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Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Micky Dolenz with Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Jeff Sherman, Danielle Fishel, and Rhino managing director Harold Bronson on the set of the Boy Meets World episode “Rave On” (aired on November 17, 1995). Photos by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images, and unknown.

“‘I’ve sung Monkees songs all my life,’ quips Tork, 53, between chomps of a candy bar on the ‘Boy Meets World’ set in Hollywood. ‘I had almost forgotten how [to sing other songs]. I have never sung anything else in 30 years. In the shower, I sing nothing but Monkees songs. The same songs over and over. I sing all the parts. That’s all I ever sing.’

Well, not really. In fact, Tork released his own album this year, ‘Stranger Things Have Happened.’ ‘It’s kind of middle-of-the-road, up pop,’ he says. ‘Micky and [ex-Monkee] Mike Nesmith sing backup on a couple of songs. If it isn’t available in your local record store, you can get it by calling 1-800-Not-Ribs-0!’

In the ‘Rave On’ episode, Cory (Ben Savage) and Eric (Will Fredel) enlist the help of three of their parents’ friends (guess who?) after their plans to combine an underground party and a surprise wedding anniversary party backfire.

‘I was in the show last year playing the same character,’ says Tork, who plays Jedidiah, the father of Cory’s love interest, Topanga (Danielle Fishel). Dolenz also has previously been on the series as family friend Gordy.

‘My thing is I am, like, some guy who shows up [that] the parents had met 20 years ago,’ offers Jones, 49. ‘I sort of, like, house crash.’

The reason?

‘I’m here to protect you,’ he says wryly.

‘He’s the eldest, you see,’ pipes in Jones. ‘You probably figured that out.’

Yes, your birth dates were printed on the back of your first album, ‘The Monkees.’

‘They lied [about my age],’ Tork confesses. ‘They lied because they didn’t want anybody 24 [in the group].’

‘I didn’t realize that,’ says Jones, the youngest. ‘What’s your name again?’

‘George Harrison,’ Tork deadpans.

[...] The trio still seem to exude the goofy chemistry that endeared them to millions of teeny-boppers in 1966. Sitting in the empty bleacher area of the darkened sound stage, the group jokes and banters around. Though Tork has already chatted with the set visitor, he’s decided to sit in with Dolenz and Jones.

So what’s it like to be performing together and not playing the Monkees?

‘That’s all I have ever done in my life is to play a character,’ replies Dolenz, 50, who sports a tiny ponytail. ‘The Monkees was a character I played.’

‘No! No!,’ Tork retorts. ‘You were that character.’

Dolenz looks up at Tork. ‘Are you going to do this interview for me?,’ he says with mock disdain. ‘Thank you.’

‘I am here to keep the record straight,’ Tork says with a smile.

‘I always approached [the Monkees] as a part I was playing,’ Dolenz says. ‘I remember Bob Rafelson, the director and creator, talking about it and the original brief on my part was Jerry Lewis. They wanted a Jerry Lewis-type. They wanted a Huntz Hall-type. They wanted a Will Rogers-type.’

‘And,’ Jones interrupts, ‘a Peter Tork-type.’

‘You’ve got to remember, the reality was that the Monkees was not a band,’ Dolenz continues. ‘But a TV show about a band. We became a band in every sense of the word. But we do a lot of acting. Peter just did a thing on “Wings,” didn’t you?’

‘Yep,’ Tork replies. (Tork’s appearance as himself on ‘Wings’ airs Tuesday.)

‘I just did “The Love Bug” for a movie-of-the-week,’ Dolenz says. ‘I’m doing a series for USA called “Pacific Blue” where I play the mayor of Santa Monica. I’m also directing.’

Though Jones isn’t a big fan of sitcoms, doing ‘Boy Meets World’ is ‘a fabulous way of getting exposure’ for their upcoming 30th-anniversary tour.

‘What I find so incredible,’ Dolenz concludes, ‘is the entire project only lasted two years. I have had dinner parties that were longer than the original project. And here we are!’” - Los Angeles Times, November 12, 1995

//

“The networks and studio then (stupidly) told me the Monkees appearance was not be ‘an event’ for them unless I could get all four. Did I mention networks can be stupid? They ordered me to enlist Mike Nesmith, too. Micky had warned me this would never happen, but I valiantly tried; called Mike Nesmith at home. He listened to my pitch and, after a rather long moment of silence, in his slow Texan drawl, he flatly told me, ‘I'd really rather not.’ Micky explained that, for years, Mike was not very anxious to appear as a Monkee -- he'd moved on. [...]

