Head is just one of the most strangest films I've ever seen. I seriously love this movie! It's all over the place and it's a beautiful piece of art. It's all in the mind. It has a great film
If the Monkees were allowed to play from the start the line up would be. Micky: Rhythm Guitar/ Lead Vocals Peter: Lead Guitar/Keyboard/Banjo/Vocals Mike: Bass/Vocals Davy: Drums/Vocals
First off, what a great presentation! You got a lot of the history spot on and I appreciate your good analysis of Head. But let me take a few exceptions and additions as someone who has followed the Monkees from the beginning: 1. It was standard practice in 60’s America to have the Wreaking Crew record songs quickly, without a lot of takes. This was essential for big profits. A lot of other 60s groups used the Wreaking Crew to make studio albums. The Monkees were the only ones called out on it as being fakes. 2. They did not want Kirshner “gone.” They wanted him to cooperate. He didn’t care they were getting lambasted as fakes; they were incidental to him. He was supposed to let them play on the B side of their single after More of the Monkees. He put out what he wanted instead and was fired. 3. Headquarters, was a great effort and I love that album. Being number two against a well establish group like the Beatles was not a failure by any stretch. But you are right, times were a-changin. 4. Davy also didn't praise Head, he said it was not the movie they should have made at the time. He wanted a movie more like Ghost Busters. I kinda agree with him on that. Head was very weird. It had its good scenes. I especially loved the music and hearing Peter Tork sing a whole lead on one of his songs. (Thank you for including his “I’m the dummy” scene. That made me cry in the 60’s!) The advertising for Head was the pits. And the movie was the total opposite of the inspiration that started it all, the cheeky Hard Day’s Night, that’s for sure. Truthfully, as a 13-year-old it was sad to see the Monkees, the group I loved, disintegrating on the big screen before my eyes. But despite all this I’m glad it was made. It is a good look at the 60’s iconic psychedelic upheaval. I love watching it now and what a poignant message in the end! BTW, I don’t know of any other band from the 60s that charted 48 years after their first hit. The Monkees Good Times CD hit #14 on Billboard’s chart in 2014. Pretty good for a “fake” band.
I remember a story, in 1978, where all 4 Monkees were invited to a musical movie premiere and throughout the movie, David, Mickey, Mike and Peter were sitting together all laughing like Renfield from the “Dracula” movies and mischievously ringing thier hands with dark joy, it turned out this movie stared Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees.
Oh My GOD! I think I know the movie that you're talking about! 😳😂 "Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" I never saw the movie itself, but I *did* read the novelization!😂
Actually, outside the show, Peter was more like George. With his interest in mysticism and meditation, etc… im also remembering in an interview, Peter was saying he would loved for the show to continue as a kind of variety show with music and strange, funny skits in the middle.. sorta “Monty Pythonish” in a way…
Emily, I don't know you but I love you already!!! this is the video-essay I've always dreamt of ever since I was obessed with this movie and had no one to talk about it, it remains one of my favourites to this day, it's very close to my heart, the four guys are in my heart in general. Thank you so much for a genuine and fine piece of work, amazing!! I think every monkee-head (pun intended) should watch this!! Just a few days ago Mike and Micky performed their last performance, of their last tour and I've been immensly flooded with feelings, I'm just glad we still have them, Peter and Davy being gone hurts so much already... Thank you a million times! hugs
"Head" was run last year at the Mahoning Drive-In in Mahoning, PA. There was a big crowd in attendance, and there was a special intro with Micky, where he asked that anyone who could figure the movie out contact him.
Love this video! I remember growing up listening to the Monkees and watching reruns of the TV show because my dad loved them in the 60s. I first saw Head when I was about 17 and I didn’t get it because I expected more of the show. Then last April, exactly five years later, I saw it again and it totally clicked with me how brilliant the film is. The satire of the entertainment industry, the experimental cinematography, the critique of mainstream popular culture for being restrictive, the counterculture for not giving them a fair chance and the band themselves for being a façade to distract the public from the important things that were going on. Easily in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. Also I honestly consider Headquarters their actual first album and in my mind they’re just as real a band as any of their contemporaries. 10/10 band, 10/10 TV show, 10/10 movie, 10/10 video! And RIP Mike, Davy and Peter
OMG DAISIES!! That's one of my favorite movies. I never thought to compare Vera Chytilova's proto-Riot GrrrL masterpiece to HEAD, but I guess there are similarities. I saw HEAD in the theater at 14 years old + thought it was pretty fun; but it didn't blow me away with its strangeness like THE BED-SITTING ROOM a year later.
