He was never likely to make old bones, but if rock stars live dog years, then the 14 in which Keith Moon was in all of our lives are like another persons lifetime. Keith John Moon (23 August 1946 - 7 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. His music teacher wrote that Moon "has great ability, but must guard against a tendency to show off. "He had no idea how to be a father", Kim said. I'd say Phil Collins was equally. During the concert, Moon passed out on his drum kit during "Won't Get Fooled Again". [108] Moon passed out again during "Magic Bus", and was again removed from the stage. His exaggerated cockney accent brings some comedy to the proceedings. "[144] Although he was a loyal companion to Moon, the lifestyle eventually became too much for him; he phoned Curbishley, saying that they needed to move back to England or one of them might die. "[142], Peter "Dougal" Butler began working for the Who in 1967, becoming Moon's personal assistant the following year[143] to help him stay out of trouble. He also claimed that, while he had not personally seen a car in a swimming pool, he had seen a bill for damages and removal. Keith Moon is often considered one of the best drummers of all time if not the best drummer of all time and its easy to see why. Music has always been part of my life, helped me through tough moments and was with me to celebrate the good ones. Ginger Baker performs in New York City. [137] Moon later became friends with Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band members Vivian Stanshall and "Legs" Larry Smith, and the trio would drink and play practical jokes together. For all of the TV sets out of windows, the blowing up of the Smothers Brothers set on television and riding the hovercraft on the lawn (as his daughter describes to us here), its reassuring to remember that, above all else, Keith Moon just wanted to play drums for The Who. "[134] Moon would harass them with phone calls, and on one occasion before Kim sued for divorce, he invited McLagan for a drink at a Richmond pub and sent several "heavies" to break into McLagan's home on Fife Road and look for Kim, forcing her to hide in a walk-in closet. He was one of a kind. He wanted to get sober, but because of his fear of psychiatric hospitals, he wanted to do it at home. Required fields are marked *. [143], On 4 January 1970 Moon accidentally killed his friend, driver and bodyguard, Neil Boland, outside the Red Lion pub in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. [29] Moon's recklessness with money reduced his profit from the group's 1975 UK tour to 47.35 (equivalent to 423 in 2021). But I can imagine he must have taken the piss out of me something terrible! I've said this before, but Keith Moon is the reason I'm playing drums today. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. For The Who, Keith Moon was the best drummer, but he never was heard to play in any other band or genre of music, so who knows whether he was technically versatile. Moon suffered a number of setbacks during the 1970s, most notably the accidental death of chauffeur Neil Boland and the breakdown of his marriage. He began to endorse Premier Drums in late 1965 and remained a loyal customer of the company. "; "[128] He loved Amanda, but his absences due to touring and fondness for practical jokes made their relationship uneasy when she was very young. "[7], Moon joined his local Sea Cadet Corps band at the age of twelve on the bugle, but found the instrument too difficult to learn and decided to take up drums instead. He was discovered by manager Bill Curbishley, who took him to a hospital, telling him "I'm gonna get the doctor to get you nice and fit, so you're back within two days. I dont want to channel all my energy into drumming, or to be a Buddy Rich. oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['position'] = 'bottom-right'; Rainbow. For all of the sense of a life cut short, he did that as no one else ever could. The ensuing years saw the erstwhile-exuberant drummer spiral deeply into alcoholism and addiction a condition that he would not survive. 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. Moon grew up in Wembley and took up the drums during the early 1960s. As always, Moons electric performance gives the song tons of extra life. 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. [177][178] Jazz drummer Elvin Jones praised Moon's work during "Underture", as integral to the song's effect. There are other times when the legend is the truth, but obscures another story and Keith Moon belongs in that category. if (document.readyState === 'complete') { [118] Even when the group became relatively financially stable after Tommy, Moon continued to rack up debts. Many, if not most, of the things youve heard about The Who drummers eccentricity (other descriptions are available) are probably accurate but they sometimes get in the way of the overriding musical truth about the man: that he was a drummer like no other. [114] After recording Who Are You, Townshend refused to follow the album with a tour unless Moon stopped drinking,[115] and said that if Moon's playing did not improve he would be fired. Always a sign. [98] Townshend remembers walking into the bathroom of Moon's hotel room and noticing the toilet had disappeared, with only the S-bend remaining. