have been a huge fan since I was 8 years old.
This is about my experience being interviewed for his A&E biography.
Here is a brief background about me:
I’ve been a fan of Davy Jones and The Monkees since I was 8 years old thanks to an older brother who had their albums and MTV airing “The Monkees” television show during the group’s incredibly successful 20th Anniversary reunion in 1986. I was introduced to the internet in 1995 and decided to start a website for Davy. I was 16 at the time which was certainly not the age of a “typical” Davy Jones fan. As I befriended Monkees and Davy fans online I decided to start my own fan club for him since I couldn’t find one to join and interest in a Davy Jones fan club was out there. In early 1996 Davy Devotees Fanclub was born. Over the next 5 years I created newsletters which were distributed via US mail to my members first on a monthly basis, them bi-monthly basis and finally a quarterly basis. Davy gave me permission to call Davy Devotees and “official” fan club in July 2000 which is something I’m very proud of. As the work involved in publishing a newsletter just got to be too much I had to retire the newsletter portion of the fan club in 2001 and have run Davy Devotees online via a website and MySpace page (www.myspace.com/davydevotee) ever since.
My husband and I met because of The Monkees. We ended up meeting each other at an internet gathering of Monkees fans prior to a Monkees concert in August 1996 and just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in August 2008. Our story and Monkees collection were featured in a show called, “Fanatical”, in 2007. My most recent venture includes being interviewed for Davy’s A&E authorized biography which happens to be his first and only televised biography.
About my involvement with the upcoming A&E biography of Davy Jones to air on The Biography Channel in September 2008:
I was contacted by the interviewer for the show via e-mail thanks to Davy’s people about a month before the interview. I wasn’t sure if this was for real or not so I contacted Davy’s MySpace page and verified that yes, it was for real and I should definitely participate if I could. I didn’t know for sure if it would work out since I have a new baby. I was also afraid I’d have to travel somewhere to be interviewed or that having a crew here would interrupt our lives too much. However, the interviewer, cameraman and soundman all came to my house for my interview which was extremely convenient. A quick fact: This interview almost didn’t happen because I had just suffered a very severe allergic reaction to poison ivy or something I’m unfamiliar with floating in the air about 2 weeks prior (I had been to 4 different doctors and no one knew for sure what it was but I’m still suffering a month later). My face was still healing from extreme swelling, red bumps and swollen eyes. With luck my face was at least back to its normal color in time for the interview but earlier that week it was really touch and go, especially since they were going to be filming in HD! That is the most unforgiving film possible.
I was told the crew would be in and out of my house within a few hours, arriving promptly at 10:00 a.m. Oddly enough the cameraman and soundman lived here locally which was the same way it worked out for the “Fanatical” shoot at my home. The crew was very respectful of my house and even helped rearrange furniture and the baby’s toys. The baby only fussed twice causing us to stop filming and take a few Mommy breaks but everyone was extremely patient and understanding. Prior to the interview I was told that my segment would probably only include about 3 minutes total of interview time in the finished product since 9 other people were being interviewed. The interview itself lasted about an hour. The interviewer told me that I would be the only “fan” featured other than random people they interviewed at a Davy Jones concert they attended and filmed. I was to be the person who explored his projects beyond The Monkees. The other interviews included Davy, his family and various friends/celebrities. Some of the things I was asked included why Davy’s popularity seemed to soar over the other Monkees, why women still swoon over him, how he would be remembered and why I became a fan. She kept asking me if there was anything else I wanted to add or anything we didn’t cover which was really nice. I didn’t feel rushed at all. Let me tell you, those lights they set up are hot!! As a side note, she informed me that none of the other members of The Monkees are going to have their own individual biographies done although A&E did recently do one on the group as a whole.
Another reason they were anxious to have me involved is because of my Davy Jones collection. I didn’t know it beforehand but once the crew came to film my memorabilia I was informed that my collection will be “the” collection featured in the biography. I have a lot of records, theatrical items and other rarities that showcase other parts of Davy’s life beyond The Monkees. I can’t even begin to express how overwhelming the thought is that items I have lovingly collected for 20 years will forever be tied to something celebrating Davy’s life. It feels like my own fandom has come full circle.
One thing I didn’t expect was when I was asked to actually talk about some of the memorabilia while they were shooting it. Some of the items were lying out on my dining room table so I had to walk around, talk about things and hold them up. I had just worn a casual top and blue jeans because the producer told me I’d only be shot from the shoulders up! I still have some post-baby weight to lose!! Hopefully it will come out okay but had I known we’d be doing the interactive memorabilia shoot I definitely would’ve put on a skirt or nicer pants….I digress.
True to their word the interview and photo shoot lasted only 3 hours total, ending just after 1:00 p.m. I was told they’ll send me a DVD of the show and will notify me as to the airdate which should be sometime in September. It was a huge honor to be a part of this project and it still seems surreal.
-Abby / Davy Devotee
