At first glance, the 1968 Monkees box office disaster, Head seems like a dumb incoherent mess. However, there is far more to the movie than meets the eye; from a historical lens, Head could debatably be canonized like Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate as the catalyst films that sparked the New Hollywood movement. Head was one of if not possibly the first avant-garde films distributed and produced by a major American Hollywood studio; the film very much runs on oneiric logic, being a plotless movie that constantly throws The Monkees into random situations against their will in a dream-like way. Unlike most avant-garde of the era though, it’s a pretty funny movie, and could be considered a proto-piece of anti-comedy, in the vein of Tim and Eric Awesome Show. Additionally, Head was the entry point for many important figures of New Hollywood. Not only does this film feature Jack Nicholson's first role in a studio film, but he was the screenwriter for the film and wrote the song "Ditty Diego-War Chant".

Additionally, Head was the first film produced by Bob Rafelson and Richard Wechsler's production company, Raybert Productions. Later known as BBS Productions they would later go on to produce landmark films of new Hollywood such as Easy Rider, Last Picture Show, and Five Easy Pieces. 

However, Head's importance isn't just historical; what Head is about and why I feel it remains relevant to this day is that Head deconstructs the idea of being The teen idol/ manufactured pop band. The film points out how psychologically scarring and frankly disturbing it is to be a Manufactured Teen Idol. The film is about The Monkees trying to obtain freedom from the capitalist commercial systems they are imprisoned in. They are nothing more than slaves to the corporations, meant to sell products and ideas to teenagers. They feel like they are False Gods and Puppets, distracting them from reality and giving teens a false sense of self-worth. 

It has been nearly 60 years since The Monkees, and things have only gotten worse, with manufactured pop bands and "Disney/Nickelodeon Kids" and social media influencers. One only wonders if the members of BTS, JoJo Siwa, or Ryan Kaji feel the same as Peter, Davey, Mickey, and Michael did decades ago.