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Cassava root

Baked Tapioca dish from Kerala, India

Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava (Manihot esculenta). This species is native to Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, from where the plant was spread by Portuguese and Spanish explorers to Africa, the Philippines and most of the West Indies, being now cultivated worldwide. In India, the term "Tapioca" is used to represent the root of the plant (Cassava), rather than the starch.^[1][2] In Vietnam, it is called bột năng. In Indonesia, it is called singkong. In the Philippines, it is called sago.

The name tapioca is derived from the word tipi'óka, the name for this starch in the Tupí language of South America.^[3] This Tupí word refers to the process by which the starch is made edible. However, as the word moved out of Brazil it came to refer to similar preparations made with other esculents.^{[citation needed]}

Tapioca is a staple food in some regions and is used worldwide as a thickening agent, mainly in foods. Tapioca is gluten-free, and almost completely protein-free. In Britain, the word tapioca often refers to a milk pudding thickened with arrowroot, while in Asia the sap of the sago palm is often part of its preparation.

Production[link]

Tapioca kerala

Small, opaque pearl tapioca before soaking

Colored, translucent tapioca sticks

The cassava plant has either red or green branches with blue spindles on them. The root of the green-branched variant requires treatment to remove a toxin found in the plant. Konzo (also called mantakassa) is a paralytic disease associated with several weeks of almost exclusive consumption of insufficiently processed bitter cassava. The toxin found in the root of the red-branched variant is less harmful to humans than the green-branched variety.^{[citation needed]} Therefore, the root of the red/purple-branched variant can be consumed directly.^{[citation needed]}

Traditional community production of tapioca in northern Brazil is a by-product of manioc flour production, depending on manioc species. In this process, the manioc (after treatment to remove toxicity) is ground to a pulp with a small hand- or diesel-powered mill. This masa is then squeezed to dry it out prior to cooking. The wet masa is placed in a long woven tube called a tipiti, which resembles a giant Chinese finger trap. The top of the tube is secured while a large branch or lever is inserted into a loop at the bottom and used to stretch the entire implement vertically, squeezing a starch-rich liquid out through the weave and ends. This liquid is collected and the water allowed to evaporate, leaving behind a fine-grained tapioca powder similar in appearance to corn starch.

Commercially, the starch is processed into several forms: powder, fine or coarse flakes or meal, rectangular sticks, and spherical "pearls". Pearls are the most widely available shape; sizes range from about 1 mm to 8 mm in diameter, with 2–3 mm being the most common.

Flakes, sticks, and pearls must be soaked well before cooking, to rehydrate them; they will easily absorb water equal to twice their volume, becoming leathery and swollen. All these products traditionally are white, but sticks and pearls may be colored. The oldest and most common color is brown, but pastel colors are now available. In all its forms, tapioca starch is opaque before cooking and becomes translucent when cooked.

Nigeria, Brazil, and Thailand are the world's largest producers of cassava. Thailand accounts for 60% of worldwide exports.^[4]

Uses[link]

West Indies[link]

Tapioca was used by the first inhabitants of the West Indies as a staple food from which they made main dishes such as pepper pot and also used it to make alcohol. It was also used to clean their teeth and to this day is used as a base in toothpaste. Currently it is still a very popular food in the islands, used as a provision cooked with meats or fish and in desserts such as cassava pone.^{[citation needed]}

Asia[link]

In various Asian countries such as Indonesia, China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines, Malaysia, and Taiwan, tapioca pearls are widely used and are known as sagudana, sabudana or shabudana (pearl sago) or "sabba akki" (ಕನ್ನಡ: ಸಬ್ಬಕ್ಕಿ in Kannada). The pearls (sagudana or shabudana/sabudana) are used to make snacks.

India[link]

Local words in India include: Hindi/Marathi sābūdānā (literally, 'grains of sago'),সাবুদানা (Sabudana) in Bengali, સાબુદાણા (Sabudana) in Gujarati, Urdu sābūdānā (a variant of the preceding word), Malayalam kappa or maraccīni, Tamil maravaḷḷi kilanku, and Kannada sabakki(ಸಾಬಕ್ಕಿ). In Indian cuisine, the granular preparation of cassava starch, is known as sābūdānā'. It can also be used to thicken puddings.

