Keith Moon – Big Drum Thump

Keith Moon Isn’t Good Enough…

…for the English Heritage foundation. Moonie fans have been campaigning for the EH to install one of those blue here-lived-a-great-person plaques at his London residence, but they got shot down. The official response:

Moon died aged only 32, and many of his contemporaries, including other members of The Who such as Pete Townshend, are still living. Further time should be allowed to pass so he can be considered alongside his contemporaries.

Fuckin’ what? Jimi Hendrix already has one, and he died at 27. And he wasn’t even British.

Keith Moon’s Greatest TV Hits

Well, it’s actually The Who’s greatest TV hits, but Moonie features in most of them. Our favorite is definitely the band’s legendary appearance on the Smothers Brothers Show in 1967:

Unbeknown to anyone, Keith Moon had bribed a stage-hand with alcohol to pack his bass drum with a surfeit of explosives. As the band ended My Generation with their trademark stage-destruction, the cameras were momentarily blinded by the blast. As the smoke cleared, Moon lay on the floor, his arm sliced open by cymbal shrapnel, Townshend’s hair was on fire and, it is said, his hearing damaged for ever. Waiting in the studio’s wings, Bette Davis fainted in Mickey Rooney’s arms. Naturally, the band was banned from further US shows.

Now, that is rock and fuckin’ roll.