- "The Monkees" band member Micky Dolenz is suing the FBI over documents related to the 60s band.
- Dolenz alleged the FBI has at least two records related to the band but hasn't released them.
The last surviving member of The Monkees is suing the FBI over records related to the agency's alleged monitoring of the band in the 1960s.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Washington DC federal court, Micky Dolenz Jr. alleges that the agency has at least two records related to the band, but didn't return his public records request for them. One of the records, according to the suit, was a 1967 memo from the Los Angeles field office related to "Anti-Vietnam war activities." A second record is redacted completely.
"The FBI monitored musicians such as the Monkees during the tumultuous 1960s and this new lawsuit is designed to determine just how far their efforts went," Dolenz's attorney Mark Zaid told Insider. "I've been a Monkees' fan my entire life and I have spent my entire legal career ensuring FBI accountability. It is always fun when I can combine work with fun."
An email requesting comment from the FBI wasn't immediately returned.
Dolenz, whose real name is George Michael Dolenz Jr., first filed a public record request seeking all FBI records related to the band, and its members individually, on June 14. The agency sent him a letter the next day confirming that the request was received, but there was no follow-up, according to the suit.
"Mr. Dolenz has the ability to disseminate information on a wide scale and may use information obtained through his request in an original work, particularly an independent film, documentary or book," his lawyer wrote. "He frequently tours around the world performing and is often a guest on radio and television programs."
The Monkees was a rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 for a television show, but the band remained successful on its own after the show ended two years later.
Known for their hits, "I'm a Believer," "Daydream Believer" and others, the band sold over 53 million records, according to the suit.
Dolenz, the only surviving member of the band, asked to be considered as a representative of the news media for his request.
Michael Nesmith died in 2021, Peter Tork died in 2019 and Davy Jones died in 2012.
The FBI has a history of investigating rock and pop stars, and has made some records related to these once-secret investigations public online in its public records database, "The Vault."