A true visionary and a mensch. RIP, Nez. And safe journeys.

A true visionary and a mensch. RIP, Nez. And safe journeys.

Rest in peace, Mr. Nesmith. Thank you for all the great music and the wonderful times it inspired.

I always say that KISS was my first band, but in reality, it was The Monkees.

When I discovered them via syndicated reruns in the 70s, I just liked it as a fun show with music.

But when I rediscovered them in 1986 and got the albums, I found myself going, "Oh, I remember that one from the show!" many times over.

So this is hitting me harder than I thought.

In an interview many years back, Peter Tork once cited an old joke about The Monkees in that the last one left would be known as "The Monkee."

It's not funny right now, but I have no doubt Micky will carry the legacy forward. The man's a born entertainer and what was touching in retrospect, was that he was helping Mike through some of the songs they did at the show I saw in October, doing co-lead vocals in some instances and keeping things going when Mike left the stage for a few songs towards the end of the first set.

I used to think he was the force that ended the Monkees run. But around ten years ago I realized that there was just a limited shelf life to their brand after the cancellation of the tv show. Looking back I now can see what a real creative force he was. Often loving all of their songs that he wrote without realizing that he wrote them. He definitely made an indelible mark in musical history and will not be forgotten.

Rest well Michael Nesmith.