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Keith Moon, there was a character. 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. Moon did not play drums on the album; Jerry Shirley did, with Moon providing percussion. [132] Marsh believes that Moon never truly recovered from the loss of his family. Listen closely, most of the time his fills mirrored the melody and the guitar riffs of the song. "[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. He proved that there was another way of doing things, Moon was unconventional on-stage and even more atypical once he stepped foot off it. oneSignal_elements[i].addEventListener('click', oneSignalLinkClickHandler, false); The Stones is that. During the 1973 Quadrophenia tour, at the Who's debut US date at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, Moon ingested a mixture of tranquillisers and brandy. Pete Townshend and Keith they were fantastically mad, the pair of them, onstage. The mind boggles.. Entwistle once remarked that Moon played not from side to side, but forwards. [2], Moon's first serious relationship was with Kim Kerrigan, whom he started dating in January 1965 after she saw the Who play at Le Disque a Go! Jack McCullogh, then working for Track Records (the Who's label), recalls Moon ordering him to purchase a milk float to store in the garage at Tara. Keith John Moon was born to Alfred Charles (Alf) and Kathleen Winifred (Kit) Moon[2][5] on 23 August 1946 at Central Middlesex Hospital in northwest London; he grew up in Wembley. I dont really have a favourite drummer. No other rock drummer has ever treated their kit as a lead instrument, and from 1965 the media were saying that The Who slaughtered their amplifiers. But that never meant that Moon bludgeoned or bashed his way to the front of the mix, either on stage or on record. var oneSignal_elements = document.getElementsByClassName("OneSignal-prompt"); Moons drumming had already proven essential before Happy Jack, but this was the moment we learned he could be the main force behind a track. Your email address will not be published. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. When it comes to the excess and antics of rock 'n' roll, Keith Moon didn't just partake, he wrote the playbook. [164] Since 1996, the Who's drummer has been Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey, who had been given a drum kit by Moon (whom he called "Uncle Keith"). Keith Moon describes himself as the "greatest Keith Moon-Type Drummer in the world." This is one drummer who was very careful about his rock drumming technique. "I loved Keith Moon. Hes notKeith Moon. "[168], Moon's drumming has been praised by critics. Not constrained by rigorous pattern or timing, Moon always let the music run through him and expressed himself as succinctly as he could. [82] Moon's last film appearance was in 1978's Sextette.[83]. Moon was recognised for his drumming style, which emphasised tom-toms, cymbal crashes, and drum fills. [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. [35], Unlike contemporary rock drummers such as Ginger Baker and John Bonham, Moon hated drum solos and refused to play them in concert. By the time of their final tour with him in 1976, and particularly during production of The Kids Are Alright and Who Are You, the drummer's deterioration was evident. I said, mild as you please: 'Yes, yes?' [12] His early style was influenced by jazz, American surf music and rhythm and blues, exemplified by noted Los Angeles studio drummer Hal Blaine. }); The late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts was a unique figure in Rock and Roll music due to his incredible technique when playing the drums and also for his quiet personality, much different from other Rock stars. "[169] Holly George-Warren, editor and author of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The First 25 Years, said: "With the death of Keith Moon in 1978, rock arguably lost its single greatest drummer. [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. [134] She died in a car accident in Austin, Texas, on 2 August 2006. He provided humorous commentary during song announcements, although sound engineer Bob Pridden preferred to mute his vocal microphone on the mixing desk whenever possible. If you remove Keith Moon from the Who equation, it's not the Who. Stayed for about 10 minutes and left just as quick. After college I did a postgraduate degree in digital communication. 