For Keith

KEITH MOON

on what would have been his 74th birthday!

From 'The Rock 'n' Roll Circus'


Keith sings . . . . . I've said before how spruced I was to hear Keith Speak and how well spoken he was, this reveals it, nice voice too. Not Roger strength or Pete's high harmony but not a bad voice



THIS!
Keith's last time . . . . . . . .

We loved Keith Moon . . . . . . we loved The Who . . . . . but Keith was our special brother, the naughty scallywag, the boozer and when the novelty wore off as it does with all drunks, we mourned his loss

Nuff said . . . . . . one of the finest drummers who ever lived . . . . simple . . . . . we miss him . . . . . wish we could have helped him with his desperate struggle with alcoholism . . . .  celebrate with this very WEIRD clip! check it . . . . . . who are YOU?

Born on this day: August 23, 1946 - Legendary drummer Keith Moon of The Who (born Keith John Moon in Wembley, Middlesex, UK). Happy Birthday to this rock icon on what would have been his 72nd Birthday.

butter wouldn't melt!

On this day in music history: August 24, 1967 - Following a performance by The Who at Atwood Stadium on August 23rd, the band and numerous guests attend a birthday party held for drummer Keith Moon at the Holiday Inn in Flint, MI. The party is put on by the bands record label Decca Records and Premier Drums to celebrate the drummers 21st birthday. The celebration goes on into the early morning hours and degenerates into drunken debauchery and mayhem, with Moon leading the way. Party goers allege that a highly inebriated Moon blows up the toilet in his hotel room with a stick of dynamite, followed by setting off fire extinguishers, then taking the huge birthday cake and starting a massive food fight. The hotel manager call Sheriff’s deputies to have the party shut down. When Moon sees the police, he turns to run away and slips on a piece of cake, breaking one of his two front teeth. Still running from the police, the drummer jumps into the nearest car (allegedly either a Cadillac or Lincoln Continental) and ends up driving the car into the hotel swimming pool. The incident goes down in infamy, becoming a part of Moon’s legend, as well as earning The Who a lifetime ban from the Holiday Inn and a $50,000 bill for damages.

On this day in music history: August 18, 1978 - “Who Are You”, the eighth studio album by The Who is released. Produced by The Who, Jon Astley and Glyn Johns, it is recorded at Rampart Studios in Battersea, London, Olympic Studios, RAK Studios in St. John’s Wood, London, and Pete Townshend’s Home Studio in Going-on-Thames, London from October 1977 - April 1978. Issued three years after their last studio album “The Who By Numbers”, it is the final album to feature original drummer Keith Moon. Hampered by his decade long abuse of drugs and alcohol, Moon’s once rock solid playing suffers as he continues to struggle with his addictions. As a result, Keith’s confidence in his ability to deliver consistently in the studio is shaken, feeling that he is letting his band mates down. Sadly, he dies of an accidental drug overdose just three weeks after its release. Moon’s death is made even more tragic and ironic, when he overdoses on the medication he is prescribed to combat his alcoholism. It spins off two singles including “Trick Of The Light” and the title track (#14 Pop). In 1996, the album is remixed and remastered (by Jon Astley), with the reissue containing five bonus tracks. The title song becomes the theme of long running crime drama television series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” in 2000. Out of print on vinyl since the late 80’s, it is remastered and reissued as a 180 gram LP in 2015. “Who Are You” peaks at number two on the Billboard Top 200, number six on the UK album chart, and is certified 2x Platinum in the US by the RIAA. 

I loved this when it came out and it shocked when first we heard it. The use of the eff word made us giggle and wait to see who spotted it. Then of course it was used in the media censored and emasculated which proved a disappointment that every time I heard since I would mouth the missing word . . . . . . Who the F*** are you?! 
It coincided personally with the time when not only were we on a journey of self exploration to find out exactly who we were but it also served as one of the best put down lines ever committed. Well who ARE you! this also coincided with the scientologists who's greatest degree of ex-communication stated "Find out who you really are' pompous bunch! I had been reading Cyril Vospers' 'The Mind Benders' and he revealed that the state of being a 'non-person' meant anyone from the org (Sea, Land or ethereal!) could take any unspecified measures against you and the definition was revealed in paperwork 'find out who you really are'. So I did find out and it didn't need the indoctrination and emotionless nulification of all sensate feeling to understand that self control was the key! Hah! WHO ARE YOU!?


