The Monkees Great Escape

Once Peter and I got to know one another, he was always so nice, treating me like a friend and willing to answer any of my questions.He would even ask me things about my life. When you are interviewing superstars, that’s unusual!

It had been about a couple of months since the Monkees wrapped their first season on television, and I hadn’t seen them for weeks as they prepared for their big summer tour starting at Wembly Pool stadium in London on June 30, 1967. For their last few appearances on the tour, I had made arrangements to fly into Dallas and spend four days with them beginning August 8, 1967.

I had been on several tours with Paul Revere and the Raiders, Dino, Desi and Billy and The Standells; and I had been to a few Monkee concerts. My favorite was when the Monkees appeared at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood and Micky finished the show in spectacular fashion by leaping into the fountain/pool in front of the stage. While this wasn’t my first tag-along, I was still not immune to the excitement and that feeling of being someone very special to be a part of their entourage.

I flew into Dallas. Nothing remarkable about that except that my first time on an airplane was when I had just turned 18, and this was just about a year later, so even the air travel was thrilling. The boys spent the day before their concert resting and lounging at our hotel. I managed some time by the pool and got some great pictures of Davy and Peter as they relaxed with their friends who were their guests on tour.

The next day was a “work” day, and Peter invited me to ride along in his limo for a guest appearance (and

Mike answering questions at radio station KVIL in Dallas.

promotion) on radio station KVIL. The disc jockeys were amazed at how competent Peter was at the control panel playing records and how comfortably he carried on as a “guest disc jockey” between numbers. The Monkees had met the Beatles when they were in London, so it wasn’t surprising that Peter chose to play cuts from “Sgt. Pepper’s” album.

Soon, Mike joined us in the studio and his accent seemed to thicken as he spoke into the microphone deep in the heart of his home state of Texas. The djs were pretty star struck as they’d converse with Peter and Mike, and it was new to them to hear Mike’s crazy comments and non-sequiturs as he’d “answer” their questions with questions in his usual zany way. I merely stood in the background, capturing it on film and enjoying the behind the scenes fun.

The djs only had a little while to “endure” the mind of Mike; as all four Monkees were due for an appearance on a local TV station. Mike had come in a limo on his own, so I traveled with Peter in his limo. As we approached the TV station, I had a strange feeling of déjà vu. I had once been trapped inside a limousine with the Dave Clark Five as fans began to crawl on the hood and beat on the windows and roof. It was frightening then, and it was this time, too,  as some 500 fans swarmed Peter’s limo, completely surrounding us! Peter could see the fear in my eyes, and he sweetly wrapped his arm around me and said, “It will be okay, Annie.”

Luckily, with a large amount of security guard protection, Peter squeezed out and ran the gauntlet into the TV station. I was not so fortunate. I was trapped inside the limo, just me and the limo driver. A few minutes later Mike’s limo pulled up, the fans surrounded his limo, but like Peter, Mike made it inside. So, I missed their TV appearance, but that was the easy part, merely waiting it out inside the limo. The limo driver communicated with the security guards by walkie talkies and they realized there was no way the boys were getting out the same way they got in! More fans gathered as each minute passed.

Oh how I love it when a plan comes together. We had dropped them off at the TV station entrance on the East side of the building. The next thing I know the limo driver is telling me the Monkees have climbed onto the roof of the TV station and he floors it, as they are running the half-block across the roof of the building! He careens around the end of the building and we are racing towards them as they scramble down the escape ladder on the West side of the building and make a mad dash for our limos. It could easily have been a scene from one of their TV shows, but it was oh so real. All safe inside, in one piece, Mike and Micky in one limo, Peter and Davy in mine, we zip off for the hotel before the fans can catch us!

Their concert that night at the Memorial Auditorium was incredible and I got some great photos. After the concert, I flew down to Houston, where there were more surprises in store for me!

Good times. . .Ann Moses reporting about “back in the day.”