Billy Kelly - "Me and My Brand New Haircut" - video (2010)

Tomorrow night I'm taking my family to see The Monkees live in concert! Unfortunately, Davy Jones won't be there. But Mike Nesmith will, so that's pretty cool. It's also pure coincidence that today's post is about Davy Jones of The Monkees. All my posts are in chronological order as they happened and I just so happen to be up to October of 2010 when I shot a music video for Billy Kelly, featuring Davy Jones. It just worked out that way…really. I love when cosmic shit happens. Anyway…

After a month of back and forth emails – and wig and prop hunting – came the day to shoot the video for "Me and My Brand New Haircut", starring Billy Kelly and Davy Jones. From the moment we got to Ziegler's Barber Shop it was non-stop action, at least for me. See…Davy brought his wife and in-laws to the shoot. They were going to stroll the town and have a bite to eat while we worked. The thing is, the town of Lewisburg Pennsylvania is just a few blocks long and I had a lot of shots to cover. The clock was ticking and the pressure had begun! So I wish I could say I enjoyed the shoot more than I did, but I was stressing out over getting my shots, working quick as lightning without time to relax and think.

On top of that, I didn't take into consideration that being a barber shop, Ziegler's was full of mirrors. It seemed wherever I placed my camera and lights they were reflected in a mirror! (Note to self: Never shoot in a room full of mirrors again.) On the other hand, as I scurried about I was able to take in a few of Davy's jokes and stories about his Monkees past. He was pretty funny. Some may say he even monkeyed around...sorry.

About halfway through my shot list Davy's family showed up at Ziegler's Barber Shop. They'd seen Lewisburg. I internally started freaking out at that point thinking I may lose my star. But Davy being the professional he is, spoke to his family and they were off again. I guess to take another lap around Lewisburg.

Now, really feeling the crunch, I cut some shots I felt were superfluous and went straight for the wig sequence. Davy really came alive during this bit and he brought a lot to the table with his improvisation. Billy, too, held his own ground and bounced off of Davy's lead. The back and forth funny exchange was exactly what I'd hoped for, and the two of them delivered.

And Davy was totally cool with the Mike Nesmith hat reference. I wasn't sure how he'd react to it – being how Nesmith was always the hold-out when it came to Monkees reunions. The hat scene in the "Haircut" video is the scene I felt Monkees fans would appreciate most. (Special thanks to Billy's wife, Jackie, for knitting me an exact replica! It's now showcased upon my Cornelius head on my desk.)

After shooting a couple more scenes we finally wrapped. Davy graciously posed for photos with the crew and he signed my copy of the first Monkees album – my very first album ever! It's now framed and hanging on my studio wall. It was an honor to have worked with Davy Jones and I owe it all to Billy. Thanks Billy.

R.I.P. David Jones (December 30, 1945 – February 29, 2012)