Beer Frame

Master Boozer Series
Tonight focusing on Keith Moon

Keith Moon was one of the best drummers in rock and roll history. He was also a Master Boozer of the highest level.

His nickname was “Moon the Loon,” and there’s tons of Keith Moon stories floating out there, but my favorite one is when he drove a Cadillac into a Holiday Inn Swimming Pool during his 21st birthday party with the Who and Hermin’s Hermits. Here it is recounted in Wikipedia:

In 1967, Moon set in motion events which later become one of rock's most famous legends. According to the book Local DJ, a Rock & Roll History, Moon, drunk at his 21st birthday party in Flint, Michigan, allegedly drove a Cadillac (according to Moon's own account, it was a Lincoln Continental) into the Holiday Inn pool, and blew the toilet in his room to pieces, leaping out of the bathroom at the last possible moment to avoid porcelain toilet shards. While Moon had established a notorious history of blowing up toilets at other Holiday Inns, the car incident led to them being banned from Flint and The Holiday Inn for life. The Who had just opened for Herman's Hermits. Author "Peter C" Cavanaugh, who was there and witnessed the event firsthand, recalled the events for a documentary on the 60's rock scene. According to the book, The Who In Their Own Words, Moon said the incident was at the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan. He said this was how he broke his front tooth.

Ironically, Keith Moon overdosed on a drug called, Heminevrin, which is a drug that’s prescribed to alleviate alcohol withdrawl problems, because he was trying to quit drinking.

Pete Townshend lost a lot of hearing due to another famous stunt pulled by Moon the Loon. The Who were appearing on the Smother’s Brothers show and Keith arranged with the stagehands to put cherry bombs in his drum set to go off at the end of My Generation. They packed in the cherry bombs, but then unbeknownst to anyone else, Moon packed in more explosives and basically set off a bomb right near where Pete Townshend was playing guitar. Here’s a clip from that show, Notice Townshend at the end!

So tonight, cheers to the Master Boozer, Keith Moon the Loon!

I’ll see you all later, around noon.

Cheers,

Marty

Comments

[Professor Dungpie, Fountainhead of Enlightenment]

Cheers to Moon and John Entwhistle......Great musicians!

[biff]

let this be a lesson, kids - never stop drinking!!

[Joey D]

So Moon was a cherry packer...

[tiefighter25]

Hmm, death is the ultimate cure to drinking, ack!

[mrs5000]

Amen Biff.