The seventies came and passed. It came to be that shortly after Peter quit, the other three Monkees attempted to carry on as a group without much success. They released a couple of albums that explored their individual tastes more than ever before; Mike was moving more and more into a country music direction with a unique blend of rock, Micky's songs were getting bluesier and blusier, while Davy's songs were just turning more towards Davy.As the Monkees splintered as a group, Mike had moved on into his own music. He got a band of three other guys together and they made three albums before Mike moved on once again. They had a gold record out of it, but the Monkees name was plaguing Mike.
He set up his own recording company and recorded a couple more of Ginger's songs, which got some decent airplay, but it was still "oh he's an ex-Monkee". Mike had decided to distance himself from the group as far as possible. He discovered that Ginger had a knack for producing as well as playing, singing, and writing. She had elected to just deal with the children (two more had joined the family, Jackson in '72, and Dallas in '74), but in the studio Mike had set up she'd taken on producing some songs for Mike and doing some guitar tracks, although she preferred most of it to be kept quiet, but Mike was extremely happy that they could share something like that.
He wasn't, however, thrilled about the constant nagging from reporters that criticized him. They were either slamming his new music itself or asking why he no longer wanted to be identified with the Monkees.
To get away from the constant Monkees nagging, Mike moved the whole family to a ranch he'd bought in Santa Fe while keeping a branch of his company in Los Angeles. Ginger loved the ranch, but she hated to leave the girls. The three friends hardly ever got to talk any more.
In the seventies, Peter had laid low for a while. He got together some of his friends and formed a band, and they toured the country on a much smaller scale than the Monkees had ever done. Steph's practice had grown and grown. So much so, she'd expanded several times and was even teaching some classes on the subject and giving siminars. Whenever Peter toured, Steph was with the kids and vice versa.
Peter had also dropped away from the Monkees name. He'd avoided any spotlight all together. The public allowed him to do this only because he'd made whatever music he was doing much more personal and was just having a little fun with it.
For Micky and Kari, the seventies brought another child, Sasha Rose. Micky and Davy stuck together to try to profit a little bit from the Monkess, and the two did a couple of plays together in their touring. Micky had managed his Monkee money well, so he was free to enjoy his family.
The eighties came and continued evolutions for the couples and bandmates. Micky and Kari had another boy in '85 named Bryant William. He and Kari had spent seven years in England as Micky had now taken to directing and it was easier for him to get jobs in England. Kari often starred in whatever he was doing. She now felt comforatable back in front of the camera, and it had become her career once more, as well as Micky Jr.'s. Micky Jr. also had a steady girlfriend in Erika Tork. They had a long distance relationship during the time the Dolenz's had spent in England, and upon their return in the latter part of the decade, the two got married. Athena was attending Stratford, making the most excellent grades, and she had also gotten married around the same time her brother had to a very nice boy at her school.
Peter and Steph continued on in the same, Steph's business going stronger than ever. She was traveling all over the country (and outside it) giving lectures and so forth. Peter was quite content with his little band, and they'd even gotten a couple of tracks on the radio but hadn't pushed it. The Torks had also moved into a big, beautiful house outside of LA.
Mike had delved into the business world of the entertainment industry. He'd sold an idea for a music channel, set up a video production company, produced some movies, and won a grammy for the first long form music video, which Ginger helped to produce and did a few little bits in. She'd taken to producing some unknowns Mike had signed with his company as well as producing for Mike, writing with him, singing backup for him, and playing the occasional instrument, although everything she did centered on what Mike was doing. Mike felt bad about it from time to time, but it was the way she liked it. They continued to bounce between LA and Santa Fe as the situation called for it. Mike continued to vehemently put the Monkees off as something his evil twin did. He really didn't hate the Monkees at all, he just wanted people to realize what he'd done since.
In the late part of the decade, a reunion of the Monkees had sprung up. It seemed the group had an entire new generation of fans, and Monkeemania was coming back. Micky, Davy, and Peter all agreed to a reunion tour and album, but Mike declined. He did do a few guest spots with the guys and a couple of concerts but that was all. The concerts he did were huge, but even so, he didn't ever join the reunion officially.
What the reunion proved was that the Monkees had lasted twenty years, which amazed about everyone. The girls desperately wanted to get together more, but with the tension among their husbands it was pretty impossible, especially with Ginger in Santa Fe most of the time. But they still tried to stay in contact, even after the Monkeemania of the 80's had sizzled out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~