
And you can't hear Moon blowing up his drum kit on The Smothers Brothers Show.
Moon and Who bassist John Entwistle, who died of a cocaine overdose in 2002, reinvented rock and roll--with the encouragement of guitarist and Who principal songwriter Pete Townshend, by placing the rhythm instruments at the forefront of the band. Early rock drummers mainly kept time with military precision, and bassists added "Oom pah pah" support. It was up to Townshend, when he felt like it, to keep some sort of time. With singer Daltrey often screaming, well, it was often chaos. It was also The Who.
Moon's alcohol and drug abuse was obscene--even among the relaxed standards of rock musicians, but by the early 1970s, his body couldn't endure the punishment any more. The last three Who albums with Moon, Quadrophenia,
During The Who's 1973 tour to promote Quadrophenia, Moon passed out, and Townshend called for someone in the audience to take over Moon's drum kit so the band could finish the show. A fan complied while Moon slept it off. Around this time, Moon spent several days paralyzed after accidentally inhaling an elephant tranquilizer.

In 1974, Moon left his native London for Los Angeles, where he got drunk a lot with John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and anyone else he could find.
He recorded a solo album during that time with those drinking buddies helping out, Two Sides of the Moon

Moon tried to quit alcohol and drugs several times in his later years. He had an elaborate support network, including his fellow bandmates, Starr, and his next door neighbor in California, Larry Hagman.
But Moon died of an accidental drug overdose on September 7, 1978. Two weeks earlier. Who Are You was released. In one of the last great album covers of the LP era, a grim looking Moon, looking much older than his 32 years, is sitting in a backwards-facing chair. "Not To Be Taken Away" is emblazoned on it.
Moon is gone, but his contributions to rock music can never be taken away.
3 comments:
Townshend,in an interview I saw some time back, refers to experts listening to Moon's playing in super-slow motion, saying "That's not possible."
He apparently was able to strike his drum so often in such a short time, they thought it physically impossible.
What a shame to lose such a talent.
Why are these performers so self-destructive?
the Who suck. King Crimson for the win!
King Crimson? I've never been a Robert Fripp fan...
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