1)Excellent video and this channel deserves so many more subs/views/likes 2) Having Polyphonic be a guest voice on something music-adjacent was a nice touch 3) Whipped Cream and Other Delights is a great album, and I hope you were not inferring otherwise :)
Bravo! Your video was excellent. HEAD has been my favorite movie of all time ever since I first caught it on tv back in 1985 before MTV brought the show back into syndication. I must admit that I was only 12 then and had been enjoying some Frodis and promptly recorded it onto VHS on the next airing (which I still hold on to today for nostalgia). Your presentation was wonderful and I find myself agreeing with you on many things. Thanks for doing this.
This is awesome. I was a huge fan of The Monkees in middle school (~15 years ago), and found Head hilarious. Since Mike Nesmith's death (about a month or two after you posted this - wow), I've been reading and rewatching a whole bunch of stuff about The Monkees. I also recently started thinking, "Hm, maybe I should take a stab at making video essays. I could totally say a lot about Head." I was doing some brainstorming/research in that vain when I stumbled upon this! You express so well many of the things I've been thinking about! (You've also got a new enthusiastic subscriber in me!)
thank you for making this! I grew up watching the monkees, and am planning my own video on the show. I watched head once in highschool, and I thought it was cool, but I really only got it got it now, in my 20's. Thanks to you, for making a great analysis for an awesome piece of art. NEVER knew about the easy rider connection
"Quick, we need to find four INSANE boys. It's OK it's for a TV show." I've had this vid sitting in a browser tab for almost a year. I'm really happy I finally got around to watching it. All those connections, all those Davy's.
47:43 i completely agree with that point. the monkees definitely weren't the last manufactured act as many more would over the years be manufactured by executives etc. that's why i think the box metaphor aged so well. often on platforms like tiktok i see people speculating on celebrities/influencers sexuality, personal lives etc and making "headcanons" for them like they're a fictional character or something, boxing them in to their idea of them. i think that was a really smart way of showing the way the public and higher ups viewed them at the time, and how we view celebrities/public figures etc today
The black box was based on a real black box on the Monkees set where they were sent when they weren’t needed on set. The Monkees would go into the box and get high. There were four colored lights in the box…one for each Monkee. When a corresponding light would go on, this would signal to the appropriate Monkee they were needed on set.
Just getting to this. Awesome review and love how you deliver the story. Good job going into the music history. The Monkees came on the scene when I was 11 and I loved them. Saw Jimi Hendrix open for them at Forest Hills Stadium. (haha - my true claim to fame ;) I feel you helped to put the band into a perspective of that time in music history that helps me see them - and myself - clearer. How innovative their producers were... prescient!
I just rewatchedHEAD forthefirstimein decades I only remembered the overal feel and knew that the end was the beginning, so it was a fresh look. I listened to the album earlier in the day and started the movie after midnight but it held my interest all the way through. I was amazed at how random it all apeared to be. But if I didn't think too hard about what it might be saying, it seemed to make sense! I think it's a great commentary on themselves, ourselves, the culture of 1968 and a great vehicle for the songs in the movie much like Magical Mystery Tour. These are long form music videos before that term even existed. And of course, both films were criticized and bombed.😅 I then watched your essay directly after watching the film and I thought I understood most everything. But you dove even deeper and put some context to alot of the scenes and what they most likely mean. Great job, Emily! 💯 My conclusion: what an amazing film! Extremely thought out and deep for what appears to be disjointed and pointless. The perfect music for each scene, very good acting and flawless editing; HEAD will keep getting better with time. Good night. Album, film and essay, it's been a great day , and my head is full.
Forgive the pun, but this was more than adequate, Emily! In fact, the most comprehensive analysis of the Monkees and the movie I know of. While I loved the musical segments, I was initially put off by the overall comedy(?) and uneven pacing, but knowing what they were trying to achieve (aside from destroying the Monkees phenomenon) with the whole escape the box thing makes a difference. ANOTHER NOT SO FUN FACT: TV was box shaped. Movies are viewed on large, rectangular screens, or an oblong box. And what else does the term oblong box refer to? A Coffin! Coincidence? You decide.
Thanks to the channel Pop Arena I knew that bit you had at the end about MTV and Mike Nesmith. The rest though. That was a wild ride. Thanks for the great video!
Your review and thorough analysis was both informative and refreshing. I've been a fan of this movie since I saw it when I was very young. Your video should be featured on future releases of HEAD.
