As Needed.” They have an almost McCartney feel to them. Unfortunately, Beirut tends to hammer on them too much, for too long, so they don’t go anywhere and the repetition quickly weakens them. Add to that, sparing instrumentation, half mumbled vocals, and repetitive lyrics and one can’t help but feel like one is caught in a loop. An often pretty loop, yes, but still one that gets old after a while. It can be very lovely; I just wish it was more… dynamic.

9/18: Darwin Deez's Double Down: Bright and catchy with tinges of nostalgia and familiarity, like on "The Mess She Made."

Why? New release and I must confess the cover made me curious.

Additional Thoughts: The aforementioned familiarity tends to manifest in melodies and such that feel like the Strokes, Weezer, and even grunge. A more specific example is “Lover” with guitars and vaguely Eastern touches that make it feel like it could’ve been on the Beatles’ Revolver. (Plus it has the ridiculous line, “No I don’t care to meet your parakeet,” which I can’t help but love.) I can see how this might work for and against the record. On the positive side, it does reveal a variety of influences, but on the negative, it’s not exactly reinventing the indie rock/pop wheel. The album does have a lot of charm, so which side you come down on, I guess, really depends on what you want out of it.

9/27: Ought's Sun Coming Down: "Beautiful Blue Sky" uses semantic satiation well and, in doing so, proves its own point.

Why? 2015 release and the review on the NeedleDrop made me curious.

Additional Thoughts: Semantic satiation comes into play in the chorus of “Beautiful Blue Sky,” which is multiple small talk questions repeated incessantly and insistently. It can be grating. It does prove the point that such small talk is done automatically and thoughtlessly to the point of losing all meaning, but it’s still grating. In a way, that’s indicative of the album as a whole for me, in that I mostly get what the album’s going for, but care for it. For instance, the vocals are often done in a spoken word way that sometimes sounds like Mick Jagger doing a silly voice. And the music, at times, I think, tries to be manic and chaotic, but it comes off incoherent and jumbled. Or I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong on all that. I just know that, aside from maybe “Passionate Turn,” it doesn’t work for me.

9/28: Green Day's Nimrod: A lot to digest at once; luckily most of it is quite good. Highlight: "Redundant"

Why? I’m currently working through their discography.

Additional Thoughts: This album is like when you eat a steak but realize too late that you cut off too big of a piece and you keep trying to chew because it’s really flavorful and yet you still can’t ignore the fat that comes with it. Also, I must be honest and say that I chose “Redundant” as a highlight largely due to it being my favorite Green Day song. Honestly this album has many highlights (“Last Ride In,” “Worry Rock,” “Hitchin’ A Ride,” just to name a few), but at eighteen tracks, it’s a lot. Granted, Billie Joe is so skilled in melody that even though it can feel like too much, it at least it always sounds good. Plus, the old “too much of a good thing” comes up again with Green Day only with much more mixed results in their 2012 triple album, so I can forgive Nimrod. Besides, “King for a Day” instantly makes up for any shortcomings.

10/1: The Rolling Stones' Between the Buttons: Though all originals, the most interesting songs seem to riff on others.

Why? I’m currently taking a course on the Stones and slowly working their catalog as a result.

Additional Thoughts: Okay, first off, the US version was included in the RS500, so I can’t get too deep into this one just yet. But I just wanted to say that I don’t necessarily mean that tweet in a negative way. Much of the critique around Between the Buttons I’ve read thus far describes this period as an identity crisis for the Stones. I don’t know that I agree with that. I feel like that’s perhaps the case if one thinks the band was only ever in one little, very blue box to begin with and that certainly wasn’t reality, even on their debut. Two of the stand out tracks here are “All Sold Out” and “Please Go Home,” which quite obviously owe much to the Beatles and Bo Diddley, respectively. Is that a bad thing? Not inherently. Do they stand out because of Diddley and Beatle overtones? Maybe? But I wouldn’t dismiss them as mere rank imitation either.

10/2: Janet Jackson's Unbreakable: As the title track fades Janet says, "I'm glad you're still here." Same here, J.

Why? New release and c’mon, it’s Janet! I’m not going to let myself fall behind on her again.

Additional Thoughts: Like Nimrod (and most of Janet’s albums), Unbreakable is a long affair. With seven years between it and Discipline, the length makes sense, as Janet says in the title track, “Lots to talk about” - and it’s true. Love, loss, looking forward, looking back (and more) are all topics and themes touched on and make this Janet’s most introspective album since probably The Velvet Rope. Like TVR, it also can be moody and dark, but it has plenty of light (and dancing), too. 

