This is how I learned it. It took me over a year. So... you know...

Step one: kick up into brass monkey from the ground.

Step two: kick up from brass monkey from the ground, but slower and really pushing through that bottom arm while feeling for that moment of weightlessness before hooking the inside leg. Work on doing this with more and more control, with more and more push through the bottom arm, and try to move slower through the moment of weightlessness.

Step three: Still from the ground, get up into brass monkey and work on taking your legs off the pole. Squeeze tight with the top arm, push hard through the bottom arm, and engage the crap out of your core.

Step four: brass monkey in the air. This is scary due to the ease with which you can faceplant. You have to really let your upper body drop downward to get your hips up. The placement of your top hand is largely what will prevent you from falling backwards. Push hard through the bottom arm (I didn't at first and pulled a hip flexor. That was fun.) Still hook the inside leg. Just get comfortable doing this off the ground.

Step five: brass monkey in the air, work on taking your legs off the pole. Everything from step three applies.