What am I Reading? Propositum by Sean P. Curley

 

            Propositum by Sean P. Curley ISBN Paperback: 978-1-60047-762-1; Digital: 9781301786299 was released in 2007. I purchased it in 2013 but did not read it until summer of 2014.

            The author describes the book on his web page and Facebook page: “A rich landscape of characters with ambition and guile who conspire to form Christianity. They manipulate the Jewish High Council, the Roman Senate, Caesars, and history to create a new religion. But why did they do it? http://curley.me/propositum”

            “If Jesus did not exist, then how did Christianity form?

            “Inside a rich landscape of the failing Roman Republic and a tumultuous Jewish population is an ambitious and visionary ex-Senator who conspires with Paul of Tarsus to create something… better.
            This provocative historical novel melds the birth of Christianity with recent scholarly works and delivers a shocking, but plausible, story of Christianity’s formation and the Christ myth.”

            The Christ Myth Theory has been postulated since the late 1700s. Its Wikipedia entry is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_myth_theory

SOME SPOILERS

            Propositum is a dramatization of the Christ Myth Theory. Proculus, a retired Senator living in Judea with his Jewish wife June, is the author of the theory. He believes the Roman Republic is dying and very quickly turning into an empire. As such, they will be a danger to his beloved Judea – who, as a people, will not accept Rome (or anyone) as their despotic rulers. Eventually an Emperor will not tolerate the Jews being exempt from taxes every seven years; and with emperors proclaiming themselves and their kin gods … well, the whole “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” thing will make life in Judea a little awkward.

            Awkward is putting it mildly. Proculus believes the disputes will lead to outright war; a war that will not go well for Judea.

            How will he save his wife’s people? His friends? If he can spread Judaism through the empire- inculcate it so thoroughly that it supercedes the other religions – including the emperors’ self-created deities – that a war or conflict would be impossible.

            But how can that be done, Proculus thinks. The tenants of Judaism do not easily lend themselves to proselytizing. Dietary restrictions. Clothing restrictions. Laws about what to do and not to do on the Sabbath.

            Circumcision.

            Yea, that might be a problem … “We have to lop off what now? Umm, thanks, but I’d rather not…”

            Proculus sees the problem. Not only will he need to find a way to get permission to convert Gentiles (a big enough hurdle), but to allow the converted Gentiles to eschew some of the more draconian and undesirable rules of Judaism. The more desirable it is, the more converts there will be. The more converts there will be, the less likely a Roman Empire would desire a civil war.

            It may not restore the Republic, but it will save Judea from destruction because they wish to follow dogma.

            He enlists the aid of his friend Maximus, a retired general. With both their contacts still in Rome, they hope to be able to manipulate and cajole enough politicians and power brokers to allow them to continue to spread their new and improved version of Judaism.

            But neither of them would be taken seriously as ministers of this Jewish reboot. They need a more believable figurehead.

            Proculus’ friends in Tarus have a son named Saul. Saul spent most of his childhood preparing to study and become a Pharisee. Unfortunately, he flunked out. Fortunately, it instilled in him not a hatred, but a bitterness of all things Pharisaic.

            Saul recommends emulating the beliefs of the Essenes. Proculus assigns Saul to find out as much as he can about the sect and report back to him. Saul learns of the Teacher, who espoused what Proculus is planning one hundred years before. Saul jots down the sayings and beliefs of the Essenes and their Teacher in what he calls the Book of Q.

            Meanwhile, Emperor Tiberius dies and Proculus and Maximus go to Rome to suss out the two new possible emperors. They decide Caligula would be the less tolerant of the two and help manipulate his way to the throne.

            When Caligula becomes emperor, Proculus convinces him that, since he is a god, his likeness should be in every temple. Even Jewish temples. But that is strictly forbidden by the Jews. Caligula doesn’t care. Proculus is pleased. The threat of war with Rome will goad the higher Jewish counsels to approve Proculus’ plans to convert the Gentiles.

