Posts tagged keith moon
THE WHO - A Quick One
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
Fucking Keith Moon! dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang!YOU ARE FORGIVEN
…And now ladies & gentlemen…
I’m out of breath after air-drumming along to the first side of Sell Out.
Either Moon was completely and totally superhuman, or I’m totally out of shape.
I’m thinking it’s a combination of the two.
Moon.
It would have been this guy’s 64th birthday yesterday. I had been trying to write a post about him all day, but couldn’t come up with anything that I felt good about. Here’s another shot.
When I started playing drums, I knew who Keith Moon was. But I didn’t know who Keith Moon was, you know? I had no idea he changed the way the instrument is played. I wasn’t even aware of alcohol, or drugs, so I certainly didn’t know he consumed them at the levels he did. I didn’t know he may or may not have killed someone behind the wheel of his Rolls Royce. I didn’t know he had all sorts of emotional problems.
None of that matters though when you listen to him play. People say John Bonham was the better drummer. They’re full of shit. Bonham hits his drums with hammers, he stomps around the kit. Moon dances. He floats. Granted, sometimes he floats heavily, but the man didn’t just play the drums like the drums, he played them like an real instrument. He soared in and around vocal lines, tore apart guitar riffs, and threw in fills where there shouldn’t have been room, and instead of sounding busy or overly technical he sounded like a real human being, and not some drum machine.
I don’t know what else to say, other than I’m not sure if I’d want to see Keith alive today. I mean, of course I would, who are we trying to fool here, but on the other hand it might be sad. I can’t tell you how many other rock and roll heroes I’ve seen who just don’t have it anymore. I think seeing Moonie up there struggling to keep up would be even worse.
Let’s remember him like this, in 1966, as a 20 year old drummer in a rock and roll band, taking no prisoners.
This picture is from The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus, click to watch Keith Richards introduce The Who and then watch The Who kick everybody’s ass.
I’m gonna go ahead and let you know that you don’t really have a choice here. Click on Keef. If you’ve never seen the Rock And Roll Circus, then it’s high time you rectified that. And there’s no better introduction to the weirdness than The Who’s performance. Roger, John, Pete & Keith put on such a good show that The Stones put the reels on the shelf for about forty years, only letting them see the light of day (in people’s homes) a few years ago. Glad that they’re out now, bummer it took so long. We’re better for it today though.
And if you’ve seen the light already, then have another go. It’s just as killer as you remember.
Personal photos of John Entwistle brought to light by his son Chris: Keith Moon, circa 1970
The photo featured on the film poster and front cover of the soundtrack of The Kids Are Alright was taken by Art Kane at the Carl Schurz Memorial in Morningside Park, New York City on the morning of April 5, 1968.
Kane: “They were great. They made me think of Dickens’ Oliver Twist, Fagin’s gang. Irreverent, lovable. I had the flag made from 2 Union Jacks. I was influenced by a Cartier-Bresson photograph of a vagrant asleep under a statue in Trafalgar Square.”
The Who photo originally appeared as a two-page spread in Life magazine June 28, 1968. Supposedly the four are actually asleep, having been kept up all night after being kicked out of their hotel due to Keith’s activities. (Brian Cady, www.thewho.net)
Neil Peart and John Bonham are great, but I only get to choose one favorite drummer and it’s Keith Moon.
(via juliasegal)
Happy birthday, Keith.
“Baron Von Moon” as he would greet us each day - in his long leather coat, scarf, boots, and with briefcase in hand, but no trousers! Every morning Moon made a point of making sure everyone knew he was awake … John always acknowledged him with “Morning, Baron.”
From Instamatic Karma, May Pang’s book of John Lennon photographs.
I’ve had it for a long time now and it just occurred to me that I should scan this.
Hey, Chris, forget the floral print & purple jeans. I’ve found a new costume for me for Thomas.
GOOD NIGHT CROWDS, GOOD NIGHT DRUM KITS
GOOD NIGHT GUITARS SMASHED ALL TO BITS
