Sandom had generally been the peacemaker as Daltrey and Townshend feuded between themselves, but because of Moon's temperament the group now had four members frequently in conflict. "[158] The New Book of Rock Lists ranked Moon No. May 25, 2021, 3:00 pm Featured Specials and Programs. The kit was eventually fitted with copper fittings[58] and later given to a young Zak Starkey. The drummer explained that since a cherry bomb was about to explode, he had thrown it down the toilet and showed Townshend the case of cherry bombs. He provided humorous commentary during song announcements, although sound engineer Bob Pridden preferred to mute his vocal microphone on the mixing desk whenever possible. The band continued without him for several songs before Townshend asked, "Can anyone play the drums? After playing with a local band, the Beachcombers, he joined the Who in 1964 before they recorded their first single. [98] Entwistle later said, "He decided that if it was a publicised fact that it was his 21st birthday, he would be able to drink. The following year he released his only solo album, entitled Two Sides of the Moon. Keith Moon with the Who in 1970 - 74 was just a force of nature, and one I'm glad to have witnessed up close 3 times. The last album that Moon recorded with The Who was Who Are You, but his worsening health slowed the process; he would often arrive to practice barely able to hold onto his drumsticks. (Moon was close with all the Beatles, especially John Lennon and Ringo Starr.) He was posthumously inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1982, becoming the second rock drummer to be chosen, and in 2011, Moon was voted the second-greatest drummer in history by a Rolling Stone readers' poll. Rocks greatest drummer was just 32 years old when he died. Keith John Moon was born to working class parents in Wembley, London, England, on the 23rd August, 1946. 2 in their list of the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time, behind John Bonham. He is probably now best known for his big hit, 'Yesterday Man'. [132] Marsh believes that Moon never truly recovered from the loss of his family. Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas had died there four years earlier, at the age of 32;[147][148] Nilsson was concerned about letting the flat to Moon, believing it was cursed. The Beachcombers continued as a local cover band after his departure. He remembers managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp saying, "We trust you with Keith but if you ever want any time off, for a holiday or some sort of rest, let us know and we'll pay for it." In the wake of Keith Moon's death, The Who continued to tour although Pete Townshend has admitted that this professional push was "completely irrational . "[128] He loved Amanda, but his absences due to touring and fondness for practical jokes made their relationship uneasy when she was very young. . Today. "[77] His performance was not appreciated by animal lovers, several of whom called the station with complaints. Floor count. Moon, on the other hand, is tucked away behind the drum set just outside the focus of Steins camerawork. "We used to fight regularly", remembered Moon in later years. By 1966, The Who had become bona fide pop stars. And Im gonna get married again.. Close. Moon is recording skits to play between songs while filling in for disc jockey John . In addition to his talent as a drummer, Moon developed a reputation for smashing his kit on stage and destroying hotel rooms on tour. [143], On 4 January 1970 Moon accidentally killed his friend, driver and bodyguard, Neil Boland, outside the Red Lion pub in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Actor: Tommy. NB Down: II. Keith Moon is one of the most outrageous rock'n'roll performers in the world. Keith Moon: Classic Images of the Iconic Drummer . During the finale of "My Generation", an altercation broke out on stage between Moon and Townshend which was reported on the front page of the New Musical Express the following week. [100] "All that porcelain flying through the air was quite unforgettable," Moon remembered. [13] Moon also admired Elvis Presley's original drummer DJ Fontana, the Shadows' original drummer Tony Meehan[14] and the Pretty Things' Viv Prince. The official cause of death was listed on the certificate as Clomethiazole (Heminevrin) overdose, self-administered but no evidence of intention. Townshend disagreed, assuring him that "lightning wouldn't strike the same place twice". With a focus on news, media, and humor, we are a RARE voice in todays media landscape. His 21st birthday party in Flint, Michigan, has been cited as a notorious example of decadent behaviour by rock groups. "[152], On 6 September, Moon and