'Monkees' in the morning

My friend Dean Harned to this day likes The Monkees better than The Beatles.

I thought about that yesterday afternoon when I heard the news that Davy Jones, the "Paul" of the group if you will, passed away of a sudden heart attack at 66.

And I thought, too, about the mornings we used to spend as kids, glued to the TV set when we only got four channels, watching "The Monkees" on WKCH 43. It later became a FOX affiliate and is now WTNZ.

I used to laugh whenever they'd run from the surf at the start of the show. And, for the record, my favorite one was Mike. I think it was because of his Southern accent. (Useless trivia: Mike Nesmith later co-wrote "Twelve Volt Man" with Jimmy Buffett.)

To this day, whenever I get "Daydream Believer" stuck in my head, I sing it for hours.

Cheer up, Sleepy Jean, oh, what can it mean?

I had a cassette tape (uhh) of their greatest hits and even "traded" for the Monkees revival album "Pool It!" (minus Mike Nesmith) from my friend Matt Shelton sometime in the late '80s. Yes, the Monkees reached down and grabbed us guys and gals from our generation, too, the one between X and Y.

Oh, where have the years gone? And, if I'm asking that, I can only imagine how the Baby Boomers feel this morning.

RIP, Davy.