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. Filmed at their Ramport Studios in Battersea, London, for the movie The Kids Are Alright, its a wonderful last glimpse, capturing his playful spirit and some heart-warming horseplay with Pete, Rog, and John Entwistle, as Moon thunders through his magnificent drum parts with his wayward headphones clamped to his head with duct tape. 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. "[27] Moon also clashed with Daltrey and Townshend: "We really have absolutely nothing in common apart from music", he said in a later interview. var oneSignal_elements = document.getElementsByClassName("OneSignal-prompt"); He said: 'You'll have to give up work there's this gig on Monday. He bought a number of cars and gadgets, and flirted with bankruptcy. [112], Entwistle has said that Moon and the Who reached their live peak in 197576. [51] Moon sat in on congas with East of Eden at London's Lyceum Ballroom, and afterwards suggested to violinist Dave Arbus that he play on the track. [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. In order to play like Keith Moon, you need to hear the song like Keith heard the song. About this, Ginger Baker said, "He wasn't my level of technique or ability, but he worked at it. (Learning the drums was her idea). The band stopped playing, and a group of roadies carried Moon offstage. Technical ability is another thing. When Pete Townshend half-jokingly asked the 14,000-strong crowd whether there was a drummer - "somebody . S. 10 year old daughter . oneSignal_options['promptOptions']['autoAcceptTitle'] = "Yes! (Republished in Modern Drummer Magazine, April 2006), "Modern Drummer's Readers Poll Archive, 19792014", "Rolling Stone Readers Pick Best Drummers of All Time", "Roger Daltrey: 'Keith Moon Would've Left The Who for The Beach Boys', "The Day Keith Moon Joined Led Zeppelin Onstage", "Interview with Ron Caines And Geoff Nicholson", "19731974 Premier double tom row kits | Keith Moon's Drumkits | Whotabs", "Smash Your Head Against The Wall (credits)", "Interview with Dougal Butler by Mark Raison", "Who's vexed? Keith Moon played the drums in a similar way to how he lived his life: frenetic to the point where chaos could erupt around him at any given moment. Keith John Moon was an English drummer who played with the English rock band the Who. [149], After moving in, Moon began a prescribed course of Heminevrin (clomethiazole, a sedative) to alleviate his alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Because I want to break your fucking jaw You have fucked this band around so many times and I'm not having it any more. #15. God, I remember being here once with him when he tried to turn me on to chocolate ants; he was walking about with tins of chocolate ants. Keith Moon was different from most esteemed drummers because he wasn't a great technician and instead, he played with a ferocity that set him apart from percussionists who came from a jazz-orientated background. This later carried over to other aspects of his life, as he acted them out (according to journalist and Who biographer Dave Marsh) "as if his life were one long tour. [88] "[We] went through the same stages everybody goes through the bloody drug corridor", he later reflected. After playing with a local band, the Beachcombers, he joined the Who in 1964 before they recorded their first single. "A lot of guys, . And that was it. Charlie Watts wept at Keith Moons funeral. Moon's contribution. It detracts from the group identity.. Moon's contribution to The Who's music and his influence on other drummers cannot be overstated. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine back in 2013, Watts gave his opinion on The Whos Keith Moon, who had a really different playing style and behavior outside the stage compared the Stones drummer. If you remove Keith Moon from the Who equation, it's not the Who. "[97], Moon's favourite stunt was to flush powerful explosives down toilets. [98], Entwistle recalled being close to Moon on tour and both were often involved in blowing up toilets. That was a personality. 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. Following the explosion, Moon turned the recorder back on and said, "That, dear boy, was noise. Keith Moon circa mid 1960s LFI/Photoshot. 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. [129] The Moons entertained extravagantly at home, and owned a number of cars. Appropriately, Moons work gives the song a decidedly rough-and-tumble feel. My interest is into filming and videoing.. His first was in 1971, a cameo in Frank Zappa's 200 Motels as a nun afraid of dying from a drug overdose. Keith Moon - DRUMMERWORLD Moon did not play drums on the album; Jerry Shirley did, with Moon providing percussion. oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['theme'] = 'default'; And has anyone ever owned their sound from the get-go the way that Moon does on The Whos first single under that name, I Cant Explain, or the debut album that followed late in that same year of 1965, My Generation? He would join them at clubs, forming a particularly close friendship with Ringo Starr. There are other times when the legend is the truth, but obscures another story and Keith Moon belongs in that category. 