Walter-Lax were guests of Paul and Linda McCartney at a preview of a film, The Buddy Holly Story. Back at the hotel a mle erupted; fire extinguishers were set off, guests (and objects) thrown into the swimming pool and a piano reportedly destroyed. In response the drummer asked him up to his room, excused himself to go to the bathroom, put a lit stick of dynamite in the toilet and shut the bathroom door. [66] During the finale of "My Generation", he set off the charge. "[183], In 2008, English Heritage declined an application for Moon to be awarded a blue plaque. [61] Townshend later said, "A set of skins is about $300 [then 96] and after every show he'd just go bang, bang, bang and then kick the whole thing over. Moon joined The Who when he was only 17 years old. He didn't do anything to talk of. After an investigation, the coroner ruled Boland's death an accident; Moon, having been charged with a number of offences, received an absolute discharge. Blues singer Bessie Smith died saying, "I'm going . Right there and then I knew something was wrong. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. The Moon indeed. Talking to Moons biographer Tony Fletcher, Annette remembered Keith taking his usual glass of water and bucket of pills before falling asleep around 4:am. When The Who featured as guests on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in September 1967, the band was asked by the hosts in advance to destroy their instruments. Moon, in the words of Fletcher, had a "lack of control and timing," but Moon enjoyed playing. [88] "[We] went through the same stages everybody goes through the bloody drug corridor", he later reflected. [32] "He wouldn't play across his kit", he later added. September 6, 1978. Moon attended Alperton Secondary Modern School after failing his eleven plus exam, which precluded his attending a grammar school. Of the Whos most famous works, My Generation, Live at Leeds, Whos Next, Tommy, Quadrophenia, and Who Are You, all were reordered prior to 1978 and include Moon. There was rumour that Keith was self-taught,. New Musical Express's Roy Carr wrote, "Moonie, if you didn't have talent, I wouldn't care; but you have, which is why I'm not about to accept Two Sides of the Moon. Gustav Mahler. His first was in 1971, a cameo in Frank Zappa's 200 Motels as a nun afraid of dying from a drug overdose. [69], The Beatles became friends with Moon, and this led to occasional collaborations. [60] Subsequent live sets culminated in what the band later described as "auto-destructive art", in which band members (particularly Moon and Townshend) elaborately destroyed their equipment. Jul 9, 2019 - Knowing the last words that someone spoke can sometimes throw light on their character or on the circumstances in which they died. Fletcher considers the drumming on this album to be the best of Moon's career. The life and times of Keith Moon, the imperious drummer in The Who, is one marred in tragic lows and buoyed by ecstatic highs. At the end of the 1976 US tour in Miami that August, Moon became delirious was treated in Hollywood Memorial Hospital for eight days. Watch. Heminevrin quelled the craving for alcohol, but sometimes left users in a docile and forgetful state. [117], Because the Who's early stage act relied on smashing instruments, and owing to Moon's enthusiasm for damaging hotels, the group were in debt for much of the 1960s; Entwistle estimated they lost about 150,000. After the pair socialised for a few days, Moon and Entwistle brought Johnston to the set of Ready Steady Go!,[63] which made them late for a show with the Who that evening. In 1972 the performance was released as a companion disc to Lennon and Ono's album Some Time in New York City. Or why not treat yourself? Edgy! These were his last words. I'd several drinks to get me courage up and when I got onstage I went arrgggGhhhh on the drums, broke the bass drum pedal and two skins, and got off. [54], By 1970 Moon had begun to use timbales, gongs and timpani, and these were included in his setup for the rest of his career. A drummer in the audience, Scot Halpin, came up and played the rest of the show. He was, they insist, trying to get better. He was posthumously inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1982, becoming only the second rock . "[143] Townshend agreed, saying that by 1975 Butler had "no influence over him whatsoever. They remembered his dream of getting out of music and becoming a Hollywood film actor,[16][bettersourceneeded] although Daltrey did not think Moon had the patience and work ethic required of a professional actor. Moon died shortly after the release of Who Are You. "[26] Moon later claimed that he was never formally invited to join the Who permanently; when Ringo