The Monkees - "Different Drum" from "Too Many Girls"

[@jalola298]

I am just floored by his eye work. It's like he's trying to remember the words and get the guitar parts in the right place. For a song writer to do that to his own song is just priceless. This is bar none, one of the funniest musical comedy bits ever on TV. Oh, yeh. And he should have won the talent show!

[@jsullivan2112]

Born comedian

[@PlumbPitiful]

He even managed to throw in the trademark Nesmith wink! 😉

[@franktaconelli9095]

wow…never saw this…great song; great songwriter

[@RonG40]

That little pause before "Goodbye" is an example of superb comic timing. Still kills me decades later.

[@cherylhulting1301]

Yes, it was brilliant. Nez had great comic timing; so many of his bits still crack me up. I think people coming back to the series are almost surprised to realize how funny he is.

[@georgeshelton6281]

Could I just tell you something about 'Herman's Hermits?' These guys; they're not the 'Beatles' or even the 'Monkees,' of course. As a matter of fact; 'Herman's Hermits' appeared in just only one live action movie, it's called 'Head on.' 'Herman's Hermits;' never had their own, comedy series or even their own cartoon series. 'Herman's Hermits;' never even needed, to beat the 'Beatles.'

[@michaelmapes4119]

@@georgeshelton6281 Actually they appeared in two movies. They were also in the American film "When the Boys Meet the Girls" in '65 where they introduced "Listen People".

[@georgeshelton6281]

@michaelmapes4119 Herman's Hermits never had their own comedy series. They never even had their own cartoon series, and they never had their own cartoon movie as well. They definitely weren't anything like the Beatles.

[@michaelmapes4119]

@@georgeshelton6281 Dude I *never* said that they had their own comedy series! Just they were in two movies in America.

[@JamesADempsey]

His timing is fabulous. The wink rules.

[@monkeemen1]

I love the wink! I live for the moments when Nez winks when he's singing. The wink and the little smile always makes me melt :)

[@videoinformer]

I like the way he goes so fast, winks, fumbles around, pretends to forget the words and chords to the song he himself wrote, then skips to the end -- "And, thank you, thank you, Billy Roy!". It's a terrifically humble and humorous, low-key performance of a fantastic song.

[@rubywingo6030]

That wink is dangerous!!😍😍

[@teddysterriertales]

this will always be funny ... I can't imagine how hard it was for Nez to destroy his own song and, yet, he was still super adorable.

[@rainey2764]

He didn’t destroy it, he was playing it for laughs! There’s a huge difference!

[@LanceABoyle]

Reminds me of Uncle Pecos from Tom and Jerry.

[@popeyethesailorman7850]

@@LanceABoyle Froggy went a courtin, he did ride Crambone

[@brianpatrick7411]

They told him it was “too mature” for The Monkees.

[@adamlunter2445]

@@LanceABoyle crambooooooone

[@GrandFunker]

This is IN A NUTSHELL what made the Monkees great.

[@imec00]

I always remembered that Nesmith composed this song whenever I hear it, and enjoy listening to his version. Found out when browsing through LPs at my college station 3 decades ago. I was just thinking of it recently. RIP.

[@mjbari3]

I love this clip! I too, remember seeing this as a kid and wondering what he was singing. It wasn't until I found this clip and realized he was singing "Different Drum", and I knew he wrote it. I didn't discover the Monkees until 1979, when I was a kid. I re-discover them about every 10 years or so.

[@BettinaBalser]

I hate the way the media and history remember the Monkees as being less than what they truly were: absolutely hilarious and very musically talented. This is one of my favorite all-time Papa Nez moments.

[@MareShoop]

Fortunately Mike received the seal of approval by John Lennon. Very few musicians were recognized by him let alone become friends. Just look at the A Day in the Life video footage. Mike is shown talking to JL a couple of times. They were pals 💕

[@Sigillalith]

I love Mike's little wink! He's the voice of reason so much on the show, I love when he got these little comedy bits :))))

[@Chatticathi]

and this is why I love Mike Nesmith!!!!

[@JudeEzzie]

This is why I love Mike and that he is my absolute favourite! So adorable!! One of his biggest songs and he stumbles through it LOVE!!!! :D

[@ChampagneCraig]

Thank you SO much, Mike Nesmith !

[@radiovixen76]

I always lose it at the end when he rapidly mumbles "Thank you very much" and zooms off the stage. Mike was a comedic genius. The whole bit was impeccably timed.

