My Take
Mike Nesmith always got a bit of a raw deal in the public imagination — people remember The Monkees as a manufactured TV band, and somehow that label stuck to him even though he was arguably the most musically serious member of the whole operation. He wrote genuinely good songs: "Different Drum" became a stone-cold classic for Linda Ronstadt, and his Monkees contributions like "Mary, Mary" and "Listen to the Band" had real country-rock grit to them, years before that sound went mainstream. After the band dissolved he kept pushing forward with the First National Band and solo work that basically helped invent country rock as a genre, and then he went and won a Grammy in 1982 for a video album — yes, a music video album — which is either the most ahead-of-his-time thing imaginable or a sign he was always operating on a slightly different wavelength than everyone else. Either way, I find him endlessly fascinating.
Overview
Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and actor. His songwriting credits with The Monkees include "Mary, Mary", "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "Tapioca Tundra", "Circle Sky" and "Listen to the Band". Additionally, his song "Different Drum" became a hit for the Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Michael Nesmith
- Name (Japanese)
- マイク・ネスミス
- Reading
- まいく・ねすみす
- Born
- December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Horse
- Origin
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer / novelist / screenwriter / film actor / stage actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Thomas Jefferson High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1982 Grammy Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.