Starr asked how he had joined the band, he said he had "just been filling in for the last fifteen years. [107] During the band's recording sabbatical between 1976 and 1978, Moon gained a considerable amount of weight. [177][178] Jazz drummer Elvin Jones praised Moon's work during "Underture", as integral to the song's effect. Annette Walter-Lax says the Who drummers last words were If you dont like it, you can f*** off! After Annette left the flat, Moon took a deadly amount of Heminevrin: 32 pills. Throughout Moon's tenure with the Who, his drum kit steadily grew in size, and (along with Ginger Baker) he has been credited as one of the earliest rock drummers to regularly employ double bass drums in his setup. The WhoMaple Leaf GardensToronto, Ontario, CanadaOctober 21, 1976Audience Recording by JEMS01. I said, mild as you please: 'Yes, yes?' Someone somewhere will say, 'Remember Keith Moon?' [105] However, Roger Daltrey, in an interview on BBC's Top Gear, stated that the group was banned from 'an entire state's worth of Holiday Inns', presumably then Michigan. [12] Moon's early style was influenced by jazz, American surf music and rhythm and blues, exemplified by noted Los Angeles studio drummer Hal Blaine. As the genius drummer for The Who, wild-man Moon is a non-. And it was this version of Keith Moon that led to his untimely death on September 7 1978. Q Magazine called the book "horrific and terrific reading", and Record Collector said it was "one of rock's great biographies. [20] During his time in the group Moon incorporated theatrical tricks into his act, including "shooting" the group's lead singer with a starter pistol. It's too good for words. When asked by an audience member what would happen to the kit, he joked that "even the best drummers get hungry. 1. [96] David Puttnam recalled, "The drinking went from being a joke to being a problem. By Ken Sharp. [141] Although Reed matched Moon drink for drink, he appeared on set the next morning ready to perform; Moon, on the other hand, would cost several hours of filming time. Always unpredictable, the mercurial drummer performed one of his last-ever shows amid unfamiliar surroundings, given that he was on stage with the mighty Led Zeppelin in 1977. But Annette hadnt realised quite how many pills he was taking. The Who frontman Roger Daltrey said of Moon (via GQ), "Keith lived his entire life as a fantasy.He was the funniest man I've ever known, but he was also the saddest." Indeed, for (at least) his whole adult life, it seemed like Moon was trying to hide his real self, doing all . A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. Townshend later said that Jones "was one of the few British drummers who could fill Keith's shoes";[159] Daltrey was less enthusiastic, saying that Jones "wasn't the right style". Keith Moon, The Whos hard-partying drummer, was famous for degenerate behavior that still defines the rock star image like blowing up hotel room toilets with cherry bombs. "The general perception of Keith Moon as a drummer is that he was . He left school by 15 and was in his first band, The Beachcombers; this was around the summer of 1963. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of Earth. Longtime friend and personal assistant Butler observed, "He was trying to make people laugh and be Mr Funny, he wanted people to love him and enjoy him, but he would go so far. When he briefly considered leaving the Who in 1966, he spoke with Entwistle and Page about forming a supergroup. "[110] Doctors told Curbishley that if he had not intervened, Moon would have bled to death. His favourite musicians were jazz artists, particularly Gene Krupa (whose flamboyant style he subsequently copied). Because I want to break your fucking jaw You have fucked this band around so many times and I'm not having it any more. 4: 'Who Are You' (live at Ramport Studios in Battersea, 1978) Filmed at The Who's Ramport Studios in Battersea, south London, Moon's performance, with his headphones gaffer-taped to his . "[180], "God bless his beautiful heart" Ozzy Osbourne told Sounds a month after the drummer's death. [6] His art teacher said in a report: "Retarded artistically. He was credited on the album as "You Know Who". [86] He spent his share of the band's income quickly, and was a regular at London clubs such as the Speakeasy (where manager Roy Flynn recalls having to throw him out on three occasions[87]) and The Bag O'Nails; the combination of pills and alcohol escalated into alcoholism and drug addiction later in his life. Although it featured Moon on vocals, he played drums on only three tracks; most of the drumming was left to others (including Ringo Starr, session musicians Curly Smith and Jim Keltner, and actor-musician Miguel Ferrer).