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TORK TIME WITH FORMER MONKEES STALWART PETER

Having admired the Monkees in my youth, I was unprepared for how having the chance to interview one of them would feel.

But it seemed surprisingly normal when I chatted with Peter Tork - the one who had the slightly dopey look - who appears live on stage in Derbyshire at the end of the month at the Acoustic Festival of Great Britain.

Peter, who has been making music for more than 40 years - both before and since the Monkees days - was one of two Monkees with acknowledged musical talent. The other was Mike Nesmith.

The great thing is that he doesn't mind talking about those heady days when he and the other members of the manufactured group shot to instant fame in both the USA and Britain. He is also keen to talk about the group he has put together in more recent times and his mini tour of the UK this year, including the acoustic festival at Catton Park, near Walton-on-Trent.

"I think I have been an entertainer most of my life. When I was 17 in Greenwich Village, I was leading a bohemian lifestyle for a couple of years," said Peter.

"The time with the Monkees was good and we had some terrific moments but gradually the personalities grated on me so when we finished it was about the right time.

"But it gave me a bigger house and the experience of a life of glitz and glamour."

Peter, who has two grown-up children and a 10-year-old son, reckons that he is has always been as much at home backstage, as out front.

"I suppose I am a bit of a techie at heart," he said. "But one thing I have discovered in recent years is that I suffer from Asperger's syndrome - a form of autism.

"There is a fanaticism and obsessiveness about me and my actions that appear to bear this out."

Acoustic shows appeal to Peter, who says that he has a songbook of more than 100 songs to choose from.

"I will do some of my own material," said Peter. "But I will also do some songs from the past because there is an audience expectation.

"But with songwriters such as Carol King, Neil Diamond and Neil Sedaka writing for the Monkees, they are quality songs."

Zena Hawley

Here's the text:

Interview: Peter Tork
By Caroline Dutton
Comment | Read Comments (2)

LOOK WHO'S TORKING: Peter Tork will headline at Darwen Live
Former Monkee Peter Tork is headlining the main stage at this weekend's Darwen Live music festival. We caught up with the man himself IT'S 2pm UK time, 9am US time when I ring Peter Tork, formerly of The Monkees, for our interview.

He's tired, but in good spirits.

"This is pretty early for me, seeing as I live the rock n roll lifestyle," he yawned.

Peter is excited about coming to Darwen to headline at this weekend's Darwen Live music festival. His reasons are two-fold, and he spells them out to me (he has a habit of doing this).

"Of course I'm looking forward to it, because: a) It's always a joy to play live; and b) it's always a joy to come to the UK. I love it over there, not only because I get a great response, but there's just something about it, I don't even know what. Maybe it's because I'm pretty English and Irish by descent. There's so much heritage over there."

Peter is, of course, best-known for his time in the '60s pop phenomenon The Monkees, a band created for the NBC American TV series of the same name.

advertisementThe show, which ran from 1966 to 1968, helped turn the boys into a real band and one of the most popular music acts of the decade.

Alongside Peter were Davy Jones, who was born in Manchester, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz and they had hits including Daydream Believer, I'm a Believer and Last Train to Clarksville.

"At the time we didn't realise what a big deal it was," said Tork.

"One thing led to another and it was just good to be in the studio making records. I was just thrilled to be playing in a band, because that's my favourite thing to do ever.

"But looking back it was unique. You've got to remember we weren't cast on musical ability - we were actors. What happened to us was like all the cast of ER becoming real doctors together once the show finished, or like Leonard Nimoy becoming a Vulcan."

The first time he realised the show was going to make him a star was even before it had been screened.

"There was this time when we were doing a publicity tour before the show had aired and we were looking over this balcony at a few girls waiting outside. What we didn't see was a huge group of girls standing under the balcony.

"I went downstairs to get something and was almost crushed to death by these girls. I had to be rescued by the security guards. Right then and there I realised we had been accepted as pop stars. That's when I first had an idea of how big this was going to be. They were really good times."

Peter was widely regarded the best musician of the band,having worked as a musician before the TV show, but he modestly refutes claims that he had the most talent.

"I have to stop you right there. I absolutely was not the most talented one," he said seriously.

"I was the best trained one, but there's a very big difference there. When we started out I knew what the chords were, how they were spelt, but that's all training - not raw talent.

"As far as proper musical talent goes, I don't know which one of us was the most talented. You could give Davy Jones a guitar and say "do this" and he'd be able to play it that night, and did so on a number of occasions. Micky taught himself to play a few small bits on drums and next thing he was playing them and singing at the drums like he'd been doing it for years.

"I had been trained on piano since the age of nine and can pick up most instruments pretty readily."

Although The Monkees officially disbanded in 1970 the guys still keep in contact and several reunions have taken place, beginning in 1986 and the most latest being 2001. But although another reunion is a possibility, the chances are pretty slim, said Peter.

Besides, he's busy with his own band, Shoe Suede Blues, having developed an interest in blues music more recently.

He has also taken up the more unusual pastime of being an online agony uncle.

"I write an advice column on thedailypanic.com," said Peter.

"I enjoy passing on wisdom - it's a big part of my life. Everybody has different character traits and it's how you use them that counts. I used to be a busybody but now I help people by listening to them and helping them work things out and it's a virtue."


See Peter Tork play Darwen Live 2008 on Sunday, May 24, on the main stage at 8.30pm.