Keith Moon played a crucial role in the Who’s early success. But as much as he’d receive
acclaim for his distinctive drumming, he’d also gain notoriety for his self-destructive behavior.
Nicknamed Moon the Loon he would die in 1978 at the young age of 32 as a direct result of such
behavior, right as the band were celebrating the release of their seminal eighth album,
Who Are You. Today, we’ll explore the life and death of Keith Moon, the Who’s best-known drummer.
Keith Moon was born in 1946 in London, England, and raised in Wembley. Moon was thought to have
a restless imagination as a child, and took a strong liking to British radio comedy,
while music resonated with him just the same. Moon grew up in a post-World War 2 environment,
and like many children at the time, he was oblivious to the anxieties that remained
prevalent. On an episode of the docuseries Living Famously, music journalist Tony Fletcher would
surmise how Moon, as well as other children, processed the world around them, saying,
“The kids who grew up…don’t have their parents’ experiences of the war. They
don’t understand their longing for this peaceful, quiet life, and to be quite honest, they’re bored;
that’s the bottom line,” adding, “You throw Keith into this, and there really
can’t be any question that he would’ve qualified these days as being hyperactive.”
By 1961, rock music expanded its reach worldwide. Moon who was a teenager at this point,
often performing poorly in school. It was at the age of 14 and went to haro technical college to
become a radio repair man, which allowed him to buy his first radio drum kit..During one of The
Who’s first visits to America, Moon would recall his initial experience with playing
drums before the lessons recalling , “It’s too far back to remember,
but I can talk about when I first got interested in wanting to play an instrument. [It] was the
Beach Boys who really started me playing drums. I hadn’t really thought about playing an instrument
until I heard music that I wanted to play [along to]. I’d have a kit and just play
along with a record in my room, and then I’d join a group and do some stuff with them,” he’d say.
When asked if he’d played along to other records besides the Beach Boys, Moon would respond:
“Yeah, I liked Eddie Cochran and Dionne [Warwick]. There were mainly American groups in those days,
because Britain wasn’t really playing a lot of stuff. There were a few English [acts] then,
but they didn’t impress me; I can’t remember any. It was like that until the Beatles came along,
and then I started to have a serious outlook on playing.”
Moon’s drum tutor would be a man named Carlo Little, who'd have a profound influence Moon’s
playing, as he taught him the unrestrained, hard-hitting style he’d become famous for.
Little would comment on just how intense their lessons would get, even to the point of going
overtime saying “Instead of an hour, or an hour and a half, [they] would be three or four hours.
Sometimes, we’d have the amplifiers going so loud that we started to see the ceiling crack,
and bits of plaster falling off the walls,” After several years playing professionally,
Moon became competent in his musicianship, and by 1964, he’d audition for The Who. Prior to his
joining, he was drumming for another band, The Beachcombers. Meanwhile, The Who were
an up-and-coming R&B cover band consisting of frontman Roger Daltry, guitarist Pete Townshend,
bassist John Entwistle, and an indefinite replacement for previous drummer Doug Sandom,
who was normally the peacekeeper in the band. Townshend discussed in a 1975 interview how
Moon auditioned for the band, and was taken aback by his appearance, saying,
“Keith Moon rolled up one day, ginger all over – ginger shoes, ginger corduroy trousers,
ginger jacket, and his hair died ginger, holding a glass of brown ale – this complete ginger vision.”
“[He’d come] up and say, ‘I can play better than him.’ [He was] this horrible impudent…got
up on the drummer’s drum kit, and practically smashed it to pieces.”
“We thought, ‘This is the man for us,’” he’d say. As mentioned in the 2014 book Rockin’ In Time,
Moon was quoted with explaining the experience in further detail, saying,
“I got behind this other guy's drums and did one song, 'Road Runner.' I had several drinks
to get my courage up, and when I got onstage, I went arrgggGhhhh on the drums, broke the
bass drum pedal and two skins, and got off. I figured that was it. I was scared to death.”