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. When the audience demanded he do it again, Moon kicked over his drum kit. Lets see, the drummers I respect are Eric Delaney and Bob Henrit [from Argent] and I got a huge list, really, and all for different reasons. He then jumped back into the limo, saying "I nearly forgot. Six were digested, sufficient to cause his death; the other 26 were undigested when he died. My interest is into filming and videoing.. He watched a film (The Abominable Dr. Phibes), and asked Walter-Lax to cook him steak and eggs. "[99], Moon moved from cherry bombs to M-80 fireworks to sticks of dynamite, which became his explosive of choice. He said: 'You'll have to give up work there's this gig on Monday. In addition to his talent as a drummer, Moon developed a reputation for smashing his kit on stage and destroying hotel rooms on tour. documentInitOneSignal(); [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. "[158][149] In November 1978, Faces drummer Kenney Jones joined the Who. [111] Marsh suggested that at this point Daltrey and Entwistle seriously considered firing Moon, but decided that doing so would make his life worse. oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['theme'] = 'default'; Few drummers have been better at creating moments of tension and suspense than Keith Moon. Theyve got one now Ringo Starrs son Zak. Moon moved back to London in 1978, dying that September from an overdose of Heminevrin, a drug intended to treat or prevent symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Although it only took 13 days to film, fellow cast member Howard Kaylan remembers Moon spending off-camera time at the Kensington Garden Hotel bar instead of sleeping. Nah. oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['enable'] = true; oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['text']['tip.state.subscribed'] = 'Hell yeah! [42] The drummer's interest in surf music and his desire to sing led to his performing lead vocals on several early tracks, including "Bucket T" and "Barbara Ann" (Ready Steady Who EP, 1966)[43] and high backing vocals on other songs, such as "Pictures of Lily". Due to his pioneering playing style, Moon didnt spend his childhood daydreaming emulating his drumming icons and most drummers he felt indifference towards. Moony could do light and shade just as easily as he could be the most exhilarating powerhouse any band ever had. Its still impossible to think that Moony was just 32 years old. [66] During the finale of "My Generation", he set off the charge. Theres only one of him. Keith Moon From Wikipedia Commons. In 1966 he worked with Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck, pianist Nicky Hopkins and future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones on the instrumental "Beck's Bolero", which was the B-side to "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and appeared on the album Truth. All MY Stuff:Lets's Go Explore: https://www.facebook.com/sandraexplore/A Guitar Story: https://www.facebook.com/aguitarstory/Serial Killers Special: http. We'd go home and he'd start a fight with me. He knew no boundaries.. When Walter-Lax checked on him the following afternoon, she discovered he was dead. [100] "All that porcelain flying through the air was quite unforgettable," Moon remembered. 2 in their list of the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time, behind John Bonham. Staying dead disgracefully, more likely. October 19, 1978. On the album cover, he is straddling a chair to hide his weight gain; the words "Not to be taken away" are on the back of the chair. When I was about eleven or twelve, my favourite part of drum lessons was the last ten minutes, when I'd get to sit at the drumset and play along to my favourite record. It detracts from the group identity.. [58], While Moon generally said he was only interested in working with the Who,[31] he participated in outside musical projects. [90] In addition to hotel rooms, Moon destroyed friends' homes and even his own, including throwing furniture from upper-storey windows. Keith Moon drumming style analysis Rhythm Magazine 48.4K subscribers 1.3K 305K views 8 years ago In the latest issue of Rhythm magazine - on sale officially in print and digital formats on. keith moon. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({ "[25] Daltrey said that Moon "just instinctively put drum fills in places that other people would never have thought of putting them. Moon's drumming style affected the band's musical structure; although Entwistle initially found Moon's lack of conventional timekeeping problematic, it created an original sound. [138] In the early 1970s Moon helped Stanshall with his "Radio Flashes" radio show for BBC Radio 1, filling in for the vacationing John Peel. Tier list of the most challenging The Who songs for drums featuring the drumming of legendary drummer Keith Moon.0:00 video men0:28 tier list start2:45 firs. Talk about being ahead of his time, thats what most drummers are doing today in concert!. [58] At one point, Moon asked Premier to make a white kit with gold-plated fittings. The quote conveys the sheer individualism of the. He remains a character that rock music greatly misses, even decades on after his tragic passing aged just 32 in 1978. A furious Holiday Inn management presented the groups with a bill for $24,000, which was reportedly settled by Herman's Hermits tour manager Edd McCann. "[182], In 1998 Tony Fletcher published a biography of Moon, Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon, in the United Kingdom. I remember one time, we were both in Melbourne, Australia. By Dave Marsh. [96] David