Talked with Micky

Last week Micky appeared at the three day Chiller Theatre convention in

Parsippany, New Jersey. During lulls in the festivities I had a chance to

speak to him at various times over the weekend. Here are the highlights:

–Comic influences: I mentioned that I had recently seen an early Bob Hope

movie and Hope’s performance reminded me of some of Micky’s mannerisms and

delivery in the TV series. Micky acknowledged that Bob Hope was definitely

“a huge influence,” as were Jerry Lewis and Jack Benny.

–Peter’s Condition: I asked Micky how Peter was doing and if they keep in

touch. He told me they stay in touch via e-mail, that he heard from Peter

the previous week, that he was doing much better but still couldn’t talk.

–Micky’s Live Album: I purchased Micky’s solo live album from him at the

show and listened to it the first night. This gave me the chance to speak

to him about it the next day. I told him it took me a minute to get his

hair-dryer out the car window joke. He acknowledged that it was one of his

less successful “bits.”

Random notes:

–Micky refers to his songs in shorthand. For example, he speaks of

“Clarksville, Believer, & Steppin’ Stone,” rather than calling them by their

full titles.

–He seemed to have the sniffles all weekend long.

–After his performance at the Saturday night party he grabbed his drink,

put his head down and made a quick exit back to his hotel room. I’ve seen

celebrities do this before. Having something in your hand is a good way

not to have to shake a million hands, and moving quickly means nobody can

stop you for free photos (it cost $20 to pose with him for a photo at the

show). It’s not just Micky. Most of them do it at these shows.

Thought the above might be of interest.

via Talked with Micky at Chiller Theatre Convention Last Week – alt.music.monkees | Google Groups.