Last Surviving Monkee Micky Dolenz on Keeping the Classic Band Alive on Stage

Being the final living member of The Monkees doesn’t feel like standing alone to Micky Dolenz.

In a candid TalkShopLive interview, via Parade on Monday February 2, the musician opened up about performing years after the deaths of Davy Jones (2012), Peter Tork (2019) and Michael Nesmith (2021). While the losses were devastating, Dolenz says the band’s presence never truly faded.

“They have never left me, because every night they’re there,” he said, describing how their voices and personalities still shape his performances.

Dolenz, 80, continues to sing songs originally led by his bandmates and incorporates vintage clips from their television show and touring years into his concerts. Though revisiting that footage once brought him to tears, it now brings comfort, he said, per Parade.

The singer recalled countless conversations with people who said The Monkees’ music helped them survive difficult childhoods or formed the soundtrack of their closest friendships. Those emotional bonds, he believes, are why the band still resonates decades later.

“The music, of course, is incredibly powerful and always has been, always will be,” he said.