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canopic jug [soylentnews.org] writes:

Multiple publishers are reporting that Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of the made-for-tv band, The Monkees [time.com], is suing the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act. He aims to get as much of the FBI's file on The Monkees as possible with the goal of uncovering what they may have on higher priority surveillance targets of the era, such as John Lennon or the MC5 [westword.com]. According to a limited file release from 2011, The Monkees are only mentioned in two FBI documents, one of which remains fully redacted [fbi.gov].

The Monkees may not be seem like the kind of band that would attract the FBI’s attention, especially during a time when groups like Country Joe and the Fish and the MC5 were leading the movement against the Vietnam War. But the Monkees were one of the most popular bands in America in 1966 and 1967, and they sprinkled anti-war sentiments into songs like “Ditty Diego-War Chant” and even “Last Train to Clarksville,” a song about a man headed off to war that fears he’ll never see his love again.

“The Monkees reflected, especially in their later years with projects like [their 1968 art house movie] Head, a counterculture from what institutional authority was at the time,” Zaid tells Rolling Stone. “And [J. Edgar] Hoover’s FBI, in the Sixties in particular, was infamous for monitoring the counterculture, whether they committed unlawful actions or not.”

-- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-monkees-micky-dolenz-fbi-1234584299/ [rollingstone.com]

In the intervening decades, making and distributing music has become highly centralized and corporate.

Covered at:
BBC: Micky Dolenz: Last living Monkees member sues FBI for secret files on band [bbc.com]
Bloomberg: Last of the Monkees Wants Their FBI Records Turned Over [bloomberg.com]
The Los Angeles Times: The FBI had a file on the Monkees, and now Micky Dolenz is suing to find out why [latimes.com]
TMZ: Micky Dolenz Demanding FBI File on The Monkees!!! (Yes, There Actually Is One) [tmz.com]
Rolling Stone: The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz Would Like a Word With the FBI [rollingstone.com]
NBC: Surviving Monkees member Micky Dolenz sues the FBI, asks for files on him and his bandmates [nbcnews.com]

Previously:
(2019) The FBI "Can Neither Confirm Nor Deny" That It Monitors Your Social Media Posts [soylentnews.org]
(2019) U.S. Government Using Secretive FISA Rules to Spy on Journalists [soylentnews.org]
(2017) EFF Sues FBI to Obtain Records About Geek Squad/Best Buy Surveillance [soylentnews.org]
(2016) Snowden Tried to Tell NSA About Surveillance Concerns, Documents Reveal [soylentnews.org]
(2014) Already a Winner in EFF's "Most Outrageous Response to a FOIA Request" Contest? [soylentnews.org]

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