            Saul finds a perfect personification of their beliefs in John the Baptist and listens to him preach, but he is killed before Saul can actually meet him.

            They decide to make the Teacher a more modern figure rather than someone who died in the previous century. They name him Jesus – a common and untraceable name.

            Saul takes Proculus’ suggestion to change his name to Paul and his home from Tarus to Tarsus to avoid questions about his true past. He finds others who embrace his beliefs – Silas, Barsabbas, James, Cephas also called Peter, and small, wiry John.

            Whole families are brought into the new religion. One baby, Theophorus, was the first generation to learn about the new way from the crib. I had to look him up on Wikipedia to discover who he was. 

            A new emperor, Claudius, ascends the throne. He will be much more tolerant of the Jews. This will not do. By now Maximus and Proculus are joined by Maximus’ daughter Curia who keeps the leaders apprised of events in Rome. We read as she marries and has two children.

            The religion continues to grow. Paul writes epistles to the leaders and the communities that have established temples and churches. Proculus grows older, but more confident that his plan will succeed.

            A new emperor, Nero, ascends the throne. He will be much less tolerable of the Jews. Proculus visits him and is worried – perhaps he will go too far.

            The Pharisees start to push back. They allowed the conversions of the Gentiles, but not all of the changes to their sacrosanct laws. Paul and his followers are arrested. Some are killed. Paul adds details to the life of Jesus – he was killed by the Pharisees. This turns the crowds against their mockers and in their corner.

            More friends and followers are made; some friends and followers die.

            Rome attacks Judea. Well, that may eliminate the threat of the Pharisees. Paul is in jail? Well, after he finishes a few more letters … they NEED a good martyr…

END OF SPOILERS

            Propositum is a thoroughly researched and very entertaining historical novel. You get the feel of what life was like at the time – how someone from the era lived, what they ate, how they traveled, etc. In most respects the characters are realistic and likable. Yes, Proculus is a likeable fellow despite what he hath wrought. You want to dine with him and his wife. You admire Maximus’ strength and courage. You even root for Paul to succeed after his first faltering attempts at public speaking.  

            The few action scenes are very well done and usually involve Maximus: his thwarting assassination attempts on the emperors, his leading troops during the sack of Jerusalem (including some wonderfully written spy work).

            But the book usually consists of meetings. Paul reports and updates Proculus and Maximus on the goings on in the soon-to-be Holy Land. Curia reports on the goings on in the Senate and the dealings of the Emperor. This leads to one of the flaws of the book.

            I’m the last person who should be critiquing a book – but Propositum sometimes suffers from the old writer’s trope “show - don’t tell”. The book has a LOT of “tells”. Paul discusses people he meets – friends and foes – his ideas to move the propositum forward. That sort of thing.

            The “shows” are done quite well – Paul’s first attempts at preaching, Maximus going with him on one journey and arranging a few miracles credited to Paul, Peter’s ministry and its results, Proculus’ meetings with Senators and Emperors, the aforesaid sacking of Jerusalem, the burning of Rome and its effect on the cast, Paul’s vision on the road to Damascus (side note – it was fun reading and second-guessing what the author decided “really” happened and who “really” existed – John the Baptist was a great example) . All well done.

            If the “tells” were turned into “shows” it would have doubled the length of the book. That would not be a bad thing – I would have loved to have spent more time in this world with these characters. Why not show us Paul in the crowd listening to John the Baptist and his thoughts about him rather than have us sit with Proculus as Paul tells us about hearing John minister?  Do you see the difference?

            One great thing about the book is that during it all we still root for Proculus even thought some of his decisions cause some horrific results. He single-handedly caused strife between Rome under Caligula and Judea. He fomented anti-Jewish fervor during the Roman fire in the time of Nero.

            There were other, smaller, moments that I truly enjoyed. Paul’s misogyny was present from the beginning, and his growing dislike of Curia was fun to read. Curia’s growth from a reluctant participant to the head of the order was well done.