All albums available to stream on Spotify. 

If you'd like to suggest an album, comment on this entry, tweet me, or ask on Tumblr.

Daily Album Digest: August 23 - September 5, 2015

Carrying on February's Music Writer's Exercise (#MWE), each day I listen to a new album and tweet a brief review of it. Then every two weeks compile those tweets here with some extra thoughts.

8/25: Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion: If Kiss is cotton candy Emotion refines that sweetness into something more subtle. 

Why? 2015 release.

Additional Thoughts: Kiss is a great pop record that I was probably too harsh on back when I discussed it here. Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say that the subject I chose to discuss regarding the album made me seem harsher on the record itself than I was in reality. Either way, it’s an undeniably fun record, regardless if major label interference played a part in it or not. Carly Rae’s trajectory has been such that it feels weird and incorrect (though not technically wrong) to call this record mature or something along those lines. I think Emotion provides a balanced mix of the pop on Kiss and the singer-songwriter tendencies and themes from Tug of War, such as on “LA Hallucinations.” And the songs are just great, especially “Gimmie Love” and “Making the Most of the Night.” Plus, it must be said, it’s a much better 80s throwback than 1989 (particularly “All That.”)

8/27: Green Day's Insomniac: If there's at least one difference between this and Dookie, it's aggression.

Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through. This time around I decided on Green Day.

Additional Thoughts: Many critics got on this album’s case for not being much of an artistic leap. And while I do understand that to a point, I don’t think it’s fair to expect every album to be monumental leap forward for an artist or the medium as a whole. They don’t all need to be groundbreaking, watershed moments. Besides, Insomniac does feel very different from Dookie. It’s certainly louder and more aggressive musically than Dookie. Also, Dookie has an undercurrent of anger to it that is smoothed out by poop jokes and references to masturbation, but on Insomniac that juvenile humor is gone and you just get the straight anger, like on “86.” Plus, it has “Brain Stew,” man! Arguments, invalid, yadda yadda, you know the drill.

8/28: Sea Lion's Desolate Stars: Quite beautiful, though her childlike vocals may be something of an acquired taste.

Why? New release.

Additional Thoughts: Stereogum describes (http://www.stereogum.com/1826141/stream-sea-lion-desolate-stars/mp3s/) this project as “whisper-folk,” which is quite fitting. The music of Sea Lion shifts between moody and mellow, almost brooding, so when Linn Osterberg’s voice comes in it creates a very interesting, captivating contrast. Childlike is the best way to describe the vocals in both sound and in that they have an unassuming, almost shy quality about them. I have difficulty thinking of anyone who sounds like Osterberg. The closest might possibly be Jewel when she sings in higher registers, but Linn has such a unique voice that comparison doesn’t feel satisfying. 

8/30: Dragonette's Galore: It'd be too easy to bog this down with reductive comparisons; this is some great synthpop.

Why? Spotify recommended it because of Marina & the Diamonds.  

Additional Thoughts: Alright, let’s get this out of the way: from the first seconds of opening track “I Get Around,” Dragonette sounds like The Fame-era Lady Gaga with sweeter singing. Of course, no one (least of all Gaga) has the market cornered on synthpop/new wave, but Galore’s physical US release came a few months after Gaga’s debut, which I bet invited the comparison a lot (along with comparisons to Gwen Stefani); understandably so, sure, but not really fairly. As I said, no one can claim any one genre and I think sometimes (while helpful) comparisons can be reductive and lack nuance if relied on too much. Anyhow, the attitude and brazenness in tracks like “Competition” and “Jesus Doesn’t Love Me” may stick more in some folks’ minds, but the album also has plenty of sweetness, such as “Another Day” and “Gold Rush.” Initially, I felt like the only real misstep on it was “The Boys,” a bonus track for the US edition written and cover of Calvin Harris. But now, while I can still see why it made me cringe, I find it kinda charming in its own weird way. It might be one of those tracks like “Hollaback Girl” or “Fergalicious,” which you reject at first listen, but eventually you can’t help but love. (And don’t bother lying, you know you do.)

8/31: Green Day's Kerplunk!: One can't deny the heart behind tracks like "Christie Road" and "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?"

Why? I’m currently working through their discography.

Additional Thoughts: Kerplunk! serves as a good transition from the band’s debut to their big breakthrough Dookie. It even has an early version of “Welcome to Paradise,” which is awesome. More importantly, a lot of the heart that plays a huge part in their work also comes more to the forefront in tracks like the nostalgic “Christie Road” “No One Knows.” Plus, “Words I might Have Ate” is just a great title. And of course there’s the ridiculous “Dominated Love Slave,” which is certainly a thing, heh.

