He was noted for his unique style and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour. His drumming continues to be praised by critics and musicians. He was posthumously inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in , becoming only the second rock drummer to be chosen, and in , Moon was voted the second-greatest drummer in history by a Rolling Stone readers' poll. Moon grew up in Alperton, a suburb of Wembley, in Middlesex, and took up the drums during the early s.
What Happened Today In Music:
23rd August 1946 – 7th September 1978
He was noted for his unique style and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour. Moon grew up in Alperton , a suburb of Wembley , in Middlesex , and took up the drums during the early s. After playing with a local band, the Beachcombers, he joined the Who in before they recorded their first single. He remained with the band during their rise to fame, and was quickly recognised for his drumming style, which emphasised tom-toms , cymbal crashes, and drum fills. 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. Moon occasionally collaborated with other musicians and later appeared in films, but considered playing in the Who his primary occupation, and remained a member of the band until his death. In addition to his talent as a drummer, however, Moon developed a reputation for smashing his kit on stage and destroying hotel rooms on tour. He was fascinated by blowing up toilets with cherry bombs or dynamite , and by destroying television sets. Moon enjoyed touring and socialising, and became bored and restless when the Who were inactive. His 21st birthday party in Flint, Michigan , has been cited as a notorious example of decadent behaviour by rock groups.
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The man they called "Moon the Loon," who died in from a Heminevrin overdose at the age of 32, played practical jokes the same way he played the drums — with manic intensity, flamboyant flourishes and zero concern for potential collateral damage. While Moon's reputation for destroying hotel rooms was certainly well earned, he was also fond of pranks that required considerable planning, forethought and creativity. Here, then, are 10 memorable Keith Moon pranks that went well beyond the usual "TV into the swimming pool" brand of rock star barbarism. The Who's powerful early live shows were generally climaxed with Pete Townshend smashing his guitars, Moon upending his drum kit and plenty of smoke bombs going off. While the band's performance of "My Generation" was mostly mimed, the smash-up finale was unforgettably real, thanks to Moon loading his drums with considerably more flash powder than he'd ever used before. The resulting explosion nearly blew the Who themselves off the stage, briefly blinded the TV cameras, and caused actress Bette Davis — who was booked as a guest on the same program — to faint dead away in the wings. The Who pose for a group portrait in mid During the Who's U. Though Herd guitarist Peter Frampton somehow managed to avoid becoming a target of Moon's japery, keyboardist Andy Bown once found his instrument wired with firecrackers, which Moon detonated electronically from backstage during the band's set.
As Roger Daltrey prepares to publish his long-awaited autobiography and release his compelling new solo album, The Who's singer - probably the most garlanded and most singular frontman in the annals of rock - opens up about how his recent brush with death altered his attitude towards mortality. All this in a year that sees the 40th anniversary of the band's last great studio album, Who Are You, and the 40th anniversary of the death of one of the 20th century's most notorious wild men, the thought-to-be indestructible Keith Moon. By Keith Moon was already a legend in his own Bacardi and Coke. Not just the one, mind. His antics were considered so outrageous that he made Keith Richards , Jim Morrison and Ozzy Osbourne all seem like mischievous altar boys. This was then followed by Moon — looking like a demonic Wotan, with a demented glint in his eyes — upending his drum kit and letting off various smoke bombs. When the band made its US television debut on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in , Moon loaded his bass drum with rather more flash powder than usual; the resulting explosion blew the band off the stage, blinded the TV cameras and — legend has it — caused their fellow guest, the actress Bette Davis, to faint. A few months later, on tour in the UK with pop band The Herd, he put firecrackers in their piano and rigged up a wire-and-pulley system to the gong used by their drummer, so every time he attempted to bang the gong it would slightly move just out of his reach.