“Afterwards I was sitting at the bar and Pete came over. He said: 'You ... come 'ere.' I said,
mild as you please: 'Yes, yes?' And Roger, who was the spokesman then, said: 'What are you doing next
Monday?' I said: 'Nothing.' I was working during the day, selling plaster. He said, 'You'll have
to give up work ... there's this gig on Monday. If you want to come, we'll pick you up in the van.'
I said, 'Right.' And that was it,” he’d say. The Who’s formative period proved difficult,
as they would frequently change managers. In one particular instance, under Peter Meadeth, they’d
audition for Fontana Records, and briefly change their name to The High Numbers in order to appeal
to a mod audience, but their lone single, “Zoot Suit/I’m The Face'' failed to break the top 50.
Eventually, with new management in filmmakers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, the band significantly
improved their live act. It would end up garnering a lot of attention at London’s Marquee Club by
late 1964, and they were also hoping to sign a recording contract with American producer Shel
Talmy. Guitarist Pete Townshend had been deeply influenced by the Kinks’ song “You Really Got Me,
and to get Talmy’s attention, he’d play him one of his original songs,
“I Can’t Explain ', over the phone. Tamly agreed to meet the band during one of their rehearsals,
and on the strength of the band’s performance of the song, he agreed to signthem to a
contract with Decca Records in America, and their British subsidiary Brunswick.
Following this signing, the band would subsequently change its name back to The
Who before they released “I Can’t Explain” as a single. While the song initially had a slow
start upon its release in February 1965, by April of that year, it had made the top ten
on the UK Singles Charts. After following up with another top ten UK single, “Anyway,
Anyhow, Anywhere,” the band succeeded yet again with what would become one of their most
iconic songs, “My Generation,” which was their highest charting UK single, peaking at number 2.
The album My Generation would follow by late 1965, with half of it featuring originals, while the
latter half had R&B covers, but tensions between the band and Talmy would reach a boiling point,
and due to an ongoing legal dispute, the album wouldn’t see a reissue until as late as 2002.
While The Who may have been free from Talmy's contract, internal tensions were still persistent
in the band. Each of the members gelled closely as friends, but their professional relationship was
difficult to pinpoint. Those tensions would once again come to a head during a stop in Denmark,
which resulted in Daltry dropping Moon’s methamphetamines into a toilet
and proceeding to attack him. By the time The Who returned home, Daltry was briefly fired from
the band. He would be let back in, though, under the condition that the band’s working
relationship would have them contributing equally. In what’s said to be the earliest known live
recording of the song “My Generation” The Who’s hostility only enhanced the performance. A film
of that recording, as archived by YouTube channel ReelinInTheYears66, substantially
highlighted the tension between the band members. As a point of interest, the focus frequently turns
to Keith Moon, who throws his hands up in the air mid-beat and launches back into a rhythm,
one of his signature characteristics. What made Keith Moon’s presence in the
band unique was that he was one of the first drummers to receive as much recognition
as if he were a leading man, something unheard of in rock music at the time.
As the Who achieved fame, and their profile continued to rise exponentially into the 70s,
Keith Moon’s behavior became increasingly destructive. Moon also had gained a reputation for
his eccentric persona others would call “Moon the Loon,” which most often involved destruction of
public property, and he also made no secret of his drug abuse. By the time The Who became successful,
a man named Peter Dougal Butler would act as Moon's assistant and as a watchful eye on the
drummer to keep him out of trouble. Moon had been well into an amphetamine addiction that he began
during The Who’s formative years, which continued to put a strain on the band's relationship. He’d
even tell British music newspaper NME that his and i quote “favorite food was ‘French
Blues,’” the street name for the amphetamine pill called Drinamyl. By 1973, while The Who toured on
their sixth album Quadrophenia, the extent of his abuse had made him a liability. In fact,
their show at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California would go down in infamy.
Under the influence of a mixture of tranquilizers and brandy, Moon would abruptly faint while
playing the song “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” He’d then be taken off stage by a group of roadies,
who brought him back to consciousness after giving him a quick shower and a shot of cortisone.
