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Monkees Still Making Believers Out of Lifelong Fans

Mention that you're a fan of The Monkees and inevitably someone will treat you to a few mocking choruses of that song. You know the one: Hey, hey, we're the...

Let's just get one thing straight here: Most Monkee-maniacs are tired of that trick. So if you want to impress them, try humming a few lines of "Pleasant Valley Sunday" or "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone."

The four wacky moptops known as The Monkees bounced onto the nation's TV screens 40 years ago, capturing the hearts of a generation of teenage girls.

They popped up again in the late 80s and captured a new generation of devotees when MTV played reruns of their TV show. That's when producer Petra Mayer became a fan of Mike, Peter, Micky and Davy.

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Petra Mayer died on November 13, 2021. She has been remembered by friends and colleagues, including all of us at NPR. The Petra Mayer Memorial Fund for Internships has been created in her honor.