Micky Dolenz.Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty
Micky Dolenzis delving into his past.
On Tuesday, The Monkees star filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice to discover what information the Federal Bureau of Investigation holds on him and his former bandmatesDavy Jones,Mike Nesmithand Peter Tork.
It follows the public release ofa small fractionof the band’s FBI file just over 10 years ago, which showed that the FBI investigated The Monkees' political affiliations in the late 1960s while the Vietnam War was still raging, reportedRolling Stone.
“During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of [redacted], constituted ‘left wing intervention of a political nature,'” read the released portion of the heavily redacted document. “These messages and pictures were flashes of riots, in Berkeley, anti-U.S. messages on the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma, Alabama, and similar messages which had received unfavorable response from the audience.”
The magazine added that Zaid grew up a Monkees fan and suggested the legal move to the 77-year-old drummer, who is the last remaining member of the band. At the time Zaid did not know about the previously released portion of the documents,Rolling Stonesaid.
The Monkees.Bettmann/Getty
“That just kind of reinforced for me that there was actually something here,” Zaid told the magazine. “It’s not just a fishing expedition. I mean, we’re still fishing, but we know there’s fish in the water.”
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Rolling Stonenoted that the FBI is legally required to comply within 20 working days, but said this rarely happens as their offices are currently inundated with requests due to COVID and the Jan. 6 capitol riots.
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia, where the suit was filed, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for information.
During the band’s heyday in the late 1960s, the music world was at the forefront of anti-war protests in the United States. While the Monkees were not as outspoken as many other musicians, their songs “Ditty Diego-War Chant” and “Last Train to Clarksville” included pieces of anti-war sentiment.
The Monkees.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
“Theoretically, anything could be in those files though,” Zaid toldRolling Stoneabout the FBI documents, adding that “[J. Edgar] Hoover’s FBI, in the Sixties in particular, was infamous for monitoring the counterculture, whether they committed unlawful actions or not.”
“We have no idea what records even exist. It could be almost nothing. But we’ll see soon enough,” he continued.
Dolenz continues to perform in honor of his former bandmates and most recently appeared at a Beatles celebration calledFabFestin Charlotte, North Carolina in July.
source: people.com
