The Monkees' Micky Dolenz Is Suing The FBI

The Monkees' drummer/vocalist Micky Dolenz is suing the FBI. As reported by Spin, the last living member of The Monkees has filed suit against the FBI “to obtain any records the FBI created and/or possesses on the Monkees as well as its individual members”.  Dolenz is seeking immediate disclosure of all Monkees-related FBI records as well as court and attorney costs.

The actor and 60s musical icon made the move to sue the FBI due to them reportedly failing to respond to a Freedom Of Information Act request in a timely manner. Dolenz wants to obtain files the FBI had collected on the group, mostly related to their interaction with other artists known to be investigated by the FBI. 

The paperwork for the suit states that Dolenz, 77, and late Monkees members Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork “were known to have associated with other musicians and individuals whose activities were monitored and/or investigated by the FBI". It states members of acts including The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix as examples of those investigated. The paperwork also reveals that the FBI openly states that they have responsive records on the group on their website. 

“In fact, the FBI acknowledges on its website that it maintains responsive records regarding the Monkees, including information that continues to be withheld. It describes seven pages as follows: The Monkees were a U.S. pop band created for a television show of the same name in 1966. The band also toured and made record albums even after the show was cancelled. References to the band appear in two places in FBI files: a 1967 Los Angeles Field Office memorandum on anti-Vietnam war activities and a second document redacted entirely.” 

Part of one of the FBI documents was released publicly in 1967 and is accessible via their website. That brief contained an FBI informant's thoughts on a show he attended on The Monkees debut 1967 tour. “During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of [informant’s name redacted], constituted ‘left wing intervention of a political nature. These messages and pictures were flashed of riots, in Berkley, anti-U.S. messages on the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma, Alabama, and similar messages which had unfavorable response[s] from the audience.” 

Controversial celebrity attorney Mark Zaid confirmed that Dolenz filed the FOIA request on June 14th and that the FBI has acknowledged the filing but failed to respond further. 

Dolenz filed a FOIA request for the rest of the files on June 14 with the FBI, which acknowledged the filing nine days later but has yet to respond further.