_Total Control_ by Randi L. Massingill
Review by Jaclyn Mussehl
If you truly want to know all about Mike Nesmith, this is the
only book
you will ever need. It's 327 pages of everything you always wanted to
know about Nez but were afraid to ask. It's written by Randi L.
Massingill, who is an expert on Michael Nesmith and a longtime fan.
The book is broken down into many chapters, each with a title
using a
line from one of Nez's songs. The book begins by telling us about
Michael's parents, and then takes us through his childhood (with some
really cute pictures), and his high school and college years. We learn
about his courtship with Phyllis Barbour, and his early career as a
folk singer (when he was known as "Michael Blessing").
Several chapters are devoted to the Monkees (including info on
Davy,
Micky and Peter). From there, we learn about Michael's departure from
the group, his solo career (with information on each of his albums), and
how Michael formed his own video company, and hosted a short-lived tv
show. Along the way are births, divorces, and marriages. And of
course, the Monkees' 20th anniversary reunion.
As the book moves toward the present, we learn about the lawsuit
between Michael's company and PBS (which has yet to go to trial). The
book tells about "Justus" and the Billboard Live concert that featured
all four Monkees in concert. Lastly, the book leaves us with a post
that Michael made on the alt.music.monkees newsgroup, thanking the fans
for their support.
But we're not done yet! After the last chapter are 15
appendices.
These include an "interview" with Woolhat, a complete listing of every
song written by Michael, a discography, listing of his movie and tv
appearances, a list of all the musicians on his 1968 album "The Wichita
Train Whistle Sings," and an article by Brad Waddell on Monkees Internet
fan groups. Finally, there is a bibliography comprising 19 books and
over 200 magazine and newspaper articles. Whew!
The book is jam-packed with photos, many which have never been
seen
before. There are photos of Michael at every age, from infancy to
adulthood, a photo of the house he grew up in, and photos of Michael's
children. The book is written in a rather informal style, so it's
almost like discussing Michael with a friend, rather than reading about
him. Some of the information in this book was collected from interviews
conducted by Gary Strobl, parts of which are sprinkled throughout the
book. These are just some of the many interviews mentioned in the book:
Chip Douglas, Jeff Barry, Ann Moses (editor of "Tiger Beat" magazine),
Phyllis Nesmith, Lester Sills, and Davy Jones.
And let's not forget the cover of the book, which features a
black and
white photo of present-day Nez on the cover, and a tiny color picture of
him in his woolhat days. On the back is a cool take off on the Monkees'
guitar logo, but using the word "Michael" instead of "Monkees," plus a
color picture of all four Monkees at Billboard Live.
This book is truly the best source of information for anyone who
wants
to know all about Michael Nesmith, and I highly recommend it to all
Nezheads and Monkees fans.
If you would like to order _Total Control_ from the web, go to
http://www.flexquarters.com/nesmith/bio.htm, or to order by phone
(credit cards only) call 1-800-932-6448 or 1-810-360-7842.
(
geocities.com/televisioncity/set) (
geocities.com/televisioncity)