This head-trip of a film by Bob Rafelson (co-written and produced by Jack Nicholson) from 1968 is....well, a chore to get through, to be honest.
There's no story whatsoever, basically just a long strings of gags, absurd scenarios, jump cuts, meta perspectives, song numbers and randomness. On one level, it is clear that they were trying to communicate something - i.e. the transparency of the media creation that The Monkees exemplified (this was supposed to be their swan song, their "suicide film"), a criticism of consumerist society and the various indulgences and immoralities of the western world (like the inserted, grim war footage from Vietnam or the blowing-up of the Coca Cola machine). Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson as well as other luminaries like Dennis Hopper and Frank Zappa appear in cameos (in one of the meta-sequences where they pull back to reveal the machinery producing the film).
On another level, though, it's just pure craziness, as if they're trying desperately to be funny and weird, and it falls through. It's noisy, it's rapid-fire editing (MTV X 10) and a myriad of flashing colours, psychedelia style. I'm guessing much of this was conceptualized while under the influence of something. In short, the only value from this is achieved if you're high. Otherwise, you risk epilepsia!
Thorne's music was kinda fun, though. He got to score a long series of various scenarios (haunted houses, westerns, war films, cop music, Indian music and so on), even if just for a brief moment. That was probably fun to do, not unlike the stuff he did on the Beatles movies. The Monkees' songs are clearly satirical, mimicking 60's britpop, Beatles, folk rock, Kinks and what else was the rave at the time.
This head-trip of a film by Bob Rafelson (co-written and produced by Jack Nicholson) from 1968 is....well, a chore to get through, to be honest.
There's no story whatsoever, basically just a long strings of gags, absurd scenarios, jump cuts, meta perspectives, song numbers and randomness. On one level, it is clear that they were trying to communicate something - i.e. that transparency of the media creation that The Monkees was (this was supposed to be their swan song, their "suicide film"), a criticism of consumerist society and the various indulgences and immoralities of the western world (like the inserted, grim war footage from Vietnam or the blowing-up of the Coca Cola machine). Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson (as well as other luminaries like Dennis Hopper and Frank Zappa) appear in cameos (in one of the meta-sequences where they pull back to reveal the machinery producing the film).
On another level, though, it's just pure craziness, as if they're trying desperately to be funny and weird, and it falls through. It's noisy, it's rapid-fire editing (MTV times ten) and a myriad of flashing colours, psychedelia style. I'm guessing much of this was conceptualized while under the influence of something. In short, the only value from this is achieved if you're high. Otherwise, you risk epilepsia!
Thorne's music was kinda fun, though. He got to score a long series of various scenarios (haunted houses, westerns, war films, cop music, Indian music and so on), even if just for a brief moment. That was probably fun to do, not unlike the stuff he did on the Beatles movies. The Monkees' songs are clearly satirical, mimicking 60's britpop, Beatles, folk rock, Kinks and what else was the rave at the time.
In the mid-70s, our local TV station used to show oddball films and TV shows on Sunday nights. It was here that I first saw "Head," "Bedazzled," "Randall and Hopkirk" and many others. I was only 10 years old, and it truly warped my sense of style and aesthetics.
I think "Head" is nearly perfect as-is. I might get rid of Davy's song, but that's about it.
A very archival sounding demo of Porpoise Song written and sung by Carole King for The Monkee's "Head":
My, my the clock in the sky is pounding away There's so much to say A face, a voice, an overdub has no choice And it cannot rejoice
Wanting to be, to hear and to see Crying to the sky
But the porpoise is laughing good-bye, good-bye Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Clicks, clacks Riding the backs of giraffes for laughs is alright for a while The ego sings of castles and kings and things That go with a life of style
Wanting to feel, to know what is real Living is a lie
But the porpoise is waiting good-bye, good-bye Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Interesting that it was made entirely in the USA (post production included) yet Thorne scored it! I guess they really wanted that Lester Beatles sound.
There's a great documentary on the Smithsonian Channel about the Monkees. Head was Jack Nicholson's big break into the film business as a writer not actor. Head was made for that specific purpose. It launched his and Bob Rafelson careers in the film industry.
There's a great documentary on the Smithsonian Channel about the Monkees. Head was Jack Nicholson's big break into the film business as a writer not actor. Head was made for that specific purpose. It launched his and Bob Rafelson careers in the film industry.
I love this movie (the show as well). The soundtrack is great (could do without the Jones song). Thorne's score is excellent and the songs by Nesmith and Tork are great (in my opinion, probably Tork's greatest contribution to The Monkees besides 'For Pete's Sake'). The live version of Nesmith's Circle Sky blows away the studio version (in my opinion).
A very archival sounding demo of Porpoise Song written and sung by Carole King for The Monkee's "Head":
My, my the clock in the sky is pounding away There's so much to say A face, a voice, an overdub has no choice AN IMAGE cannot rejoice
Wanting to be, to hear and to see Crying to the sky
But the porpoise is laughing good-bye, good-bye Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Clicks, clacks Riding the backs of giraffes for laughs is alright for a while The EAGLE sings of castles and kings and things That go with a life of style
Wanting to feel, to know what is real Living is a lie
But the porpoise is waiting good-bye, good-bye Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
many tahnsk for that!
i love the song. all you really need to watch is the opening which features the MONKEESS jumping off a bridge and this wonderful song (yeah, it's a rip of STRAWBERRY FIELDS but i dont care ) bruce
Have to admit I first saw the film on a TV showing while "under the influence" way back in the 70's. In that state, I rather liked it, but I make no argument for it as a "lost cult masterpiece." It remains a quaint artifact of a manufactured cultural phenomena and an offbeat landmark in the careers of Rafaelson, Nicholson, (and, I suppose, Victor Mature and Annette Funicello.)
I found the '94 Rhino expanded version of the soundtrack in a used CD shop several years back and occasionally pull it off the shelf to enjoy it for it's late 60's/early 70's vibe.
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