Didn't know about "Head" before this. Kind of have to respect the fact that The Monkees slammed the door & tried to burn the house down on their way out
Thanks. Well done and comprehensive though melodramatically pumped up here and there. A good overview, and it's nice to see these guys continue to get their place in history get some further substantiation. Just a bit of an adjustment (or 2 or 3): It wasn't quite ALL over for the Monkees in 1967. They did quite well into '68, then went on to be one of the longest-lasting bands in music history, with many many hugely successful concerts, much critical re-evaluation, and continued and growing following by millions of fans. Their latter albums JUSTUS (1996) and GOOD TIMES (2016) were 2 of their best. The Monkees eventually became something quite different from the Beatles, even tho they started out as a band inspired by and fairly modeled after that Brit band. I was quite a bit older then than the typical Monkees fan and I followed them with something of a different perspective, seeing them as an evolving and very unique entity. (IN fact, I was suggesting they do a bit of meta-parodying their origin and the Beatles by titling one of one of albums EVOLVER, mocking the Revolver cover's graphics using images of, uh, monkeys and apes and even DNA molecules and a few references to Darwin all mixed iin. But my letters probably fell into the big piles maybe never to be opened.) I did wind up working with Michael, which was appropriate, and have watched appreciation of HEAD increase by many degrees over the decades.
One correction on the debut albums part of this video, at around 18:04. Many people tend to mistake the 'Surrealistic Pillow' album by the Jefferson Airplane as their debut album, when in fact their actual debut album is 'Jefferson Airplane Takes Off' released in mid-latter 1966. Just FYI. Great video nonetheless!
Clearly your not a professional narrator,but you told this story very well.I always wondered what happened to the guys I used to watch every Saturday morning.
I was asking myself If Lynch was Your surname or a reference to, you know, "That other folk something Lynch who made some movies" and I, after half essay, forgot that cause ... This was such an engaging essay, really good But when the part you start talk about Head come over this was ... I don't know ... I imagine a little Monkees fan somewhere in USA ... Lets Calls him David ... He sees Head and think "Woooow, this was so much better than the TV show! Id Get me so many ideias! I know It now! I WANT to be a movie director!!!!!" 2 decades later we have Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks... Woooow 😍😍😍😍😍😍
Evidently, this video needs to be a little updated.Ever since this was posted,Michael Nesmith has also passed away and Mickey Dolenz is the soul survivor of this iconic band that became famous during a turbulent time in history…RIP Davy,Peter and Mike!!!…Karlido🐵🐵🐵🐵🐵
Those who liked Head might also be interested in comparing its style and structure with the last two episodes of "The Prisoner" (1967-8,so earler) and the (later) Monty Python works,with their focus on sketch-based programming dissolving iinto chaos...
And just one more note: Michael was able to get 4 of his songs onto the first 2 albums (and Peter was able to do a tiny bit of playing on the first one, but....your point is to, uh, the point: They had very little direct involvement with what was on the album and who played.)
The Guru I don't think is actually racist as much as it more likely was a parody of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Yeah there's another Beatles thing and also Peter would be more like George in that respect. You forgot about 33 1/3rd Revolutions Per Monkee which came out as a TV special after Head so I guess that was the band's farewell. I grew up watching the show in syndication. For years I was haunted by a memory of that last episode "The Frodis Caper". I really just remember the parts with the eye hypnotizing people and it turning out to be some kind of space plant in a smokey room. Ok yeah I get that now ha ha but I sure didn't as a child. Many years later I found a copy of the episode through a private collector and yeah it was that freaky! Even as a child there was something so unsettling about it. Head is truly a masterpiece!
One more comment and this useless tidbit is fact that brutal execution was also shown in 1970’s “The Magic Christian” starring Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers.
What’s interesting is that, Jack claims that he wrote two different screenplays: one of them was a guaranteed hit; the other was not. One of the producers, either Bob or Bert purposely chose the second one, knowing it would flop because they had been working on the Monkees tv show for too long and they wanted to perform the coup de grâce. If only we would’ve gotten to see what the “better” version of Head would’ve been like. Also, the title of the film is ridiculous. This should’ve been another version of “A Hard Days Night” but they wanted to make a silly pun using the tag line and then connect it with the title. For example, “the producers of this movie and that movie give you…HEAD”
awesome video. I know I've seen that other members like Peter and Micky have said that Davy probably would have been a better fit for drummer (he was better at keeping time initially), so I don't think he wasn't musically talented... but, I can understand why screen gems/producers would not want to put Davy (the dreamy teen idol) in the back. I like that in later songs like Randy Scouse Git you see him playing drums or guitar. The 20 marcacas he holds at once feel silly.
Hey I enjoyed the video. Big fan of the Monkees and head in particular. If I may be so bold as to offer a critique you seem to lean into the dramatic pauses a bit too much.but all that being said thanks for making this
33 1/3 revolution per monkee was a special they did with the same motifs as the movie but the music is top notch. It has the insanely talented Judy Driscoll and the band really playing their finale. Its funny this band is like forrest gump of pop culture. Also both producers had various leftist tendencies that are just as fascinating. They accepted an oscar by going after the vietnam war and it pissed sinatra off. One even funded the black panthers with Jean Seberg. Absolutely wild
P.s. Half of the knuckle heads who feel better for despising pop music (which is just a premise, because their genres just keep on multiplying and growing on you when you know more about them) would be surprised to know half of their story, if only they would listen
Well, that sounds like an opinion. Everyone is entitled to one, is free to express one. But opinions are cheap....about a dime for a dozen, opinions being exempt from the forces of inflation. The fact to take from Easy Rider is this: You know Easy Rider was made for about $250,000. After just a couple of months in theatres, it had grossed $50-60 million dollars. He said.....in a religious, hushed tone. 50 to 60 million dollars. That's quite a profit margin, m'dear. It opened up the scene for a whole new generation of filmmakers. In retrospect, the label was The New Hollywood. Lasted throughout much of the 70s ....Rafelson and Schneider went on to make a few more after that; other independent participants Peter Bogdonovich, John Cassavetes, Elaine May, even Coppola, Scorsese, George Lucas & Spielberg are considered representative of this New Hollywood group. That is, until dollar signs started appearing in the filmmakers eyes, spreading throughout, & eventually consuming the entire person to the point where they never looked back.
Just curious: did someone replace your vibrator with a cactus? 😆 One correction: the Monkees did not premiere two years after the Kennedy assassination. It was nearly three years. Still, thank you for discussing the Monkees. A great band (or whatever they were).
@@AdequateEmily you seemed a little edgy. Just like now. I've never seen anything by you before so I guess that I am just not used to your style. Still, I appreciate you doing a piece on The Monkees. R.I.P. Michael Nesmith and Bob Raffleson.
no offence but my one major criticism of this video is that your projection seems a little awkward.. mostly in that its a little slow and some of it seems like you are reading from the script (i know pacing is hard to get right and i have a LOT of issues with the opposite issue). the editing is fantastic though i kinda wish you spoke a little faster.. in fact some moments that have the right comedic chemistry is when you are snarking about "only 4 insane BOYS would suffice" or going "WAIT WHAT" or "told you they'd be bak", obviously I'm trying to be respectable to you since you are trans and i understand the issues of voice dysphoria and training.. your voice does sound nice.. its just the moments when you are clearly reading from the script that can be a bit too rigid when it should be looser
This was admittedly my first time working with a teleprompter so it’s better than in the past but as someone with no acting experience this is just a first step in getting more experience.
@@AdequateEmily i dont have experience talking to a camera for a super long time BUT one thing that might help is to think about how to inflect it in your head (it might just be better to say it out but we don't want to wear down your voice or get you exhausted).. like how would it feel natural for you to say it. if anything seems insensitive please lmk because i am trying to be considerate.. the only other idea is to imagine it like you are talking to someone directly, so you kinda can respond in a way you feel comfortable
This was extremely weird and very very good
That's what I aim for.
Head is just one of the most strangest films I've ever seen. I seriously love this movie! It's all over the place and it's a beautiful piece of art. It's all in the mind. It has a great film
If the Monkees were allowed to play from the start the line up would be.
Micky: Rhythm Guitar/ Lead Vocals
Peter: Lead Guitar/Keyboard/Banjo/Vocals
Mike: Bass/Vocals
Davy: Drums/Vocals
First off, what a great presentation! You got a lot of the history spot on and I appreciate your good analysis of Head. But let me take a few exceptions and additions as someone who has followed the Monkees from the beginning:
1. It was standard practice in 60’s America to have the Wreaking Crew record songs quickly, without a lot of takes. This was essential for big profits. A lot of other 60s groups used the Wreaking Crew to make studio albums. The Monkees were the only ones called out on it as being fakes.
2. They did not want Kirshner “gone.” They wanted him to cooperate. He didn’t care they were getting lambasted as fakes; they were incidental to him. He was supposed to let them play on the B side of their single after More of the Monkees. He put out what he wanted instead and was fired.
3. Headquarters, was a great effort and I love that album. Being number two against a well establish group like the Beatles was not a failure by any stretch. But you are right, times were a-changin.
4. Davy also didn't praise Head, he said it was not the movie they should have made at the time. He wanted a movie more like Ghost Busters. I kinda agree with him on that.
Head was very weird. It had its good scenes. I especially loved the music and hearing Peter Tork sing a whole lead on one of his songs. (Thank you for including his “I’m the dummy” scene. That made me cry in the 60’s!) The advertising for Head was the pits. And the movie was the total opposite of the inspiration that started it all, the cheeky Hard Day’s Night, that’s for sure. Truthfully, as a 13-year-old it was sad to see the Monkees, the group I loved, disintegrating on the big screen before my eyes. But despite all this I’m glad it was made. It is a good look at the 60’s iconic psychedelic upheaval. I love watching it now and what a poignant message in the end!
BTW, I don’t know of any other band from the 60s that charted 48 years after their first hit. The
Monkees Good Times CD hit #14 on Billboard’s chart in 2014. Pretty good for a “fake” band.
Also Peter actually sided with production when the others went on strike.
I remember a story, in 1978, where all 4 Monkees were invited to a musical movie premiere and throughout the movie, David, Mickey, Mike and Peter were sitting together all laughing like Renfield from the “Dracula” movies and mischievously ringing thier hands with dark joy, it turned out this movie stared Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees.
Oh My GOD! I think I know the movie that you're talking about! 😳😂 "Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" I never saw the movie itself, but I *did* read the novelization!😂
That's the one! ☝️
WHO is "Mickey"??
Actually, outside the show, Peter was more like George. With his interest in mysticism and meditation, etc… im also remembering in an interview, Peter was saying he would loved for the show to continue as a kind of variety show with music and strange, funny skits in the middle.. sorta “Monty Pythonish” in a way…
Emily, I don't know you but I love you already!!! this is the video-essay I've always dreamt of ever since I was obessed with this movie and had no one to talk about it, it remains one of my favourites to this day, it's very close to my heart, the four guys are in my heart in general. Thank you so much for a genuine and fine piece of work, amazing!! I think every monkee-head (pun intended) should watch this!! Just a few days ago Mike and Micky performed their last performance, of their last tour and I've been immensly flooded with feelings, I'm just glad we still have them, Peter and Davy being gone hurts so much already... Thank you a million times! hugs
"Head" was run last year at the Mahoning Drive-In in Mahoning, PA. There was a big crowd in attendance, and there was a special intro with Micky, where he asked that anyone who could figure the movie out contact him.
This is a GREAT video! HEAD is one of my favorite films of all time, and on some days, it IS my favorite film of all time...
Love this video! I remember growing up listening to the Monkees and watching reruns of the TV show because my dad loved them in the 60s. I first saw Head when I was about 17 and I didn’t get it because I expected more of the show. Then last April, exactly five years later, I saw it again and it totally clicked with me how brilliant the film is. The satire of the entertainment industry, the experimental cinematography, the critique of mainstream popular culture for being restrictive, the counterculture for not giving them a fair chance and the band themselves for being a façade to distract the public from the important things that were going on. Easily in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. Also I honestly consider Headquarters their actual first album and in my mind they’re just as real a band as any of their contemporaries. 10/10 band, 10/10 TV show, 10/10 movie, 10/10 video! And RIP Mike, Davy and Peter
Now that's some good 'Head'. Thank you, I'm here all week!!!
Watched because of Myke. Fantastic video.
OMG DAISIES!! That's one of my favorite movies. I never thought to compare Vera Chytilova's proto-Riot GrrrL masterpiece to HEAD, but I guess there are similarities. I saw HEAD in the theater at 14 years old + thought it was pretty fun; but it didn't blow me away with its strangeness like THE BED-SITTING ROOM a year later.
1)Excellent video and this channel deserves so many more subs/views/likes
2) Having Polyphonic be a guest voice on something music-adjacent was a nice touch
3) Whipped Cream and Other Delights is a great album, and I hope you were not inferring otherwise :)
Bravo! Your video was excellent. HEAD has been my favorite movie of all time ever since I first caught it on tv back in 1985 before MTV brought the show back into syndication. I must admit that I was only 12 then and had been enjoying some Frodis and promptly recorded it onto VHS on the next airing (which I still hold on to today for nostalgia). Your presentation was wonderful and I find myself agreeing with you on many things. Thanks for doing this.
This is awesome. I was a huge fan of The Monkees in middle school (~15 years ago), and found Head hilarious. Since Mike Nesmith's death (about a month or two after you posted this - wow), I've been reading and rewatching a whole bunch of stuff about The Monkees. I also recently started thinking, "Hm, maybe I should take a stab at making video essays. I could totally say a lot about Head." I was doing some brainstorming/research in that vain when I stumbled upon this! You express so well many of the things I've been thinking about!
(You've also got a new enthusiastic subscriber in me!)
Head is an absurdist masterpiece
yes
somebody finally did a video essay on one of my favorite movies
this movie appears like the best french new wave film the french never did. thank u so much for promoting it!!
Head is a weird postmodern masterpiece
thank you for making this! I grew up watching the monkees, and am planning my own video on the show. I watched head once in highschool, and I thought it was cool, but I really only got it got it now, in my 20's. Thanks to you, for making a great analysis for an awesome piece of art. NEVER knew about the easy rider connection
"Quick, we need to find four INSANE boys. It's OK it's for a TV show."
