Gone too soon: Keith Moon

In this feature, we're looking at musicians who died young. First of, legendary rock drummer 'Moon the loon', Keith Moon of The Who.

Who
Keith Moon, 1946-1978, was the second drummer in The Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960's and early 70's. He joined the band in 1964 and was an important part of the 'who sound' until his death in September of 1978, where his rock 'n' roll lifestyle caught up with him at the age of 32.

During his rock star years, Moon was known as 'Moon the Loon' because of his excessive life style. Booze, pills, ladies - Keith Moon was right there in the middle of it all.
There are a ton of stories by other rock stars about Moon's pranks, fits and behaviour around. Some of the more famous ones involve him driving his expensive car into a swimming pool, running over and killing his bodyguard while fleeing skinheads, breaking countless hotel rooms and throwing his own furniture out of windows. He had a great sense of humour that he put to good use, ribbing his friends and enjoying the money he made from his work in The Who.

Unfortunately, his wild lifestyle caught up with him eventually. He died of an overdose of drugs and medication on september 6ht, 1978, 2 weeks after the release of the last album he played on, The Who's 'Who are you'. In a weird bit of trivia, he died in the same room as Mama Cass Elliott of Mamas and Papas died in, 4 years prior.

Legacy

Keith Moon was first and foremost a very enthusiastic drummer. Behind the kit on the biggest hits and best albums of The Who, he was an integral part of their sound. Musically, this is what he's best remembered for. There are other things to listen to starring Moon, but none of them reach the lofty standards of the Who's catalogue.

In 1975 he released a really bad solo album called 'Two sides of the Moon', where he and his friends played some cover songs that Moon liked. He sings on most of the album, and if this isn't a testimony to his sense of humour I don't know what is. In short, he was a terrible singer.
The album is worth having to big fans of Moon, as it's something of a curio. It stars Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, Joe Walsh of The Eagles, Dick Dale and several other rock/pop stars. Those interested should get the Deluxe Edition reissue of the album, which features a staggering 41 bonus tracks, which includes outtakes, non album singles and recordings for a proposed second LP. As a testament to his humour, he apparently wanted the original album cover to depict his bare behind ('Two sides of Moon' indeed) but MCA weren't keen on releasing an LP with that on the cover.