Kerala[link]

Tapioca is widely consumed in the state of Kerala. It is either boiled or cooked with spices. Tapioca with fish curry (especially Sardine) is a delicacy in Kerala. Thinly sliced tapioca wafers, similar to potato chips, are popular too. Cassava, often referred to as tapioca in English, is called Kappa (കപ്പ) Kizhangu or Poola (in northern Kerala) or Maracheeni or Cheeni or Kolli or Mathock (മത്തോക്ക്) in Malayalam. Tapioca is regarded as a staple food of the common man in Kerala.

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra[link]

Tapioca is also available in ఆంథ్రప్రదేశ్ and coastal regions and is called "Karrapendalam" "కర్రపెండలము" in Telugu. સાબુદાણા (Sabudana) in Gujarati. Cassava is called "కంద" or "పెండలము" in Telugu. In Kannada, the actual cassava is called kolli or mara genasu and the product is known as "Sabbakki". In Telugu, in other regions of Andhra its by product is also known as "సగ్గు బియ్యము". The tapioca pearls are known as "Sabu dana" in Marathi. It is commonly used as a Khichdi preparation during fasting, popularly called Sabudana Khichadi, among Hindus in Western and Central part of India (Gujarat and Maharashtra region). Sabudana vada & Sabudana Khichadi is common in Maharashtrian and Gujaraticuisine as well.

Tamil Nadu[link]

Tapioca Plant in early stage

Tapioca Plant in full maturity

In Tamil, the roots of tapioca are called kuchikezhangu or kappakezhangu, and are used to prepare chips. Tapioca chips are also prepared in parts of South India.

In Tamil Nadu, tapioca is cultivated more in the districts of Erode, Namakkal and Salem. In Tamil Nadu, there are many tapioca processing units called "sago factories". A large number of tapioca industries are found in Attur Taluk, Salem District. Salem City has a marketing center for the sago (known as javvarisi).

In these factories, the Sabudana (Hindi) / Javvarisi (Tamil) is produced and distributed throughout India and exported to different countries.

The cultivation of tapioca is manpower intensive only at the time of plantation and harvest. It provides a steady income to the farmers. Tapioca called maravallikilangu can be consumed raw (after removing the skins/outer cover). It can also be boiled and different dishes like Uppuma (Tamil) can be made. It can also be made into chips to use as snacks during tea time.

Bengal[link]

During religious Fasts (উপোষ), sago is a popular alternative to rice-based foods. Consumed with curd (দইসাবু) or milk (দুধসাবু) or prepared as a Khichdi, sago is particularly popular choice during the Fasts of 'Ombubachi' (অমবুবাচি), Neelsosthi (নীলষঠী) and Ekadashi (একাদশী). According to Ayurveda, consumption of sagu helps to maintain a low body temperature and is easily digested, and thus can be part of the diet for patients. Also, sago is sometimes soaked and boiled into a starch based adhesive for papers.

Northern India[link]

During the festival season in Northern India, Sabudana is usually consumed during Fasts (Vrat in Hindi), either prepared as a "Khichdi" (savory) Sabudana Khichadi or Kheer (sweet). In the Holi (festival), the most popular is Sabudana papad (fried in Desi ghee).

Tapioca is also referred to as "Poor Man's Food".

North-eastern India[link]

In Nagaland and Mizoram in North-eastern India, tapioca is eaten as a snack. It is usually boiled with a bit of salt in water after skinning it or snacks are made out of it by drying the tapioca after cutting it. It is then powdered into flour and turned into dough to either make a fired or baked biscuit. In their local dialect they call it kuri aloo, meaning "wood potato". They are eaten by all groups of society as a delicacy. The skin of the tapioca, which is not edible for humans, is kept aside to prepare a food for domesticated pigs.

Sri Lanka[link]

It is known as "Mangnokka" in Sri Lanka and Mauritius also by its Sinhalese and Tamil names, generally eaten boiled with a chili onion mixture called "Lunu Miris Sambol" (type of a salsa) or coconut sambol. At the same time, it is very popular to have tapioca pearls, prepared as a delicacy. In early days, tapioca pearls were used to starch clothes by boiling tapioca pearls with the clothes.

