#bearded peter

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The Monkees at their press conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia, on September 20, 1968. Photos by Geoffrey Bull.

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In 1969; photo by Henry Diltz.

“Whether I believe in the ‘Hippie ideal’ depends on your definition. I will tell you that I absolutely believe in community cooperation as opposed to top-down, autocratic rule, and I believe that no single dogma contains the truth, at least in the literal sense. As to my [Monkees] fortune, well, it left because I wasn’t ready for it.” - Peter Tork, This Week In Grooviness, 2011

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At the Los Angeles premiere of Head (1968), November 19, 1968. Photo credits (as known): International Magazine Services, and Michael Ochs Archives.

“The L.A: premieres of the B4’s ‘Yellow Sub’ and the M4’s ‘Head’ lured the beautiful people from their hilltop lairs, beach abodes and love communes. […] Peter Tork, hiding his handsome face behind a thick bramble bush (even thicker than Mike Love’s luxuriant facial foliage), decorated his frame with red satin, brown cord, thonged leather and mismated sox.” - Teen Magazine, February 1969

“‘I don't remember much about that night [the premiere of Head in Los Angeles, November 1968],’ Tork tells EW.com, ‘except that we were there. But I do know this: the audience for the movie [screening and Q&A] on Wednesday is going to be bigger than the crowd we got in 1968.’” - EW dot com, November 12, 2008

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In Melbourne, Australia, September 1968; (all?) photos by Colin Beard.

“[I]n September 1968, when I was almost 15, the Monkees came to Melbourne. My best friend Nora at this time was a mad Monkees’ fan. She had all their records with posters stuck up all over her bedroom door, and she absolutely idolized then. When we found out they were coming to Melbourne, she just had to go and see them. We found out they were staying at the President Motel in Queens Road, Melbourne, so we decided to wag school […]. Again, we hopped on one of those green, ratty old trams which took us up St Kilda Road near the motel. […] We waited on the footpath for a glimpse of the boys. We waited and waited and waited. The girls kept screaming and yelling, ‘We want the Monkees! We want the Monkees!’ — Davy, [Micky], Peter, Michael. My favorite was Peter. Everybody else loved Davy because he was so good looking and cute. Then suddenly, we saw them look out the window! The girls went nuts — and started screaming at the top of their lungs.” - Annie Pateman, The Strength Within (2020)

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Photo 2 by Henry Diltz; photo 4 courtesy of Joshua Kinder.

Q: “If you could make one wish, what would it be?” Peter Tork: “To have peace on earth.” - Monkee Spectacular No. 14

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The “Ditty Diego” session, July 25, 1968.

“Well, I think Head is quite poor… The message of the movie is that we are all trapped, that the Monkees are trapped. That’s not the message of the TV episodes, so I think it’s painfully poor in that respect… The Monkees’ main contribution — the music was the filler — what we did in the TV series was that there was no senior adult figure. It’s something that hadn’t been done and wasn’t done again for decades. It reflected what the kids needed to hear. No authority was good. It was just the four of us making our own way.” - Peter Tork, Newsday, October 1, 2010

Q: “What do you think of the music from the film ‘Head’?” Peter Tork: Well, since I wrote and produced two of the songs myself, I think it’s fine. I did ‘Can You Dig It?’ and ‘[Long Title:] Do I Have To Do This All Over Again.’” - Goldmine, 1982

“My favorite album is actually not ‘Headquarters.’ It’s ‘Head.’ The songs were basically produced by Carol[e] King and she is a magic-touch woman. Coming in a close second is ‘Headquarters.’ ‘Head’ is a wonderful listening experience, and ‘Headquarters’ is a bunch of garage-band musicians. But we had a great time doing it.” - Peter Tork, Kenosha News, August 7, 2005

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From Nurit Wilde's Instagram:

"Tork and me eons ago! Miss him......" - Instagram, June 23, 2021

And in the comments section, Owen Elliot wrote: "He was always so lovely and kind to me." [x]

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Photo 3 by Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images.

Q: “Any regrets?” Peter Tork: “None. There are lots of things that I wish that I had [done] differently but if I hadn’t done them wrong I wouldn’t know what was right." - UK Music Reviews, May 28, 2015

Q: “If you could go back in your career and do one thing over and do it differently, what would it be and why?” Peter Tork: “I don’t know if I can handle that question because I would have to use present day awareness to my past misfortunes. I know I wouldn’t drink as heavily as I did, that would have made a difference. There are a number of things I would do different. I had a lot of early adventures and sometimes I was just grasping at things out of fear. Sometimes not knowing what to do you run like hell to keep up, or at least you think that way. I think I would have taken my time and been a more faithful person.” - Florida Today, May 10, 2016