"And it really pisses Peter and Micky off when I get onto one of those tangents where I start to do humor"
About this Quote
There is something wonderfully unglamorous about a pop star admitting that his biggest offense in the room is cracking jokes. Davy Jones frames humor not as a harmless garnish but as a power move that changes the temperature of the group - and apparently not in a way everyone enjoys. The bluntness of "really pisses... off" punctures any myth of the eternally smiling, frictionless band. It suggests a working band, not just a manufactured brand: colleagues with tastes, tolerances, and territorial instincts.
The line also hints at the Monkees' particular cultural bind. They were famous for comedy as much as music, yet this is Jones talking about "tangents", as if humor is an improvisation that derails the job. The subtext: in a group built on a TV-friendly persona, who gets to be funny is part of who gets to be seen. Jones' joking isn't merely levity; it competes with established roles. Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz, both more closely associated with the show's comedic energy, are implicitly cast as gatekeepers of the bit. Jones stepping into that lane risks upsetting an internal division of labor: who's the heartthrob, who's the clown, who's the musician, who's the actor.
It works because it's casually revealing. Jones isn't selling harmony; he's confessing to a small, human kind of rivalry - the kind that makes a pop phenomenon feel less like a product and more like a social organism with bruised egos and negotiated screen time.
The line also hints at the Monkees' particular cultural bind. They were famous for comedy as much as music, yet this is Jones talking about "tangents", as if humor is an improvisation that derails the job. The subtext: in a group built on a TV-friendly persona, who gets to be funny is part of who gets to be seen. Jones' joking isn't merely levity; it competes with established roles. Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz, both more closely associated with the show's comedic energy, are implicitly cast as gatekeepers of the bit. Jones stepping into that lane risks upsetting an internal division of labor: who's the heartthrob, who's the clown, who's the musician, who's the actor.
It works because it's casually revealing. Jones isn't selling harmony; he's confessing to a small, human kind of rivalry - the kind that makes a pop phenomenon feel less like a product and more like a social organism with bruised egos and negotiated screen time.
Quote Details
| Topic | Funny |
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