A Message From Davy

Back before I really understood how to use words, I brazenly called myself a “writer.” It was back in the heyday of the “Zine!” At that time, anyone insane enough who could raise the thousands of dollars needed to publish each issue, could become a publisher. Davy Jones was one of my first big interviews. In my “Zine,” the article appeared with a blocky computer illustration of Davy, his current tour dates, two trivia sections and a scan of his autograph — “The Cowboy.” Please excuse the sorry excuse for journalism that follows, but I wanted to run this as close to the original as possible. This reprint from July ’92 is a tribute to the incredible life of Davy Jones. It meant so much to me that he took the time to grant an interview to a then fledgling, wannbe journalist who really had nothing more going for him than dreams and a word processor. But he didn’t care, he treated me like a seasoned professional. Twenty years ago, David Jones  showed me how we’re supposed to live and treat each other: with respect and dignity.

 + + + 

About 10 years ago, when Paul McCartney was hitting the charts, more or less, as Paul McCartney, I was asked a question by a very serious and excited youngster. The boy looked as if he had just stumbled upon some top secret, inside information that could change the world. With a quivering voice he asked, “Did you know that Paul McCartney was in a group before Wings?!”

This just goes to show that different generations relate to different musical groups.

But then again, ask anyone, any age, who The Monkees are and you get a consistent response: “Aren’t they that group who had their own TV series?”

Who doesn’t recognize that name? It transcends generations and generation gaps through the miracle of reruns. But there’s more to it than that. If the shows are still connecting with an ever new audience, there’s something there that precious few groups ever attain: staying power.

After enjoying the Monkeemania explosion a few years ago, the guys are all out on their own pursuing solo careers. Which brings us (finally) to “everybody’s favorite Monkee” . . . David Jones.

You might think that after a couple of  decades of success and a name that’s as widely recognized as his that David Jones would just sit back and take it easy.

Hardly. With a new band backing him, a new album in the works, and a current performance schedule that ranges from New Jersey to California, taking it easy is not on David’s current list of things to do.

Besides being a performer, David Jones is also a writer. He has co-written such Monkees’ classics as “Going Down,” “Hard To Believe,” “If You Have The Time,” and “The Poster.” He has also co-written the songs “You And I” and “Saving My Heart For Love” from the Dolenze Jones Boyce and Hart album. Still going strong, he is working on many songs of which “I’ll Love You Forever” is his favorite.

The band Breakaway is currently David’s backing band and he is doing shows across the country (so keep your eyes and ears open). When asked what kind of music could someone expect to hear at one of his performances, David replied, “Monkees, of course!” There are no covers “as of yet” and there is also a good amount of new material because the band will soon be going into the studio to cut a new album.

The album is basically going to be Pop/Rock, but there is no set song list for the album, yet. When asked how much of the material would be his, David responded, “I would like to write all the songs, but when we review, at the end the best will prevail.”

Not being the stereotypical artist, David is open to other writer’s material. For him, a song must be Pop/Rock with strong hooks and “killer lyrics.” having the experience of working with some of the best writers in the business has fine-tuned his ear so he knows a hit when he hears it, but a very interesting comment he made proves he’s far from the average writer. A major factor in choosing his songs is to give the audience what they want. He weighs “how everyone else will like it” before he picks a song.

David also wants to leave a special message to all of his fans: "Thanks for your support, love, friendship, and kindness . . . see ya around!”