I worked on Elephant Parts and spoke with Nez just before his passing .. unusual talented man !!

RIP Mike. :( Everybody, form a protective circle around Mickey Dolenz

Not the wildest interview ever, but then again, that was Mike in a nutshell. RIP to a pretty fascinating individual.

So sad to hear Mike passed. He was my favorite Monkee back in the day. In fact, my freshman year is college, I had a wool cap like Mike's and wore it all the time. Thanks Don. As always a very good job.

My God Im gutted. Happy Trails Mike. Thanks for the soundtrack to my youth.

I saw this when I was 21. Now I see it again at 59. RIP Mike.

I always felt that Mike was to the Monkees what George was to the Beatles. The most interesting member, the most complex sounds. I always preferred his songs. Such a loss, such a loss.

A teacher at my high school went to see The Monkees and saw the tour that Jimi Hendrix opened up on - RIP Michael!

What an interesting interview. Dave really adjusted his energy to Mike's. *That* was a real *chat.* Serious stuff. We all gotta go, and Mike Nesmith did some interesting stuff with his time here. Glad to have seen this piece of it.

I remember these videos appearing on HBO as "shorts" before MTV. Mike was the pioneer of music videos, and MTV. But that all falls back on his time and experience with the Monkees. And very much encouragement from the great, Frank Zappa. Thanks, Mike, for all you've done for modern musicians.

An incredibly bright and creative and talented man.

He was so fucking hot. And talented. And strange. In a good way. 💔

Michael was a great songwriter I have several albums and they wonderful. I remember watching the tv show as a young boy in the ’70’s and rediscovered the band and Michael’s music in the early ‘90’s and I have been listening ever since. RIP

I always thought that Michael had the best voice in the band by far listen to his solo work it's awesome

It's interesting how much of what we would call throwaway TV during the 60's lasted so long. The Monkees. Gilligan's Island. Lost In Space. Star Trek. The Beverly Hillbillies. The Munsters. The Addams Family. The Brady Bunch. (It began in 1969) Batman. It just shows how something which we took for granted had a lasting effect on so many people.

Been watching and listening to Mike a lot the last 2 years as my 3 year old son loves The Monkees, one of his fave bands, & he always points out Mike when he's on vocals. So the news of his passing makes me very sad!

Man, I looked for that for years. I went downtown one day to a huge record store we had down there, about 1988 or 1989 or so, and I finally found it. Zoomed home, got on the phone and called up my buddy. I'm like, "Hey, Alan! Come on over!" "Wha' for?" "I've got Elephant Parts!" "... ... ..." The silence on the other end of the line was funnier than anything he could have possibly said. :D

RIP to a legend. You will be missed my friend. 🌹

Loved Mike he had one of those voices you can never forget rest in peace Michael ❤❤❤

Everytime I see Liquid Paper or Whiteout in the stores. I'll think of Mike Nesmith's mother.

Like everyone else, I was saddened by the news of Nez. What a loss. I saw The Monkees live the summer of '96 at Pine Knob Music Theater just outside of Detroit. Different world then, for sure. A better world. I'll never forget that experience with my dad (I'm 41 now). It feels like everything is crumbling and passing away in the world. But, the memories cannot be taken away. Ah, the good ole days. They just slipped away like sand. If I'd have known they'd one day be considered as such, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to move on past em'. That's the thing---- when we're presently experiencing what will one day be considered "the good ole days" ----- we're not aware of it. So, we take it for granted (and rush on through to the next chapter of life). Then, inevitably, we find ourselves longing for what was so flippantly overlooked and disregarded. Life is a self-contradicting oxymoronic paradox. But, if you catch it in the right light, while in the right mood---- it's beautiful.

R.I.P. Mike Nesmith! YOU ARE MISSED!

Thanks for the memories Don. I was a devoted member of the Monkees Fan Club back in the day. My how time passes by. RIP Robert Michael Nesmith

RIP Nez.🙏🏻 thanks for sharing this, Don.

Hello from England! Very sad to hear this news. We loved the Monkeys over on this side of the pond. Thank you for all the great songs.

I grew up to them. I was a Huge Beatles fan!! In fact in 67ish I wanted to have my name changed to John. So you never let your friends know you liked them well until the Last train was a anti Vietnam war song so they became cool. But I will say the best Monkee song & one of my all time fav of all songs is You just may be the one! Rip Mike, Peter and Davey...

Here is an interesting tid bid as well. VHS is capable of producing near CD quality audio. So Mike Nesmith knew what he was doing by releasing his music on HiFi VHS. Far superior to vinyl. This was also before CDs really took off. Mike was a total pioneer in more ways than one and a creative genius.

I rented Elephant Parts VHS back in the mid 80's. Already being a Monkee fan, I was interested prior to watching it. There some classic, funny segments of that tape.

Thank you for sharing this. Haven’t seen this clip for quite awhile. Love and miss you very much Michael. ❤

So ironic that I was watching this when I saw the news on Facebook. Thanks for finding and posting this video. RIP Nez

Don, you are to be commended repeatedly. Your channel is beyond incredible. Many, moving videos, such as this, I've teared up on multiple occasions. Thank you, sir. Subscribed today.

Brilliant man! My favorite Monkee! His voice definitely stood out! R.I.P. Michael ❤

Liquid paper got me thru college. Rip

I love him so much!! What a mind he had. RIP

Thanks Don

SO talented and handsome!!!! Kim

Thank you a very special interview

How handsome! R.I.P. Nez! 🌹

I've watched the Rodanne clip many times and I still laugh, It's fricken hilarious! It's starts at the intro where Michael is desperately trying to keep from laughing! I've watched Time Rider several times thru the years, what a great movie it is and a very creative and unusual storyline!

