1964 – The Who play the Corporation Hotel in Derby. After the show The Who’s van, a Dormobile, blows up. Their manager, Helmut Gorden, shells out for a low-powered Commer diesel as replacement.
1965 – Pop Weekly magazine carries a short review of “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” calling it “a little bit too frenzied”
1965 – The Who’s May 24 appearance on “Saturday Club” is broadcast. It features The Who performing “Good Lovin'”, “Anyway Anyhow Anywhere”, “Leaving Here”, “Please, Please, Please”, and Just You And Me, Darling”. Also appearing on the broadcast are Peter and Gordon, Unit 4 Plus 2, the Walker Brothers, Ottilie Patterson, and the Chris Barber Band.
1965 – The Who appear on pirate Radio London’s “Big L” afternoon show. They did not perform, but were interviewed by the hosts and met fans.
1965 – The Who play the Pavilion Gardens Ballroom in Buxton, Derbyshire
1965 – “Thank Your Lucky Stars” is broadcast, featuring The Who miming to “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” which they recorded on the 23rd.Also appearing on the show are Billy Fury, The Nashville Teens, The Rockin’ Berries, Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, The Four Tops, Paul Dean, The Three Bells and Connie Francis.
1966 – The Who play the Winter Gardens in Morecambe for two shows with supporting acts The Merseys, The Fruit-Eating Bears, Mike Berry and The Innocents, Philip Tait & The Stormsville Shakers, She Trinity and Oscar. Around this time Keith expands his drum kit from its single bass drum to a double bass drum, nine piece kit: the price of his return?
1967 – The Who play the Locarno Ballroom in Glasgow, Scotland. A friend of Roger’s, Julian Covey of The Machine, sits in as they perform that night at the Locarno Ballroom in Glasgow. It is believed that this date is one of the few that featured a live performance of Pete’s new rock opera “Rael.”
1969 – The Who play the first of three nights in Chicago at Kinetic Playground along with Buddy Rich and His Orchestra & Joe Cocker and The Grease Band
1970 – The Who rehearse at the Granada Theatre in Wandsworth, London
1971 – Record Mirror reviews John’s “Smash Your Head Against The Wall”
Transcript:
Entwistle opens up his own head
JOHN ENTWISTLE: Smash Your Head Against The Wall (Track 2406 005).
Some interesting things on this album, as might be expected from the Who man. The idea behind this was for John to use his material, which was basically unsuitable for the Who, but makes for varied listening. Opens with ‘My Size’ with driving guitars and John singing with suitably aggressive vocal issuing threats about smashing your head against the wall — hence the title.
‘Pick Me Up’ has a strong use of brass on opening and honky tonk piano beneath with striking drumming. ‘What Are We Doing Here’ is a gentle number with John singing as if from far away. ‘What Kind Of People Are They’ is another track with strong use of brass, and ‘Heaven And Hell’ has shades of Family with soprano saxophone sounds as well as some intricate guitar work.
A rather cynical view of death comes in on ‘Ted End’ with harmony vocals (which don’t sound like double tracking, though they could be), and instrumental passages with electric piano and brass sounding, perhaps appropriately rather like a village band. In contrast a nice up tempo driving track follows with furious drumming and washboard sounds.
The album closes with ‘I Believe In Everything’ John’s single which ends with ‘Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer’ which is an indication not to take this too seriously. What am I doing here reviewing!
—V.M.
Photo caption: JOHN ENTWISTLE
1976 – Record Mirror features a story titled “The Man In The Moon”. They also carry an ad for Sounds magazine which indicates they have a story about Keith as well.
Transcript: (unverified)
The Man In The Moon
Meeting the Who’s drummer came as a slight disappointment for David Hancock. Y’see, Keith sips his Tequila Sunrise rather than Karate chops it. In short, he’s just a regular fella . . .
LOCK UP your windows, Keith Moon is in town and he’s found a hotel where the manager is on a week’s holiday.
Moony’s already had his holiday — on the obscure Pacific island of Bora Bora.
“I said to this travel agent in Los Angeles: ‘Book me into the most absurd far-away place from civilisation as possible,’ and he did.”
Luckily Keith took a liking to the island that has no telephone, no radio and no television. In fact he even left the coconut grove standing.
You see Moony is one of the few real stars in the rock game. Someone who’s reputation is so great that the fact he’s a drummer and company director with the Who is almost incidental.
Lurid
But the fact that he enjoys smashing things and hotel rooms in particular, has invested him with the type of aura usually reserved for Hollywood hell-raisers from the Fifties.
“He’s a dream for the editor of every lurid sensational moralising newspaper throughout the world. Keith Moon is instant outrage.
“When I flew into Tahiti I was there for about one day but I found myself on the front page of the Tahiti Tornado — it’s only about three pages thick — and inside was a whole discography on the Who.
“Wherever he goes, he’s news.
“He arrives at Heathrow Airport and every paper carries a story of how he’s going to buy a hotel so he can strategically destroy it.
“When Jimi Hendrix died they needed another wild man of pop and I fitted the bill,” he says.
So meeting him for drinks could come as a slight disappointment.
He sips rather than karate chops his Tequila Sunrise; he uses a distinctly educated voice rather than the ravings of a loon.