            My favorite moments involve Paul – his first poorly-done ministries, his growth as an apostle, the slow realization that he is a tool being manipulated and his inevitable acceptance that his usefulness is finally over.

            One review mildly critiques the book: “Nearly every plan is executed perfectly”. Although we are shown Paul’s tough time with his first attempts at ministering and we see some disastrous results with Paul and Peter against pro-Pharisee groups; that is true. Proculus’ manipulation of the Roman government and particularly the Emperors and wanna-be emperors would make the Illuminati and Bilderburg Group members jealous.

            The book spans 40 years. Perhaps this criticism could be avoided by showing us how long this timespan is. Perhaps Proculus is frustrated at times - he realizes he will not live to see his plan in complete fruition, but he can still regret it not going faster. Common history tells us Constantine was the first Christian Roman Emperor, so Proculus’ plan (let’s pretend for a moment Propositum’s story is true) about 250 years to complete. It took Islam only 100 years to take firm root throughout Arabia.

            This would add more pages to this lovely book. Add to that the “shows” mentioned earlier and Propositum could clock in at 400 to 500 pages instead of 270. Fine by me. The author may groan, though!

            The book should get as much attention as Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code. Even more so. There should be publicity galore for this book and the subject getting the attention it deserves. There is no subject so controversial it should not be discussed. So-called Christians should be damning Sean to hell and in the very next breath saying they will pray for his soul. All while burning the book.

            Christians whose faith is strong will not have that faith shaken by reading Propositum, and they will get to read a good “what if” historical novel, get a scholarly feel for what life was like in the middle and near east two millennia ago, and - if they choose to ignore the basic premise of the book - get a realistic idea of what the early church must have been like. Premise or not, Paul and the earliest Christians probably went through exactly what is told (not always shown) by the author: hostile crowds, argumentative authorities and occasionally a convert.

            I bought my copy through Apple’s I-Store. It was my first fiction novel e-book. It is available in paperback and hardback directly from the author’s website and Amazon. Buy it, read it, enjoy it, discuss it.

            The author promises a sequel this year - with Curia and her by-now grown son at the helm of a new religion. An aging Proculus will undoubted have something to say! I can’t wait to read it!

            Here is the opening chapter of the book: http://curley.me/propositum/sample.html#.U7ndiUC4O8A

            Copyright 2014 Michael G Curry

What Am I Reading? Flight of the Piasa by Raymond Scott Edge

     

     

   Dr. Raymond Scott Edge runs a booth near the Knight’s Pub at the St. Louis Renaissance Faire.  The Knight’s Pub is where by brother-in-law’s group 3 Pints Gone performs. While waiting for their set, I checked out Dr. Edge’s booth. One of his more fun items for sale (I presume it is for sale) is a water basin with bronze handles. If you vibrate the handles with your palms, the water “dances” in the bowl. I’ve managed to do it once. It is fun to watch people try it out.

            This past summer I noticed something different at his booth. Books. Three books. Dr. Edge wrote them and sold them along with his usual fare. His fare at the Faire, get it?

            I was intrigued by the titles of his second and third books concerning the native mounds of Cahokia. I love learning about the Mound People and theories about their lives.

            His books concerned a modern archeologist in the present investigating mysteries from the Mound People’s past. We talked for some time – I am also a writer, I said, and I also have a story in the horror vein about a modern man investigating a mystery from the Mount People’s past. His stories are not horror, but more in the “DaVinci Code” genre. Not an action thriller with exploding vehicles and nipples, but more of a modern and historical novel.

            I bought all three books. He gave me a synopsis of his fourth. I can’t wait. In the meantime, I’m enjoying his releases.