Southeast Asia[link]

Tapioca chips, baked in sand

In Southeast Asia, the cassava root is commonly cut into slices, wedges or strips, fried, and served as a snack, similar to potato chips, wedges or french fries. Another method is to boil large blocks until soft, and serve them with grated coconut as a dessert, either slightly salted or sweetened, usually with palm sugar syrup.

Tapai is made by fermenting large blocks with a yeast-like bacteria culture to produce a sweet and slightly alcoholic dessert. A variation of the chips popular amongst the Malays is kerepek pedas, where the crisps are coated with a hot, sweet and tangy chili and onion paste, or sambal, usually with fried anchovies and peanuts added.

Krupuk, or crackers, is a major use of tapioca starch in Indonesia.

Commercially prepared tapioca has many uses. Tapioca powder is commonly used as a thickener for soups and other liquid foods, and is also used as a binder in pharmaceutical tablets and natural paints. The flour is used to make tender breads, cakes, biscuits, cookies, and other delicacies (see also Maida flour). Tapioca flakes are used to thicken the filling of pies made with fruits having a high water content.

A typical recipe for tapioca jelly can be made by washing 2 tablespoonfuls of tapioca, pouring a pint of water over it, and soaking for three hours. It is then placed over low heat and simmered until quite clear. If too thick, a little boiling water can be added. It can be sweetened with white sugar, flavored with coconut milk or a little wine, and eaten alone or with cream.

Tapioca cracker from Indonesia sold in a Los Angeles, California, market

Europe[link]

United Kingdom[link]

The popular savory snack Skips is made of tapioca and flavored like prawn cocktail as well as other flavors.

Tapioca is also widely available in its dried forms and is used to make tapioca pudding.

Americas[link]

Brazil and South America[link]

In Brazilian cuisine, tapioca is used for different types of meals. In biju (or beiju), the tapioca is moistened, strained through a sieve to become a coarse flour, then sprinkled onto a hot griddle or pan, where the heat makes the starchy grains fuse into a tortilla, which is often sprinkled with coconut. Then it may be buttered and eaten as a toast (its most common use as a breakfast dish), or it may be filled or topped with either doces (sweet) or salgados (savory) ingredients, which define the kind of meal the tapioca is used for: breakfast, afternoon tea or dessert. Choices range from butter, cheese, chocolate, bananas with condensed milk, chocolate with bananas, to various forms of meats and served warm. A traditional dessert called sagu is also made from pearl tapioca cooked with cinnamon and cloves in red wine. A restaurant which specializes in tapioca-based dishes (mostly fillings) is called in Brazil a tapiocaria. In southern Brazil, tapioca is almost unknown. In Colombia and Venezuela, arepas may be made with tapioca flour rather than cornmeal. Tapioca arepas probably predate cornmeal arepas; among traditional cultures of the Caribbean the name for them is casabe. In Peru, tapioca is known as yuca and is eaten mostly boiled as a side dish in the Amazon and fried with Papa a la Huancaina sauce as a snack when drinking alcohol.

Tapioca pudding

United States[link]

While frequently associated with Tapioca pudding, a dessert in the United States, tapioca is also used in other courses.^{[citation needed]} Bubble tea is gaining popularity in cities with large Asian populations. People on gluten-free diets can eat bread made with tapioca flour (although individuals on gluten-free diets do have to be careful, as some tapioca flour has wheat added to it). Tapioca is also used as an ingredient in Daiya brand cheese substitute.

Africa[link]

Ghana[link]

Tapioca appears to have been eaten in Nigeria and Ghana since pre-colonial times. Viewed as the everyday-man's meal, it is usually taken for breakfast. The various tribes employ it in multiple dishes.

During World War II[link]

During World War II's Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia, many refugees survived on tapioca, as the plant is easily propagated by stem-cutting, grows well in low-nutrient soils, and can be harvested every two months. (However, to grow to full maturity, it takes 10 months). The plant thus provided much needed carbohydrate and protein.^[5]

Flatbreads/casabe/cassava bread[link]

A casabe is a thin flatbread made from bitter cassava root without leavening. It was originally produced by the Native American Arawak and Carib nations because these roots were a very common plant of the rain forests where they lived. In eastern Venezuela many Native American ethnic groups still make casabe and it remains their main bread-like food. Native American communities including the Ye-Kuana, Kari-Ña, Yanomami, Guarao or Warao are from either the Caribe or Arawac Nations and still make casabe.

