WILL MONKEES GET INTO ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME

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THE GLORIOUS CORNER

Story By: G. H. HARDING

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Micky Dolenz With Bruce Morrow

MAD MEN – With only two episodes of Matthew Weiner’s brilliantly mad Mad Men left, we wanted to note that—although we felt this last cycle of seven shows took some time to build—Sunday’s episode, titled “Lost Horizon,” was just about perfect. Don Draper is in a meeting when he begins to gaze out the window. He gets up, leaves the meeting and drives to . . . Wisconsin, of all places.

Meanwhile, as Peggy gathers her things to move to another work space in the office, she hears slightly eerie organ music (very Phantom of the Opera, I dare say) in the background. A quick look reveals Roger (!) playing the organ. Then, in short order, Peggy is on skates, while Roger continues to play his musical opus. A far-too-short scene, but brilliant for sure.

Weiner is leaving lots of Easter Eggs all over this one, from Don’s original Social Security card to his wedding ring with Betty. The ending had Don driving even farther away from New York and picking up a hitchhiker on the way—all while David Bowie’s brilliant “Space Oddity” plays on the soundtrack. Man, what a great song to hear all these years later—like Bowie himself, the song only gets better with age.

Many have speculated that Don will never find his way back to New York, and might even revert back to his original self, Dick Whitman. A writer from EW even said that the hitchhiker might have been Bob Dylan. Too much!

I will say that MM has been a blast, from start to its impending finish. Every episode wasn't great, but if there’s ever a college course in TV (and, given the popularity of NY Times journalist Dave Itzkoff’s remarkable book Mad as Hell: The Making of Network, which reminds us of the relevance from Paddy Chayefsky’s Oscar-winning 1976 film, there certainly is ample reason for such courses now), then I believe that Mad Men will become required viewing. Can't wait to see how it all wraps up– and in two weeks, we'll know.

STONED AGAIN --  Rolling Stone magazine—whose publisher is Jann Wenner, co-founder and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation—conducted a readers' poll to find out the Top 10 acts that should be inducted into next year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's no surprise seeing the names that made the list—Deep Purple, The Moody Blues, Chicago—but let's see if the nominating committee follows through and takes notice when they get together later this year to decide who should be nominated. Out of the ten names on this list, only Deep Purple, Yes, and The Smiths have ever been nominated before.

1. Deep Purple

2. Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)

3. Yes

4. Cheap Trick

5. Chicago

6. Warren Zevon

7. Little Feat

8. Iron Maiden

9. The Moody Blues

10. The Smiths

As for me, I'm still waiting on Todd Rundgren and The Monkees to be inducted.

U2 RETURN --- On Sunday, Jimmy Fallon and Bono were spotted filming a possible Tonight Show skit for NBC, riffing on the U2 lead singer’s very unfortunate Central Park bicycling accident this past November. And last night, the entire band, with Fallon in tow, was spotted at the Grand Central subway station.

All of this in advance of U2’s return to The Tonight Show this Friday, May 8, in an episode which, at this point, appears to have only the Irish rockers as confirmed guests. Letterman is slated to have Ray Romano on his show that night—I suppose we’ll see who everyone loves more . . . Raymond or Bono, Edge, Larry, and Adam.

From the look of things, I guess U2 are back and ready to roll. New photos of the group showed their lead singer with a newly-woven head of hair (made of spider-web, perhaps?). Regardless, the band kicks off their Innocence + Experience world tour next week in Canada. We wish them well with it . . .

CLOSING NOTES --- Micky Dolenz ran into Willie Nelson at the midtown NYC SiriusXM studios last night. Micky returns there today, to do an interview with the legendary Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow . . .

Meanwhile, there was an excellent Ken Dashow interview with Moody Blues‘ longtime bassist and singer/songwriter John Lodge last weekend on NY's Q104.3 FM. Always have loved those ‘Muddy Boots‘ as the band’s drummer Graeme Edge might call the group (the 2009 reissue of the Graeme Edge Band's 1975 debut LP, Kick Off Your Muddy Boots , remains a favorite listen of mine) . . .

Jon Hamm is set to star in Tony Gilroy’s political action/thriller High Wire Act. Set in 1980’s Beirut, Hamm plays a former U. S. diplomat who is called back into service to save a former colleague from the group possibly responsible for his own family’s death …

Check out this review, via BuzzFeed on The Monkees recent shows in Canada, from Jacqueline Boyd.

SIGHTINGS --- PR pasha David Salidor at Dosa Royale in Cobble Hill.

Photo Courtesy Of: Salidor PR/Paul Undersinger