Mafia
In fact Keith Moon is a regular fella — well for the next 30 minutes at least!
He hints there’s little truth in the story he’s going to buy a series of bungalows so he can destroy them, but he doesn’t actually deny it either: “It was an idea,” he says.
Home for Keith is the 83-mile stretch of California freeway known as Los Angeles — the centre of Rock ’n’ Roll.
“Los Angeles is a nucleus for good musicians — the professional mafia. It’s a terrific place to work and all my friends are there. Ringo lives there and there’s always rock concerts. Los Angeles is a lot more decadent than London,” he laughs with relish, “I like things a bit more squalid and debauched, it’s more fun like that.”
But it’s exactly that vibe that’s got him banned from at least a couple of London’s top hotels and others in the States. But things could be changing.
“What hotels do now is book either me or Led Zeppelin into a room that they’re thinking of having decorated and when we move out they redecorate it and charge me.”
“I’m thinking of having some parties while I’m in London but I’ve yet to make the arrangements.”
Moony is in London because the Who are about to start touring Britain.
The four members of the Who each have a separate corporation and Keith’s is set up in Delaware, but he was in Tahiti when the telex came through requesting him to be in London for rehearsals.
“It’s working for a corporation but we are still a rock ’n’ Roll outfit and if it wasn’t something I enjoyed doing then, of course, I wouldn’t bother.”
Moony has a droll, realistic sense of humour that never goes over the top into cynicism. When questioned that he plays to his destruction antics he enhances his star image he replies: “What have you got against good copy?”
In Los Angeles Keith Moon keeps three houses, two of which are in good nick and a third which is solely for parties.
“You see whenever people come to visit me they think that if they don’t smash something I’m not going to invite them back.
Album
“There are a couple of people who can keep pace with me,” he admits. “There’s Oliver Reed and Bonzo (John Bonham — Led Zeppelin), Ron Wood and Richard.
“But when Moony’s not partying he’s in the studio and recently it’s been the case of ‘I’ve got yet another album to do.’ This newie includes Steve Cropper, Ron Wood, David Bowie and Klaus Voorman — as you can see Keith is in the very highest echelon of today’s hit figures.
“He talks of them nonchalantly: ‘Bowie and I very noticeable have a great studio and I go to work with him, but he doesn’t smash anything at parties. Mind you he’s only as together as anybody can be when they party with me.
Aggression
“Yes I suppose I am an excuse for aggression in the music business, but somebody has to be. It doesn’t bother me, they can call me what they like. I’d rather they do it in print than behind my back.
“He’s the kind of person that quite openly admits to wanting a Number One hit record and at the same time says it would not interfere with his duties as drummer to the Who.
“When I’ve got some time off, rather than sit kicking my heels in LA it’s nice to get into the studio.
“I’d like to do a couple of selected venues in the States with my own band and I’ve already spoken to the booking agency but so far I haven’t really had time to get the band together.”
He doesn’t see why he can’t use the same musicians he does on the album — that would mean a band outstarring the Rolling Thunder Revue.
He doubts whether he has really become a celebrity figure and argues that if he wasn’t a part of the Who then he wouldn’t get any public attention.
“The hotel asking is really just a bit of fun and it hasn’t got anything to do with what I’m really about. It doesn’t detract from it either, but it’s just something on the side.
“I’m a pretty good PR man for the Who.”
Who music is what Moon is really all about and there are plans for a new album due out in the Autumn — Pete Townshend already has ideas for the songs. After that the Who will possibly release another live album.
“At the moment I can’t see the Who ever coming to an end,” he frankly admits. “But if it came to a natural conclusion I don’t think there would be anything to be disappointed about.”
One thing the Who still do together is fight.
“But they’re only family fights,” says Keith. “There’s nothing to it; there’s no deep-rooted hatred.
“The Who haven’t mellowed over the years — they never will. It’s what keeps the energy levels up. We are all emotionally involved in the group and that’s why we clash because we care about the Who so much.”
Movies
Quite a decisive statement but Keith Moon has as many strings to his bow as hotel rooms to his reputation. One of those is movies.
“I’ve been approached for a few films and after Tommy I would like to move into more acting. I’ve had a long discussions with Oliver Reed about acting and about making a film together. If it comes to fruition terrific — but if it doesn’t so what.”
Moony did mention he had been offered a part in “Airport ’77.” It should be noted that Airport 75 was one of the biggest money spinning disasters films of recent years.
He seems tailor made for the new part.
Pull quote:
“What hotels do now is book me into a room they’re thinking of having redecorated”
1984 – Pete, his wife Karen and Kenney Jones are among the celebrities who attend a preview of the play Little Me at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in London.
1986 – Kerrang! magazine, “Britain’s Heaviest Rock Mag” features an ad for a special edition of Roger’s “The Pride You Hide”
2001 – The John Entwistle Band play a private show at the B. B. King Blues Club in New York where they are joined by Page McConnell and Mike Gordon of Phish and Mike Abts of Gov’t Mule
2007 – Pete is on his girlfriend Rachel Fuller’s webcast In The Attic where he performs an acoustic rendition of “I Can’t Reach You”
2016 – The Who play at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas