Episode 195: Head (1968)

Max, Mike; Movies

Hey, hey, we’re Max, Mike; Movies!/ and people say we Max, Mike; Movies around/But we’re too busy talking about movies/to put anybody down! Hmm . . . ok, maybe that would work better for some other endeavor . . . I dunno, maybe something in the music industry? I should check with Don Kirchner…

Yes, we’ve come to the end of our series “Ladies and Gentlemen…the Beatles!” and what better way to close this out than with an attempt to answer the question “What Hath the Beatles Wrought?” For while their contributions to the music world were legion, the Fab Four did have many, many imitators, including a group so carefully manufactured that they were known as the Pre-Fab Four (even before the Rutles were): the Monkees. Davy, Mickey, Mike, and Peter, four lads from all over who were not even allowed to play their own instruments on their first two albums (not that they couldn’t play; Don Kirchner just didn’t think they were good enough) were brought together for a sitcom, several albums and, to few people’s recollection, a movie called “Head.” Co-written by Jack Nicholson and featuring cameos by said Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Sonny Liston and (no, this isn’t a typo) Frank Zappa, this psychedelic late-sixties romp was . . . well, it was definitely a movie. Released on film and everything. Is this a Monkee-filled delight, replete with your favorite Monkee hits or is it something else entirely? Give a listen and find out!

Poll question: who is your favorite star who successfully made the jump from tv to movies?

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