50 Posts For The Monkeesā 50th Anniversary
Post Twenty Four: Lizard Sunning Itself on a Rock
This post is a little different in that it isnāt quite what you may think it is.
Yes, it is about the Justus era TV special, and yet at the same time itās not. Yes in the sense that what Iām going to talk about in this post all relates to the special and the stuff that happened in it. No in that this isnāt a critical assessment one way or the other about the special itself. My feelings on that are that it definitely had its strengths and weakness. Overall, it was fun, but it did start to fall apart by the end. Thereās also the question of whether or not the special actually captures the true essence of the original show. To meā¦that one is even harder to pin down and thus is best left for another discussionā¦.
What I would like to focus on here is something I do think the special did excel at: demonstrating the absurdity that surrounded The Monkees and that was woven into the concept itself. If there was one thing that Mike got right about this special itās how he humorously illustrated the ridiculous aspects of how The Monkees operated and were perceived. Not all of his illustrations were direct, but they did give a great sense of the subtext that has always been there within the Monkees phenomenon. Ā
How did he illustrate this? I think there are several examplesā¦.
1. The broken laugh track
It would be easy to start with the notion that a laugh track is an inane addition to any comedic show and leave it at that. After all, a laugh track essentially tells the viewer that they need to be told when something is funny. Or it could be used to force the notion that something is funny even if it isnāt.
The latter point was skewered to great effect with Mikeās declarations that āthe house is on fireā and āpeople are starvingā which were accompanied by completely inappropriate laughter. Of course, this is a knowing bit of snark when you consider that The Monkees TV show also used a laugh track in many of its episodes. Thus, not even they were immune to this.
Still, I also think that Nez took this a small additional step by demonstrating how itās ridiculous to try to sway people to find something humorous in the first place. Either they will or they wonāt. Any other expectation that is given so much weight should be suspect.
2. The guys reacting to the sudden inserts of stock footage.
This is fourth wall breaking of the highest order. Not only are the guys acknowledging that they are on a TV show, they are affected by how it is conceived within the minds of the audience. In other words, they react at the same time the audience would to the appearances of a lizard on a rock. Itās a complete synergy of the band and show with the fans who are watching them.
It also shows how the concept of breaking the fourth wall can spiral out of control. True, itās a great bit of humor. However, if it becomes too engrained on a show that also hinges on attachment to a set of characters and their stories, it can start to become about as compatible as oil and water.
3. āThis is not a bandā
This one is a parody of a painting by well known surrealist artist Rene Magritte, The Treachery of Images which has a caption that translates to āthis is not a pipeā.
(image courtesy of galeri.uludagsozluk.com)
However, the parody has more than one layer in that many people including the guys themselves often assert that The Monkees were not a band from the outset. They managed to become a band over time. But even then, they did not tend to have the same structure that most of us equate a music group with. Thus, even if we say that they are a band, much like Magritteās pipe, we also must concede that they are not a band when we include their fictional personas into the equation.
(many thanks to @bluemoonalto for pointing this joke out to me in the first place)
Aside from being good old fashioned nightmare fuel, the hand puppet is a great representation of the marketing that was so prolific back in the 60s and of how absurd and crass it could be. It truly did reach a point where the fans were expected to buy anything with the name āMonkeesā on it, a tactic that is still in use today. Ā
What adds to the sideways humor of all this is how The Monkees were often accused of being a lowest common denominator attempt to pander to young girls. Thus, they were put in the same category as the hand puppet. Itās a misguided, mean-spirited thought, but one that still exists to some extent with every mention of the guys as being the āprefab Fourā.
5. Davy and Mikeās disagreement over whether a plot is necessary
This is the one Iād consider to be the most subtle of these illustrations, but I also think itās the most profound. Throughout the special Davy and Mike are at odds as to whether or not itās necessary to have a clearly defined goal for them to pursue with Davy being in favor of it and proposing several options while Mike continues to assert that there is no need or point to it.
This could easily be taken as a comment on how the show did devolve from having simple, goofy plots that pushed the action to a much more chaotic atmosphere by the end. Indeed, with a show like The Monkees, itās hard to say if those plots were also needed given how the excellent humor often did not depend on them.
However, I also think you could extend this idea over The Monkees band and concept in general. There does seem to be an expectation that there has to be a āpointā to The Monkees. That either they are prefabricated garbage that led to a depressing trend of manufactured bands or they were a brilliant pop culture satire and talented band that inspired musicians and fans to look beyond a bandās origins for whether or not they or their music have any quality. But then the question becomes why is this debate even important in the first place? The Monkees were originally conceived as a television show with the aim of entertaining people. The guys took control of the music so they could pursue their own artistic vision and share their ideas with people. The fans love them and their work for their humor, talent and fun that it brings to their lives.
Consequently, I believe that there is no need for a āpurposeā or justification for The Monkeesā existence. It simply is and many, many people have their own slice of happiness because it does exist. And that is probably what it should always boil down to in the end. Ā Ā
