Ramble on, rambling man. This rambling riff on his life fits the man, the music and the career that I had previously perceived and that comes to life in its pages. Mike has never fit anyone's preconceptions of what a musician, writer, producer ought to be, even his own. It seems like most things that happened to him came as surprises, pleasant and otherwise. And here he lays it all out in a not-quite-chronological order that lets the reader in on the surprise, too. Devoted Monkees fans will likely be disappointed. But readers interested in a true story of semi-success will be fascinated. ( )

Michael Nesmith has been a part of my life since I was 5 years old and the Monkees showed up on my tv. I spent many hours listening to his solo work beginning in high school. I watched Television Parts and visited Videoranch. Of course, then, I knew all about Nez, right? Not so much. This book, rightly proclaimed an autobiographical riff by the author, was filled with surprises, some delightful and some saddening. This may not be a book for everyone, but it is no typical celebrity tell all. The spiritual is really the main focus, the thing Nesmith really wants the reader to consider. While I don’t agree with him about some things, his journey is fascinating. ( )

This has to be the strangest and most fascinating memoir I’ve ever read. After hearing about Nesmith’s passing, I immediately recommended it to my library’s Overdrive because no one had it, and I’m so glad they bought it. I remember watching some Monkees in syndication as a kid, but really my connection to Nesmith is that he wrote my favorite song, “Different Drum.”

There’s absolutely no real chronology here, and Nesmith very carefully curated his stories; it all surprisingly works. He’s the type that one would say is “very deep”, but you can also tell that some of that comes from just not knowing any better except for wanting to find meaning. So many interesting turns in his life, and he obviously highlighted what was most important to him (FYI the Monkees were not); it’s sad to know that his other stories won’t be told. ( )

Many people are best remembered for one thing when they would prefer to be remembered for something else, such as retired athletes who have become successful in business yet are famous only for what they did in the field or on the court decades before. One such person is Michael Nesmith, who will forever be known as one of the Monkees back in the Sixties, never mind all the innovative things he has accomplished in music, technology and philanthropy since then.

In his recent autobiography “Infinite Tuesday,” he puts his brief career as a Monkee in perspective. It gave his show business career a big boost, allowed him to form friendships with such individuals as John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash and Douglas Adams, but he has had many other more important accomplishments since then. If others won't mention them, then he will.

Nesmith, for example, invented the music video, way before MTV. He had written a song called Rio, but when he tried to get it some airplay in England he was asked to provide a video. What was actually wanted was just a cheap video of himself performing the song, but instead he put together a costly, highly entertaining video. Everyone who saw it loved it, but nobody knew what to do with it. It was an idea whose time had not yet come.

Nesmith tried his hand at making movies, calling himself a Hamburger Movie Tycoon, his term for people who make their fortunes in other fields, then think they can be successful in Hollywood, too. Usually they can't, and Nesmith couldn't either.

He had more success buying up rights to countless videos for low prices before VHS tapes became as popular as they soon became. He was later sued by PBS, who wanted their rights back and resented Nesmith acquiring them so cheaply. Their ruthless attempt to ruin him and use the courts to steal the videos back may make you think twice about pledging to PBS in the future. Yet Nesmith ultimately won the case.

He has also had success on the Internet and with the philanthropies entrusted to him by his mother, who made her fortune after inventing Liquid Paper, then dying young.

From this you might get the idea the book is full of little more than name-dropping and boasting. There is some of that, to be sure, but I was impressed with his candor about the many mistakes he has made both in his personal life and in his career. He regards himself as perfect illustration of what he calls Celebrity Psychosis, or thinking oneself more important, more special than one really is. He doesn't seem to have liked the other Monkees, for he has little to say about them, but it would appear the feeling was mutual.

With age comes wisdom, at least sometimes, and such appears to be the case with Michael Nesmith. ( )

Anglophile, autodidact, spiritual seeker, and name-dropper Michael Nesmith examines his life beyond the Monkees in this memoir.

Life hasn't always been easy for Nesmith, despite the fact that his mother was the inventor of Liquid Paper. As a directionless young man, he lucked into sudden fame when he won a part on the popular TV show The Monkees. He admits that during the Monkees' glory days and after he was afflicted with a severe case of "Celebrity Psychosis" with attendant outbursts of arrogance and entitlement. He eventually developed a spiritual sense that grounded him and gave him a stronger moral compass than Hollywood could provide.

Nesmith has relatively little to say about the TV show and pop music success that gave him his initial fame. He's more interested in discussing his various artistic and business ventures, such as his role in the development of MTV. Some chapters, such as those about his foundation work, really drag.

This volume provides an introduction to Nesmith's surprising legacy as a musician, film producer, and innovator for those who are interested in that type of thing. ( )