The Monkees Peter Tork may have been known as the happy-go-lucky member of the music group. But, behind the scenes, he enjoyed a life filled with the perks of celebrity. He counted some of his fellow 1960s musicians as his friends and hosted legendary “clothing-optional” parties. In looking back on those carefree times, Tork once joked, “a good time was had by most.”
Peter Tork hosted some prolific 1960s musicians during parties at his California home
Just north of Laurel Canyon, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, was Peter Tork’s home. His home was a hotbed of musicians who regularly stopped by to commiserate and have fun. These pals included The Byrds’ David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Denny Doherty, Barry McGuire, and Steven Stills.
He told Rolling Stone his pals would “mostly come over in the afternoon. Sometimes I would wake up to find them swimming with a half-empty gallon of wine floating in the pool.”
Peter recalled his friends “would come barreling in at 2 or 3 in the afternoon, peel off their clothes and pile into the pool. It’s a funny thing about artists, I guess. You don’t know whether you’re creating or not.”
Peter’s house was a highly creative, freewheeling space. Therefore, musicians of all kinds felt right at home. These creators included The Beatles, Ringo, and George, “who came by on separate occasions.” The home was also a place where the freewheeling spirit of the 1960s was fully embraced.
Peter Tork said of those days, ‘a good time was had by most’
In 2016, Peter Tork spoke of legendary “clothing-optional” parties he hosted at his California home. He recalled those days fondly in an interview with the website I Like Your Old Stuff.
To discuss those heady days, Tork spoke of a section of Graham Nash’s 2013 autobiography Wild Tales where the musician spoke of fun times at the home of The Monkees’ bassist and keyboardist. Nash claimed that Tork threw parties that were “legendary, days-on-end affairs with plenty of music, sex, dope.”
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Tork responded to Nash’s claims of debauchery at his home in the 1960s. “Bless Graham Nash!”
“It was a lot of fun. The girls were cute, and the guys were happy. There was music and recreational mind-changers of one sort or another,” Tork recalled.
“I had a place with a swimming pool which no one else could see, so it was very private. There were a lot of clothing-optional parties going on. A great time was had by most!” he concluded.
The Monkees member admitted to some freewheeling behavior
The Monkees Peter Tork enjoyed his notoriety enough to share his home with some of the 60s most prominent stars, including members of The Byrds, Mamas and the Papas, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, and The Buffalo Springfield. However, Peter found fame hard to handle.
He told The Daily Mail, “I gave a lot of my money away when I was younger. Just left it in bowls around the house, and people would help themselves to handfuls of it.”
Peter continued, “I wasn’t thinking too clearly then, and it might have been my low self-esteem. Maybe I thought I didn’t deserve to keep the money, but it wasn’t that bright, was it? There’s nothing wrong with giving money to people, but give it where you can do some good.”
Peter Tork continued to make music independently and with The Monkees’ Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz until his death on Feb. 21, 2019. His passing was announced on his official Facebook page and website. His death resulted from a 10-year fight against adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer of the salivary glands.
