Archie Comics responds to the American Family Association:
“We stand by Life with Archie #16. As I’ve said before, Riverdale is a safe, welcoming place that does not judge anyone. It’s an idealized version of America that will hopefully become reality someday.
We’re sorry the American Family Association/OneMillionMoms.com feels so negatively about our product, but they have every right to their opinion, just like we have the right to stand by ours. Kevin Keller will forever be a part of Riverdale, and he will live a happy, long life free of prejudice, hate and narrow-minded people.”
— Archie Comics Co-CEO Jon Goldwater
So many bands from the sixties and seventies, the truly great and revolutionary groups, have lost at least one member. The Rolling Stones lost guitarist Brian Jones. The Who lost Keith Moon, then John Entwhistle. The Doors- Jim Morrison. Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin; the list could go on and on and on.
The Monkees made it 45 years before they lost anyone, and individual members fought their way through substance abuse, depression, and even cancer.
No one expected Davy Jones to be the one to pass first. It was a surprise to everyone who heard the news today.
And for several of us, the devote Monkee fans, the fan fiction writers and readers, the collectors, the webmasters and mistresses, this is a heart-breaking loss. For the general public, the casual music listener, this will be sad, but no big deal. For others, the response will be ‘who’s Davy Jones?’ or my personal favorite, ‘you mean the guy from Dead Man’s Chest?’
So we, the true fans, need to band together, because no one else will understand. No one else will get why you’re sitting in your car, sobbing along to ‘I Want To Be Free’. Tumblr, Naked Persimmon, Psycho Jello; these are some places to grieve properly, where people will understand what you’re going through.
Because some people just lost ‘that short guy who sang on the Monkees’.
Today, we lost an icon.
Davy Jones was a unique performer, one of the last true song and dance men left to us. Something to be thankful for, at least, was that he did not suffer in the end, it was fairly quick, and he did something very few singers have accomplished.
He died on the road, touring and performing. Doing what he did singularly best.
In the next few days, there will be marathons held. Vinyls will be dusted off, favorite stories reread. Maybe Jann Wenner will finally get the stick out of his butt and the Monkees will get inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Album sales will jump, maybe even rereleased, and the Monkees will be momentarily back in the spotlight.
But we will remember the wide-eyed kid performing on the Ed Sullivan show the same night as the Beatles. We will remember and laugh hysterically at a dusty elf singing ‘don we now our gay apparel’. We will remember the Brady Bunch and Boy Meets World. The music, the movies, the shows…
We will lovingly remember them all.
We will remember Davy Jones.
In an attempt to get over my crazy sad post-ep liveposts, pre-actually watching the ep because iTunes is a bitch insane depressive thing, I put my iPod on Shuffle.
Pressed play.
If I Die Young.
I do not make this shit up. There was gross sobbing, not helped by my sleep-deprived campiness.
