Friday thing : cereal box record
I'm still a believer.
I had no idea when I was watching The Monkees in syndication during the 70s that those cute 20-something boys were actually older than my parents. Not to mention that 80% of the slapstick humor was usually pretty saucy & generally over my preteen head (not that I cared1). Not much about the show was particularly groundbreaking2 and their songs were quite basic3 - only two were actual musicians (Michael and Peter, incidentally my favorites4), though Davy & Micky were accomplished singers - but watching it after school was one of the top five highlights of each day.
Sometime during this obsession, a bunch of cereal companies started putting actual records on the backs of their boxes. I was a Honey-Comb fan and lucky enough to get the box with “I’m A Believer,” which I promptly cut out to listen to on my high-tech portable plastic record player as many times as I could before my parents made me stop. I’m guessing this was around second grade because I wrote some random words on the cardboard back in my newly-acquired cursive.
Somehow I held onto this gem so it lives on with my collection of actual vinyl (still mostly listenable), and I’m glad that other people have posted experiences of their treasures, otherwise I might not have believed this cardboard cereal box record thing was real. But then that wouldn’t have been very loyal of me, I guess.
*Just a sampling of the cardboard record quality here, right before a few jarring skips. Click the link above to hear a proper version of the song - incidentally, written by Neil Diamond.
See “cute 20-something boys”
Though they did often incorporate wacky improv, quick cuts/jump cuts, disjointed musical interludes, actors breaking the fourth wall, and references to classical literature like in this episode with characters George & Lenny waiting for The Big Man
Bless Jimi Hendrix, whom I also came to love later, who suffered through nearly a dozen openings for The Monkees in 1967 and said of them: “Oh God, I hate them! Dishwater….You can’t knock anybody for making it, but people like the Monkees?”
Every significant crush in my life [including 1st husband] has basically been a combination of these two: Smart, funny/a little goofy, just the right blend of handsome + adorable, and doting