"Head is my favorite film that stars a musical artist, by some degree. And yes, that includes the brilliant A Hard Day’s Night. However, the Monkees’ triumph of a movie is a Pyrrhic victory, because Head accelerated their demise, as it sees Dolenz, Nesmith, Tork, and Jones push the self-destruct button. Directed by Bob Rafelson and cowritten by Jack Nicholson, the movie shows the Monkees tearing down their wholesome network-TV, pre–Fab Four image with wild style. Much has been read into this stream-of-consciousness movie, with its overlapping dream sequences, surreal song numbers, and drug-influenced chaos. The simplest way of describing it is this: the Monkees are sick of being on their network show and attempt to break out of the studio lot, literally and figuratively. There are several scenes where the Monkees are trapped in a box, a live number where they are revealed to be plastic mannequins, and bookending sequences where the members commit suicide. So basically, the Monkees want out. There have been some claims by the Monkees since the film came out that this message was projected onto it by Rafelson and Nicholson, but the script was clearly born of a very real frustration with their image. The movie bombed in 1968, because not many Monkees fans wanted to know that their idols had painted-on smiles. What remains is a gem of rock music cinema, with great songs and images throughout. Plus, as depressing as the theme of entrapment is, it’s frequently very funny. I got to interview Dolenz about it at a New Beverly Q&A once. A young audience member quizzed him on the deeper themes, and he just replied, “Man, I was twenty-three . . .”"

"I had always overlooked Big Star. I had never really liked them and then a year-and-a-half ago I moved to Los Angeles and it was a case of me and my partner starting our record collection again as we couldn't bring records over. He picked up this record really cheaply at a flea market or something and played it over and over at the apartment. I remember asking, ""Oh my god, what the hell is this?"" When I found out it was Big Star I had had absolutely no idea that's what they sounded like. I think I am right in saying that Third possibly wasn't very well received and the production on it, which for me is one of its charms, is reassuringly bad. Even so, it is my favourite of all of their records. There is a playfulness about the songs; 'Kangaroo' sounds like it has drums on it being played by someone else in a different room who is playing along to a different song. It was those elements that appealed to me when I initially heard the record. But then it has some of the most absolutely incredible songs, like 'Nightime' and 'Take Care' – which is one of my all-time favourite songs. It's one of those records that every single song that comes on that you just think ""this one's amazing"" and then, ""No, this one is even more amazing"" and, ""I want to do a cover of this"". I still think I am in the period of wanting to listen to it over and over and I have to stop myself so I don't get sick of it. It's been a wonderful record to – what's the word? Sorry, I'm thinking in Welsh today – dissect and really take in."