I recently interviewed Micky Dolenz, the singer and drummer for the 1960s pop-rock group The Monkees about longevity.

We spoke specifically about longevity in the music business as hes spent most of his life making and performing music.

This is an artist who has spent 46 years performing the music of The Monkees in concert either solo or with the group.

When I asked him about what people could expect from his recent concert at the California State Fair, he simply stated, All the big, fat, great, Monkees hitsthats what I do.

After our conversation, I took in the fact that Micky has performed those songs for his fans for nearly five decades.

Five decades - and he continues to do so with as much energy and fervor as hed done in the beginning; his July 13 fair performance was nothing less than excellent and full of get-up-and-go.

Our conversation reminded me that longevity - not only in music, but also in other forms of the arts - has seemingly lost its importance to many artists and to the public in general.

Its almost as though it is expected that we only see or hear from our new stars - music, movie, or otherwise - for a maximum of five years, if theyre lucky.

To me, it just doesnt seem like many people are sticking to their craft for very long, even the artists who claim to have a true love for their art.

One minute theyre here; the next theyre gone.

See more here:
Longevity is a beautiful thing