Puttnam recalled, "The drinking went from being a joke to being a problem. "[33] Contemporary critics questioned his ability to keep time, with biographer Tony Fletcher suggesting that the timing on Tommy was "all over the place." [126] Moon was occasionally violent towards Kim:[127] "if we went out after I had Mandy", she later said, "if someone talked to me, he'd lose it. He was a drummer who always strived to make his performance exceptional. Keith Moon, Melody Maker, September 1970[31], Moon's style of drumming was considered unique by his bandmates, although they sometimes found his unconventional playing frustrating; Entwistle noted that he tended to play faster or slower according to his mood. OneSignal.showSlidedownPrompt(); }); document.documentElement.classList.add( [149], After moving in, Moon began a prescribed course of Heminevrin (clomethiazole, a sedative) to alleviate his alcohol withdrawal symptoms. In an interview with Classic Rock magazine back in 2012 Charlie was asked if he could imagine the Rolling Stones continuing after him. There simply was no one like Keith, and that holds true to this day. Describing Joe Morello as being perfect from a technical standpoint, is about as high praise as you could get from Moon. [135], In 1975 Moon began a relationship with Swedish model Annette Walter-Lax, who later said that Moon was "so sweet when he was sober, that I was just living with him in the hope that he would kick all this craziness. 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. gtag('config', 'UA-89640928-1'); "[158] The New Book of Rock Lists ranked Moon No. Townshend later revealed that A-list jazz drummers such as Buddy Rich and Tony Williams were also fans. "It's just that his algorithms [he laughed as he said the word]. K eith Moon was not the first rock & roll drummer to be celebrated by large numbers of people: thanks to his personality and his doleful eyes, Ringo Starr took that prize. He was posthumously inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1982, becoming the second rock drummer to be chosen, and in 2011 he was voted the second-greatest drummer in history by a Rolling Stone readers' poll. Smith remembers one occasion where he and Moon tore apart a pair of trousers, with an accomplice later looking for one-legged trousers. Clover, drummer for the fictional Stormy Tempest (played by Billy Fury) at a holiday camp during the early days of British rock 'n' roll, in 1973's That'll Be the Day. I said: 'Nothing.' Theyve had some fine drummers. There are many sides to Keith Moons strange personality, wrote Rave magazine in 1966. September 7, 2020. "I never realised dynamite was so powerful. Keith was innovative, always playing the unexpected, wrote Blondies Clem Burke in the foreword to 2016s authorized A Tribute To Keith Moon: There Is No Substitute. [165][166] Starkey had previously toured in 1994 with Roger Daltrey. "[76] During one of his few televised solo drum performances (for ABC's Wide World), Moon played a five-minute drum solo dressed as a cat on transparent acrylic drums filled with water and goldfish. "; oneSignal_options['promptOptions']['siteName'] = "www.rockandrollgarage.com"; [52], Moon played a four- and later a five-piece drum kit during his early career. [112], Entwistle has said that Moon and the Who reached their live peak in 197576. I think the word I would use to describe Keiths drumming is free rather than anarchic, wrote Townshend in the introduction to There Is No Substitute. Rolling Stone tried to get to grips with exactly the man behind all these rock n roll clichd adventures is in 1971 but they were faced with Moon being in another one of his playful rather than reflective moods. "[75] Dave Marsh, reviewing the album in Rolling Stone, wrote: "There isn't any legitimate reason for this album's existence. "A lot of guys, . "He'd play zig-zag. [80] He reprised the role for the film's 1974 sequel, Stardust,[81] in Jim MacLaine's (David Essex) backing band the Stray Cats and played Uncle Ernie in Ken Russell's 1975 film adaptation of Tommy. He also disputed a widely held belief that Moon drove a Lincoln Continental into the hotel's swimming pool, as claimed by the drummer in a 1972 Rolling Stone interview. This is especially true during the instrumental break going into the last chorus. Behind all the faade, Keith Moon was an obsessive drummer who adored the instrument and everything that was possible to do with it but he was also a famously hard man to impress so anybody fortunate who he namedropped should have been elated by the news. oneSignal_options['welcomeNotification']['message'] = ""; The UK's Heritage Foundation disagreed with the decision, presenting a plaque which was unveiled on 9 March 2009. window.OneSignal = window.OneSignal || []; In 2016, the same magazine ranked him No. [107] During the band's recording sabbatical between 1976 and 1978, Moon gained a considerable amount of weight. My cousin had a knack for finding out where The Who stayed at many of the concerts we attended. But Moon was the. "[92], In a limousine on the way to the airport, Moon insisted they return to their hotel, saying "I forgot