Peter And Paul

Pardon me for a moment while I lament the departure from this terrestrial plane Peter Tork. Yes, there are a few other things going on down here that could use my attention. Our "President" continues to aggravate the world. There's a teacher's strike going on in a neighborhood near you. And I want to pause here to note the passing of one of the Monkees.
Part of me would like to point out that the Beatles and the Monkees are once again on a par with one another in terms of surviving members. Peter's passing brings both groups down to the fifty percent level. I would then also point out that the Monkees' last tour  was in 2016. The  Beatles? Well, if you count that rooftop show for Let It Be, just about fifty years ago. The album the Monkees released a few years back, Good Times cracked the top twenty here in the United States. The New York Times said, "Fifty years later, the Monkees are still endearing."
So there you have it: Good News! Still endearing! Even after Davy danced off to heaven back in 2012, the so-called Pre-fab Four were able to come together and be the musical force that I knew they were half a century ago. Back when the Monkees were my favorite band. In the interest of transparency, I had second pick behind my older brother. He picked the Beatles. I picked the Monkees. When I ended up with Johnny Lightning to his Hot Wheels, I sensed that I may have gotten the short end of the die-cast car stick. 
But that wasn't the case with the Monkees. They were a hit-making machine. True, many of those hits were composed by songwriters outside the group, but Billy Preston wasn't an official Beatle when he helped compose Get Back. 
And now, Peter is gone. Bassist, banjo player, and the force behind Auntie Grizelda, has gone to the Hall of Fame in the sky. He was "the dumb one," to those only familiar with the TV show. He came to the group with musical chops and friends like Stephen Stills. Mister Stills is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. And he couldn't get into the Monkees. The producers didn't like his teeth. Don't be sad that Peter is gone. He's still out there, on greatest hits compilations and reruns in syndication. Peter Tork stomped on the Terra, and he will be missed. Aloha.