            As I finish a book, I’ll review it here. First up is “Flight of the Piasa” (ISBN 978-0-9794737-0-8; Redoubt Books)

SOME SPOILERS:
            “Flight of the Piasa” weaves together two stories. The first deals with Daniel French, a graduate student in archaeology. We meet him as he tries to hold together his first class under the watchful eye of stern professor Eldredge. Daniel does a fair job but is frustrated by the professor’s criticism. He and his girlfriend Donna spend some time wandering the cliffs near Alton, IL - where Daniel was raised - to take his mind off his educational woes. The see the Piasa - the pre-Columbian Native American dragon painted on the cliff face. He theorizes it may be of Chinese origin - a theory his professor rebuffs. While they explore a cave - they find a skeleton and an ancient coin with Chinese markings on it.
            He shows the coin to a Chinese friend and fellow student for his opinion. Coincidentally, another Chinese graduate student gives Daniel a manuscript translated from a 500-year-old text that was itself translated from an even older text.
            The text makes up the bulk of the book. It is an epistolary biography of Sun Kai, childhood friend and general (more or less) for Lord Chin - we in the "real world" call him Zheng of Qin or Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin (Chin) Dynasty that ruled from 220 - 210 BCE. Sun helps Chin/Zheng/Qin conquer the last province not under his control to unify the country that still bears his (Chin's)name.
            Sun rules a city in a far province and falls in love with Snow Pine - a slave taken as a child from a nomadic people who, we later learn, may be the descendants of an ancient Greek-era people. A very famous ancient Greek-era people. They still use Greek fire; they still sing of Zeus - they are now called the Praxans.
            "Meanwhile", if such a term is appropriate, Daniel’s relationship with Donna fades and he falls for Laura, a fellow archaeology graduate student and expert on these certain ancient Greek-era people. Don’t take that to be snarky - Daniel and Laura’s meeting, and their affection, is canny and realistic.
            The Praxans nearly conquer Sun’s troops and his land, but Sun finds the encampment of the Praxan women and children in a fun and well-written bit of espionage.
            Sun is later commanded by the emperor to sail the seas to find the home of the Praxan gods - who will bestow upon the now-mad emperor the secret of immortality. Sun agrees, if only so he can escape his and Snow Pine’s certain death at the hands of Zheng and his Legalist toadies.
            They sail to India and Africa and eventually end up in the Americas, where the explorers are killed - Sun being the only survivor, or so he believes. While he recuperates in a cave he writes the manuscript that we and Daniel now read.
            Sun’s search for Snow Pine's killers takes him along the coast and upstream of a great river. Eventually he finds a large village and discovers that Snow Pine may be alive. He waits in a cave above the river-side village to find his love.
            When he is nearly discovered he creates the ruse of a demonic bird to scare away the curious. He even paints a huge portrait of the winged creature on the cliff face...
            The rest will reveal the ending. Daniel and Laura take this manuscript to their professor for his thoughts. He is skeptical.
            The book does not seem to end on a cliff-hanger, but the preview of his next book reveals that the stories of the characters from both eras will continue.

END OF SPOILERS

            What a fun book, well-researched and a quick cliff-hanging read. We care about Sun more so than Daniel, I think. I also think that is intentional - Daniel is our host in introducing Sun and Snow Pine's world; a world excellently realized. The author wrote two more - continuing both stories. I look forward to them both.

            The book is available at Amazon. Get it, share it, get more copies, gift them.

MICHAEL G CURRY

Helen Sewel

Ten Reasons Why I Love America

  

         This weekend we celebrate the 238th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. As we try not to set ourselves aflame, we think about our beloved home and ponder its magnificence.

          Here are ten reasons why I love my country. I hope you enjoy them.

1.       Every kind of weather and every kind of environment. Like 100-degree heat? We got that. Like below-zero temps? We got that. Purple mountain’s majesties? Check.  Fruited plains? Check. Urban blight? Check. Suburban sprawl? Check. I’m losing momentum here...

2.       We’ll eat anything. From Pink Slime to High Fructose Corn Syrup, the lines at the fast food drive-throughs block the highway. And health-food adherents - don’t laugh. You’re snacking on curry-flavored kale chips while you read this, aren’t you? 

