Elephant Parts the Movie

He will be forever remembered as a former Monkee (and son of the inventor of Liquid Paper), but Elephant Parts is a reminder that Michael Nesmith was also a pioneer in music and long-form videos. Produced in 1981, the same year MTV made its debut, the hourlong program consists of 41 comedy bits and videos for Nesmith tunes. Of the former, most star Nesmith himself and are short and silly in an inoffensive, slapstick kind of way, poking fun at TV commercials, rock stars, drug use, and more in a style reminiscent of Saturday Night Live or the now-defunct SCTV. The music videos, which include “Rio” (one of Nesmith’s best songs) and four others, are clever and visually rich, making skillful use of the medium well before the advent of computers and other modern techniques. Monkee business? Sure, but darned amusing, and the first video Grammy winner to boot. –Sam Graham