-Here we come.

i can feel my monkees hyperfixation starting to wear off but before it fully goes i need to say no current boy band can claim to be the best until they also get put on an fbi watchlist for "spreading left wing ideology" and make a psychedelic art film about the evils of capitalism and the military industrial complex

the naked persimmon scene in 33 1/3 revolutions per monkee is crazy because mike splits himself up into two parts that are at constant war- being a pop star and being a country musician. the country side of him sings about his love of creating music from his soul and how he will continue to have this love and passion for it, even if it gives him no money because “it’s the only thing he believes is true”. meanwhile, his other half is inclined towards the financial benefits of being within the monkees… and claims that “the devil incarnate” is in charge of supervising the music industry and makes people, including him, feel passive and apathetic because there’s no real passion towards what they’re making. they’re just a part of a bigger machine. now what’s interesting is that despite that version of mike being symbolic for his own unwilling chains in the industry, he does hold a critical view of his own position and later puts direct blame not only just onto the music industry but also towards television, asking “Well, tell me, Mr. TV Man, just where you make your morals stand”. the television and music industry are completely associated as one evil, as seen plenty times before in stuff like head. i find it fascinating considering how much of this eerily foreshadows his solo career, with much of his early records containing innovative country rock that garnered very little attention or respect (something something that one quote abt him feeling like he doesn’t fit with his own scene and feeling inadequate)…. only to transition towards pop-rock oriented genres later down the line…. and starting his own television show (going back into the box.. living inside of a little glass room..) and even inventing MTV… anyway