3.       Full Faith and Credit. This really is one of the genius bits of the constitution that binds the Republic together. Let’s suppose the governor of Colorado is still pissed at Washington over the Super Bowl. He passes a law saying a Washington state driver’s license is not valid to drive in his state. Or it’s outright illegal for a Washingtonian to enter the Colorado border. Well, he can’t do it. Every state has to honor the laws and judgments of other states.  Unless you’re gay and want to get married...

4.       The Interstate System. Oh you might be stuck behind a semi for five miles or so until he decides to pull over (they do that on purpose, you know), and the Autobahn is better, and it’s not the if-it-doesn’t-go-by-it-then-it’s-not-worth-seeing of the London Tube (actually a bit of the opposite) ... um, so why is this on my list?

5.       Diversity. If America is known for one thing it is our vast diversity. Culturally, philosophically ... ethically ... There are some citizens who enjoy being so diverse that they want everyone to be just like them! Just. Like. Them.

6.       Someone, somewhere, shares your views. This ties into the previous point. If you think Masons created Bigfoot as a way to spy on loggers, there is probably someone out there that believes it too. The internet has helped bring these folks together. So if you think the moon landing is fake and/or professional wrestling is real you are not alone. No matter how crazy and fact-less; if there are enough of you, you can form your own political party. Some have already.

7.       We hate soccer. It’s bad enough we love to watch millionaires hit a ball with a stick. It’s bad enough we love to watch millionaires touch the skin of a pig on the Sabbath. But kicking a ball down a seemingly three-mile-long-grassy field without touching it? No way!

8.       Eternal and Unshakeable Optimism. Only an American considers purchasing a weekly lottery ticket as the sole source of a comprehensive retirement plan...

9.       We have no long-term memory, and our short-term memory is pretty crappy, too. Every four years we throw out the bums in charge of the country. For over two hundred years the newly-elected leaders were the same set of bums we threw out four years before. And that’s just politics - I could do a whole blog on Hollywood stars’ screw-ups and redemptions {kaff-Mel-Gibson-kaff}

10.     The Grand Canyon. All kidding aside, you have to admit, it’s pretty cool.

Have a happy 4th!

Original material copyright 2104 Michael Curry

Here's the Fundamental Problem with DC Comics.

I've only done one guest blog. This is my second. Chris Sims of Comics Alliance nails it. Absolutely nails it. Enjoy.

http://www.businessinsider.com/dc-copies-marvel-2014-6

(Part Two of) Come and Watch Us Sing and Play

The Monkees at the Fabulous Fox Theater, June 5th, 2014

St. Louis, Missouri

          The concert started with the screen tests aired as bits during their TV show (there were no never-seen-before bits on the screen), followed by the theme song and opening video of their show. I’m kind of glad they didn’t perform it.         

1.      Last Train to Clarksville (from The Monkees - first album)

2.      Papa Gene’s Blues (from The Monkees - first album)

3.      Your Auntie Grizelda (from More of the Monkees)

4.      The Kind of Girl I Could Love (from More of the Monkees)

5.      She (from More of the Monkees)

6.      Sweet Young Thing (from The Monkees - first album). This was the first of many times Pete played banjo. Ironically, days before I was listening to George Harrison’s Wonderwall Music on which Peter played the banjo. Legend says his track was not included on the album - but it was in the movie - but I hear banjo...)

7.      I’m a Bleeder – er – Believer (from More of the Monkees)

8.      (I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone (from More of the Monkees)

          Here was the first “break” featuring many video clips of the show – including Mike’s rapid-paced singing of his own “Different Drum”.

          A wonderful part of the show was dividing the sets into their respective albums. The next set featured (mostly) songs from their most popular album Headquarters, unless otherwise noted:

9.      You Told Me

10.    Sunny Girl Friend

11.    You Just May Be the One

12.    Mary Mary (from More of the Monkees) (with this song Mickey took over the drums - I watched and he did very well - and the other drummer did percussion)

13.    Girl That I Knew Somewhere (B-side of A Little Bit You, a Little Bit Me)

14.    Shades of Grey (this song had a particularly great video montage – although it did distract from the band – it was here Mickey’s teasing Pete’s hair during the chorus). This was the first Davey song, although he co-sung it with Peter.