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. Your email address will not be published. [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. Moon's lifestyle began to undermine his health and reliability. The Who's Keith Moon was not only (as he loved to boast) "the world's greatest Keith Moon-type drummer," he was also the . He was a very charming bloke, a lovely guy, really, but quite But he could be a difficult guy, really. Its still impossible to think that Moony was just 32 years old. I wish I was capable of such tears today. When Moon was recruited by the fledgling Who in 1964 after passing an audition in a pub, no one would pretend that they knew how the dangerous, essential chemistry would develop between four of the most cohesive forces rock music would ever see. Former Who drummer Kenney Jones picks 10 outstanding moments from the career of his predecessor, Keith Moon. But I can imagine he must have taken the piss out of me something terrible! For all of the sense of a life cut short, he did that as no one else ever could. oneSignal_elements[i].addEventListener('click', oneSignalLinkClickHandler, false); [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. One of the secrets to Moon's playing is that he was playing the melody and the guitar parts. "[92], In a limousine on the way to the airport, Moon insisted they return to their hotel, saying "I forgot something." Al Pereira/WireImage. The UK's Heritage Foundation disagreed with the decision, presenting a plaque which was unveiled on 9 March 2009. [155] Police determined that there were 32 clomethiazole pills in Moon's system. function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} The drummer may have earned himself the undesirable moniker of Moon the Loon after some unmentionable acts of debauchery but we shouldnt forget that he was an untamed beast behind the drum kit. He knew no boundaries.. "[158] The New Book of Rock Lists ranked Moon No. The real Keith Moon was a son, a brother, a father and an insecure man. [56] His new larger configuration was notable for the presence of two bass drums; he, along with Ginger Baker, has been credited as one of the early pioneers of double bass drumming in rock. 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. 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. Entwistle once remarked that Moon played not from side to side, but forwards. "[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. [15] Moon also enjoyed singing, with a particular interest in Motown. The Whos Keith Moon was unique in every single way, for better and worse. The kit was eventually fitted with copper fittings[58] and later given to a young Zak Starkey. Moon also played timpani on another track, a cover of Jerome Kern's "Ol' Man River". When asked by an audience member what would happen to the kit, he joked that "even the best drummers get hungry. I understand how it wasnt four-to-the-floor rocknroll drumming, but for The Who, it was perfect. function documentInitOneSignal() { window.OneSignal = window.OneSignal || []; OneSignal.showSlidedownPrompt(); }); Someone somewhere will say, 'Remember Keith Moon?' [156] Moon was cremated on 13 September 1978 at Golders Green Crematorium in London, and his ashes were scattered in its Gardens of Remembrance. However, stands and foot pedals were frequently replaced; the drummer "would go through them like a knife through butter". You are missed today. Neil Young has played with a lot of drummers during the past 50 years, but he always comes back to Ralph Molina, whom he first met during the Buffalo Springfield days, when Molina was a member of. Talk about being ahead of his time, thats what most drummers are doing today in concert!. I liked Pete Townshend. And Roger, who was the spokesman then, said: 'What are you doing next Monday?' "Keith Moon as a drummer? 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. Afterwards I was sitting at the bar and Pete came over. He was more like three people in one. [8] He was interested in practical jokes and home science kits, with a particular fondness for explosions. Keith Moon: 1947-1978 - Rolling Stone If they have a round table, some glasses and candles, we might contact him. [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. I would never put on an LP of a drummer and say everything he did I love because thats not true.. And you couldnt have Cream without Ginger Baker., Right after the news of Charlie Watts passing in August, 2021 at the age of 80, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend recalled on his Instagram that the drummer wept at Keith Moons funeral back in 1978: Full Moon. The entertainment from that manthe humor. "; Loved him. During the finale of "My Generation", an altercation broke out on stage between Moon and Townshend which was reported on the front page of the New Musical Express the following week. } [20] During his time in the group Moon incorporated theatrical tricks into his act, including "shooting" the group's lead singer with a starter pistol. The intensity of the explosion singed Townshend's hair and embedded a piece of cymbal in Moon's arm. 