9/1: Dogs On Acid's Dogs On Acid: Weezer vibes and Lennon references make for a rough, but fun indie rock debut.

Why? 2015 release and I wanted to hear the music of a band with a name like that.

Additional Thoughts: Yeah, I admit, I’m a mark for any kind of Beatles-related reference, so their track “Flushed” made me smile. I especially like the line “Hey Jude, you’re messing up my mood.” But putting the Lennon references aside, it’s still a fun track, which I guess is to be expected of a band that clearly loves Weezer a whole lot. And though Weezer’s influence is very pronounced, I’m not willing to write Dogs On Acid off as a mere rip-off or some such since this is only their first album and I’d like to see where they go.

9/2: iamamiwhoami's kin: Atmospheric synthpop that ranges from beautiful to spooky with ease. Highlight: "drops"

Why? A review on the Needle Drop piqued my interest.

Additional Thoughts: One review I read described kin as “glacial,” which… well, that’s already way more perfect and succinct than anything I could add. But still, one thing I wanted to add to my tweet is some notes on the vocals and their variations. For example, the vocals on “kill” and “drops” remind me a great deal of Stevie Nicks, but other times the record recalls artists like Bjork and Portishead. As with Sea Lion, said vocals can be somewhat of an acquired taste for some, but if nothing else, they are interesting. I should also note that iamamiwhoami is actually an audiovisual project, wherein each song produced is accompanied by a video. (kin, by the way, predates BEYONCE by more than a year, so any stans who think their girl invented the concept of a visual album need to check themselves.) Anyway, I’ll confess I don’t really get the visuals, including a group of hair-people (?) following singer, Jonna Lee. Wikipedia claims kin continues a story started in bounty, so maybe it would make more sense with that context. I don’t know. Either way, the visuals may not be my thing, but that doesn’t hurt the music for me at all. 

9/3: Green Day's 39/Smooth: An okay debut with good energy, but not *quite* GD's signature energy as it lacks Tré Cool.

Why? I’m currently working through their discography.

Additional Thoughts: As this post (and past digests, I’m sure) shows, I do tend to be rather soft on debuts. I can’t help that. Artists need time to grow, find their footing and an artist having their entire identity and sound ready for their first record is rare, if not nonexistent. On Green Day’s case, a lot of what they would become is already present, such as in the melodies (see “16”). Though, as mentioned, the energy is ever so slightly different with “I Was There” probably being the closest to that same bouncy, manic-Cool energy. If anything, the record really goes to show how important each member has been to shaping Green Day’s sound.

9/4: Helena Hauff's Discreet Desires: The combination of chiptunes, hard beats, and horror movie vibes works so well.

Why? New release. (And I did not want to sit through the new Miley Cyrus just yet.)

Additional Thoughts: This is an instance where the tweet sums the record up pretty well without much need for much else. One thing I’d like to add, though, is that some tracks reach a point where they drag due to lack of variety. I suppose it can weigh down the record a bit, but Hauff’s sound is cool and interesting enough (see: “Piece of Pleasure”) for me to forgive its imperfections.

9/5: Hooton Tennis Club's Highest Point In Cliff Town: Bright, enjoyable melodies, though the lyrics feel.. unfinished.

Why? I don’t remember exactly, I think Spotify might’ve recommended it to me or I saw it in a list of recently released albums.

Additional Thoughts: Man, you gotta feel bad for bands from Liverpool, right? I mean, the Beatles’ shadow looms large and, rightly or not, the comparisons (and expectations) will be there. In Hooton Tennis Club’s case, one could make a Beatle comparison, especially in regard to opener “Up In The Air.” I wish I could remember what I meant when I described the lyrics as feeling “unfinished.” If I had to guess, I suppose I meant that they seem like they could be fleshed out more in spots. Regardless, as jangly indie rock goes, it’s an enjoyable debut. 

All albums available to stream on Spotify. 

If you'd like to suggest an album, comment on this entry, tweet me, or ask on Tumblr.

Building the Buffer

Okay, time to knock some of my rust and dust off with a quick list post. 

1. I apologize for being silent over here recently. I’d rather not go into the reasons or make any excuses, because that won’t help anything. I just want to get back on track and move forward. While I prefer to post essays upon completion, I’m going to take some time to work on a bunch of posts, so that I’ll have a buffer and hopefully avoid another false start.

2. Like last February, I am once again participating in the Music Writers Exercise hashtag (#MWE) on Twitter, which so far has helped jumpstart my daily tweets that have been quite sporadic the last few months. 