Casabe baking in a small commercial bakery

To make casabe, the starchy root of bitter cassava is ground to a pulp, then squeezed to expel a milky, bitter liquid called yare which carries the poisonous substances with it out of the pulp. Traditionally, this squeezing is done in a sebucan, an 8 to 12-foot (3.7 m) long tube-shaped pressure strainer woven in a characteristic helical pattern from palm leaves. The sebucan usually is hung from a tree branch or ceiling pole, and it has a closed bottom with a loop that is attached to a fixed stick or lever, which is used to stretch the sebucan. When the lever is pushed down, stretching the sebucan, the helical weaving pattern causes the strainer to squeeze the pulp inside. This is similar to the action of a Chinese finger trap. The pulp is then spread in thin, round cakes about 2 feet (0.61 m) in diameter on a budare' to roast or toast.

Thin and crisp cakes of casabe are often broken apart and eaten like crackers. Like bread, casabe can be eaten alone or with other dishes. Thicker casabe usually are eaten slightly moistened. Just a subtle sprinkle of a few drops of liquid is enough to transform a very dry casabe into a very soft and smooth bread very similar to the softest slice of a wheat bread loaf, an incredible change in texture. Because of its capacity to absorb liquid immediately, casabe may cause someone to choke, but goes down quickly with a sip of liquid.

In Guyana, the casabe is simply called cassava bread. It is prepared with an instrument called a matape by the natives of the Rupununi Savanah and other areas of the country that have a high concentration of Amerinidians. In Jamaica, it is called bammy. In Brazil, it is called beiju or tapioca.

Pearl tapioca[link]

Honeydew bubble tea with pearl tapioca

Pearl tapioca is also known as boba to some cultures. It is produced by passing the moist starch through a sieve under pressure. Pearl tapioca is a common ingredient in Asian desserts such as kolak, in tapioca pudding, and in sweet drinks such as bubble tea, fruit slush and taho, where they provide a chewy contrast to the sweetness and texture of the drink. Small pearls are preferred for use in puddings; large pearls are preferred for use in drinks. These large pearls most often are brown, not white (and traditionally are used in black or green tea drinks), but are available in a wide variety of pastel colors. Not only are they used in the aforementioned drinks, they are also available as an option in shave ice and hot drinks.

Biodegradable bags[link]

Tapioca root can also be used to manufacture biodegradable plastic bags. A polymer resin produced from the plant is a viable plastic substitute that is not only biodegradable, but can be composted, is renewable, and is recyclable. The product reverts in less than one year,^[6] versus thousands of years^[6] for traditional plastics.

Nutritional value[link]

Tapioca is predominantly carbohydrate, with each cup containing 135 grams for a total of 544 calories, low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Vitamin B9, folate is present in the amount of 6.1 mcg, along with iron 2.4 mg and calcium 30.4 mg. One cup of tapioca also includes 1.5 mg of omega-3 acids, 3 mg of omega-6 fatty acids and 1 gram of dietary fiber.

See also[link]

• Cassava
• Pan de yuca
• Tapioca pudding
• Sago
• Bubble tea

References[link]

• Sosa, C. (1979), Casabe, Editorial Arte: Caracas.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tapioca

• What is Boba?
• Authentic Asian Tapioca Recipes
• Sabudana kheer
• Sabudana kichedi
• Tapioca nearly sinks Swiss freighter in 1972
• Casabe: Garífuna Yucca Bread shows traditional preparation of cassava into casabe.

Robert Michael Nesmith (born December 30, 1942) is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name. Nesmith is notable as a songwriter, including "Different Drum" sung by Linda Ronstadt with the Stone Poneys, and as executive producer of the cult film Repo Man. In 1981, Nesmith won the first Grammy Award given for Video of the Year for his hour-long Elephant Parts.