Maybe a half-hour before our evening taping, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall, lanky fellow with dark glasses and big sideburns slip by me and into the dressing room area. Michael Nesmith had shown up! All four of the Monkees were here in the same place -- for the very first time in years and years. I could see them through the little window to the area, shaking hands, hugging, laughing. Unbelievable!

As a major Monkees nut from when the show originally aired on NBC, this was dreamlike. I couldn't figure it out. Mike told me there was no way he wanted any part of this. My friend, Harold Bronson, who co-founded and was running Rhino Records (and arguably the biggest Monkees fan in the world, next to me), explained to me that Rhino had recently re-released all the Monkees albums on CD and they had all gone multi platinum. Because the guys were all going to be gathered, he invited Mike down to take photos with Davy, Micky and Peter backstage on our set with their platinum records!

My boss, Michael Jacobs, found me gawking through the window, slapped my back and said, ‘Sherm? Go get him!’ He said that Mike Nesmith was physically here in this building and, as a producer, it was my duty to go get him to appear with the other guys. I explained, again, that Nesmith had turned us down. He repeated, ‘Get! Him!’ He literally pushed me through the door.

Sort of awestruck and scared at the same time, I paced up to the four guys. Micky saw me and said, ‘Hey Jeff, come meet Mike!’ I came over, shook his hand and introduced myself as the fellow who'd called him a couple of weeks ago. He stared at me a beat, then half nodded. Mike went back to talking to Micky and the guys. It was very warm between all of them. It was truly beautiful. I heard them talking about maybe going into a rehearsal hall together, ‘See what we sound like,’ Mike said.

My mouth dropped open. This was rock 'n roll history and I was standing right there witnessing it. All the guys were really into it, started making plans of when and where. I didn't want to interrupt this, sort of backed away. Turning, I saw my boss staring at me through the window, insistently pointing at Mike. I took a deep breath, walked back up. Mike slowly turned to me. I said something like, ‘So, Mike, you know we're shooting the show in a couple of minutes. Since you're here and since it would be such an incredible --’

‘I'd really rather not,’ he twanged. He stared me down, then returned to chatting with Davy, Micky and Peter about an out of the way rehearsal hall he knew about where no one would bother them. I backed out of the room, through the swinging door and Michael Jacobs said, ‘Well?!’ I explained that Nesmith did not want to be on our show. Michael explained that no one ever wants to do these things, but it was my job as a producer to get back in there and convince him. Two network people walked up and seconded that.

Fearing my job was on the line, I took a deep breath and went back in. Covering my abject fear and loathing with a nervous grin, I slowly walked back up to the guys who were all excitedly talking about meeting up and jamming. Micky, then Davy, then Peter saw me nearing again. I never got a word out. The last one to turn, very slowly and deliberately, was Mike Nesmith. Laser beams were shooting from his eyes through my soul. He slapped his knees, slowly stood WAY up and said one last time, definitively, slowly and with a deeper tone -- ‘I'd... really... rather... not.’ I think I maybe whimpered ‘'K,’ gave a wimpy finger salute and somehow escaped from the room.

Emerging again, my boss, the network folks and now our entire staff moved back from watching me through the portal. ‘Well!?’

‘He'd... really rather not,’ I sighed, and hurried off to look for something to drink and update my resume.

The rest of the night was dreamlike. The whole week was, in fact. It was electric rock 'n roll literally and emotionally in that t.v. studio. Great laughs, great energy. Everyone there knew this was a rare and special night. Even the moments with actor Dave Madden (Manager ‘Reuben Kincaid’ from The Partridge Family) were huge laughs. Everything was perfect.

Nesmith never did appear on the episode, but it was incredibly thrilling to see Micky, Davy and Peter perform live together. They sang live to playback tracks they'd recorded together earlier in the week -- and YES -- they really played and sang and REALLY PLAYED AND SANG amazingly at the session. I was there. What great musicians and vocalists they were together. What classic interplay and rhythm in their acting, as well! The episode was incredible and got huge, huge ratings. [...] I hope people will go back and watch the ‘Rave On!’ episode -- and think -- Mike Nesmith was just maybe 50 feet away!” - Art Brodsky, Huffington Post, March 4, 2012

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