Also Executive Producer of the amazing film "Repo Man" (1984)

Awesome job as usual Don. My wife is a huge Monkees fan and Mike was her favorite. She'll enjoy watching this interview

The soundtrack to _Repo Man_ LIVES in my car. "Bad Man" and the one and only "Reel Ten".

Just watching the old interviews. Broke my heart to hear he passed. That's all.

Dave ,you blew it. Your legacy could have been immortalized with one act of entrepreneurial wisdom. Have Sonny and Cher reunite with Mike Nesmith.

The feet blocking the television was always my favorite commercial bumper on Letterman!

R.I.P. Mike much loved by so many ❤️.

I dumped TV in 1997, but I forgot just how subtleiy hilarious David Letterman was. Mike was holding his own as well, though I suspect it went over a lot of folks heads...😁

I actually wore a wool cap in the summer for a while in junior high because of Mike. He was the coolest and funniest Monkee, and his were the best songs. And he had the best, most interesting post Monkees career. He was the George Harrison of the Monkees heh heh.

Thank you for Repo Man, Mike

Thank God for Liquid Paper / white out.

RIP Michael Nesmith

Mike & Micky just played as The Monkees 3 weeks ago in LA 😥

A great fellow Dallas Texan 💔 This aired two years before I was born, but I’ve loved him since I was a kid

A lovely, brilliant, complex man. 💕

Mike looks different but his speaking voice is SO distinctive.

The Monkees are Legends ..Top Class 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Cool interview he looks like a young Allen Rickman

Well, if you can’t be on The Brady Bunch then being on Letterman is the next best thing. - Davy Jones

It's funny to see people having to explain the concept of videocassettes in the 1980s . . . and having to explain them again to kids in the 2020s 😆

Timerider was cool & clever for what it was, even at a $1 million budget. Glad that Mike was able to get into movie production as well during his life.

Ha! The things you learn on KZfaq! I had never heard of liquid paper and after looking it up... Tippex!!! At least that’s what we call it over here in the U.K.!!! Brilliant... that’s some serious pub trivia right there! “Did you know that the mother of Michael Nesmith from the Monkees invented Tippex?!” Lol

RIP Mr. Nesmith

Thank-you Don

What a cool dude 😎

Your early Letterman posts, D.G, show a much more variegated guest booking philosophy than later, when the show became the great late night hit. In the early days it seemed to be about who was simply available (whether or not something needed to be pitched) and who among them might be interesting. Later, it was much more about ratings and marketing. It's only that so many of the greatest segments seem to come from the first 18 months of the show, and then that magic slowly trails off in a different direction.

oh how everything's changed in 30 years.

Elephant Parts!!

Smart man...

i remember nesmiths nbc special it had a lot of future stars and was very entertaining. He seems very creatively intelligent and a bit impatient with run of the mill stuff but who knows from a brief interview. sorry to see him go. farewell

He really is just a good ol' country boy! What you see is what you get!

Mike was the inspiration for MTV later....I heard back in those days...

That video category wasnt even carried by the Grammys live on TV? I dont think Mike or Letterman knew what this new medium would become!

My comment is if it wasn't for Michael Nesmith it would be no monkeys he was my favorite. I actually played the guitar myself and actually had my mom buy me a green beanie with a pom pom and had her so on four white buttons. Later on I became a big fan of Gretsch guitars which is the guitar he most likely was famous for. We miss you Michael

I always liked his little cameo as a cabbie who picks up Bobcat Goldthwait in Whoopie Goldberg's Burglar (Bob: "You look a little like Elvis...not when he was all fat and on drugs and everything"). RIP

He was quite hard work. Comes across more as a businessman. You can see how he jarred with Pete Tork’s zany approach to life.

Michael looks like Hans Gruber from Die Hard in this interview.

Loved Nez. RIP

handsome devil

God, I wish NFTs could be as easily explained as "video albums" were here!

Thanks for another neat video, Don. I have a question and I'm not sure how else to reach you. I saw a clip on your channel featuring a young, disheveled standup comic whose act involved lots of screaming and panicking and such. Do you know who the comedian is or which video he was in? Thanks!

R.I.P. Nez

timerider? we have you to blame for that?! i think it's out of print. i need that one! rip, mike.

A pocket battleship - a very influencial guy - notice how David calls him Mr Nesmith

I had elephant parts on laserdisc. If it had been on videotape, it would have been worn out quickly.

Awwwwwww, and he was on tour with The Circus Boy..yeah, Mickey D.

He wants to be taken seriously...minimal reaction ..he knows this appearance is important

🧡

Talented he was, however I don't think I could have watched the video much longer.

Time Rider deserved more admiration. Fred Ward was awesome.

That sounds like a small audience. 😳

Very Talented guy although he seemed to act like he was better then anybody else..

I remember watching an interview with Rafelson once and he said that the Monkees were the four least talented people he ever met and I remember being surprised by it at the time but now watching both Peter and Michael on Letterman I have to scratch my head and wonder maybe he had something there, I mean at least from his perspective not mine of course

Wow…he was such an innovator…Beyoncé did this with Lemonade thirty something years later.

Shame dave didn't talk about movie more.

So, let me get this straight: You watch a video and listen to music at the same time? Hmm...I don't know. You really think people will want to watch this? I mean, listen to it? I mean -- gak, this is so confusing!

Mike was the only member with big family money, he never had to do anything he didnt want to do to make money. I assume most of his business ventures were self funded vanity projects.

Tom green ?

I thought this was 82?

Tom Green’s dad

check out his guitar strap. i guess he was way before his time.