[@Mochrie99]

"...everytime you make eyes at me..." **wink** LOL, I love how Mike's intentionally singing badly. But he's so charming and adorable that it works. :D

[@lorifry121]

Even when he's being silly, that wink still gets me. Sigh😘💝

[@claypots47]

RIP to Mike Nesmith of The Monkees, who wrote this song. Mike always travelled to the beat of a different drum.

[@denisehoward177]

Yes, I agree.

[@grt73]

I see something new I love in this everytime I watch it! He is just so adorable! I love watching his left hand on the guitar and how he does his eyes....This is just precious...

[@jooleepadoolie]

Love it! So happy to have been a young girl during the time of the Monkees. Innocent fun, and even then, I KNEW they were talented. Just saw Mike perform this at 71 yrs old in Phoenixville, PA. Bittersweet.

[@starrynight.1995]

That moment when you have to present and you're not ready

[@jmkqfnvyl87]

“Newhart and Nesmith” might just have been the greatest comic duo that never was

[@eadecamp]

Between this and Fairy Tale, Mike should have gotten some kind of an award. That WINK!!!

[@teddysterriertales]

Aimee Ward ... oh, the Nez wink!! *faints*

[@lucakat9262]

I loved the fairy tale episode too with Mike dressed as a woman yelling for "help!" Too funny.

[@cherylthommo1]

He was my absolute favourite!

[@OverlandOne]

RIP Mike, thanks for the music.

[@B52sguy]

When Mike wrote this I bet he didn't know that maybe 2 billion people would have listened to it. Just inconceivable then. Thank God for KZbin!

[@kellynch]

Always my favorite Monkee. May he rest in peace.

[@1967sanfrancisco]

I love that suit! And how he can rock the hat and the suit so well. And the wink always kills me!!! ;p

[@nakaba23]

Thank you Michael!

[@DannerPlace]

Also cool because Mike Nesmith wrote that song (before the Monkees) and Linda Ronstadt had a career-making hit with it.

[@acasanova1777]

There's a Monkees show marathon on TV right now, and I'm loving it 💕💕

[@MissRoberta16]

OH MIKE YOU SO ADORABLE

[@patrickcolon8809]

This was one of Mike's best songs ever, and the Monkees never recorded it ...... that speaks volumes of his immense (and often underrated) talent.

[@charlesaguilar8301]

Excellant performance!! Mike Nesmith!!

[@grantsager6238]

Thank you Mike!!!

[@WingchickWindyWarren]

Lol, this is SO me, at every single open mic I've ever played, with a song I WROTE and know inside out and played a gazillion times with the normal timing of being 2 minutes and 30 seconds long all condensed into 30 seconds. 🤣

[@jubalcalif9100]

So funny ! All four of the Monkees indeed did have great comedic timing ! And talented musicians too ! Thanks so much for sharing this cool clip with us !!

[@diamond10137]

i like mike for his faces singing and personality he is funny and a fave :)

[@suzieseashellsrule7821]

He is way way too funny- Loved that WINK! LOL :)

[@kentville72]

Love Nez!!

[@phenomenal68]

This one cracks me up every time I see it!!

[@lakhsmichatterjee549]

by far the best version of this song, thank you Billy Roy Hodstetter ;)

[@raintalonwindclan]

Mike is so adorable here!

[@mikemickypeterdavy]

I always thought Michael Nesmith was the funniest Monkee. I love the wink and acting like he doesn't know the words to his own song. Just hilarious

[@joeldecoster8816]

i have seen this 10 times this week!

[@29FAVELA]

MIKE IS SO FUNNY!!! HE IS JUST SO ADORABLE AND THOSE LIPS..WOW !!

[@coasting]

This is still my favorite rendition of this song.

[@richelledickerson9892]

This was BRILLIANT.

[@dbwindhorst1]

RIP, "Michael Blessing"

[@MareShoop]

Singing it badly, on purpose, shows how talented Mr. Nesmith is. He can sing, has an excellent voice! Just listen to "Joanne" and you'll understand .

[@toothbrush5190]

MareShoop I have the 45

[@DoctorPhobos]

Don’t you mean “Rodan”?

[@chrispicton4160]

And he wrote the song!

