No, don't worry, he's not dead (as far as I know)... I was just suddenly inspired to start a thread about the art of song writing (a dying skill, it seems) - provoked by, for no good reason, singing, as I shopped, the wonderful Different Drum by Stone Poneys - a group fronted by a very young Linda Rondstadt and written by a very young, pre Monkees Mike Nesmith. "You and I dance to the beat of a different drum; can't you tell by the way I run, every time you make eyes at me?"

What a great lyric! Great tune too.

Mike Nesmith hated being manufactured, he and Tork was the only ones who really could play and wanted to from the beginning, management was not happy with him. Mike Nesmith was the real driving force for The Monkees.

Nevada Fighter is a forgotten gem.