Why a Songwriter Compared The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith to a John Wayne-Style Cowboy

TL;DR:

• A songwriter compared The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith to a cowboy in a John Wayne movie.
• The songwriter said Nesmith dressed in way that stood out.
• The songwriter said Nesmith was tense when they first met.

A songwriter compared The Monkees‘ Mike Nesmith to a John Wayne-style cowboy. Subsequently, the songwriter said Nesmith wasn’t exactly welcoming when they first met. Notably, Nesmith founded a country band that had some success.

A songwriter said The Monkees each became stars only a few months after being cast in their sitcom

Bobby Hart is a songwriter who co-wrote many tunes by The Monkees with his songwriting partner, Tommy Boyce. The most famous was “Last Train to Clarksville.” In his book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed the auditions for the group.

“During the week of auditions, Tommy and I sat in and watched some of the hundreds of young hopefuls as they did their best to impress the producers,” he wrote. “Finally, out of the 437 boys, the lucky four were chosen.” Hart said Nesmith, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork had no idea they would shortly become “American idols.”

Bobby Hart said The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith was ‘not relaxed or approachable’ when they 1st met

Subsequently, Hart recalled meeting Nesmith for the first time. “Michael Nesmith strolled through the studio audition room door like a cowboy entering a saloon in a John Wayne western,” he said. “Mike was wearing ironed jeans with a neat crease, a western shirt, and boots. He had a duffel bag full of laundry slung over his shoulder like it was his saddlebag. I had a vision of his horse being tied up in the studio’s parking lot.” 

Then, Hart discussed Nesmith’s personality. “There was a tension in his energy, not hostile, but certainly not relaxed or approachable,” he remembered. “He seemed to exude a feigned nonchalance, claiming to not have much time for the meeting since he was on his way to do something important at the laundry mat.”

How Mike Nesmith’s country band performed on the pop charts in the United States

Nesmith had a successful career with The Monkees before forming a country band called The First National Band. Three of the band’s singles hit the Billboard Hot 100: “Joanne,” “Silver Moon,” and “Nevada Fighter.” The song reached No. 21, No. 42, and No. 70 on the chart, respectively.

In addition, three of The First National Band’s albums hit the Billboard 200: Infinity Rider on the Big Dogma, Loose Salute, and Magnetic South. The albums respectively peaked at No. 151, No. 159, and No. 143.

Hart compared Nesmith to a cowboy in one of Wayne’s movies – and Nesmith later became a sort of musical cowboy.