Davy Jones infuses old songs with new energy
First published July 4, 2006
Davy Jones believes old doesn’t have to mean tired.
He hates it when entertainers plod through their past hits on stage without investing anything new in the material, or showing the slightest interest in the audience.
If this sounds strange coming from an ex-Monkee and former teen idol who tours the country playing 40-year-old songs, then you haven’t seen Jones perform.
“My main goal is to make it so bloody hard for the next person who has to get up on stage and follow me,” Jones said in his trademark British accent. “It doesn’t have to be a hit song on the charts right now. It’s about energy and commitment. I want to connect with the audience and really get in their faces.
“You see acts like Kenny Rogers on stage, and it’s like seeing the walking dead. You’ve got all these people who do nothing but wallow in their own past successes. That’s not me.”
Jones, 60, will perform tonight at Freedom Fest in Wheeling, the latest stop on a tour that’s included shows at concert halls, casinos and outdoor festivals throughout the United States and Canada.
The set list promises to be loaded with hits from Jones’ days with the Monkees, the pop group created for television in the mid-1960s to capitalize on Beatlemania.
“People ask me if I ever get sick of playing ‘Daydream Believer,’ or whatever,” Jones said. “But I don’t look at it that way. Do they ask if Tony Bennett is tired of ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’? These are the songs that have moved people. For me, it’s about the energy you bring to it.”
Jones melted teenage girls’ hearts as the “cute” member of the group during the two-season run of “The Monkees” television show, which premiered 40 years ago and launched the group to stardom.
After the show left the air, the band continued to make hit records and sell out concert halls across the country.
Today, the group’s legacy has been digitally preserved in a number of compact disc and DVD sets.
“The Monkees really touched people,” Jones said. “It’s amazing. I’m so grateful for the support the fans have shown the boys and me for this long.
“Although, it can be a bit hard to be 60 years old and still hear people refer to you as ‘cute,’” he said with a laugh.
As much as Jones embraces his Monkee past, he said that the group is now officially behind him.
“I won’t be getting together with them any more, I’ve outgrown it - I think we all have,” Jones said. “We all have other things we’re doing.”
Jones, for instance, continues to compose new music, some of which he’s likely to perform at tonight’s show. Jones has nearly finished writing the story and lyrics for a musical play that he is co-producing with a friend. He hopes the play makes it to Broadway one day.
When he’s not writing or performing, Jones, a horse-racing fanatic, maintains a stable of horses on his Pennsylvania ranch. He also enjoys spending time with his four daughters and two grandchildren.
“Honestly, if the ‘entertainment’ part of my life ended tomorrow, that would be fine,” he said. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far. But I’m not about to stop on my own. I feel there’s more for me.”
Some may smirk at the fact that Jones is playing a suburban festival, but he said the venues he plays aren’t important to him, just the fact that he’s on stage.
“Being on stage is when I’m most satisfied,” he said. “I’m an entertainer, and for a little while I get to take people away from the trouble in their lives, and in the world. It’s a huge release for me, like therapy.”
Loved that ‘Marx Brothers’ label from John Lennon
Its hard to keep up with Davy Jones. The former rock n roll heartthrob, now 60, is nothing if not energetic. In a recent phone interview, Jones bounced dizzyingly from topic to topic without missing a beat.
Here are some highlights:
Ÿ On the Monkees musical legacy: I think it was very valuable, what the three boys and I contributed. We had a television show, though, and thats probably how well be remembered. John Lennon once said we were like the Marx Brothers, and I liked that.
Ÿ On their skill as musicians: We werent the greatest musicians, but who was? After the TV lights went off, wed turn the amps up and play. Michael Nesmith was a great songwriter. He was responsible for the country feel some of our songs had.
Ÿ On his famous Brady Bunch cameo: I had a date with Marcia Marcia Marcia in that episode. It was kind of cool. It was the first time I was looked at as just Davy Jones, without the rest of the Monkees.
Ÿ On living in the U.S. (Jones was born in England): I applied for my citizenship, and I hope to have everything wrapped up in a few months. I think this is the greatest country in the world.
Ÿ On movie stars: The Screen Actors Guild should forbid actors from being in more than one movie every couple years. Im sick of seeing the same faces.
Ÿ On Johnny Cash: He and June had me at their house once. Such great, kind people. We sang together a bit. Can you imagine me, with this accent, singing country songs?
— Matt Arado