- Peter Tork noticed much about his Monkees audition was unusual or comical, so he joined the antics by walking into a wall when coming through a door. This got him noticed by the sitcom's producers, but also led to his getting cast as the "dummy" of the group. Anyone who knew Peter (or listened to him for more than a minute) knew he was far from it, and the Monkees parodied the typecasting during their second season, and in the movie Head (1968). Tork was also the most musically versatile member, playing a dozen or more instruments.
- Producer Chip Douglas voiced his disappointment later that, with so much media coverage coming from the admission that the Monkees had not played on their first two albums, there wasn't similar coverage when "Headquarters" and "Pisces" were released, noting that they had played.
- With the dual demands that they perform in public, and prove themselves as recording artists, the stars of the sitcom began rehearsing nights and weekends. Gradually they could carry out a full set of songs, well enough for a 1960s pop concert, and began demanding a second chance to play on their own records. (It was never the Monkees' intention to fully replace the Kirshner-headed team of musicians and producers; they simply wanted a role in the recordings that would satisfy them, and their fans and critics.) Nesmith also wanted a share of the Monkees singles; knowing that royalties for B-sides were paid the same as A-sides, he reasoned even the B-side of a single would be worth something (As did his competing writers and producers, and their boss.).
- Early studio tryouts weren't considered good enough to release, and with both heavy filming and appearance (mostly as comedians, not as musicians) schedules looming ahead, the sitcom's producers decided the musical side of the project might best be handled by experts. Thus Don Kirshner and his writing and production teams were brought in, making the first batches of Monkees recordings with session players, and the four Monkees only singing.
- Nesmith, Tork and Dolenz were all experienced musicians before the Monkees; each had fronted or performed with bands, playing guitar and singing. None had played together before, though, and Dolenz was completely new to drums (In preproduction for the sitcom, Jones nearly disappeared behind a drum kit, and neither Nesmith nor Tork wanted to give up their guitars. Dolenz reluctantly volunteered, resolving to at least act like a drummer, until he could do the job.).
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