Biography[link]

Nesmith was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Houston, in 1942.^[1] He was an only child; his parents, Warren Audrey Nesmith and Bette Nesmith Graham, divorced when their son was four. He and his mother moved to Dallas, to be closer to her parents, sister, aunts and grandmother. Bette took temporary jobs ranging from clerical work to graphics design, and developed very good secretarial skills, including shorthand, and, auspiciously, touch typing. When Nesmith was 13 his mother invented a typewriter correction fluid later known commercially as Liquid Paper. Over the next 25 years she built the Liquid Paper Corporation into a multimillion dollar international company which she finally sold to Gillette in 1980 for US$48 million. She died a few months later at age 56.^[2]

In 1949, Nesmith, at the age of six, was enrolled in the Dallas public school system. An indifferent student, he nevertheless participated in choral and drama activities during his years at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas.^[3] He began to write verse poetry. When he was 15 he enrolled in the Dallas Theater Center teen program, where he featured in several plays.^{[citation needed]}

Before graduating from high school, Nesmith enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1960. He completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, was trained as an aircraft mechanic at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, and then permanently stationed at a Strategic Air Command base near Elk City, Oklahoma. While in the Air Force, Nesmith obtained a G.E.D. and was discharged under honorable conditions in 1962. He enrolled in San Antonio College, a community college in San Antonio where he met John Kuehne (later to be known as John London) and began a musical collaboration. The duo won the first San Antonio College talent award performing a mixture of standard folk songs and a few of Nesmith's original songs. He met another SAC student, Phyllis Ann Barbour, whom he later married.^[4]

While in college Nesmith began to write more songs and poetry and after his marriage to Phyllis in 1963 the two of them decided to move to Los Angeles so Nesmith could pursue his songwriting and singing career. At the time Phyllis was pregnant with their first child Christian DuVal. Nesmith began singing in folk clubs around Los Angeles and had one notable job as the "Hootmaster" for the Monday night hootenannies at The Troubadour, a West Hollywood night club that featured new artists. Here Nesmith met, socialized, and performed with many different members of the burgeoning new music scene in Los Angeles. Randy Sparks of the New Christy Minstrels fame offered Nesmith a publishing deal for his songs. It was while working at this publishing house that Barry Friedman, also known as the Rev. Frazier Mohawk, brought the ad for Monkees auditions to Nesmith's attention. In 1965, Nesmith landed the role in the Monkees pilot, which was filmed in October 1965.^[5]

When the Monkees show ended in 1968, Nesmith enrolled part time in UCLA and studied American History and Music History. Michael and Phyllis's second son, Jonathan, was born in February 1968. Nesmith's third son, Jason, was born in August 1968 to Nurit Wilde, whom he met while working on the Monkees.^[6] In 1969, Nesmith formed the group First National Band with Kuehne, John Ware and Red Rhodes. Nesmith wrote most of the songs for the band including a single titled "Joanne" that received some airplay and was a mild chart hit for seven weeks during 1970, rising to number 21 on the Billboard Top 40.^[7] The First National Band has been credited with being among the pioneers of country-rock music.^[8]

Phyllis's third child, and Nesmith's fourth, daughter Jessica, was born in September 1970. Circa 1972, Nesmith started the record label Countryside Records with Jac Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records. Also, in 1972, Nesmith and Phyllis were divorced and he moved to Carmel, California. In 1974, Nesmith started Pacific Arts Records and released what he called "a book with a soundtrack" entitled "The Prison" as the company's first release. In 1976, he married Kathryn Bild. In 1988, following the ending of this second marriage, he returned to Los Angeles where he had met Victoria Kennedy. They moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1992 and then returned to Carmel, California, in 2000. They were married in April 2000 in Monterey, California. In 2011, they separated and Kennedy filed for divorce.^[9]

Early career[link]

After a tour of duty in the Air Force, he was given a guitar as a Christmas present from his mother and stepfather. Learning as he went, he played solo and in a series of working bands, performing folk, country, and occasionally rock and roll. His verse poems became the basis for song lyrics, and after moving to Los Angeles with Phyllis and friend John London, he signed a publishing deal for his songs. Nesmith's "Mary, Mary" was recorded by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, while "Different Drum" was recorded by Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys. "Pretty Little Princess", written in 1965, was recorded by Frankie Laine and released as a single in 1968 on ABC Records. Later, "Some Of Shelly's Blues" and "Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care)" were made popular by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on their 1970 album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy.

