Head: The Monkees Riff on Their Legacy
Don't ask me how, but I had never seen Bob Rafelson's cult favorite Head (1968), the movie that exploded and disrupted the Monkees' legacy as the prefab four. I love the psych-laden soundtrack, particularly "The Porpoise Song" which presents a typical Monkees melody with psychedelically appropriate lyrics.The song's appearance early in the film offers a good entry point as it reaffirms how Rafelson and co-writer Jack Nicholson analyze and invert the television Monkees and their humorous quests. Indeed, the movie takes typical show plot points and changes them into something even stranger. In the first scenes of the film, the four Monkees, Peter, Mike, Davy and Micky, run through the officials who are dedicating a bridge. Often, the show shows them running around in a more positive manner. As they fall into the water, the song plays while the band sinks into a psychedelic montage of lights. The film ends in the same spot, perhaps signifying the failures of the ...