Mickey Dolenz, The Only Surviving Monkee, Is Suing The FBI

OneEyedDiva

OneEyedDiva

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The FBI has a file on The Monkees and other rock musicians.
"The cover of the FBI file on the agency’s website erroneously refers to “the Monkeys”. The documents provide few clues as to why the band was of interest to federal agents, other than it was the time of the Vietnam war and the government was sensitive to criticism from prominent Hollywood actors and pop musicians.
In a section marked “Additional activities denouncing the US policy in the war in Vietnam”, almost an entire page is blacked out. But the file does describe the Monkees as a “quite successful” band featuring “four young men who dress as ‘beatnik types’ … geared primarily to the teenage market”.

"During a Monkees concert, it says, “subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of” an agent whose name is redacted “constituted ‘left-wing innovations of a political nature’ including video footage of ‘anti-US messages on the war in Vietnam’.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/01/monkees-micky-dolenz-fbi-secret-dossier-lawsuit
 

OneEyedDiva said:
The FBI has a file on The Monkees and other rock musicians.
"The cover of the FBI file on the agency’s website erroneously refers to “the Monkeys”. The documents provide few clues as to why the band was of interest to federal agents, other than it was the time of the Vietnam war and the government was sensitive to criticism from prominent Hollywood actors and pop musicians.
In a section marked “Additional activities denouncing the US policy in the war in Vietnam”, almost an entire page is blacked out. But the file does describe the Monkees as a “quite successful” band featuring “four young men who dress as ‘beatnik types’ … geared primarily to the teenage market”.

"During a Monkees concert, it says, “subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of” an agent whose name is redacted “constituted ‘left-wing innovations of a political nature’ including video footage of ‘anti-US messages on the war in Vietnam’.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/01/monkees-micky-dolenz-fbi-secret-dossier-lawsuit
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I was an avid Monkees fan as were all of my friends and I never remember a single episode where the Monkees protested the war. They weren't that type of band.
 
Further in Diva's link to the story it goes on to say...

The agency amassed more than 300 pages on Lennon amid efforts by then president Richard Nixon to deport the former Beatle in 1972, for his involvement in the peace movement.

Disclosure of the FBI’s Lennon files in 2000 revealed bizarre details including the logging of a parrot’s subversive remarks.

Sinatra, who was tied to the mafia, appeared in numerous FBI files, while Presley came to the agency’s attention in the 1950s and 60s allegedly because of the influence he was deemed to have over a generation of teenagers.

Despite his name being featured in multiple FBI records, however, officials insisted Presley was never the subject of an investigation.

The Washington Post reported in 1978, a year after his death, that “the King” even volunteered to become an FBI informant, reporting on “the Smothers Brothers [American folk singers and comedians], Jane Fonda and other persons in the entertainment industry of their ilk [who] have a lot to answer for in the hereafter for the way they have poisoned young minds by disparaging the US in public statements and unsavory activities”.
 
Grrrr.I can't remember her name, but she was a singer in the 40s & 50s. She might have had one hit, but she wasn't an "A" lister.. In those "Commie" Congressional hearings in the 50s, her name came up. It was said the FBI had "hundreds of documents" on her. She tried for years to get those "documents". She finally got them under "The Freedom of Information Act". Turns out, there was nothing about Communism in her file, it was all appearance notices/fliers/newspaper ads. - the clubs, theaters fairs that she would be singing at.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
Grrrr.I can't remember her name, but she was a singer in the 40s & 50s. She might have had one hit, but she wasn't an "A" lister.. In those "Commie" Congressional hearings in the 50s, her name came up. It was said the FBI had "hundreds of documents" on her. She tried for years to get those "documents". She finally got them under "The Freedom of Information Act". Turns out, there was nothing about Communism in her file, it was all appearance notices/fliers/newspaper ads. - the clubs, theaters fairs that she would be singing at.
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Well, that stuff sure ruined a lot of lives and careers.. too often for no legitimate reason. :(

On a side note- decades ago when I was writing for a newspaper, some anonymous bonehead didn't like something I wrote and mailed me a copy of "Pravda." :ROFLMAO:
 
I remember finding out in the movie "Julie and Julia" that Julia Child's husband was interrogated for days because of suspected association with Communists. Actually Julia Child was suspected too, but both were vindicated. Luckily it didn't adversely affect their careers. McCarthyism at it's best!
 
They thought rock or pop stars were corrupting youth and making them more susceptible to things like communism. Will say political struggles use more than militaries although I doubt the Monkees or Hendrix were a commie concoction.

The counter culture did produce some radicals which wound up committing actual crime but again did rock or pop stars produce the counter culture or the counter culture happened to like it/them.

They said the NYPD had their own radical group spies as probably did numerous other police departments.
 
I recall something similar to above, the Monkees and other pop groups being accused of sending subversive clues and messages in their lyrics but nothing ever proved. I think it was just because the groups of that era were so different from the previous generations, and defying a lot of entrenched social customs.
 
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Geezerette said:
I recall something similar to above, the Monkees and other pop groups being accused of sending subversive clues and messages in their lyrics but nothing ever proved. I think it was just because the groups of that era were so different from the previous generations, and defying a lot of entrenched social customs.
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Yeh, subliminal messaging. I heard that too.

And just a question how would the US government know that subliminal tactics work or could be used in music. Granted Madison Ave got caught like the popcorn announcement with single frames of a soda years earlier. So one must ask how big were government subliminal or psychological tactic programs at that time.
 
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