A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan's Perspective

by Fred Velez

A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan's Perspective chronicles the stories of fans and their personal experiences with the 60's Pop music group, While groups like the Beatles and Rolling Stones were seen as the "Mt. Olympus" in music, they were adored but inaccessible to their fans. The Monkees, on the other hand, cheerfully assured their followers, "Here we come.....We may be coming to YOUR town." The connection between The Monkees and their public was much more unique in that they welcomed their fans into their world.Fred Velez, known for over 40 years as a Monkees super-fan; as the Master of Ceremonies for the Monkees Conventions; Writer for the Monkee Business Fanzine; and Blog Writer for the Monkees.net, takes the reader on a fascinating journey as he follows the group from its earliest days. Fred, through his experiences, pictures and memorabilia, tells the tale of the Monkees. He writes about the TV show, the music, the concert tours, the different career paths the members of the group took, and the effect the untimely death of Davy Jones in 2012 had on the fans. Fred was one of the privileged few who went from being a kid sitting on the floor in the living room watching his favorite TV show, to an adult, sitting in Davy Jones living room as he helped Davy work on a book. Also included are the stories of other fans and how they too, had very personal involvement with the boys in the band, whether they were sitting in the audience, or up on the stage sharing the spotlight. This book is a heartfelt tribute from the fans to Micky, Davy, Peter and Mike. Fred Velez shares never before seen pictures of The Monkees in various venues, stories that will make you laugh, and personal recollections of fans who had their lives touched by this amazing music group. Fred also adds to the story by highlighting the decades with historical events and his interactions with other music greats, like John Lennon, Ringo Star, Paul McCartney, the Ramones, KISS, and, Jersey's own, Uncle Floyd.Jerry Beck, well known Animation Historian and another big Monkees fan, writes in his introduction to the book, "I'm grateful to Fred for making it possible for me to wave my Monkee freak flag high. Fred is one great guy-and a true believer to the end. His book and experiences with Monkee fandom and the Monkees themselves make a great story and tell the tale from another perspective. The Fan's perspective...I hope they will read and enjoy Fred's story-as it speaks for all of us who have ever felt that art transcends a single viewing, and how it touches our lives in such a positive way."

388 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2014

Reviews

[Robert Andres · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gets a little repetitive toward the end as the author describes concert hopping seeing the band members at the same shows over and over getting them to sign memorabilia again and again. The really cool thing is now with the invention of the internet 100 years ago I can look up practically any date and/or event written about in the book and there it is on Youtube. I really wish I could have attended the Teen Idols tour thank God someone filmed it.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an ok book. A few grammar mistakes and misspellings gave it a self published vibe. Made me question how accurate the stories were.