Nesmith began his recording career in 1963 by releasing a single on the Highness label. Later, in 1965 with a one-off single released on Edan Records before he followed with two singles recorded—one titled "The New Recruit" under the name "Michael Blessing", released on Colpix Records—coincidentally also the label of Davy Jones, though they had not met until The Monkees.

The Monkees[link]

Nesmith (center) with The Monkees in 1967

From 1965 to early 1970, Nesmith was a member of the television pop-rock band The Monkees, created for the television situation comedy of the same name. The only Monkee to learn of the audition from the famous press advertisement asking for "four insane boys", Nesmith won his role largely by appearing blasé when he auditioned. He further distinguished himself by carrying a bag of laundry to be done on the way home, and wearing a wool cap to keep his hair out of his eyes, riding his motorcycle to the audition. Producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider remembered "Wool Hat", and called Nesmith back.

Once he was cast, Screen Gems bought his songs so they could be used in the show. Many of the songs Nesmith wrote for The Monkees, such as "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "Mary, Mary", and "Listen to the Band" became minor hits. One song he wrote, "You Just May Be The One", is in mixed meter, interspersing 2/4 bars into an otherwise 4/4 structure.

The Gretsch guitar company built a one-off natural finish 12-string electric guitar for Nesmith when he was performing with The Monkees (Gretsch had a promotional deal with the group).^[10] He earlier played a customized Gretsch twelve-string, which had originally been a six-string model. Nesmith used this guitar for his appearances on the television series, as well as The Monkees live appearances in 1966 and 1967. Beginning in 1968, Nesmith used a white 6-string Gibson SG for his live appearances with The Monkees. He would use the guitar in their motion picture Head for the live version of "Circle Sky" and also for the final original Monkees tour in 1969 with Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz.

As with the other Monkees, Nesmith came to be frustrated by the manufactured image of the whole project. Although he was permitted to write and produce two songs per album and his music was frequently featured in episodes of the series, Nesmith was the most publically vocal about the Monkees prefabricated image.

The Monkees succeeded in ousting supervisor Don Kirshner (with Nesmith punching a hole in a wall, to make a point with Kirshner and attorney Herb Moelis), and took control of their records and song choices, but they worked as a four-man group on only one album. The band never overcame the credibility problems they faced when word spread that they had not played on their first records (at Nesmith's instigation, calling the band's first non-studio press conference, where he called More of The Monkees "probably the worst record in the history of the world"). However, their singles and albums continued to sell well, until the disastrous release of "Head".

Nesmith's last Monkees commitment was a commercial for Kool-Aid and Nerf balls, in April 1970 (fittingly, the spot ends with Nesmith frowning and saying, "Enerf's enerf!"). With the band's fortunes continuing to fall, Nesmith asked to be released from his contract, and had to pay a default: "I had three years left... at $150,000 a year", which he had to pay back. He continued to feel the financial bite for years afterwards, until his inheritance from his mother's Liquid Paper fortune in 1980 eased those concerns. In a 1980 interview with Playboy he said of that time, "I had to start telling little tales to the tax man while they were putting tags on the furniture". Indeed, while Nesmith had continued to produce his compositions with the Monkees, he withheld many of the songs from the final Monkees' albums, only to release them on his post-Monkees solo records.

Return to the Monkees[link]

For the Monkees 20th anniversary in 1986, Nesmith did not participate in the reunion. However, he did appear during an encore with the other three members at the Greek Theatre on September 7, 1986. In a 1987 interview for Nick Rocks, Nesmith stated, “When Peter called up and said we’re going to go out, do you want to go? I was booked. But, if you get to L.A….I’ll play.”^[11]

Nesmith would appear again in 1989 with Micky, Peter, and Davy when the Monkees received a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star.

In 1995, Nesmith was again reunited with the Monkees to record their last studio album (and first to feature all four since Head) titled Justus, released in 1996. He also wrote and directed a Monkees television special entitled Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees. To support the reunion, Nesmith, along with Jones, Dolenz, and Tork, briefly toured the UK in 1997.