15.    Randy Scouse Git (this was preceded by the clip from the British TV show Til Death Do Us Part that inspired the title. The show was Americanized by Norman Lear and renamed All in the Family. So during a trivia night if you ever want to link the Monkees with Archer Bunker ... here is it!

16.    For Pete’s Sake

17.    No Time

          Video clips during this set break were clips of the show in Spanish.

18.    The Door Into Summer (from Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd ... pant pant, hereinafter “Pisces”)

19.    Words ((from Pisces)

20.    Tapioca Tundra (from The Birds, the Bees and the Monkees)

21.    Going Down (B side of Daydream Believer)

          The video screen showed clips of their movie “Head” ... oh dear god in heaven are they going to do songs from “HEAD”!!??

          The movie was awful, but the soundtrack was the best thing they ever did. It should air with Sgt. Pepper as examples of sixties pop/rock. I’m not kidding.

          This was the best part of the show.

22.    Porpoise Song. Oh my god, they did the Porpoise Song. If anyone recorded this that loud voice in the audience singing along was me.

23.    Can You Dig it

          They showed the video of Nilsson’s Daddy’s Song with Davy singing. The CD has a bonus track of Mike singing it. I liked that version better. So much so that I forgot that the “official” singer was Davy!

24.    CIRCLE SKY!!! (caps intentional - by now my sister and nephew asked me to sit down and stop embarrassing them. I never. NEVER. thought I would hear this song live. I hoped that someday I might see a solo set by Mike Nesmith, but this was a thrill.)

25.    As We Go Along (and by now the people sitting next to me were reacting and ushers had to be called. This is one of my favorite “deep tracks” by the Monkees. Hardly anyone knows about this beautiful Toni Stern/Carol King tune)

26.    Long Title: Do We Have To Do This All Over Again

          After this wonderful set more videos aired as we headed for the big finish...

27.    What Am I Doing Hanging Round? (from Pisces. THIS is my favorite Monkees song. I was sooo glad they did it. Plus they did it at a slower tempo than the original. Overall the “new” live arrangements were superb, sometimes better than the originals)

28.    Daydream Believer (from The Birds, the Bees and the Monkees). This was sweet. Each of the surviving members took a verse, with Mike Nesmith taking the last. His velvety voice fit perfectly.

          Encore:

29.    Listen to the Band (from The Monkees Present) (this was accompanied by a video of the song that I never knew existed)

          The band members were introduced.

30.    Pleasant Valley Sunday (from Pisces). You knew this song was coming. It was one of their biggest hits and one of my favorites. Damn fun to play on the guitar, too.

          I asked my sister how the show compared to the others. I expected the ones with Davy to be more Vegas-y. Lots more showmanship, horns, dancing, etc. I pointed out Mickey’s dancing during “Going Down” as an example of “Vegas-y”.

          No, she said, those featured rock bands and were done in similar styles as this. The first tour with Mike Nesmith featured some of his solo songs. Ooo, I would have liked to hear some Nesmith tunes - Joann, for example.

          She said there was more banter between the band members in their 2012 tour. There was some here, but not as much. I don’t mind that - I go to a show to watch them play. They can banter on Letterman...

          The audience went bananas throughout. And there was quite an age mix - older men and women and small kids. Nothing like the Wiggles show, mind you, but there were kids under ten there. They used to introduce “...Believer” with “we used to do this before Shrek did...”

         

          We need to start a petition to either make them put out a live album or a studio album of these arrangements pronto. Who’s with me?

          Gentlemen, you were never jokes; you were never Beatle rip-offs. Bravo for Peter’s jibe about “we were accused of not being the Beatles, along with three million other bands...”