something." Charlie Watts wept at Keith Moons funeral. This is the 'Oo. The drummer knocked out part of his front tooth; at the hospital, doctors could not give him an anaesthetic (due to his inebriation) before removing the remainder of the tooth. One of the secrets to Moon's playing is that he was playing the melody and the guitar parts. [16] Moon idolised the Beach Boys;[17] Roger Daltrey later said that given the opportunity, Moon would have left to play for the California band even at the peak of the Who's fame. I just want to play drums for The Who, and thats it, he told Chris Charlesworth in 1972. It was suggested that Moon's drumming was a manifestation of his personality, not of drum technique. He played with every instrument playing on stage, and he managed to make it work, Daltrey continued. I've got no real aspirations to be a great drummer. As the drummer for The Who, he was an unstoppable. Keith Moon in Atlanta, November 27 1973 . [153], Curbishley phoned the flat at around 5:00p.m. looking for Moon, and Dymond gave him the news. [78] Reed later said that Moon "showed me the way to insanity. Keith John Moon was an English drummer who played with the English rock band the Who. 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. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. I dont have any drumming idols I know a few idle drummers., Moon did make one solo album, 1975s Two Sides Of The Moon, but other ambitions remained unfulfilled. "He was too much of a child himself. Yes. "[101], Once, a hotel manager called Moon in his room and asked him to lower the volume on his cassette recorder because it made "too much noise." His favourite musicians were jazz artists, particularly Gene Krupa (whose flamboyant style he subsequently copied). OneSignal.SERVICE_WORKER_PARAM = { scope: "/" }; [23], A commonly cited story of how Moon joined the Who is that he appeared at a show shortly after Sandom's departure, where a session drummer was used. It was a fast entrance. One of Moons final appearances on camera was in The Whos video for the title hit from his last album with them, Who Are You. Such a lovely man. [167], The London 2012 Summer Olympic Committee contacted Curbishley about Moon performing at the games, 34 years after his death. Keith John Moon (23 August 1946[2] 7 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. google_ad_client: "ca-pub-4153332224989109", oneSignal_options['notifyButton'] = { }; He didn't do anything to talk of. [146], In mid-1978, Moon moved into Flat 12, 9 Curzon Place (later Curzon Square), Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London, renting from Harry Nilsson. "[126], From 1971 to 1975 Moon owned Tara, a home in Chertsey where he initially lived with his wife and daughter. oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['size'] = 'medium'; "[173], Several rock drummers, including Neil Peart[174] have cited Moon as an influence. Curbishley told Townshend, who informed the rest of the band. 'jetpack-lazy-images-js-enabled' Keith Moon is often considered one of the best drummers of all time - if not thebest drummer of all time - and it's easy to see why. I just want to play drums for the Who and that's it. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. [6] His art teacher said in a report: "Retarded artistically. Jones was already a well-established drummer in the British rock scene of the 1970s. After playing with a local band, the Beachcombers, he joined the Who in 1964 before they recorded their first single. Any kind of solo is. Daltrey affectionately put the world to rights about Moons importance to The Who in a conversation with this writer in 2016. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); About Us Contributors Terms of Service Privacy Policy 2023 uDiscover Music, The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (Shepperton Studios / 1978), Justin Hayward To Return As Host Of On The Blue Cruise 2024, Featuring Fellow Classic Rock Greats, Watch New Lyric Video For Dire Straits Brothers In Arms Hit Walk Of Life, Moody Blues Deluxe To Our Childrens Childrens Children Adds Albert Hall Show, Mixed Emotions: The Rolling Stones Set Wheels In Motion Again, All Those Years Ago: George Harrison Recorded Somewhere In England, Psychedelic Blues: When The Blues Turned On And Tuned In, 702, Tame Impala, And Brick & Lace: Currently Trending Songs, Best Iggy Pop Songs: 20 Tracks With An Insatiable Lust For Life, Fancy: Behind Bobbie Gentrys Womens Lib Statement. As McCartney recalled in an interview with Record Collector Magazine back in 1997, Moon even praised his drum skills once. Kenney Jones' Top 10 Keith Moon Drum Tracks. [65] Later that year, during their appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, he bribed a stagehand to load gunpowder into one of his bass drums; the stagehand used about ten times the standard amount. You knew what he meant, but Moon could play with detailed restraint, as on so many Who tracks, such as Im Free; with full theatricality, as on Wont Get Fooled Again; or, often, with a combination of the two on the same track out of his brain, and back in it, on 5:15, for example.