Keith Moon was the definition of rock star. As the drummer of The Who, he gained legendary status for not only his unique drumming style on stage, but his eccentric and often self-destructive behavior off. Whether he was smashing his drum kit into pieces during a show, or blowing up toilets with cherry bombs and throwing television sets into hotel pools, Keith Moon never lived a dull moment.
Now, to commemorate his life, Exclusive Media and Da Vinci Media Ventures have teamed up to produce a biopic on the late drummer for The Who. Noted as the second-greatest drummer of all time by Rolling Stone, his prowess as a drummer is still highly regarded to this day.
The Who frontman Roger Daltrey is heading the project alongside Exclusive Media’s Chairman and CEO Nigel Sinclair. Da Vinci’s Wendy Rutland, who will serve as executive producer on the film, stated, “I am a massive Who fan and consider Keith Moon to be the greatest rock drummers of all time. I could feel Roger’s passion and detailed perspective for this unique story after our first phone call.”
Exact details on the biopic’s storyline have yet to be released, but the search for a screenwriter to commission the film’s script is currently underway.
Keith Moon joined The Who after showing up to one of the band’s concerts in 1964. The 18-year-old drummer claimed that he could play better than the band’s previous drummer, Doug Sandom, so The Who decided to give him a go. Not only did he rock the socks off of both the band and everyone in the audience, he nearly completely destroyed the drum set he was playing on as well.
“It was quite apparent from day one when Keith Moon joined the band,” Roger Daltrey told Billboard Magazine. “Every piece of music we played up until then was different immediately after Keith joined. The chemistry changed, and it was quite clear from day one.”
Unlike most drummers, Moon hated drum solos, calling them “boring.” Instead, he was extremely enthusiastic about singing and always wanted to sing lead with the rest of the band. Although not the best vocalist, he did sing on “Bucket T”, “Barbara Ann”, “Pictures of the Band”, and “Bell Boy”, to name a few. He would make an attempt at composing as well, writing “I Need You”, “In The City”, “Girl’s Eyes”, “Tommy’s Holiday Camp”, the violin solo on “Baba O’Reilly” and many more.
Moon’s destructive behavior caught up with him. The drummer reportedly caused as much as $500,000 in damage to hotel room toilets and plumbing alone. These alcohol and drug fueled benders were a way for him to shock the public and legitimize himself as a bonafide rock star.
“He was trying to make people laugh and be Mr Funny, he wanted people to love him and enjoy him, but he would go so far,” Dougal Butler, Moon’s personal assistant, said in an interview with Mark Raison of Monkey Picks. “Like a train ride you couldn’t stop.”
Moon’s self-destruction caused The Who to flirt with bankruptcy throughout the 1960s. Even once the band released Tommy, their most successful album to that date, Moon blew threw his cash to near ruin. Due to his recklessness, the group only profited about $75 from their 1975 UK tour.
In 1978 Moon decided to rent an apartment from American singer Harry Nilsson in London to clean up his act. Although Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas died at the residence four years earlier and Nilsson thought the place was cursed, Pete Townshend disagreed, claiming “lightning wouldn’t strike the same place twice.” Since Moon was afraid of mental hospitals, he decided to detox himself at home using a prescribed amount of Heminevrin, a drug used to reduce alcohol dependency that can become addictive. Dr. Geoffrey Dymond, who was reportedly unaware of Moon’s lifestyle, prescribed 100 pills to the drummer. Moon was instructed to take one pill if he felt the need for alcohol, taking no more than three per day.
On September 6, 1978, Keith Moon and Annette Walter-Lax attended the premiere of The Buddy Holly Story with Paul and Linda McCartney. After the premiere and dinner with the McCartneys, Moon and Walter-Lax returned to their apartment. When Keith asked Annette if she could cook him some steak and eggs, she said no. Keith replied, “If you don’t like it, you can fuck off!” These were reportedly his last words. Moon then took 32 Heminevrin pills and was discovered dead the next afternoon by Annette.
Often compared to the “Jimi Hendrix of the drums,” Keith Moon lived an insane, yet profound life. He is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, drummer to have ever lived. Neil Peart and Dave Grohl, among many other drummers, consider him one of their top influences, while Animal from The Muppets is reportedly based off Moon.
A release date for the film has yet to be announced, but The Who’s 50th Anniversary is coming up in 2015. Will they release the film then? The band has already announced that their 50 Anniversary tour will be their last.
