I am very saddened by the behavior of Davy Jones of the Monkees, who reportedly challenged an audience to a fight at the Edison Hotel in Sunbury. Challenging an unresponsive audience to a fight is never the right thing for a performer to do. However, I think people need to put themselves in Davy’s position. It would be humiliating for any performer to be ignored by an audience while performing, or as they ask the audience if they have requests. Especially for someone of Davy’s professional stature and fame.
It sounds like Davy deserved a lot better treatment and respect than the audience was giving him. I was a huge fan of Davy’s when I was a teenager. However, I try to judge situations in an unbiased manner.
Jones’ threatening the audience was bad. However, I and many other fans of his would gladly have sat in that audience and listened to Davy sing “Daydream Believer” and all his other hits until the world went away. People in the Edison Hotel audience were being given a wonderful treat with Jones’ performance. It sounds as if Davy was just trying to be a regular guy with this impromptu show, and having some drinks. I am ashamed of the person who showed no class and who called the National Enquirer on this incident. This magazine probably paid big money for this humiliating story. Davy had the wrong people in the audience who did not appreciate him and his marvelous talent. He deserved better than that, and I hope Davy Jones sees this letter.
Virginia Pritchett,
Mineral Wells, Texas