3. As always, if you’d suggest an album, feel free to do so with a comment or tweet. Only two rules: no McCartney and no Bowie. For… reasons. 

4. In case you didn’t know, V&B also has a Tumblr now! It’s kind of an extension of my Twitter. I have some plans and ideas for Tumblr-only content that should be cool and I’m very excited about.

Stay tuned!

"The Monkees" Rewatch: Dance, Monkee, Dance

“Dance, Monkee, Dance” kicks off with a phone call concerning an “opportunity of a lifetime” in the form of a free lesson from “the world’s foremost dance emporium, Renaldo’s Dance Au Go Go.” After some, er, difficulty Peter wins the lesson and enrolls for classes, but quickly learns his “opportunity of a lifetime” included a lifetime contract. Micky and Mike each try to find ways to get Peter out of the contract, but smartassery and hormones, respectively, land them in the same boat. Thinking their way out is to have someone on the inside, Davy goes to work for Renaldo as an instructor and they use his position to sabotage a day of new applicants.

I know I’ve been saying stuff like this a lot in recent entries, but I love this episode! It’s definitely one of my favorites and a big reason for that is “I’ll Be Back Up On My Feet,” which is great song and great romp. I also really love Miss Buntwell, Renaldo’s secretary. She’s a total riot, but of course, as a thirteen year old that love was tempered somewhat by fangirl jealousy and envy. Make no mistake, part of me still thinks “luckyyyyyyyy” when she kisses Mike, but luckily now it takes a backseat to how hilarious both her character and their scenes are.

That said, this is another Monkees episode that’s a bit difficult for me to write about. I’ve talked before about my concerns with spoilers, but in this instance it’s more about comedy being unfit for analysis. Then again, maybe I’m just inept at it and it actually is possible, but in a way it sometimes feels like it’s taking the fun out of it. Or, more accurately, talking the fun out of it. This feels particularly true of visual jokes, fourth wall breaks, and dream sequences like the trial in “Dance”:

“Dance, Monkee, Dance” also comes with a Monkees urban fandom legend, of sorts. See, toward the end of the episode Renaldo tries to hustle a room full of older ladies into more lifetime contracts and the boys try to scare them off. For a long time one of the women was said to be Bette Nesmith Graham, Mike’s mother. However, a recent Facebook post from Christian (Mike’s son) dispelled this myth. Luckily, said post came up not long after I watched the episode for this project and I didn’t end up making a fool of myself by babbling about that little piece of so-called trivia. I mention it anyhow because I think it’s funny and interesting how certain fandom headcanons proliferate even if no one quite knows how they started. (Or bothers to ever fact check.)

Related, I just love when Davy walks into the room full of ladies and in the midst of their chatter you can hear variations of “Isn’t he cute?” I like to think that wasn’t scripted or planned, mostly because I can totally see such comments following Davy wherever he went. And why wouldn’t they? Dude’s adorable!

"The Monkees" Rewatch: One Man Shy (Peter & the Debutante)

“One Man Shy” opens with the Monkees auditioning for a debutante’s party and landing the gig. Peter is immediately smitten with Valerie, but his shyness causes him to only stare longingly and steal her portrait instead of speaking to her. One day Valerie and her, in heavy airquotes, "boyfriend" Ronnie unexpectedly drop by the boys’ pad and discover the portrait. While snooty Ronnie threatens to call the cops, Valerie quickly forgives Peter when he admits to taking it. After Ronnie leaves the pad in a huff, the boys decide to go on the attack and sabotage a date between him and Valerie. Ronnie doesn’t take it well and decides to embarrass Peter and the boys with a round of lawn games. Only his plan “to show you what they were” backfires when Valerie asks Peter to be her escort for the party and it’s up to the others to teach him how to behave with a lady.

Oh, this is a good one. Seriously, I love this episode so much; Peter is adorable (“A beggar can look at a queen”), Valerie is awesome, Ronnie is punchable, and the writing is quotable and on point. Like:

Peter: I’m no good even by proxy.

And:

Davy: Hey, Peter, didn’t you ever have a crush on anybody?

Peter: Yeah, once.

Davy: So what did you do about it?

Peter: I took her to a Cub Scout meeting.

Micky: Didn’t anybody ever have a crush on you or nothin’?

Peter: I once got some threatening Valentines.

Mike: You told me you use to play spin the bottle.

Peter: Yeah, but I always lost.

