Michael Nesmith, R.I.P.

Michael Nesmith, best known for his tenures with the 1960's pop rock band The Monkees, passed away today of natural causes. He would have turned 79 on December 30th. 

Nesmith's death comes less than a month after he and fellow Monkee Micky Dolenz performed their last show together in Los Angeles on their farewell tour. With Nesmith's passing which was preceded by Peter Tork in 2019 and Davy Jones in 2012, Dolenz is now the group's last surviving member. 

Those who remember watching The Monkees on TV will note that Nesmith was the tall fellow with the wool green cap. Although his humorous personality fit in well on the TV show, Nesmith's tastes were far removed from the group's material which was generally sung by Dolenz or Jones. A notable exception was "Listen to the Band" which could be described as an early foray into country-rock. 

Indeed, Nesmith wrote another country flavored tune which was deemed unsuitable for the band. That would be "Different Drum". But at least it made Linda Ronstadt a star. After leaving The Monkees, Nesmith started The First American Band which took a deeper dive into country-rock. They would record several albums and have a modest hit with "Joanne". Nesmith also tried his hand at producing being at the helm of Iain Matthews' Elektra debut Valley-Hi which featured another Nesmith penned song called "Propinquity" which The Monkees also recorded but would not release until 1996. 

Music did not make Nesmith a fortune, but his mother did. Bette Nesmith invented Liquid Paper and when she died in 1980, Nesmith inherited enough money to begin a series of enterprises such as Pop Clips (a forerunner to MTV), Elephants Parts, a mix of music and comedy which earned Nesmith his lone Grammy and the short-lived NBC TV show Michael Nesmith in Television Parts which showcased the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Whoopi Goldberg, Arsenio Hall and Garry Shandling before they became household names. He also produced movies like Repo Man and Tapeheads.

Nesmith largely kept his distance from The Monkees although he did take part in their 1996 album Justus. It was not until after Jones' passing in 2012 that Nesmith resume touring with Dolenz and Tork on a regular basis. On a personal note, I saw Nesmith perform with Dolenz in what was billed as The Mike and Micky Show at New York City's Beacon Theatre in March 2019 shortly after Tork's death. I did so knowing it would probably be my only chance to see Nesmith perform as a member of The Monkees. His highlights included performing "Listen to the Band" and "Joanne" which he dedicated to Brian Williams' wife despite her absence. 

In recent years, Nesmith had health troubles including quadruple bypass surgery in 2018 though he would participate in their 2019 and 2021 tours. I'm grateful for the chance to have listened to the band. R.I.P.