The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz Sues FBI for Files on Band, Members

The Monkees' drummer has filed a lawsuit against the FBI.

Micky Dolenz is the last surviving member of the Monkees, and he is filing a lawsuit against the FBI for failing to release any documents that may involve himself, his fellow late band members, or the band itself.

The band member filed the suit on Tuesday, Aug. 30 through his lawyer, Mark Zaid, where he requested that the Department of Justice disclose a copy of records pertaining to the band and its members.

In the lawsuit that was first reported by Rolling Stone, it mentions that Dolenz had already attempted to acquire the documents by requesting them via the Freedom of Information Act, which allows the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. Dolenz has yet to receive a response.

In 1967, the Monkees were investigated by the FBI for alleged anti-Vietnam war activities. Redacted FBI records that were released to the public include reports from an FBI agent who evidently attended the concert.

"'The Monkees' concert was using a device in the form of a screen set up behind the performers who played certain instruments and sang as a 'combo.' During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which in the opinion of (name redacted), constituted 'left-wing innovations of a political nature,'" the file reads. "These messages and pictures were flashes of riots in Berkeley, anti-U.S. messages on the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma Alabama, and similar messages which had received unfavorable response from the audience."

Dolenz's lawyer provided a statement to USA Today where he mentioned that the Monkees lawsuit "seeks to expose why the FBI was monitoring the Monkees and/or its individual members."

His statement went on to say, "We know the mid-to-late 1960s saw the FBI surveil Hollywood anti-war advocates and those who represented the counter-culture of the flower/hippie/drug use movement." He continued: "And the Monkees were in the thick of things spending time with musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon, both of whom were in the sights of J. Edgar Hoover."

He added that he hopes the FBI will "reveal its secret Monkees files and help the public learn more about an important era of American history."

The band rose to fame after their hit NBC sitcom, "The Monkees," debuted on September 12, 1966. They later went on to release multiple albums, and numerous No. 1 hits that include songs like, "Daydream Believer," "That Was Then, This Is Now," and "I'm a Believer." The band broke up in 1970, two years after the television series was canceled.

Members of the band included Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith. 

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