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. [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. Scramble; Thread; Wednesday at 7:57 PM; girl drummer keith moon the who Replies: 6; Keith Moon Drumming Style: Miraculous Thrashing | DRUM! Magazine [172] Adam Budofsky, editor of Drummer magazine, said that Moon's performances on Who's Next and Quadrophenia "represent a perfect balance of technique and passion" and "there's been no drummer who's touched his unique slant on rock and rhythm since. Im not a great drummer. [157], Townshend persuaded Daltrey and Entwistle to carry on touring as The Who, although he later said that it was his means of coping with Moon's death and "completely irrational, bordering on insane". It was suitably chaotic. Idiotic in other respects." Who will remember Joe Bloggs who got killed in a car crash? Smith remembers one occasion where he and Moon tore apart a pair of trousers, with an accomplice later looking for one-legged trousers. Rainbow. When Haynes said that it would be prohibitively expensive, Moon replied: "Dear boy, do exactly as you feel it should be, but that's the way I want it." Not only does he give it a killer intro, he also does a great job playing the character of Ace-Face, a former legend who is now stuck working as the titular bell boy at a hotel. There simply was no one like Keith, and that holds true to this day. [136], Moon enjoyed being the life of the party. I'd say Phil Collins was equally. He had already worked with the likes of Rod Stewart and other popular artists, and he nabbed the gig of a lifetime when The Who tapped him to replace Moon in January 1979, but the arrangement didn't last very long. Former Cream drummer Ginger Baker 's life has changed since he starred in the 2012 documentary Beware of Mr. Baker . Ill never forget the scene in the film The Kids Are Alright Keiths headphones gaffered to his head playing along to the synthesizer sequence. We can feel the fear Tommy feels as he goes to visit The Acid Queen, partly because Moons epic drum track gives the song a palpable sense of terror. When the audience demanded he do it again, Moon kicked over his drum kit. [58] At one point, Moon asked Premier to make a white kit with gold-plated fittings. Clomethiazole is discouraged for unsupervised detoxification because of its addictive potential, its tendency to induce tolerance, and its risk of death when mixed with alcohol. Roger Daltrey said: His algorithms were a little bit different.. }); ); [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! If you want to come, we'll pick you up in the van.' I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'m glad you gonna rock with us again! "[78], Nevertheless, the drummer landed several acting roles. "The 'loon' stuff. It was suggested that Moon's drumming was a manifestation of his personality, not of drum technique. [25], As Moon later recounted: "[T]hey said go ahead, and I got behind this other guy's drums and did one song-'Road Runner.' Nah. Keith John Moon (23 August 1946[2] 7 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. "[143] Townshend agreed, saying that by 1975 Butler had "no influence over him whatsoever. [70] On 15 December 1969, Moon joined John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band for a live performance at the Lyceum Theatre in London for a UNICEF charity concert. 5 crazy Keith Moon moments | MusicRadar Stayed for about 10 minutes and left just as quick. Due to his pioneering playing style, Moon didnt spend his childhood daydreaming emulating his drumming icons and most drummers he felt indifference towards. He suffered from alcoholism and acquired a reputation for decadence and dark humour; his nickname was "Moon the Loon". [100] "All that porcelain flying through the air was quite unforgettable," Moon remembered. [147] Moon then took some clomethiazole tablets. Maybe hes living out a quiet retirement somewhere up there, or down thereas if. [19] In December 1962 he joined the Beachcombers, a semi-professional London cover band playing hits by groups such as the Shadows. In 2016, the same magazine ranked him No. [92], He followed Moon when the drummer relocated to Los Angeles, but felt that the drug culture prevalent at the time was bad for Moon: "My job was to have eyes in the back of my head. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). Moon's drumming continues to be praised by critics and musicians. Describing Joe Morello as being perfect from a technical standpoint, is about as high praise as you could get from Moon. He was there through eight albums and around 35 singles, unforgettable to the last beat. [146], In mid-1978, Moon moved into Flat 12, 9 Curzon Place (later Curzon Square), Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London, renting from Harry Nilsson. oneSignal_options['notifyButton']['position'] = 'bottom-right'; [21] The Beachcombers all had day jobs; Moon, who worked in the sales department at British Gypsum, had the keenest interest in turning professional. His performance on "Bell Boy" (Quadrophenia, 1973) saw him abandon "serious" vocal performances to sing in character, which gave him (in Fletcher's words) "full licence to live up to his reputation as a lecherous drunk"; it was "exactly the kind of performance the Who needed from him to bring them back down to earth. 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. Actually, there wasnt only one of him. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. He was a drummer who always strived to make his performance exceptional. [71], Moon's friendship with Entwistle led to an appearance on Smash Your Head Against the Wall, Entwistle's first solo album and the first by a member of the Who. I said: 'Right.' 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. [28] Although Townshend described him as a "completely different person to anyone I've ever met",[24]:38:48 the pair had a rapport in the early years and enjoyed practical jokes and improvised comedy. Tony Fletcher wrote that "no toilet in a hotel or changing room was safe" until Moon had exhausted his supply of explosives. i gotta get running now. Lets face it, he must have been cos he had a sense of rhythm. It was a fast entrance. After seeing Moon in the studio trying to overdub drums for The Kids Are Alright, he said, "After two or three hours, he got more and more sluggish, he could barely hold a drum stick. document.documentElement.classList.add( [151] Max Glatt, an authority on alcoholism, wrote in The Sunday Times that Moon should never have been given the drug. The Keith Moon of years past would have . Id like to play Hamlet, but he wasnt a drummer, was he? said Moon. oneSignal_options['promptOptions']['actionMessage'] = "Do you want to receive the latest news about Classic Rock? After college I did a postgraduate degree in digital communication. Watts was very sad at Moon's funeral back in 1978 Right after the news of Charlie Watts' passing in August, 2021 at the age of 80, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend recalled on his Instagram that the drummer wept at Keith Moon's funeral back in 1978: "Full Moon. By Henry Yates. The Who drummer was found dead in his home of an apparent overdose. "[93], Fletcher argues that the Who's lengthy break (15 December 1971 11 August 1972) between the end of their 1971 Who's Next Tour and the beginning of the Quadrophenia sessions devastated Moon's health,[94] as without the rigours of lengthy shows and regular touring that had previously kept him in shape, his hard-partying lifestyle took a greater toll on his body. The Jam's single was released about a month after Moon's death. I dont know if he was a very good drummer outside of Pete (Laughs). "[110] Doctors told Curbishley that if he had not intervened, Moon would have bled to death. [10] Moon then enrolled at Harrow Technical College; this led to a job as a radio repairman, enabling him to buy his first drum kit. When I became a journalist I knew I wanted to write about my passions. [134] She died in a car accident in Austin, Texas, on 2 August 2006. [111] Marsh suggested that at this point Daltrey and Entwistle seriously considered firing Moon, but decided that doing so would make his life worse. I'd bring in 'My Generation'. I suppose it could be written in that he was a drummer in his spare time a bit of a dab hand with the sticks. 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. Rainbow. [125] The marriage (and child) were kept secret from the press until May 1968. "I never realised dynamite was so powerful. The ensuing years saw the erstwhile-exuberant drummer spiral deeply into alcoholism and addiction a condition that he would not survive. I said, mild as you please: 'Yes, yes?' [116] Daltrey later denied threatening to fire him, but said that by this time Moon was out of control. Throughout his 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. "[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. Keith Moon: The Craziest Rock and Roll Drummer Ever 1 on its list of "50 Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Drummers",[171] and he was ranked No. 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. October 11, 2013. Loved him. Bill Curbishley remembered that "he wouldn't walk into any room and just listen. "John [Entwistle] and I used to have fightsit wasn't very serious, it was more of an emotional spur-of-the moment thing. [154], Moon's death came shortly after the release of Who Are You. gtag('js', new Date()); to Moon as he tries to sneak into the studio. Pub patrons had begun to attack his Bentley; Moon, drunk, began driving to escape them and hit Boland. "And of course from that moment on," the guitarist remembered, "we got thrown out of every hotel we ever stayed in. What Happened The Night an Audience Member Filled In for Keith Moon Keith Moon now theres a drummer who doesnt believe in my policy of taking a back seat! joked his eventual successor Kenney Jones, during Small Faces heyday of 1966. I said: 'Nothing.' He used to live here in Los Angeles for a while, in some of his madder days. