The Summer of Love has begun and psychedelia is in the air. This episode features two songs that were recorded on June 19, 1967 and which reflect the trippiness that defined the moment. Two of the players on these tracks had spent the previous days and nights at the Monterey Pop Festival and somehow still retained enough brain cells to be at the studio 300 miles south the next afternoon, ready to put in a 10 hour day. I’ll trace Peter Tork and Eddie Hoh’s journey from the chaotic and historic final hours of the Festival to the day-long next-day session with Mike and Chip. I’ll give my interpretation of the lyrics of “Daily Nightly” and talk about the Sunset Strip riots that inspired them, as well as Nesmith’s complex relationship to the hippie culture. Then I’ll compare and contrast Barry Mann’s bubblegum psych demo of “Love Is Only Sleeping” with the moody and dreamy Monkees version, talk a bit about 7/4 time and more! This episode is a first in two ways: 1) it features more than one song and 2) it’s the first to feature a song not written by Michael Nesmith. Ok, now that I have this episode out of the way I can start on my taxes. But this came first. I know my priorities. Enjoy.

A fine addition to the list of pop song "Don't"s...(Don't Bother Me, Don't Let Me Down, Don't Wait For Me, Don't Be Cruel, Don't Worry Baby, Don't Cry No Tears, Don't Ask Me Why, Don't Forget Me, Don't Leave Me, Don't Lie To Me, Don't Make Promises, Don't Stand So Close to Me, Don't Stop Believin', Don't Think Twice...ARRGH! So many restrictions! And that's just off the top of my head..). Anyway..."Don't Call On Me", written by Michael Nesmith and John London in 1964, shares the same first chord, sung note and sung word as "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" (another restriction!), but then becomes its own thing and a glorious thing it is indeed. In this episode I discuss Major 7th chords, bossa nova beats, the quantum leap rock music took in mid-1967, flying Telecasters, Monkee Mania Radio and I even work in a reference to the Apple TV series Severance, because it's the best television show going and you all should be watching it and I can't seem to go an hour without working it into all conversations. This episode features my voice sounding raspy and breathing slightly labored as I just got over my annual February flu. So this episode is unofficially sponsored by Mucinex. Anyway, Enjoy and see you in the Spring!

I'm starting off 2025 by interrupting the chronological flow of this series, but it's well worth it. This is an interview I conducted in 2022 with bassist David MacKay, whose playing, in my opinion, is as responsible for the sound of late 70's Nez as Red Rhodes' steel was to early 70's Nez. Why did I wait three years to publish this? A timeline might be in order:
--Spring 2019-No longer with Videoranch but still on good terms with the boss, I interview Nez about The Prison and spend the next months researching and writing about said album, without a specific goal in mind.
--Fall 2019-Major life change for me, wind goes out of my creative sails. Meanwhile, I start tuning out of all things Nez due to the infighting among his most devoted fans regarding his odd new public persona.
--Winter 2019/20-I produce and publish the Prison interview as a podcast and begin an almost two year Nez-fast. In the past, his words and music were a salve in painful times, but things felt too weird now.
--2020/21 - I publish a three part podcast miniseries on The Beach Boys/Grateful Dead 1971 appearance at the Fillmore East and explore other connections between the two biggest California bands. I have a question that I can’t seem to find the answer to and I'm given Dead author/scholar/radio host/mensch David Gans' email and ask him. David Gans replies in a friendly, helpful manner.
--Nov 2021-I witness Nez's final perfomance/public appearance.
--Dec 2021-RIP, Nez. I’m still not feeling much like listening to his music but feeling a renewed duty to somehow honor his musical legacy. The Prison feels too depressing so I decide to expand my subject to what happened after The Prison's disappointing failure.
--Spring 2022- I contact David Gans again to see if he could put me in touch with David MacKay, Nez's wonderful bassist on his stellar 1977-79 work, and husband (of 45 years!) to the Grateful Dead's Donna Godchaux. Gans digs my idea, the connection is made, and after some back and forth, MacKay and I settle on a day in May.
--May 2022- Zoom Interview conducted with David MacKay, but I have no idea what to do with it and tuck it away.
--Fall 2023-Andrew Sandoval gets in touch and, unbeknownst to him, our exchange inspires me to start a podcast dedicated to Nez's music.
--December 2024- after doing one season of Questions But No Answers and feeling pretty good about it, I finally go back and listen to my interview with MacKay and love it! I remembered so little about it that it was like listening to someone else conducting the interview. I decide to turn it into the first episode of 2025. And here we are. Enjoy!