Solo career[link]

As he prepared for his exit from The Monkees in 1970, Nesmith was approached by John Ware of The Corvettes, a band that featured Nesmith's friend John London (who played on some of the earliest pre-Monkees Nesmith 45s as well as numerous Monkees sessions) and had 45s produced by Nesmith for the Dot label in 1969. Ware wanted Nesmith to put together a band. Nesmith said he would be interested only if noted pedal steel player Orville "Red" Rhodes would be a part of the project, and a long musical partnership was born that would continue until Rhodes' untimely death in 1995. The new band was christened Michael Nesmith and the First National Band and went on to record three albums for RCA Records in 1970.

Nesmith has been considered one of the pioneers of country rock.^[12] He also had moderate commercial success with the First National Band. Their second single, Joanne hit No. 21 on the Billboard chart & No. 17 on Cashbox, with the follow-up "Silver Moon" making No. 42 Billboard/#28 Cashbox. Two more singles charted ("Nevada Fighter" No. 70 Billboard/#73 Cashbox & "Propinquity" No. 95 Cashbox) and the first two LP's charted in the lower regions of the Billboard album chart. No clear answer has ever been given for the band's breakup.

Nesmith followed up with The Second National Band, a band that besides Nesmith, consisted of Michael Cohen (keyboards and Moog), Johnny Meeks (bass), jazzer Jack Ranelli (drums) and the always present Orville Rhodes (pedal steel), as well as an appearance by singer, musician, and songwriter José Feliciano on congas. The album, Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1, was a commercial and critical disaster. Nesmith then recorded And the Hits Just Keep On Comin', featuring only him on guitar and Red Rhodes on pedal steel.

Nesmith got more heavily involved in producing, working with Iain Matthews on his "Valley Hi" album as well as Bert Jansch's "L.A. Turnaround." Nesmith was given a label of his own through Elektra Records, Countryside, as Elektra's Jac Holzman was a fan of Nesmith's. It featured a number of artists that were produced by Nesmith, including Garland Frady and Red Rhodes. The staff band at Countryside also helped Nesmith on his next, and last, RCA album, Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash. Countryside folded when David Geffen replaced Holzman, rendering Countryside unnecessary in Geffen's eyes.

In the mid-1970s, Nesmith briefly collaborated as a songwriter with Linda Hargrove, resulting in the tune "I've Never Loved Anyone More", a hit for Lynn Anderson and recorded by many others, as well as the songs "Winonah" and "If You Will Walk With Me" which were both recorded by Hargrove. Of all three songs, only "Winonah" was recorded by Nesmith himself. During this same period, Nesmith started his multimedia company Pacific Arts, which initially put out audio records, 8-tracks and cassettes, followed in 1981 with "video records." Nesmith recorded a number of LPs for his label, and had a moderate worldwide hit in 1977 with his song "Rio", the single taken from the album From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing. In 1983, Nesmith produced the music video for Lionel Richie's single All Night Long. In 1987, he produced the music video for Michael Jackson's single The Way You Make Me Feel.

Pop clips and MTV, Elephant Parts and Television Parts[link]

During this time, Nesmith created a video-clip for "Rio" which, in a roundabout way, helped spur Nesmith's creation of a television program called Pop Clips for the Nickelodeon cable network. In 1980, Nesmith's Pop Clips was sold to Time Warner/Amex consortium. Time Warner/Amex developed Pop Clips into the MTV network. Nesmith won the first-ever Grammy Award given for (Long-form) Music-Video in 1982, for his hour-long Elephant Parts and also had a short-lived series on NBC inspired by the video called "Michael Nesmith in Television Parts". Television Parts concept however included many other artists who were unknown at the time but who went on to become major stars in their own right. Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Whoopi Goldberg, Arsenio Hall all became well known artists after their appearances on Nesmith's show. The basic concept of the show was to have comics render their stand-up routines into short comedy films much like the ones in Elephant Parts. Nesmith assembled writers Jack Handey, William Martin, John Levenstein, and Michael Kaplan; Directors William Dear (who had directed Elephant Parts) and Alan Myerson, and Producer Ward Sylvester to create the show. The half hour show show ran for 8 episodes in the summer of 1985 on NBC Thursday nights in prime time.

