Reunion (The Monkees Family Vol. 3)

Chapter 15

Micky suggested that they all go out for dinner, and Wendy requested that Mike be included.

"Sure, that will be great. Why don't you ask him to ride his bike over here now and he and I can go for a quick ride before dinner? He can stay over if he wants, unless you want to keep this a girls weekend. I'll keep him outta your hair. We haven't spent much time together in a while."

Wendy decided to leave it up to Mike what he wanted to do. She called him and he gladly accepted Micky's invitation for dinner, a motorcycle ride and to spend the night. He showed up on his hog and the two guys took off for parts unknown in a cloud of dust. Micky had his movie camera with him, hoping to get some interesting shots to add to a small documentary about the Los Angeles area he was working on to show potential employers when he went over to the UK.

The guys rode their motorcycles around Micky's neighborhood, which was still Laurel Canyon and the Hollywood Hills, and ended up at Griffiths Park. They rode past the Greek Theatre, an outdoor music amphitheater.

Mike said "That would've made a great venue for a Monkees concert wouldn't it? Can'tcha just hear all the chicks screamin' into the night and it echoin' through the trees?"

Micky smiled. "Yeah, and performing under the stars, that's a trip. Like when we played the Hollywood Bowl. That was a gas. Or like the Monterey Pop Festival. Outdoor concerts are amazing. You ever wonder what it would have been like if we'd have stuck it out and stayed together as a group?"

Mike raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What, you, me and Davy?"

"Nah, the four of us. I think we should have tried harder to sync up and make it work. You know, that idea we had for the double album where we each took a side and showcased our own style? Well, that was all well and good, but it showed that we were each on our own ego trip and I think that's what pushed Peter over the edge and it was like Exhibit A for the case against what happens when everyone tries to go it alone. You can't do that in a band. You've got to be a collective."

Mike said "Yeah, but Micky, it's like Davy's schmaltzy song said, I wanted to be free."

Micky shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I dig. But now what? Your label stiffed you on that one album and wouldn't pay for a band except you and Red Rhodes on pedal steel guitar, and then they dumped you and now that you've got your own label, you're hardly making music anymore."

Mike had that determined look in his eye like he already saw the future, that both impressed and scared Micky – it always had and still did. "Well, I'm already thinkin' visually. I think music's gonna become visual. I've got a new album I'm workin' on and I've been asked by the distributor to do a promo clip for the first single that I think is gonna be almost like a short movie. Then I'm thinkin' I might even want to get into doin' real movies. Directin' them or producin' them."

Micky nodded enthusiastically. "Me, too! That's something I'm planning on trying to plant some seeds for when I'm over in the UK. You know me, I've always had the camera bug and I see things in pictures, cinematically. And I've been trying to find something else to do besides just be a musician, which is why I'm doing this play. I don't know, man, I guess I just miss you and the other guys. Though I can't say I really miss Davy and I'm gonna have a belly full of him right when I sure don't need him." Micky grimaced at the prospect of spending months on the road doing eight performances a week of The Point with the Manchester midget.

"Hmmm, yeah, you and Davy. I don't really know what went down with you guys. Feel like dishin' the dirt to me?"

So Micky unburdened himself to Mike and brought him up to speed on what had happened the night of the birthday party – during and after the festivities, and explained why Jan was leaving Davy and opting for an annulment and not a divorce.