[@MareShoop]

@@chrispicton4160 Yes, my point exactly! 💕

[@mikemickypeterdavy]

Oh absolutely

[@lisabrown124]

This cracks me up every time I see it

[@1234crackerboxpalace]

I didn't even know Mike sings Different Drums there ! TOO AMAZING !!!

[@AllMixedUp312]

thats the best solo ever!!

[@ericdee6802]

LMAO, he reminded me of Roy Clark when he would put on the amateur embarrassed stage fright act!. Rest in Peace Nez, thank you for the awesome memories you shared with everyone!🙏✌️

[@devonw8365]

I hope they use this clip in the Linda Ronstandt biopic or refer to Mike Nesmith and the song. That would be sweet.

[@justaswell223]

Interesting talented dude. An unimportant little tune that became mighty when the girl (Linda) wrapped her pipes around it. Thanks Nez, gracias to Ronstadt.

[@tamaraclaw]

Always makes me smile or laugh

[@mibeatleman6767]

Rest in peace, Michael Nesmith 🕯

[@rjkral]

this is totally and utterly brilliant!!

[@nanook8721]

Just another facet of Nez magic…

[@joeldecoster8816]

Was totally obsessed with the monkees, and taped every episoed on a reel to reel tape recorder, wishing a video recorder was invented, and watched their reruns and played their tunes long after they broke up. I tried to find anything I could about them, and decided that when I turned 18 i would marry Mike, even if I had to break up his marriage! Well, that didnt happen, because David Bowie came along .lol Never in my wikdest dreams would there be such a thing as the internet , and I can relive my childhood crush any time I want,!

[@jsullivan2112]

So long, Mike!

[@lynettebr]

i saw this ep on tv 2 days ago. it makes me laugh every time

[@ElDanoLectro]

Mike hosted and played a lot of open mics in Texas back in his early 'Michael Blessing' days; there's clips of some '64-'65 San Antonio showcases here on KZbin. And you can see in this that he's been that guy on stage and had definitely SEEN and studied others who were that guy. Pitch-perfect sendup of an open mic "folk singer," and I gotta say, The Monkees TV show was often filled with glorious satire.

[@lovethemflowers]

I think it's hilarious how his eyes are goin' all over the place, and when he opens them wide before he sings " . . I got my doubts".

[@thomasdykstra100]

Though the Monkees were never to officially record Nesmith's "Different Drum" (as Mike had hoped and requested), he managed to surreptitiously slide it in--though with a virtually unrecognizable "arrangement"...

[@kgthatsme]

"Don't get... don't get m... don't get me... wr... wrong..." LOL Oh and that's the best guitar solo EVER!

[@judycolson6047]

This was shown on TV just before Linda Ronstadt's version was released which put this song on the map. And also prompted her to leave the Stone Poneys to pursue a solo career which didn't come about fully until 1974's break-out album "Heart Like A Wheel". She didn't get recognition for the song though... even as she was the solo voice in it. The credit went to the band she was in at the time, the Stone Poneys. Good song.

[@peetwine4018]

I've got 4 albums she released before Heart Like a Wheel and she was touring for years before that record

[@crazysingingchick]

Oh YEAH! I remember this... when I was little, I didn't know that he had written this song, and thought that he was just parodying the Stone Poneys' song. This is even funnier now that I'm and adult and know better. The wink always made me crack up.

[@timepoet77]

Oh boy. Was this FUNNY!! How come today's comedy isn't as good as this?

[@Flowmotion1000]

The Monkees were excellent. Absolutely no comparison with faux groups of today, as sometimes suggested. They were vivid, expressive and very funny.

[@liner011f7]

Yep.

[@BabyBoomerChannel]

They should be in the R&R hall of fame but never will. They were much more real then many acts already in the HoF

[@oscarin13]

I started listening to The Monkees in 2016 when I was in high school. I kind of forgot about them until I heard of Mike's death last month. Since I was quite clueless about the band I never knew that Mike had made other albums and now that I started listening to them I feel bad that I missed out on such a great singer-songwriter when he was alive. But Different Drum had been a favourite song of mine for many months now, and I never knew that he was the original writer. So I feel somewhat relieved by that. Rest in peace, Davy, Peter and Michael

[@ncb6487]

Bye, Bye Papa Nez. We miss you

[@pbamse]

MICHAEL NESMITH (1942 - 2021)

[@jeffroegner1499]

This was truly hilarious 😂.