Pacific Arts and legal dispute[link]

Pacific Arts Video became a pioneer in the home video market, producing and distributing a wide variety of videotaped programs. Pacific Arts Video eventually ceased operations after an acrimonious contract dispute with PBS over home video licensing rights and payments for several series, including Ken Burns' The Civil War. The dispute escalated into a law suit that went to jury trial in Federal Court in Los Angeles. On February 3, 1999, a jury awarded Nesmith and his company Pacific Arts $48.875 million in compensatory and punitive damages, prompting his widely-quoted comment, "It's like finding your grandmother stealing your stereo. You're happy to get your stereo back, but it's sad to find out your grandmother is a thief." PBS appealed the ruling, but the appeal never reached the court, and a settlement was reached with the amount paid to Pacific Arts and Nesmith results kept confidential.

Nesmith's current Pacific Arts project is Videoranch 3D, a virtual environment on the internet that hosts live performances at various virtual venues inside the Ranch. He performed live inside Videoranch 3D on May 25, 2009.

Movies and books[link]

Nesmith was the executive producer for the films Repo Man, Tapeheads, and Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, as well as his own solo recording and film projects.

In 1998, Nesmith published his first novel, The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora. It was developed originally as an online project and was later published as a hard cover book by St Martin's Press. Nesmith's second novel The America Gene was released in July, 2009 as an online download from Videoranch.com.

Recent history[link]

In the early 1980s, Nesmith teamed up with satirist P.J. O'Rourke to ride his vehicle Timerider in the annual Baja 1000 roadrace. This is chronicled in O'Rourke's 2009 book Driving Like Crazy.

During the 1990s, Nesmith, as Trustee and President of the Gihon foundation, hosted the Council on Ideas, a gathering of intellectuals from different fields who were asked to identify the most important issues of their day and publish the result. The Gihon ceased the program in 2000 and started a new Program for the Performing Arts. Nesmith also spent a decade as a board of trustees member, nominating member and vice-chair of the American Film Institute.

In 1992, Nesmith undertook a concert tour of North America to promote the CD release of his RCA solo albums (although he included the song "Rio", from the album From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing). The concert tour ended at the Britt Festival in Oregon. A video, Live at the Britt Festival, and a CD, Live at the Britt Festival were released capturing the 1992 concert.^[13]

Nesmith continued to record and release his own music. His last album, Rays, was released on April 4, 2006. In 2011, Nesmith returned to producing, working with blues singer/guitarist Carolyn Wonderland. Nesmith produced Wonderland's version of Elmore James' "Dust My Broom" on her album "Peace Meal." Wonderland married writer-comedian A. Whitney Brown on March 4, 2011, in a ceremony officiated by Nesmith.

Other appearances[link]

Nesmith had a cameo appearance as a taxi driver in the Whoopi Goldberg film Burglar.

Nesmith had cameo appearances in his own films including Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (Race Official) and Tapeheads (Water Man).

In a promotional video to support Pacific Arts' video release of Tapeheads, Nesmith was introduced with a voice-over making fun of his Monkees persona. The narration teases Nesmith, who approaches the camera to speak, poking fun at his "missing hat".

An opportunistic lookalike from the US cashed in on his similarity to Nesmith by appearing on talk shows and doing interviews in Australia during the 1980s. The scam was successful, the lookalike being far enough from America to avoid detection as a fraud (which is less likely in the US, where the real Nesmith has made many media and show-business acquaintances). An entertaining interviewee, the impersonator's charade was not discovered until after he had vanished from the public eye. The imposter, Barry Faulkner, who had pulled various fraudulent scams for 40 years, was finally apprehended and sent to jail in 2009.^[14][15]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Albums[link]

Live albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Films[link]

Home Video[link]

Books[link]

(n.b. books proper – not including The Prison and The Garden)

• The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora (1998)
• The America Gene (2009)

Audio books[link]

• The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora (2004) (with Michael reading the story)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michael Nesmith

• Videoranch, a Michael Nesmith company
• Michael Nesmith at the Internet Movie Database
• Article in Wired magazine about Michael Nesmith and the Council on Ideas
• Michael Nesmith biography
• (Unofficial) Michael Nesmith Home Page
• SWINDLE Magazine Interview
• Michael Nesmith interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969).
• Michael Nesmith: Overcoming The Monkees at NPR.com
• Nesmith at Allmusic.com