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour. Townshend later said that Jones "was one of the few British drummers who could fill Keith's shoes";[159] Daltrey was less enthusiastic, saying that Jones "wasn't the right style". "I loved Keith Moon. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Ive no real aspirations to be a great drummer, he said. 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. [132] Marsh believes that Moon never truly recovered from the loss of his family. Required fields are marked *. "[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. Especially as the group matured, and as Townshends writing grew ever more nuanced and episodic (notably from the Tommyera onwards), that would soon have caught him out. New Musical Express's Roy Carr wrote, "Moonie, if you didn't have talent, I wouldn't care; but you have, which is why I'm not about to accept Two Sides of the Moon. Moon was hyperactive as a boy, with a restless imagination and a particular fondness for music and The Goon Show. Pete Townshend and Keith they were fantastically mad, the pair of them, onstage. Take a few moments out of your day to soak in this solo by Mr Moon himself. "[103], The drummer immediately began drinking upon his arrival in Flint. In 1966 Moon moved to an even larger kit,[55] but without the customary hi-hatat the time he preferred keeping ride rhythms with ride and crash cymbals, but he later reinstated the hi-hats. This is the 'Oo. He remembers managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp saying, "We trust you with Keith but if you ever want any time off, for a holiday or some sort of rest, let us know and we'll pay for it." [105] Townshend claimed that the Who were banned for life from all of the hotel's properties,[106] but Fletcher wrote that they stayed at a Holiday Inn in Rochester, New York, a week later. He remains a character that rock music greatly misses, even decades on after his tragic passing aged just 32 in 1978. He replied saying that there was no reason why the group shouldnt continue and then compared how The Who was still touring with Ringo Starrs son Zak. 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. [177][178] Jazz drummer Elvin Jones praised Moon's work during "Underture", as integral to the song's effect. One minute hes insulting, exaggerating, joking the next minute hes a wide-eyed, innocent-looking drummer boy. Three years later, writer Keith Altham attempted to interview him for the same publication. Ivor, the man who our protagonist sleeps with, is supposed to be a highly shady character, and Moons drumming provides a suitably creepy vibe to the scenario. When he briefly considered leaving the Who in 1966, he spoke with Entwistle and Page about forming a supergroup. That was Keith Moon, too, and his best performances reveal exactly why The Who 's late drummer stands apart from all who came before or since. [58] From 1967 to 1969 Moon used the "Pictures of Lily" drum kit (named for its artwork), which had two 22-inch (56cm) bass drums, two 16-inch (41cm) floor toms and three mounted toms. [95] Around the same time he became a severe alcoholic, starting the day with drinks and changing from the "lovable boozer" he presented himself as to a "boorish drunk". [3][4] Moon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 as a member of the Who. 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. When she objected, Moon replied, "If you don't like it, you can fuck off!" oneSignal_options['notifyButton'] = { }; ( No we werent groupies) He arrived full of energy after the concert. The rest of the Who struggled on through See Me Feel Me, with Townshend and bassist John Entwistle trying to fill in where the drums should be; . 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. During the Who's early days he began taking amphetamines,[85] and in a NME interview said his favourite food was "French Blues". Not constrained by rigorous pattern or timing, Moon always let the music run through him and expressed himself as succinctly as he could. He then jumped back into the limo, saying "I nearly forgot. [57] This kit was not used at the Who's performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. As drummer with The Who, Keith Moon powered one of the most explosive bands in rock history. "People will be talking about Keith Moon 'til they die, man. Thats what I mean. Keith Moon in Atlanta, November 27 1973 . The Who's Keith Moon named his favourite drummers - Far Out Magazine Technically, Joe Morello is perfect. When Walter-Lax checked on him the following afternoon, she discovered he was dead. Charlie Watts wept at Keith Moon's funeral.