SHOCKING REVEAL: Micky Dolenz Opens Up About The Beatles, His Secret Love of Synths, and How R.E.M. Changed Everything
At 80 years old, Micky Dolenz — the last surviving member of The Monkees — has lived a life filled with extraordinary chapters. From television fame in the 1960s to a career in music that has endured far beyond the band’s heyday, Dolenz has always carried a sense of humor and resilience. Yet in a recent conversation in Los Angeles, California, he surprised fans with candid reflections that few had ever heard before.
The evening began as a celebration of legacy, but what followed felt more like confession. Dolenz spoke not only about his time with The Monkees, but about the artists and sounds that shaped him long after the cameras stopped rolling.
One of the most surprising revelations came when he described his earliest encounters with The Beatles. “They were gods to us,” Dolenz admitted. “But they were also just four guys doing their thing — and that’s what gave us courage. They showed the world you could write your own songs, take risks, and still be loved.” He recalled how the Monkees’ early critics dismissed them as “manufactured,” yet the Beatles themselves welcomed them as peers. Dolenz even remembered late nights of laughter and music with John Lennon, calling him “the funniest man I ever met.”
But it wasn’t only the past he opened up about. Dolenz confessed a secret passion that few fans knew: his love of synthesizers. “I was obsessed with technology before most people even knew what a synth was,” he said, chuckling. “Moogs, ARPs — I had them all in my home studio.” While the Monkees were known for jangly guitars and bright harmonies, Dolenz quietly experimented with electronic sounds. “I never wanted to stop being curious. Music is supposed to move forward.”
That spirit of curiosity carried into the 1980s, when Dolenz found himself deeply affected by a younger generation of musicians. To the astonishment of many, he credited R.E.M. with reshaping his sense of what popular music could be. “When I first heard Murmur, it was like a light switched on,” he said. “The textures, the layered guitars, Michael Stipe’s voice — it was haunting. It reminded me that music doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful. It can be raw and still timeless.”
Dolenz noted that R.E.M.’s success also gave him comfort during a period when many had written off the Monkees as relics. “They showed that you could be authentic, different, even a little strange, and still speak to millions. That inspired me more than people realize.”
As he spoke, the audience listened in reverent silence, then broke into warm applause. What struck them most was not the glamour of Dolenz’s memories but the humility with which he delivered them. Despite his fame, he described himself as “a student of sound” rather than a star. “I’ve never stopped learning,” he said. “Even now, I’ll put on something new, and it’ll knock me flat. That’s the joy of it.”
Looking back, Dolenz also reflected on the legacy of The Monkees. He acknowledged the pain of losing Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith, but emphasized that their spirit lives on in the music and in the fans. “Every time someone sings I’m a Believer, I feel like the guys are with me again. That’s what music does — it keeps us alive in ways nothing else can.”
At 80, Micky Dolenz remains a man of surprises. His revelations about The Beatles, his quiet fascination with synthesizers, and his admiration for R.E.M. remind us that legends never stop evolving. They continue to listen, to learn, and to share truths that reshape the way we see their journeys.
And for the fans who have followed him across decades, that openness is perhaps his greatest gift. In Dolenz’s words, as in his music, we are reminded that the past is never really gone — it simply finds new ways to echo in the present.