Following a 30-minute intermission, the roadies wrestled with Moon to get him back on stage, and
it wouldn’t be long before Moon fainted once more after playing “Magic Bus,” and was promptly taken
off stage for the remainder of the show. Guitarist Pete Townshend then asked the crowd, “Can anybody
play the drums? – I mean somebody good?” and a fan in the audience, 19-year-old drummer Scot
Halpin, went on to complete the band’s set. By 1976, Moon’s health had further declined,
and the band were uncertain whether he’d last through the remainder of the tour for their
seventh album, The Who by Numbers. His last public performance with The Who would be at Maple Leaf
Gardens in Toronto, Canada. A year later, Moon became significantly overweight, which further
hampered his ability to play through a private show in London, England’s Golden State Cinema,
which showed a rough cut of their upcoming retrospective documentary, The Kids Are Alright.
Once the band wrapped recording on their eighth and final album with the drummer , Who Are You,
Pete Townshend had warned Moon that there wouldn’t be an accompanying tour unless he’d gotten clean.
For a while, it seemed like his circumstances would improve, as Moon sought to quell his
alcoholism and his drugs.. On September 6th, 1978, Moon and his then-girlfriend, Annette Walter-Lax,
were invited by Paul and Linda McCartney to a preview of the biopic The Buddy Holly Story,
in celebration of Buddy Holly’s birthday. Moon was working actively to curb his alcohol withdrawals,
and was prescribed a powerful sedative by a local physician, who wasn’t fully informed of Moon’s
persistent health issues, had prescribed him 100 pills, and would advise him to take a single pill
in each event that a craving occurred, no more than three a day.It was reported initially that
Moon didn't want to attend the party but after his girlfriend said she was going he changed his mind.
But, In order to get throug the night he would call his dealer to get him drugs.
Led Zeppelin's manager Richard Cole who also attended the prmiere remembered talking to
Moon telling Loudersound he said i feel great I've given up everything, except women. I'm gonna get
married again. Moon and his girlfriend would only make it through an hour of the film before leaving
and Anette would recall he was so restless. He said Idon't want to sit through this
lets go. Back at the couple's flat him and Annette ate some food and went to bed & watched
the horror film The Abominable Doctor Phibes. Annette would recall to Moon’s biographer Tony
Fletcher that the drummer fell asleep around 4 in the morning by and i quote “taking his
usual glass of water and bucket of pills” Moon who always seemed to push the limits
was exceeding the recommended dosage of the sedative that was prescribed.
Annette would claim the drummer woke up around 7:30 complaining about being hungry. The two
would argue for a bit, but Annette would make him some more food. After eating Annette recalled Moon
taking more of the sedative and falling asleep again. Due to the noise of his snoring Annette
would retreat to the couch in the living room and fell asleep until 3:40pm in the afternoon.. After
Annette woke up she went into the bedroom to find Moon lying on his stomach and she couldn’t hear
him breathing. She would recall to Loudersound “I couldn’t hear him breathing. Right there and then
I knew something was wrong. I went into a panic.” She would call the doctor who prescribed the
sedative who called an ambulance but it was too late. The cause of death was ruled an overdose and
an autopsy revealed that there were 26 undissolved tablets of that sedative in his system.
The Who’s manager would inform the band about the news. Bassist John Entwistle would be
especially devastated upon receiving a call about Moon’s death, bursting into
tears during an interview when asked about The Who’s goals for the future. The following day,
Townshend issued this statement, as mentioned in the book Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere saying
"We are more determined than ever to carry on, and we want the spirit of the group to which
Keith contributed so much to go on, although no human being can ever take his place,” he’d say.
Moon’s first successor would be a close friend of The Who, Kenney Jones, who would be in the band
until 1983, when they called it quits for the time being. The band’s current drummer is Zakk Starkey,
son of Ringo Starr, has remained in the band since 1996, while Roger Daltry and Pete
Townshend are the band’s lone original members. Bassist John Entwistle would pass away in 2002.
In 2009 and 2012, Moon had two plaques made in his honor – one at the Golders Green Crematorium,
and another at the site of the former Marquee Club. In 2016, Pete Townshend would authorize
a book on Keith Moon by Ian Snowball titled A Tribute to Keith Moon (There Is No Substitute).
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