ABOUT THIS BOOK

A Variety Best Music Book of 2023
The behind-the-scenes story of the controversial 1960s made-for-tv rock band.

The Monkees represent a vital problem for rock and pop: is it the music that matters or the personality and image of the performers? This book explores the system behind the Monkees, the controversial made-for-TV band that scored some of the biggest hits in the 1960s. The Monkees represent the cumulative result of a complex coordination of talented individuals, from songwriters to studio musicians to producers—in short, the 1960s Hollywood music industry. At the time, the new rock criticism bewailed the “fake” band while fans and audiences pushed the Monkees to the top of the charts. Through the Monkees’ unlikely success, this book illustrates the commercial genius of the Hollywood system and its legacy in popular music today.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Tom Kemper teaches at the School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California, and the Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences, Santa Monica. His books include Hidden Talent: The Emergence of Hollywood Agents.

REVIEWS

"Kemper's book clarifies so much that is misunderstood in the Monkees story."

— Susanna Hoffs, The Bangles

"I spent the entire summer of 1987 on the road opening up for The Monkees, and I didn’t learn 1% as much about them as I learned from this thorough and remarkable book by Tom Kemper."

— "Weird Al" Yankovic

"A knowledgeable and incisive portrait of the popular music industry."

— Paul Hirsch, Northwestern University

"The Monkees gets into the vast machinery that goes on behind the scenes of producing perfect pop – still relevant today even if the names and corporations have changed – and does it with a lot of fun."

— Chris Shiflett, Foo Fighters

"The book is full of interesting insights . . . [and] Kemper is impressive in unpacking particular songs . . . a fresh and engaging take on an oft-told story."

— Shindig!

"Kemper helps us understand what it is that continues to make the Monkees phenomenon ‘compelling, fascinating and divisive’ . . . Kemper distinguishes himself in demonstrating how the group represented the spirit both of their time and place.”

— Spectator (UK)

“Belittled at the time of their creation in the mid-Sixties, as made-for-TV Help-era Beatles clones, The Monkees’ music has stood the test of time, and then some. Tom Kemper suggests, in his excellent book, that the initial snobbery surrounding the group, at least in elevated critical circles, came about because of the rise of a new rock culture based on authenticity, individual expression and idealism.”

— Choice Magazine (UK)

“Kemper, in this absorbing new book, offers an intelligent, insightful look at the many factors that melded to create The Monkees phenomenon and the band's lasting impact.”

— Pop Culture Classics

"What a difference a half-century can make: The Monkees were one of the most successful pop acts of the 1960s but were viciously maligned as a prefabricated Beatles knockoff created purely to populate a weekly sitcom — all of which was true. But in the process the group made some of the most memorable pop songs of a vibrant era . . . Now, in an era where such qualities are an unequivocal benefit if not a virtue, it’s hard to imagine the extent of puritanism the group faced, but Kemper places it all in refreshingly contemporary and judgment-free context, viewing the group’s history through a clear-eyed artistic angle as well as a business one."

— Variety | Best Music Books of the Year

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Introduction: Machine-Made Monkees

1. Made in Hollywood

2. “Ben Frank’s-Types”

3. The Genius of the System

4. State-of-the-Art Song System

5. Air Guitar

6. A Quartered Head

References

Select Bibliography

Discography

Acknowledgments

Photo Acknowledgments

Index

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