the monkees aren't about music Unless i personally like a monkees song in which case they are about music and also did you know they outsold the beatles? yeah that's crazy. no don't look it up just trust me
Peter having ‘a crush’ on Davy. I’m sure even in the 60s Davy knew Peter was into him. There’s no way he didn’t. And tbh I do think this is kind of the reason that Davy’s the one who poked fun at Peter being bi on one of their reunion tours. What I really like about that is there are times where Davy is touchy-feely with Peter (like fully sitting on his lap) that don’t even seem like flirting as much as teasing. I like the dynamic of Davy knowing he’s hot shit and having that 'you can look but not touch’ kind of air that’s exacerbated by Davy actively touching just a liiiittle. I love Davy being a shithead in a playful kind of way and Peter just eating it up.
ESPECIALLY when tied to Peter being the 'orgy organizer’. Having regular, open casual sex with so many people and having this guy who you’re crazy about but just teases you with the fact you want him? Man that’s a top tier dynamic, the tension potential is crazy.
The spirituality connection. Davy’s description of Peter in his autobiography says “He calmed hysteria, and lifted depression. "Dried banana, anybody? Piece of orange?"–smiling, waving, running his hand through his hair. He knew all the crew by their first names. Kids crying at his feet he lifted and hugged like a father calming a child.
Health food was just starting to catch on in the sixties and Peter was kind of a forerunner of that whole scene. I’m afraid that sort of image was a little thin for two other guys I could mention, but I understood–I really did. And I think he knew it. I didn’t inwardly agree with a lot of his company but it didn’t keep me from dropping in on him from time to time. Great salads–and always a cold beer to wash down the tofuburgers and brown rice.’”
And that’s just so sweet. The image of fitting into a life that’s not really yours– Davy’s critical of Peter’s friends and even if he mentions that he health food kick was thin on Mike and Micky there’s a reason that he’s enjoying the beer along with his salad. He’s on the fringes of this thing that Peter’s gone all in on, but he wants to hop into it anyway because he understands Peter and Peter’s thoughts, and because being around Peter makes him so happy.
So one of the best things about The Monkees to me is that they’re all so talented and also all recognize talent in each other and wanting to foster that talent. Peter encouraged a lot of Micky and Davy’s playing instruments and I really like this dynamic with Peter and Davy in particular. Peter was so excited about music and the process of playing and the art form of it and Davy is SO competitive and Type A. I really like the thought that they could really tear each other down and build each other up at the same time, which is something I think ended up missing the mark with a lot of the other Monkees combos. They’re a couple I think could really be brutally honest with each other but in a way where it’s appreciated instead of ending with hurt feelings (most of the time lol). Even when they literally got in a fistfight it ended with them telling the story fondly and I think that’s how it would be for most of their arguments.