As one of the members of the 60’s iconic sitcom, The Monkees, legendary performer Davy Jones has made millions of women swoon for over forty years. Celebrity Parents traveled to Davy’s home in Pennsylvania to speak exclusively with Davy and his new wife, Jessica Pacheco-Jones, about music, love, and how all good things stand the test of time.
Obligatory first question: Do you think there will ever be a Monkees reunion?
Davy: The Monkees were all about laughter. Ask me why the Monkees are not getting together? They don’t want to have laughter. They want to be serious. I want to make people laugh. As a joke, I tell people, “If you remember the Monkees, you’re either very young or bloody old!” Laughter is something people need to hear and feel.
The Monkees were a huge success, with millions of fans worldwide, including me!
Davy: As a group, the Monkees were very, very popular. We went to 56 episodes, and we were in 36 countries around the world. The Monkees sold 75 million records. I believe good things stand the test of time.
As has your career. You’re still performing all over the country.
Davy: When my band does a performance, we get nothing but compliments. From the way everything is set up to how everyone behaves, people say that it is a pleasure to work with us. Show business is full of bad behavior. When I go into a place, the wardrobe lady will ask, “Do you have something to iron, Mr. Jones?” And I’ll say, “No, thank you. My name’s David. I’ve ironed all my clothes.” And by the time we’re done, I’m telling jokes and everyone is laughing.
We try to set a good example. I am the same person as I leave this house as I am on the stage, wherever it might be. I’ve got nothing else to be.
Well, I’ve loved you since I was 2, and now my kids love you thanks to your turn on a recent SpongeBob episode.
Davy: Doing SpongeBob was fun. Jessica and I went to the Sundance Film Festival. Nickelodeon was doing a ten-year anniversary of SpongeBob, and they invited the whole cast. They wanted me to come, too, and we acted out that episode. So I was there throwing the socks!
In addition to your shows, you also do a lot of volunteer work.
Davy: In the end, it’s not about dollars and cents. We recently came back from The Boys and Girls Club of Florida. It’s about a give-back mentality. We’ve been so blessed, so we like to do stuff like that all the time.
Now, how did you and Jessica meet?
Davy: It was December 18, 2006. We were going to rehearse for Cinderella, a production we were both in. I saw this little girl walk in with her mother, and I thought the mother was playing Cinderella. Turned out the little girl was Jessica and she was playing Cinderella. She looked like she was 15 years-old. She didn’t know who I was.
Jessica: I had heard of the Monkees, and I had seen a couple of the shows. I didn’t know it well enough to know their names. Anyway, I had just come in from my second day of shooting the Spanish telenovela, Dame Chocolate, and I had 20 Cuban coffees in me. I was ready to go! [laughs]
Davy: After that first rehearsal, I was thinking about Jess. I called up the producers to find out more about her. They told me she was 28 years-old, and I thought, “Hmm, that’s okay, then! I’m not as much of a pervert as I thought I was!” I went to a shop in the mall and bought her a dress and a purse, since her birthday had passed.
The next day, I saw her in the show’s parking lot. I walked past her three times, because I just wanted to leave the gift in her dressing room. I gave it to her, and she tried it on later and said, “It fits!”
Jessica: After first meeting Davy, I went online to find out more about him. I felt it instantly, too.
You and Jessica recently got married after dating for over two years. How is married life?
Davy: We’re happy, and we’re enjoying life. We had a problem in the beginning; the fact that we were of different ages. But I think that the love shows through. No matter what, people try to find faults in everything you do.
Jessica: We’ve never had a problem with it. Other people had a problem with it. I would see relationships where there was a big age difference, and I would think, “What is she after?” Until it happens to you, then you understand it.
Davy: We’ve discussed things, and spoken about the relationships we’ve both had. Jessica is an old soul. She has traveled the world and is extremely educated. When it comes down to Jessie and David, we bring the good things into our relationship, and we try to avoid and side-step the things that have made us unhappy before. So you try to be more civil. You wake up every morning and you say, “Good morning, Mrs. Jones.”
Jessica: “Hello, Mr. Jones.”
Davy: And we go on from there. At least that’s a good start. Sure, we get huffy with each other, but it’s not like we take it anywhere else.
There is a lot of negativity out there. How do you not let it affect you both?
Davy: We’ve never done anything untoward, but suddenly, things start creeping into your life. I’ve tried explaining to Jessie. You can be two-faced if you want to be. If people want to read the dirt, they read The News of the World, which is an English newspaper. I can only be myself. She’s the same way. It’s just how people depict you and you can’t give it too much thought.
Jessica: We were on The Newlywed Game recently. The producer of the show said that we were really nice people.
Davy: We said, “No, we’re just pretending!”
And now you’re living here in Pennsylvania. The house is just beautiful and so are the horses.
Davy: I’ve owned the house for over twenty years. This is where I ride my horses. I leave here, go down the first lane, and I’m over onto cornfields. The house is on 16 acres.
Who decided on the purple bedroom?
Jessica: I did. In Miami, the house right next to our apartment is a beautiful lavender color. It used to be John Fontaine’s house. We started calling the purple room “The Baby Room” because it looked so quaint and cute.
And pretty much every room has an amazing view of the horses.
Davy: I love my horses. I have 11. There are four massive race horses, three mares in foal, and park horses, too. They come over to me, and they nuzzle their heads by my arm. Jessica asked me why they do that, and I told her it’s all about touch and feel and sound. They’re like children. And speaking of children, one of my daughters just won the Class in Pebble Beach on one of the race horses that I gave to her. She was competing against million dollar horses. I was so proud of her.
Since both of you have a musical background, there must be music on in the house all the time.
Davy: Yes. One time, we were listening to the radio, and Jess said, “I love this singer! Who is this?” and it was Mel Torme. She wanted to meet him and I said, “He’s been dead for ten years.”
So you like the old stuff, Jessica…
Davy: Hence, that’s why I’m here.
That is wicked self-deprecating humor.
Davy: I try to do a bit of that on the stage, too. The first thing I say when I come out is, “Hello, I’m Davy’s dad. Davy will be out here in a minute.” I also say, “I know, I look a lot shorter on television, don’t I?”
[laughs] What are your plans for the future?
Davy: I wrote a song for Jess called, “I’ll Love You Forever”. This is the first song that I’ve ever put on sheet music. We’ve also created updated versions of “Daydream Believer”. Look, I’ve done my career. I’ll keep performing and maybe I’ll do a movie. Our lives take so many twists and turns; it’s hard to say what tomorrow will bring. To be honest, though, I’d rather be here with my horses, or swimming on the beach with Jess. And what I really want is to sit back and in the next twenty years see Jess do it. She can act; she’s a great actress and an amazing dancer. She has the whole package going.
We’re also working on a show; it’s something like Riverdance. We have an amazing choreographer, someone Jess has worked with for over 15 years. Jessica is going to be a big star, and if she’s not, she’ll always be a star in my eyes.