Summary: <p>Micky Dolenz was a successful child-actor, but he became a full-fledged star at 20 in 1966 as the exuberant singer and drummer of The Monkees -- or rather, as the actor playing that character. At first, the band was a creation of NBC and only existed on the show <em>The Monkees</em>. For the first season, much of the backing music was played by a studio band. Eventually, that changed, and The Monkees' transition from a TV band to a real band is a fascinating story of hard work, perseverance, and marketing genius. Dolenz brings all the energy and humor he showed on <em>The Monkees</em> to this episode of Here's the Thing, telling Alec about the dynamics among the bandmates, his years as a successful TV producer in the UK, and what it's like touring -- <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/26BT8Q1A4YlGAYM7uwJAcI?si=B2cc9S2kR2CbCMSTt8ZO3A">and recording</a> -- as a member of The Monkees 50 years after the end of the show.</p>