          Thank you for nearly fifty years of wonderful music. And thank you for performing it for one night!

          I am so glad I went - what a wonderful show. If you can, go see them. As Davy Jones’ death proved, we might not have many more chances to see them. In other words - you’d better get ready; they may be coming to your town.

          Here’s another great review of the show: http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/lifestyle-news/1414036/The-Monkees-turn-back-the-clock-in-fun-energetic-show

Copyright 2014 Michael Curry

Come and Watch Us Sing and Play

          The Monkees at the Fabulous Fox Theater, June 5th, 2014

St. Louis, Missouri

Part One

    

          This was my sister’s fourth Monkees concert - two with Davy and now two with Mike. This was my first. I was a Monkees fan before I was even a Beatles fan - the pre-Fab Four’s TV show reruns on Saturday mornings helped their songs to be as familiar to me as the theme songs to HR Pufinstuf or Scooby-Doo.

          With some exceptions I have retired from concert-going since 1992. Shows were expensive even back then and my poor ears were suffering from enough tinnitus I didn’t need to aggravate it. I wore earplugs to my last shows - even Bob Dylan. During one, ZZ Top, I pulled out an earplug just to see how bad it was. I winced. Not at the music - they were in good form and supporting a great album - but at the volume.

          I’ve come out of retirement twice not counting this show - Ringo Starr playing free at the VP Fair in St. Louis (a Beatle for free? Yes, I will come out of retirement to see a Beatle for free) and Rik Emmett playing a solo show in San Antonio (do I want to see the founder of Triumph for ten bucks? Oh yes...). I’ve not attended any other concerts. Rock concerts ... the Wiggles and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra notwithstanding...

          Until now.

          The Monkees concert was a gift from my sister in exchange for purchasing some DVDs for her at Comic Con. She took her ten-year-old son and asked if I wanted to go.

          They’ve toured extensively over the past eleven years; but I had to ask myself: “when am I ever going to get to see the Monkees again?”

          Their story is familiar: NBC wanted a TV show to cash in on the success of the Beatles and capture the fun of their movies “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help”. The execs thought about getting an actual group - legend says the Loving Spoonful was considered - but decided to cobble together a group from actor/musicians. Stephen Stills tried out and convinced his friend Peter Tork to do likewise. Mike Nesmith was another budding musician. Davy Jones appeared on the famous Ed Sullivan show featuring the Beatles’ first appearance along with his fellow cast-members of “Oliver”. Mickey Dolenz was also child actor.

          The plots of the show dealt with an up-and-coming band playing gigs and getting into various zany antics - spies, monsters, gangsters, and mistaken identities - the gamut of 1960’s sitcom fare.

          But the music set it apart. During this show the band showed their admiration for the many wonderful song-writers they used and named them - Goffin/King, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Harry Nilsson, etc. And rightly so...

          At the time the songs and the Monkees - although very successful on the music charts - were written off as bubblegum music. Well, that term came a few years later, but the criticism was the same.

          The Monkees were mocked for not playing their own instruments on their songs and albums. The band members complained about this too, and were allowed to do so beginning with their Headquarters album.

          Eventually the show was cancelled, their movie and TV special each bombed and their albums and singles failed to chart. One by one they left the group to do their own thing.

          Their popularity grew as new fans discovered their show’s reruns on Saturday Morning (me) and in the 1980s on MTV (my sister). Their detractors were silenced over time as their music aged well. Very well.

          They would reunite throughout the decades, usually Mike being the hold-out as his career was moving along and his participation was not necessary.

          I am a big fan of Nesmith’s solo music and a subscriber to his video ranch productions. Check it out: http://www.videoranch.com/

          Nesmith appeared on stage with the other three on occasion and helped with the album and TV special for their last album “Justus” in 1996. But otherwise, when the members were not doing solo shows or participating in “Teen Idol” festivals, the Monkees toured as Davy, Mickey and Peter.

