Song of the Day 12/11: Michael Nesmith and the First National Band, “Joanne”

Mike Nesmith was a lot more than just a Monkee. He pioneered country rock for a while, then helped make video the dominant music platform of the ’80s. He died yesterday at 78 of heart disease.

Contrary to legend, all four of the Monkees had musical experience when TV producers put together the band, but Nesmith was the only one of the Pre-Fab Four who found any post-Monkee success as a musician. After he left the group he formed the First National Band during the first flush of country rock, and they reached the Hot 100 (No. 21) in 1970 with “Joanne.”

The First National Band broke up before the Eagles made So-Cal country rock commercially successful, so Nesmith moved on to production and what was then called “multi-media.” His hour-long video 1981 “Elephant Parts,” a reference to the joke about the blind men and the elephant, mixed comedy skits with what were among the first music videos. One snippet combined both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6GUpmHFvME

The catchiest of the songs, and the last one Nesmith ever released as a single, was “Cruisin’,” also known as “Lucy and Ramona and Sunset Sam,” a funked-up slice-of-LA-life tale with a video featuring pro wrestler Steve Strong as Sunset Sam (El Somnambulo, take note of that pre-steroid physique).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi0b8tcCQSE

Some of the skits have aged better than others. I still like “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hospital.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkaXD3CKo_U

And, just for something that’s almost as funny, though it wasn’t meant to be: Andy Williams singing “Joanne” on his TV variety show. That green suit makes him look a little like Rodan.