Monkees Still Making Believers Out of Lifelong Fans

NPR | By Petra Mayer

Published September 17, 2006 at 1:46 PM EDT

Mention that you're a fan of The Monkees and inevitably someone will treat you to a few mocking choruses of that song. You know the one: Hey, hey, we're the...

Let's just get one thing straight here: Most Monkee-maniacs are tired of that trick. So if you want to impress them, try humming a few lines of "Pleasant Valley Sunday" or "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone."

The four wacky moptops known as The Monkees bounced onto the nation's TV screens 40 years ago, capturing the hearts of a generation of teenage girls.

They popped up again in the late 80s and captured a new generation of devotees when MTV played reruns of their TV show. That's when producer Petra Mayer became a fan of Mike, Peter, Micky and Davy.

Petra Mayer

Petra Mayer (she/her) is an editor (and the resident nerd) at NPR Books, focusing on fiction, and particularly genre fiction. She brings to the job passion, speed-reading skills, and a truly impressive collection of Doctor Who doodads. You can also hear her on the air and on the occasional episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour.

See stories by Petra Mayer

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