Don Kirshner & The Monkees.

Recently we went in to the city for our Last-Born’s graduation which I have already told you about in “Graduation again.” In a following blog, “Lost IN Melbourne On A Rainy Night, I told of our trip home. Because of this delay in getting home, we were a little late to watch a show on TV about “ The Making of the Monkees”. However what we did see brought a few thoughts to my mind.

Although not really into the Monkes when they first arrived on the scene, I never did object to a little “Bubble Gum “ music every now and then, including some of their earlier stuff.

However it seems the Monkees themselves were never really keen fans of Bubble gum Music and were often fighting with their producer Don Kirshner as to what music they should release.

Don Kirshner believed in the Bubble Gum formula and selling millions of records, which his formula did. In fact that was why he was giving the commission of creating what is now regarded as the first “Boy Band” ever. A good looking group put together with the sole purpose of looking good on TV and selling lots and lots of records and other merchandise. Even when there was an acrimonious parting of the ways with the Monkees, Don proved his point when he went on to create a purely fictitious group called the Archie’s (who were just then nameless backing musicians,) and had more number One hits with them.

The Monkees however continued on for a while in their own right and way, and performed their own style of music and still had hits but they were not quite as successful. So who was right? Well if you were to ask both parties now, which the program did, you will find that both parities still believe that they were and still are right. And both are. For themselves, just not for each other, that is.

You see unlike most groups, where people come together almost homogenously*, the Monkees were just four guys almost literally picked off the street and given a producer and a formula to follow. They were never given any say or input into what they did or even looked like. At first that was fine but when they became big, they wanted a say in where their lives were heading and some control over how they got there and started to speak out.

It is true that they may have been even bigger or lasted even longer, had they stayed harmoniously with Don Kirshner, but none of the four today are complaining too much how their lives turned out because in the end at least, they had control over where their lives went and why.

What about you? Do you have that control over your life? Are you prepared to pay the price to get your goals but then to walk away and do your own thing? And if you don’t have it now, are you prepared to pay the price to get it? Like with the Monkees, it might cost you loss of long-term financial benefits. It might mean a shortening of your time of fame and notoriety in the public eye, etc. So will your inner peace be worth it or can you exist and be happy the way you are now, without change? What say you?

*Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ho·mo·ge·ne·ous /ˌhoʊməˈdʒiniəs, -ˈdʒinyəs, ˌhɒmə-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hoh-muh-jee-nee-uhs, -jeen-yuhs, hom-uh-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–adjective

1.	composed of parts or elements that are all of the same kind; not heterogeneous: a homogeneous population.

2.	of the same kind or nature; essentially alike.