"I Love 1980"
from: BBC2, January 20, 2001
transcibed by Steve Bradley
Exactly a week after being seen on `The 100 Greatest No 1's of all-time', UK viewers were treated to a second exclusive TV interview with a Monkee. After last year's series on the 70's, this series concentrates on the individual years in the following decade. The opening programme featured 1980, but many Band 6 readers may have missed this show, not expecting any Monkee involvement.
1980, though, was the year that a TV series called `Metal Mickey' was launched. Micky was successful in his application to Humphrey Barclay at London Weekend Television, to not only direct but also produce the show. Featuring a robot that had a mind of it's own, the stories revolved around the robot and his family getting into a variety of adventures. The `1980' show featured Micky - he was credited on screen as Mickey Dolenz! - singing the theme tune to the show and we saw the opening titles from `Metal Mickey'. "But I don't understand how one of the Monkees," said puzzled TV presenter Jamie Theakston, "could end up making a rather crap British comedy series?". Having relocated to England after his run in `The Point', Micky had some success directing in TV where he felt he was not stereotyped as an ex-Monkee in the UK, the way he was in the US.
"The story goes that a gentleman named John Edwards built this robot, and" explained Micky adopting a comical robotic voice, "it talked like that, and you could make it talk, and do things, and say things, anything you wanted to.." he went on with his robot impression.
"It was unbelievable, when this thing came alive" Micky explained. "When John went in the (control) booth, and all of a sudden Metal Mickey lit up". Reverting to his metallic robot voice again, which the natural performer clearly enjoyed, "Hello! how are you? I'm fine! hey, baby, how ya doin'? baby, wanna boogie?" he joked.
A scene from the show is shown, directed by Micky of course, and we hear from actor Gary Shail who played a character called Steve. "We all met up in the foyer of London Weekend TV, with this robot. `This'll never work!' Micky Dolenz just said 'don't worry, it'll work on the night!' - he was just so Hollywood".
"It was the most amazing bit of puppeteering I've ever witnessed, to this day" gushed an impressed Dolenz. "It was phenomenal". More clips from the show are seen, with Micky reminiscing. "I'd say `OK Mickey, places!' " (robot voice) "Right, OK, I'm on my way!" the Monkee laughed, "and he'd roll over there!" It was around this time that Micky began to work under the name of Michael Dolenz - partly because, as he explained, "somebody else would go `Micky?' and both of us (robot and Monkee) would go `yeah?' " The Metal Mickey segment then looked at the robot's catch-phrase, "Boogie boogie".
"You know who was on `Metal Mickey'?" asked our man. "I bet you don't know - Robbie Coltrane". An unknown actor in 1980, Coltrane rose through the ranks of comedy TV in the 80's to a successful career in comedy, drama and films. Under the direction of Dolenz, Robbie played a big, gay hairdresser. "Don't ever show that episode, he'll kill me!" quipped Micky. Sure enough, the funny scene was duly shown. "The last I heard, he was in a garage somewhere.." Micky offered as to the present plight of the once-famous robot.
Another item from 1980 featured in the programme was the dog-trainer Barbara Woodhouse, who found international fame that year. "Walkies! Walkies!" yelled Micky, quoting the lady's famous dog-call. "Oh yes, of course I remember Barbara Woodhouse". Giving his own dog-training instruction, Barbara-style, Micky assumed another daft voice to suggest "you know, if it doesn't want to walk, you just give it a slight jerk!" as he pretended to yank sharply on a dog's lead.
