The music industry is a fairly tight-knit body of professionals, and while everybody certainly doesn’t know everybody, a lot of people in the business are at least one mutual friend away from meeting somebody new. It has seemingly always worked this way to an extent, especially in the 1960s rock ‘n’ roll scene, as musicians knew other musicians, collaborated with them, and generally seemed to know them on a first-name basis. That is true for Stephen Stills and The Monkees‘ lead singer, Micky Dolenz, and once upon a time, Stills even tried working with the band.
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Founded in 1966, The Monkees are an alternative classic rock band who recorded hits such as “I’m A Believer”, “Steppin’ Stone”, “Look Out”, and “Last Train To Clarkesville”. The band’s founding members include Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter York. However, before the band cemented its lineup and went on its merry way as a major 1960s rock group, it took auditions, auditions that Stephen Stills participated in.
Dolenz Jokes That Stephen Stills Didn’t Get the Job Because of His Poor Teeth
In a 2020 interview with Forbes, Micky Dolenz confirmed that Stephen Stills auditioned for the Monkees, but didn’t make it. He also confirmed that their founding band member, Peter York, found out about the auditions thanks to the future Crosby, Stills, and Nash member.
“I probably had a conversation with him about it at some point. It does appear to be true, and it’s pretty well documented,” said Dolenz. “He auditioned, and the joke is he didn’t get it because he had bad teeth.”
Regarding how Stills helped out York, Dolenz added, “He is also the one who told Peter Tork about the audition, because they had been in New York together in the Greenwich Village-era scene. He and Peter had similarities in a lot of ways, especially the way they looked. People would confuse the two. But Stephen did OK. He’s not hurting.”
Following the formation of The Monkees in 1966, Stephen Stills went on to form the band Buffalo Springfield. Two years after that, Stills helped form one of the greatest 60s rock bands of all time, CSN. So, we agree with Dolenz on this one, Stills is seemingly “not hurting” over his missed opportunity with The Monkees. As a matter of fact, that missed opportunity might have been a blessing in disguise, because if Stills had made the band, then, well, there would be a high likelihood the two bands mentioned above wouldn’t exist.
Photo by Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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