Jack Benny stopped counting his birthdays at age 39 and seemed to remain locked in time at that magic number. When the Monkees‘ Mickey Dolenz turned 63 on March 8, it was another reminder that, while the music of the Keener era stays the same, time marches on. Mickey was the only one of the four with previous television experience, starring in the Circus Boy series from 1956-58 under the name Mickey Braddock. He auditioned for the part of the drummer and had to learn how to play the instrument before the Monkees debuted in September, 1966. That’s his voice singing lead on many of the group’s hits, starting with the “Last Train to Clarksville”. Penned by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the tune is purportedly an anti-war song about a draftee who is headed for his army base and fears he may die in Vietnam.?Four decades later, it still resonates with a new generation of soldiers. In later years, Mickey found success behind the camera as a director for the BBC, Disney and ABC.