The pathos of Everyman (or Everyhippie, if you will) on his struggle along life's path is embodied in the smiling yet sensitive and oft-times simpleton demeanor of The Monkees' bassist and keyboardist, Peter Tork. Brilliant musician that he is, Peter's sweet and unsullied faith in the goodness of people and the brotherhood of man makes him prey to swindlers that abound in as great of numbers in La-La Land as do flower children, and he is just not on the same level with real life as the other three guys, who at times have to play rough and brutal to get Peter back where he belongs.

Peter, with his wide-eyed wonder and New Age naïveté in a cold, cruel 1960s world, is a catalyst for comic catastrophe, stumbling into situations guaranteed to necessitate a group rescue effort of the feckless youth. If ever a boy possessed the credulity to trade his bass for a treasure map or believe a hack mentalist could help him out of songwriter's block or sign a contract produced literally out of thin air without reading it for the chance to own a beautiful harp, it's the groovy-togged, goofy-grinned guru of the pad on 1334 Beechwood Drive.

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is a specialty of Peter's - the best-laid plans of Monkees can fall apart because Peter does have a tendency to engage mouth before brain, and the worst puns and jokes usually come from him. But the innocent ease with which he treads into danger, his tendency of tearfully lamenting failures and dangers, and his willingness to do all he can to help extricate himself and the others out of messes whether or not he helped create them only makes him the lovable buffoon of The Monkees' cosmic commedia dell'arte, a hippie harlequin who is blessed with fool's luck and a trio of dedicated friends helping him out of his scrapes.

At rare times, however, his flashes of savant wisdom bring moments of clarity to his pals. And there is never a time when his exceptional talents as a musician aren't appreciated by his mates. Whether he plays on bass, organ, piano, banjo, or guitar, Peter is a vital presence amongst the quartet, adding his harmony to the melody of the singing leads in a voice as folksy, plaintive, and earnest as he is.

And the upbeat, positive energy he possesses as he sails through the rigors of performing for hordes of fans and through real life with the ability to hold onto the good and brush off the bad in the end with a smile on his face gives the audience, when caught off-guard, a pause to reflect...

Is he a dummy? Or is he a genius in far-out disguise?

Mad Molly's personal collection here of GhettoScope™ gold - fansite-quality screensnaps to share with you! Take all you want, but host all you take if you want to use them on your own fansite. If you choose to host them, a mention of this site would be nice so that all Monkees fans can have some, too. Thanks, and enjoy!

PETER TORK IN GHETTOSCOPE™ !!