All saddened by the death of drummer Moon weeks after the singles release who we have discussed earlier in terms of his untimely and cruelly ironic death 

Clown and frantic prankster Moon lived his life in a complete fantasy as Roger has recalled but who's desease of alcohol addiction saw one of the best modern musicians and unique drummers of the era dead long before his time . . . . . . 

a session with Keith was not for the nervous and here with Ronnie 'Plonk' Lane fellow alcoholic Viv Stanshall and journalist Chris Welch at The Crown & Cushion in Chipping Norton, in the Cotswolds that Keith owned (sic!)

rack 'em up Keith . . . . 

Not a care in the world!

Wouldn't put anything passed him!

Again an album purchased when it came out. I couldn't believe the cover, so funny and so naughty! We were shocked and of course absolutely loved it!

This album is is regularly in my top ten albums of all time and is a masterpiece. Did you know Keith Moon produced the violin on 'Baba O'Riley'?

I was talking  elsewhere about Keith and 'The Kids Are Alright' film and the last two recorded 'concerts' [77-78*] which were used for that film and the demise of Keith at the end dead from taking anti-alcohol medication [Heminevrin, a sedative widely used to aid alcohol withdrawal] which he had on prescription to "take one when he felt like a drink and no more than three in any twenty four hours". His system post-mortem was found to contain 32.
Doesn't this constitute suicide? 
Seems so shocking now. A raging alcoholic and some of his best stories are from other people's accounts. Grahame Chapman (Monty Python) told some of the funniest in his autobiography but after a while the drunken antics take over completely and become sad and unfunny and one has to take account and either stop entirely or . . . . . . well, to be blunt, kill yourself. Both did

On this day in music history: August 14, 1971 - “Who’s Next”, the fifth album by The Who is released. Produced by The Who and Glyn Johns, it is recorded at Olympic Studios in London from March - May 1971. The project is initially planned by Pete Townshend as the follow up to the band’s landmark “Tommy” as an even more ambitious rock opera and film titled “Lifehouse”. The overall concept of the piece loses direction during the initial recording, causing friction among the band members and major falling out between Townshend and producer Kit Lambert. Scrapping the initial recordings, The Who start over again with producer Glyn Johns. Townshend takes several of the songs from the abandoned “Lifehouse” project (along with one song written by John Entwistle), shaping them into the final version of the album. The LP’s now iconic cover photo is taken by photographer Ethan Russell (“Get Back/Let It Be”), features a shot of the band on top of a coal slag heap (staged to look as if they had just urinated on a concrete piling) in the mining town of Easington Colliery in Country Durham, UK. The album yields some of The Who’s best known and loved songs including “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Baba O'Riley”, and “Behind Blue Eyes”. In 2003, Universal Music Group releases a 2 CD Deluxe Edition of the album featuring a remastered version of the original album, with the second disc including previously unreleased outtakes recorded during the initial sessions for the the album in March of 1971 at The Record Plant in New York City. As well as becoming rock radio staples and anthems, many songs from “Who’s Next” have been used in other media over the years. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” has appeared in films and television programs, including as the theme for the series “CSI Miami”. “Baba O'Riley” has also been featured in numerous films and TV programs as well, and has served as the intro music for Los Angeles Lakers during home games. “Going Mobile” and “Behind Blue Eyes” have also appeared in commercials for various products. The album is spotlighted in an episode of the series “Classic Albums” in 2006, and is also inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2007. “Who’s Next” hits number one on the UK album chart, peaking at number four on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified 3x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

* 15 December 1977 at the Gaumont Cinema in Kilburn 
   25 May 1978 at London's Shepperton Studios four months later Keith was dead