Exclusive | Monkees legend helps LA radio icon celebrate 25 years of Beatles with wild John Lennon tale

It was 25 years ago today when Chris Carter took the reins of one of LA radio’s most beloved institutions, “Breakfast With the Beatles.”And helping celebrate a quarter-century on the airwaves Sunday was a man whose own storied career was kickstarted by a TV show about a band trying to be just like Liverpool’s Fab Four – Monkees legend Micky Dolenz.Dolenz, 81, sporting a black hat and signature yellow-hued glasses, joined the party at 95.5 KLOS’ eighth-floor studios in Burbank as he prepared to hit the road for his “Micky Dolenz: 60 Years of The Monkees” tour.He’s the last surviving original member of the four-piece that took TV – and then the pop charts – by storm in the 1960s.“It was a television show about a band.They lived in a Malibu beach house and wanted to be The Beatles.

On the television show we never made it,” Dolenz said.Dolenz revealed he first saw the Beatles on a stolen TV at iconic LA hamburger joint Bob’s Big Boy.“There was a guy who had a TV in the parking lot with rabbit ears.”Just three years later, Dolenz would find himself hanging out with John Lennon at Abbey Road during recording sessions for the Beatles’ landmark “Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story “It’s bizarre, I feel blessed,” Dolenz said.The Monkees went on to score three No.

1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer” and “Daydream Believer.”Their hit NBC television show turned Dolenz and bandmates Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork into pop-culture icons and helped unleash Monkeemania across America.“Micky Dolenz: 60 Years of The Monkees” kicks off in Phoenix before arriving in Los Angeles on Sept.12.For a quart...