[@mssolitare]

R.I.P. Mike. Just can’t believe you’re gone.😓😓😓😓🤦🏽‍♀️

[@GingerGilligan]

I think the reason why I like Mike so much is because he was so sweet and bubbly and at the same time, absolutely, SMOKIN' HOT!!!!!!!!!! Perfect combo!!!!!!

[@GingerGilligan]

I had always thought Beatles > Monkees. Better looking, more talented, etc. Then recently I saw a video "recommended" to me of the Monkees screen tests. I have been absolutely obsessed with the Monkees since then. I've never really watched their show much before, now I watch an episode on YT every day. What's really embarrassing is I now have a secret crush on Mike Nesmith's younger self. What do I do? I'm too old for this! :)

[@GingerGilligan]

It's not really a secret anymore, I can't keep something like that a secret forever! I love the guys with side-swept bangs and sideburns. *drool*

[@SinnieS8]

OH MY GOSH SAME HERE I always do this XD I had a crush on John Lennon's younger self and my friend recommended The Monkees to me a week ago. I didn't think much of them at first but now I watch several episodes each day and I love love LOVE Mike!

[@teddysterriertales]

You are not alone with the 1960s Mike Nesmit crush. I might still be planning our wedding! haha

[@lucakat9262]

@@teddysterriertales Mike was always my sister's favorite one too.😊

[@luisacata04]

OMG you're describing my life rigth now!!

[@lucakat9262]

Mike was so funny in this. I love the wink and just look at Davey when Mike is finished: he's laughing hysterically. I sure do miss these two as well as Peter. RIP to Mike, Davey and Peter!🌺

[@lynettebr]

Haha this is hilarious. I love his wink lol

[@5967malibu]

RIP Michael Nesmith

[@KittyinVA]

Gawd I love Mike! This was so well done, so funny. What a mass of contradictions makes up Michael Nesmith. Poet, artist, comedian, visionary, who also punched a hole in a wall and cheated on his first wife. Still, the Mike of my 12 year old vision of The Monkees is clear in my mind and heart.

[@TheIkkap]

this was funny, Mike Nesmith actually wrote this song "Different Drum" it was a smash number one hit sung by Linda Ronstadt. It is what started her career.

[@silenceisgoldn]

adorable

[@MaskedMarvyl]

lol! Great catch! I never would have noticed him sneaking in "different drum" on the show! If you've never seen "Elephant Parts" by Michael Nesmith, rent/buy it. He proves he's just as funny as anyone else out there....

[@smiller4659]

Hahaa This is really good.

[@michaelg3074]

Amazing that what started out as a "gag" turned into such a rich, vibrant song in the hands of a talent Like Linda who saw the merit in the song.

[@rainey2764]

It didn’t start as a gag. Michael brought it to the producer because he wanted it on the show and the producer said no. He offered it to Linda Rondstadt who made it a hit. But he got the song in the show anyway because he was good like that!

[@Chocobear555]

That was hilarious! After Davy, Mike is my favorite. :)

[@megarouge2001]

@monkeemen1 Ditto. Mike's winks made me weak in the knees as a teenager.

[@aliciashappyplace]

Me too! I remember rushing the stage at a Monkees concert in Oakland, California when I was a pre-teen. I made it right up to the edge of the stage and Mike looked down at me and winked. I could have died happy right then!

[@UnstoppableSusan]

This absolutely cracks me up. :) Mike and his little wink. Bwaaahahahahahaaa!

[@jamesjay5343]

RIP Mike. This song may belong to Linda but she couldn't have done it without you.

[@battlestarmarc]

Mike was so funny parodying his own song !!

[@Michelle062970]

LOVE IT!!!!!!! I'm so glad you posted this cuz my kids and I were just watching this on tv and I wanted to keep it.

[@CarolineSaysStuff]

I know!!! Same for me :D Mike's winks and smirks are for me like any of the cute faces Davy made for all of the other girls. Mike sweat sexyness :D

[@sarahyespdx4222]

Rest in Peace, genius Nez

[@TinaICXCNIKA]

What the? HAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAA! Now I've got to watch that episode. Thanks for this and all the other cool stuff. Seems that you have uploaded so many things I've never seen before. RIP David, Peter and Michael 🙏

[@petofthemonthclub]

1st song I learned on guitar...

[@MareShoop]

RIP Billy Roy Hodstetter 💕❤️💕