"Weren't They Good, They Make Me Happy"

On This Day In History
1936: Edward VIII abdicates

Quote Of The Day
"The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children."
(Edward VIII)

A sad week for music. First we lost Steve Bronski on Thursday, 9 December, then on the following day we lost Mike Nesmith. While I was never a huge fan of Bronski Beat, I doubt that anyone of my generation could fail to be moved in one way or another by their seminal song, Smalltown Boy. 

More important to me were The Monkees. I was a huge fan, and I still listen to them fairly often when I go running, as I did this afternoon. Mike Nesmith was a hugely underrated artist who fought hard to have the songs he - and some of the other band members - wrote to be recorded and played on the show and put on the albums. The studio wanted the band packaged their way and for them to perform the songs they had written for them. Listen To The Band and Mary, Mary were two of my favourite Mike Nesmith songs, and this is another Nesmith classic with one of the bestest, happiest videos ever - The Girl That I Knew Somewhere. If only Julie Newmar (sigh! ) could have got the boys a guest appearance on Batman ! Even a window appearance during a Bat-Climb would have sufficed. Ah well. 

Rest in peace.