A view of the drum band as the Monkees perform live on stage on June 1, 2016 in New York City. The band’s last surviving member, Mickey Dolenz, sued the FBI in order to obtain any files on him or his late bandmates.
Matthew Eisman / Getty Images
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Matthew Eisman / Getty Images
A view of the drum band as the Monkees perform live on stage on June 1, 2016 in New York City. The band’s last surviving member, Mickey Dolenz, sued the FBI in order to obtain any files on him or his late bandmates.
Matthew Eisman / Getty Images
Mickey Dollins, the last member of The Monkees in the 1960s, is suing the FBI for any files and reports created by the bureau over the years, relating to him, his deceased bandmates, or the band in general.
In the complaint, Dolenz’s lawyers said the musician filed a Freedom of Information Act request on June 14. After receiving an automated acknowledgment of receipt from the agency, he received no further responses.
By law, all federal agencies are required to respond to a FOIA request within 20 business days. This does not include receipt notifications. However, the Department of Justice website says there is a huge backlog for the FBI and that it “simply cannot” respond within the time limit.
Dolenz claims that During the band’s heyday, the group interacted with other musicians and artists known to be tracked by the FBI, including The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.
The FBI website states that “references to the squad appear in two places in FBI files: 1967 Los Angeles. field office memo regarding anti-Vietnam War activities and a second document has been completely revised.”
The The site includes a PDF of recent documents, written March 26, 1967, referring to the band’s tour of the United States. The report states that the band displayed “subliminal messages” that reflected “leftist” political leanings. These messages included “Berkeley riots, anti-American messages regarding the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma, Alabama, and similar messages that received negative responses from the public.”
The Department of Justice declined to comment for this story. The FBI says it has no comment to present to the pending litigation.
The Monkees, is a band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 and devised for the television comedy series of the same name. It ran for two years, during which time the band enjoyed several blockbuster songs, including “I’m a Believer” and “Daydream”.
The four-man rock and pop band included Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones. They finally broke up in 1970.
In his complaint, Dolenz’s lawyers stated that any information handed over from the FBI could be used in the original work, including a movie, book, or documentary.
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