The Cheeky Monkeys of Pop

The original cheeky monkey, or Monkee - rather amazingly Mickey Dolenz was closely associated with some actual monkeys, early in his career, as a character in Circus Boy

A hint of simian is definitely a bonus with this archetype but not essential. 

Ian Brown playing up to it, having fun with it

 

Although as covers go it's oddly grim. 

And then the original spur for this meditation, Lily Allen 

At a low televisual ebb recently so found ourselves watching From Riches to Rags on YouTube -  a 15 -year-old docu-reality thing on Lily Allen and her sister's attempt to start a vintage clothing rental boutique - the concept: haute couture too expensive to buy, but you could grub up enough cash to wear it for one night of feeling like a star. 

Diverting enough stuff, mainly for the cheeky-monkey charm of Lily who really doesn't seem cut out for business. 

Most of the time on camera's Lily's unmade-up and casually dressed - what I find disconcerting are the intermittent glimpses of her onstage or doing some kind of celeb-oriented event, paparazzi clustered around her as she totters on high heels, clad in a couture gown and caked in cosmetics.  

Disconcerting because her true essence seems much more like the Artful Dodger reincarnated. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So who else is there? 

Steve Marriott? 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Some cheeky monkeys of my own