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TL;DR:

  • The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz compared himself to Miley Cyrus.
  • He said he played a “wacky drummer” on the Prefab Four’s sitcom.
  • The group and Cyrus had No. 1 hits in the United States.
The Monkees' Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork on a boat
The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork | NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The Monkees‘ Micky Dolenz compared himself to Miley Cyrus. He subsequently discussed how his role on The Monkees impacts his live performances. Notably, the Prefab Four and Cyrus both had several top 10 hits in the United States.

The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz was a child star

Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce wrote many songs for The Monkees. In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed his impression of Dolenz after Dolenz’s audition for the group. “Micky Dolenz was an effervescent comic actor with a gift for improvisation,” he wrote. “His quick wit and stream-of-consciousness rants reminded me of a young Jonathan Winters.”

Notably, Dolenz had been a child actor. “He had been the child star of an early TV series called Circus Boy,” Hart added. “Now, he was just happy at the prospect of having a steady job again.”

Hart discussed his impression of Dolenz. “I instantly liked Micky and appreciated his professionalism and instant willingness to do his best,” Hart recalled. “In some ways, his high energy reminded me of Tommy, but Micky’s personality was far more frantic and far less complicated.”

Micky Dolenz said he was ‘an actor-musician like Miley Cyrus’

During a 2016 interview with Vice, Dolenz compared himself to Cyrus. “It was a television show about imaginary characters,” Dolenz said. “I was an actor-musician, like Miley Cyrus, and I was cast into this show playing a wacky drummer. 

“That’s how I’ve looked at it,” he continued. “Whenever I go back on the road or do television, to some degree, I’m going back to playing that character.”

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How the American public reacted to songs by The Monkees and Miley Cyrus

The Monkees and Cyrus were both successful, but only one had more top 10 hits. Six of The Monkees’ songs reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The tracks were “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Daydream Believer,” “I’m a Believer,” “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,” “Valleri,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” The first three tracks reached No. 1 on the chart.

On the other hand, 10 Cyrus songs reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The songs in question were “Wrecking Ball,” “We Can’t Stop,” “7 Things,” “Malibu,” “Can’t Be Tamed,” “Party in the U.S.A.,” “See You Again,” “The Climb,” “He Could Be the One,” and “Without You.” “Wrecking Ball” is Cyrus’ only chart-topper.

Dolenz said he was similar to Cyrus — and they both found success on the Billboard Hot 100.

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