I've had this vid sitting in a browser tab for almost a year. I'm really happy I finally got around to watching it. All those connections, all those Davy's.
This was an interesting watch. I'm surprised I never heard of Head sooner, considering my parents were fans of The Monkees
I always knew the name The Monkees but I didn’t know how crazy their story is. Great video!
This was the Monkees way of destroying their manufactured image. Great video,thanks! You get it!
47:43 i completely agree with that point. the monkees definitely weren't the last manufactured act as many more would over the years be manufactured by executives etc. that's why i think the box metaphor aged so well. often on platforms like tiktok i see people speculating on celebrities/influencers sexuality, personal lives etc and making "headcanons" for them like they're a fictional character or something, boxing them in to their idea of them. i think that was a really smart way of showing the way the public and higher ups viewed them at the time, and how we view celebrities/public figures etc today
The black box was based on a real black box on the Monkees set where they were sent when they weren’t needed on set. The Monkees would go into the box and get high. There were four colored lights in the box…one for each Monkee. When a corresponding light would go on, this would signal to the appropriate Monkee they were needed on set.
This was really interesting! You've definitely convinced me to watch Head. I saw Daisies for a college film class and am intrigued by the comparison.
One of my favourite films ever made
Just getting to this. Awesome review and love how you deliver the story. Good job going into the music history. The Monkees came on the scene when I was 11 and I loved them. Saw Jimi Hendrix open for them at Forest Hills Stadium. (haha - my true claim to fame ;) I feel you helped to put the band into a perspective of that time in music history that helps me see them - and myself - clearer. How innovative their producers were... prescient!
I just rewatchedHEAD forthefirstimein decades
I only remembered the overal feel and knew that the end was the beginning, so it was a fresh look.
I listened to the album earlier in the day and started the movie after midnight but it held my interest all the way through. I was amazed at how random it all apeared to be. But if I didn't think too hard about what it might be saying, it seemed to make sense!
I think it's a great commentary on themselves, ourselves, the culture of 1968 and a great vehicle for the songs in the movie much like Magical Mystery Tour. These are long form music videos before that term even existed. And of course, both films were criticized and bombed.😅
I then watched your essay directly after watching the film and I thought I understood most everything. But you dove even deeper and put some context to alot of the scenes and what they most likely mean. Great job, Emily! 💯
My conclusion: what an amazing film! Extremely thought out and deep for what appears to be disjointed and pointless. The perfect music for each scene, very good acting and flawless editing; HEAD will keep getting better with time. Good night. Album, film and essay, it's been a great day , and my head is full.
this movie sounds absolutely insane and i need to watch it yesterday
Forgive the pun, but this was more than adequate, Emily! In fact, the most comprehensive analysis of the Monkees and the movie I know of. While I loved the musical segments, I was initially put off by the overall comedy(?) and uneven pacing, but knowing what they were trying to achieve (aside from destroying the Monkees phenomenon) with the whole escape the box thing makes a difference.
ANOTHER NOT SO FUN FACT: TV was box shaped. Movies are viewed on large, rectangular screens, or an oblong box. And what else does the term oblong box refer to? A Coffin!
Coincidence? You decide.
Thanks to the channel Pop Arena I knew that bit you had at the end about MTV and Mike Nesmith. The rest though. That was a wild ride. Thanks for the great video!
Thanks... the best review and explanation of the movie HEAD I've ever heard.
I loved your commentary, and especially liked “… the wrecking ball that was Sergeant Pepper…”😂😂
Loved it. Thank you.
Your review and thorough analysis was both informative and refreshing. I've been a fan of this movie since I saw it when I was very young. Your video should be featured on future releases of HEAD.
Head has to be one of the most baffling and bizarre movies I’ve heard of. I have to see it now
What? Whipped cream and other delights is so good!!! I own it in vinyl!
It is! I’m just surprised it outsold the Beatles!
Daydream believer is legitimately one of my favorite 60 songs
I never thought I'd be so interested in The Monkees
Awesome. Nailed it.
Great video on a fascinatingly strange movie.
You know what, fuck it, you really make me want to watch this, especially after watching the show first to get the full effect.
Didn't know about "Head" before this. Kind of have to respect the fact that The Monkees slammed the door & tried to burn the house down on their way out
I had no idea what I was getting into but this is great!
That was great.
This was amazing
This video has made me think about Big Time Rush a lot more
Thanks. Well done and comprehensive though melodramatically pumped up here and there. A good overview, and it's nice to see these guys continue to get their place in history get some further substantiation.
Just a bit of an adjustment (or 2 or 3): It wasn't quite ALL over for the Monkees in 1967. They did quite well into '68, then went on to be one of the longest-lasting bands in music history, with many many hugely successful concerts, much critical re-evaluation, and continued and growing following by millions of fans. Their latter albums JUSTUS (1996) and GOOD TIMES (2016) were 2 of their best. The Monkees eventually became something quite different from the Beatles, even tho they started out as a band inspired by and fairly modeled after that Brit band.