          Davy Jones died in 2012. Mike agreed to tour with Peter and Mickey in 2012 and again this year. Among the excellent band members were Mike’s son Christian on guitar and Mickey’s sister as one of the back-up singers. The other back-up singer, Circe Link and Christian are in a band called “Circle Jerks” and the bass player is their manager - so there was a lot of family up on the stage.

          The musicians were wonderful. They rocked even during the more poppy numbers. Throughout the show I was amazed at how well these songs have aged.

          And the Monkees themselves have also aged well. Mickey can still hit the high notes - particularly on “Words” and “Randy Scouse Git” and only rarely being unable to hit the higher ranges - most notably on “She”. Mike still sang with a caramel smoothness. Peter suffered the most from comparison, but then, he was never known for his strong vocals.

          Recommendation: the Monkees should think about making a studio album of their live set to show off their musicians and the new, wonderful arrangements of their classic songs. Their version of “Daydream Believer” will likely make the charts, or at least be a popular download.

          A video screen above the band showed constant clips of the TV show, their movie and TV special. At times I found it distracting. I’m there to watch the show, not clips from “The Monkees' Paw”. But it helped give the band a break during sets and keep the audience cheering.

          Next: Part 2 - the set list!

Copyright 2014 Michael Curry

PAPPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BLOG!

http://michaelgcurry.com/2014/06/03/321/
                If you have linked to my blog from one of my Facebook or Google or Twitter links, and are a regular viewer, you may have noticed something different.

                (If this is your first look at my little set of blogs - either through a random search or through Wordspace, welcome!)

                I have redone my blog through Wordpress where I also started a web page - http://michaelgcurry.com/. So far it leads to my blog posts from Blogger - I imported all of them - has links to my Twitter feed and Facebook page and a cute link to Goodreads and I hope I can get a link (called a widget) to Librarything.

                I don’t like the transfer of my blogs from Blogger to Wordpress - it has some errors, particularly lack of spaces between words, misaligned margins, etc. Minor quibbles, I suppose.

                A fun and interesting addition will include tags and topics - I look forward to seeing which tags grow in size reflecting the common topics of my blog entries. I expect “comic books” will dominate haha.

                I like Blogger and will continue to post there as long I get enough hits. Perhaps in the future I can link the two - clicking on one leads to the other. But I wanted to expand my options and give myself an actual website for potential readers to view.

                Why do I need better access to readers? Why do I need an “intro” website to my blog?

                Because I do not intend the website to be only a doorway to my blogs...

                ... are you ready? ...

                In a few weeks I will be publishing my first book.

                I am publishing “Abby’s Road, the Long and Winding Road to Adoption; and how Facebook, Aquaman and Theodore Roosevelt helped”.

                I am using the company Createspace to self-publish my book through Amazon and its affiliates. When I have a cover designed I will then upload the book through Smashwords to publish it through Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and other venues Createspace does not use.

                I have updated my Facebook page (and created an author’s fan page), Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn to use as my link to readers for marketing my book. I hope “Abby’s Road” will do well enough to help pay for itself and my next book about children’s television - which I hope to be published in November. With Smashwords I will be able to publish the short stories I have written through the years. Some will be free; some will be a dollar.

                This isn’t vanity publishing, although that still exists; this is the trend of the future: bypassing the traditional - sometimes insurmountable - wall of traditional publishers.

                Independent publishing - the wave of the future. The last thing I would associate myself with is being on the crest of a wave of the future.

                Future blogs will discuss how I came to write the book and my experiences in publishing it. I also have a few ideas about sharing my current health issues and my attempts at overcoming them. Plus the usual movie, book, TV and comic book reviews; don’t worry my fellow nerds - I am still a geek at heart!

                So wish me luck and please be patient with this old Luddite when it comes to browsing my web pages. I’ll do my best! And I’ll keep posting!

Original material copyright 2014 Michael Curry

(noticed I dropped my middle initial “G” in all this? Smashwords recommends eliminating middle initials to allow people browsing authors to find my name easier ... who am I to argue?)