“One Man Shy” also continues the thread I mentioned in my post about “I’ve Got a Little Song Here,” in that the episode centers on the boys banding together to help one of their own, while the show generally has antagonism come from some criminal activity or sticking it to some stuffy adult. Although in a way, this episode it’s a little bit of both, because they help Peter and stick it to the stuffy and awful Ronnie along the way. Speaking of which…

I’ve been looking forward to writing about this episode, because I find the whole Valerie/Ronnie relationship thing very curious and this finally gives me a reason to talk about it. I think the audience is supposed to read them as boyfriend and girlfriend (and certainly whoever wrote the episode guide on Wikipedia thinks so), but that reading never sat well with me. To me, it always felt like he was trying to be her boyfriend, and way too hard, at that. Take for instance, the scene with them looking at art in a park, the dude is a pretentious show off and Valerie is just not having it. Of course, a lot of his characterization is meant to make him look bad, so the audience will be even more likely to root for Peter. Still, even at the very beginning of the episode Valerie doesn’t seem like she cares for him very much. I always got the impression that maybe Valerie’s parents are friends with Ronnie’s folks and they want them to get together, but she’s not interested at all. Plus, she does seem rather taken with Peter and who can blame her? Though I will say one good thing about Ronnie, which is he one of the few people (if not the only one) to not buy the Monkees in disguises.

Back when I talked about “Success Story” I mentioned how some songs had been changed at various points once The Monkees went into syndication.  The song change in that particular episode I don’t think hurt the overall feel of the romp, but that does not hold true for “One Man Shy.” The first romp of the episode is a montage of the other Monkees showing Peter how to behave with a high class lady like Valerie. In between moments of Peter and Valerie talking, dancing, and playing ring around the rosy, the others try to teach him how to open doors for her, take her coat, pull out her chair, that kind of thing. When set to “I’m A Believer,” as it was originally, it’s all very adorable. In syndication, however, the romp was set to “Forget That Girl.” Don’t get me wrong, “Forget That Girl” is a great song, but it’s too sad and discouraging to not work in this context. A song with a line like “But now she's thrown herself above you” would only work if Valerie were as much of a snob as Ronnie, but she’s not. The entire point of the episode (and that scene in particular) is to give Peter confidence to go after this girl who quite clearly digs him, too. I guess it just goes to show that while the show existed as a vehicle to promote the music, the romp choices weren’t necessarily done haphazardly during the original run. Sure, “I’m A Believer” was their big single at the time “One Man Shy” originally aired and that certainly contributed to its use, but it’s also a much better fit thematically. 

"The Monkees" Rewatch: I've Got a Little Song Here

“I’ve Got a Little Song Here” begins with a mail delivery seemingly made up of mostly advertisements; one, for Peter, is for a bodybuilding school and another for High Class Music Publishing. Believing it a ticket to “a million dollar business,” Mike decides to submit his own song, “Gonna Buy Me a Dog.” He meets with Bernie Class, who promises to give the song to a movie star for an upcoming film as long as Mike gives him $100 for “legal fees.” Micky is convinced Class’s business is nothing more than a scam, so the others decide to gather proof. Unfortunately, while they spy on Class, Mike confronts the actress Class claimed to know and finds out the “crummy” truth.

As I’ve said before, I have a weak spot for Mike-centric episodes and this is certainly no exception. Mike’s initial excitement is endearing and oh, man, is his disappointment relatable. Said disappointment led to one of the best quotes in the episode (if not the season):

Davy: Well, what do you want to do?

Mike: Oh, I don’t know, I thought I’d just sorta sit around the house and fail.

Another great thing about the episode is how it shows how tight the Monkees are as friends. Yes, most of the episodes so far show them banding together for the sake of a common goal, but there’s something especially endearing about how Davy, Peter, and Micky come together to help Mike, whether through exposing Class, cheering Mike up, or getting his money back. Not only are these things all endearing, but they’re quite hilarious as well. For instance, exposing Class is the first job for one my favorite recurring gags, Monkee Men, and of course Micky’s performance as MD steals the scene.

Micky: No fawning. Why must they always fawn?

While I do love this episode, I find it curious that they’d write the episode with Mike as a songwriter but use “Gonna Buy Me A Dog” instead of one of his compositions. It’s not as if the show and records didn’t ever make use of his songs, it happened all the time. Hell, the episode’s second romp is set to Mike’s “Mary, Mary!” Why not use “Mary, Mary” instead? Eh. It doesn’t ruin the episode or any of the performances; like I said, I just think it’s weird. In weird way it’s almost symbolic of the fight for creative control the Monkees would eventually have against Don Kirshner, in the sense that their own capabilities and sometimes superior work had to take a backseat to lame nonsense seemingly just because. But now I’m just rambling.