Were the Monkees doomed the moment the show was cast?

[Dick York was Darrin]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

Well, they can't hurt anyone anymore, there should be some consolation in that?

No, they can't. It is however quite amazing, that you and I, and millions of other people, know their names and have discussions about them, despite their absolute lack of ability or attractiveness of personality.

[GentlemanJim]

I was completely taken in by the deception, felt gut punched by the scandal, and hated them for the perceived sense of betrayal.

And immediately replaced them with bands that were just as fake, but just didn't realize it at the time.

Really wasn't until years later that I accepted them again, mostly as a fascination with the mass deception aspect.

Despite all the claims of youth to embody rebelliousness, kids of that age want desperately to "belong" to a perceived worthwhile cause. Monkeemania became that. Rafelson/Schneider tapped into the same sense of need that Charles Manson so expertly exploited in his victims.

I find it very interesting.

[Dick York was Darrin]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

I was completely taken in by the deception, felt gut punched by the scandal, and hated them for the perceived sense of betrayal.

And immediately replaced them with bands that were just as fake, but just didn't realize it at the time.

Really wasn't until years later that I accepted them again, mostly as a fascination with the mass deception aspect.

Despite all the claims of youth to embody rebelliousness, kids of that age want desperately to "belong" to a perceived worthwhile cause. Monkeemania became that. Rafelson/Schneider tapped into the same sense of need that Charles Manson so expertly exploited in his victims.

I find it very interesting.

It wasn't the Monkees that should have been the scandal. It should have been the entire music industry that should have been the scandal. The way it is run, even to this day, is horrific, exploitative and deceptive in the extreme.

I have trouble listening to any music without thinking in the back of my mind the little people who are exploited to make the machine work.