I was quite a bit older then than the typical Monkees fan and I followed them with something of a different perspective, seeing them as an evolving and very unique entity. (IN fact, I was suggesting they do a bit of meta-parodying their origin and the Beatles by titling one of one of albums EVOLVER, mocking the Revolver cover's graphics using images of, uh, monkeys and apes and even DNA molecules and a few references to Darwin all mixed iin. But my letters probably fell into the big piles maybe never to be opened.)
I did wind up working with Michael, which was appropriate, and have watched appreciation of HEAD increase by many degrees over the decades.
i actually had no idea the monkeez had such a storied history! good sog video
Decided to watch this the moment you explained why they called it "Head."
One correction on the debut albums part of this video, at around 18:04. Many people tend to mistake the 'Surrealistic Pillow' album by the Jefferson Airplane as their debut album, when in fact their actual debut album is 'Jefferson Airplane Takes Off' released in mid-latter 1966. Just FYI. Great video nonetheless!
Clearly your not a professional narrator,but you told this story very well.I always wondered what happened to the guys I used to watch every Saturday morning.
Well, there is a different chat on the monkees ,Head Album , A out take 😊
Six degrees of Kevin Bacon, except it's how many steps to get back to the movie Head.
One. A Few Good Men, Nicholson. Lol.
I was asking myself If Lynch was Your surname or a reference to, you know, "That other folk something Lynch who made some movies" and I, after half essay, forgot that cause ... This was such an engaging essay, really good
But when the part you start talk about Head come over this was ... I don't know ... I imagine a little Monkees fan somewhere in USA ... Lets Calls him David ... He sees Head and think "Woooow, this was so much better than the TV show! Id Get me so many ideias! I know It now! I WANT to be a movie director!!!!!"
2 decades later we have Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks... Woooow 😍😍😍😍😍😍
Great vid!
Evidently, this video needs to be a little updated.Ever since this was posted,Michael Nesmith has also passed away and Mickey Dolenz is the soul survivor of this iconic band that became famous during a turbulent time in history…RIP Davy,Peter and Mike!!!…Karlido🐵🐵🐵🐵🐵
Those who liked Head might also be interested in comparing its style and structure with the last two episodes of "The Prisoner" (1967-8,so earler) and the (later) Monty Python works,with their focus on sketch-based programming dissolving iinto chaos...
I grew up adoring the Monkees, the series and the criminally underrated music, but I thought they did their best acting in Head. Particularly Mike.
5:17 I cannot seperate the name Stephen Stills from Scott Pilgrim, I completely forgot that there was a real guy until you said it.
I always felt like the monkees show was a more family oriented American version of The Goodies.
If you thought head was weird. Go find 200 Motels.
yoooooo monkees video essay? neato
Great research and presentation Emily. I agree with you - as a 14 yr old did not get or like Head at all
And just one more note: Michael was able to get 4 of his songs onto the first 2 albums (and Peter was able to do a tiny bit of playing on the first one, but....your point is to, uh, the point: They had very little direct involvement with what was on the album and who played.)
....jeeeeeegus this whole thing is a mess. Great vid chronicling the whole thing, Emily!
The Guru I don't think is actually racist as much as it more likely was a parody of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Yeah there's another Beatles thing and also Peter would be more like George in that respect. You forgot about 33 1/3rd Revolutions Per Monkee which came out as a TV special after Head so I guess that was the band's farewell. I grew up watching the show in syndication. For years I was haunted by a memory of that last episode "The Frodis Caper". I really just remember the parts with the eye hypnotizing people and it turning out to be some kind of space plant in a smokey room. Ok yeah I get that now ha ha but I sure didn't as a child. Many years later I found a copy of the episode through a private collector and yeah it was that freaky! Even as a child there was something so unsettling about it. Head is truly a masterpiece!
One more comment and this useless tidbit is fact that brutal execution was also shown in 1970’s “The Magic Christian” starring Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers.
I love this video !! A beautiful woman covering one of my all time favorite bands ever !! "I love this !!"
21:00
A+ clip choice. I'm sure the Monkees also wanted to Fuck the Pain Away when their ratings plummeted.
Wii Music got the hits. 😎
What’s interesting is that, Jack claims that he wrote two different screenplays: one of them was a guaranteed hit; the other was not. One of the producers, either Bob or Bert purposely chose the second one, knowing it would flop because they had been working on the Monkees tv show for too long and they wanted to perform the coup de grâce. If only we would’ve gotten to see what the “better” version of Head would’ve been like.
Also, the title of the film is ridiculous. This should’ve been another version of “A Hard Days Night” but they wanted to make a silly pun using the tag line and then connect it with the title. For example, “the producers of this movie and that movie give you…HEAD”
awesome video. I know I've seen that other members like Peter and Micky have said that Davy probably would have been a better fit for drummer (he was better at keeping time initially), so I don't think he wasn't musically talented... but, I can understand why screen gems/producers would not want to put Davy (the dreamy teen idol) in the back. I like that in later songs like Randy Scouse Git you see him playing drums or guitar. The 20 marcacas he holds at once feel silly.
That was Michael's statement,bot Micky.
All life is boxes.
Wait is that why they're called Head Shops?!
As has been said by people that more witty than me, The Beatles were the Fab Four, The Monkees were the pre Fab Four.
Hey I enjoyed the video. Big fan of the Monkees and head in particular. If I may be so bold as to offer a critique you seem to lean into the dramatic pauses a bit too much.but all that being said thanks for making this
33 1/3 revolution per monkee was a special they did with the same motifs as the movie but the music is top notch. It has the insanely talented Judy Driscoll and the band really playing their finale. Its funny this band is like forrest gump of pop culture. Also both producers had various leftist tendencies that are just as fascinating. They accepted an oscar by going after the vietnam war and it pissed sinatra off. One even funded the black panthers with Jean Seberg. Absolutely wild
🖤
Davy had the farthest to come to become a musician.He worked very hard and did it well.
P.s. Half of the knuckle heads who feel better for despising pop music (which is just a premise, because their genres just keep on multiplying and growing on you when you know more about them) would be surprised to know half of their story, if only they would listen
Head is a great movie one of the best ever made where as easyrider is a pointless boring road movie.
Well, that sounds like an opinion. Everyone is entitled to one, is free to express one. But opinions are cheap....about a dime for a dozen, opinions being exempt from the forces of inflation.
The fact to take from Easy Rider is this:
You know Easy Rider was made for about $250,000. After just a couple of months in theatres, it had grossed $50-60 million dollars.
He said.....in a religious, hushed tone.
50 to 60 million dollars.
That's quite a profit margin, m'dear.
It opened up the scene for a whole new generation of filmmakers. In retrospect, the label was The New Hollywood. Lasted throughout much of the 70s ....Rafelson and Schneider went on to make a few more after that; other independent participants Peter Bogdonovich, John Cassavetes, Elaine May, even Coppola, Scorsese, George Lucas & Spielberg are considered representative of this New Hollywood group.
That is, until dollar signs started appearing in the filmmakers eyes, spreading throughout, & eventually consuming the entire person to the point where they never looked back.
Good job . Very well done ALSO 33/1/3, no I am monkees number 1
Most honest. I say this as this was my generation.
Let alone the entire Idol industry in Japan and its Korean counterpart. Look at Morning Musume.
Jack Nicholson? The guy from the dril profile pic?
Lol
Just curious: did someone replace your vibrator with a cactus? 😆
One correction: the Monkees did not premiere two years after the Kennedy assassination. It was nearly three years. Still, thank you for discussing the Monkees. A great band (or whatever they were).
What the fuck do you mean? Did who replace my what with a what? Is this a positive comment or a negative comment?
@@AdequateEmily you seemed a little edgy. Just like now. I've never seen anything by you before so I guess that I am just not used to your style. Still, I appreciate you doing a piece on The Monkees. R.I.P. Michael Nesmith and Bob Raffleson.
They’re just a rip off of Big Time Rush smh
no offence but my one major criticism of this video is that your projection seems a little awkward.. mostly in that its a little slow and some of it seems like you are reading from the script (i know pacing is hard to get right and i have a LOT of issues with the opposite issue). the editing is fantastic though i kinda wish you spoke a little faster.. in fact some moments that have the right comedic chemistry is when you are snarking about "only 4 insane BOYS would suffice" or going "WAIT WHAT" or "told you they'd be bak",
obviously I'm trying to be respectable to you since you are trans and i understand the issues of voice dysphoria and training.. your voice does sound nice.. its just the moments when you are clearly reading from the script that can be a bit too rigid when it should be looser
This was admittedly my first time working with a teleprompter so it’s better than in the past but as someone with no acting experience this is just a first step in getting more experience.
@@AdequateEmily i dont have experience talking to a camera for a super long time BUT one thing that might help is to think about how to inflect it in your head (it might just be better to say it out but we don't want to wear down your voice or get you exhausted).. like how would it feel natural for you to say it.
if anything seems insensitive please lmk because i am trying to be considerate.. the only other idea is to imagine it like you are talking to someone directly, so you kinda can respond in a way you feel comfortable
Head is a weird postmodern masterpiece.