Saturday, April 19th, 1969

New Musical Express contains the article: "Moon: drummer extraordinaire"

Transcript:

As 'Piebald Lizard' leaps to No. 10, NME visits the Highgate Palace of . . .

Moon: Drummer extraordinaire

Pictures at home by STUART RICHMAN Words in the local by RICHARD GREEN

Photo Captions

ABOVE: Relaxing (if that's ever possible with such an impish looking daughter) in the lounge of their Highgate flat are KEITH, KIM and daughter MANDY.
RIGHT: In a fit of rage Keith hurled this bottle only to find it became imbedded in the wall. He was so delighted by the result (he missed) that he framed it.
INSET, RIGHT: Well, who wouldn't want to throw a bottle at a face like that!
LEFT MARGIN: Keith might have thousands of fans, but when you're Mandy's age this is what Dads are for.

Article Text

PRINCE Pizzowl Teenuque Moon, self-styled Ambassador to Highgate, made his grand entrance in the local exactly one hundred minutes late and graciously explained: "Matters of State, you know."

His subjects, instead of showing the required respect, fell about laughing. This because "his Highness" is the latest guise of Keith Moon, Who drummer extraordinaire.

Since he advertised in a national newspaper recently for a title, Keith has been enjoying his own brand of regal status. He likes being introduced as a prince and he screws up his eyes and shakes with mirth when people respond.

Keith is feeling pleased that "Pinball Wizard", or "Piebald Lizard" as he insists it be called, is doing well. Apparently this means the group will not have to work so hard on it.

Holiday

"Oh, good," he replied when I told him its high NME position. "We can have a holiday now. That's the best time to go away, when they all want you here."

Keith has been spending some time recently in Bournemouth. To prevent panic among the more staid members of that community, I hasten to add that he has only been staying with his parents-in-law and has no evil intent.

"You have to get away now and again, else you'd go mad," he grinned. "That's why I won't have a phone. You'd get home from a gig about four a.m., get the baby off to sleep and the phone'd go, there'd be people yelling 'We're coming round' and the next thing, they'd be lugging crates up the stairs.

"You'd lie in bed watching them troop through, alsatians, performing elephants, the lot. They can't phone me now, so I'm safe."

And he broke up into another period of squeaking laughter. Whoever wrote "laugh and the world laughs with you" must have had Mr. Moon in mind.

He ordered another round of "tomato juices with the wonder ingredient — vodka," then told me: "The LP's finished. Actually, it was quite a quick one, it only took about four years! There's only the mixing to do now."

Stage act

As Pete Townshend revealed in the NME a few weeks ago, the Who's act is to be based entirely around the "Deaf, Dumb and Blind Boy" album. Keith, in a rare moment of seriousness, elaborated.

"We may have to cut a bit because the album lasts about two hours," he commented. "Maybe we'll cut it to ninety. We're doing that now on stage, though. Specially places like universities where it goes on until one. We go on about eleven and there's no hurry.

"It doesn't mean the group'll change, just the act. That's only to get the feel of a continuing story across. All the songs are linked by a theme and one carries on from another."

A friend asked Keith what the growths at the side of John Entwistle's mouth were. He had been seen on "Top Of The Pops" sporting them.

"Oh, the best way to annoy the Ox (a Who-ism for J.E.) is to keep calling him Peter Sarstedt," Keith advised, once more the Satanic smirk playing about his mouth.

Someone else asked Keith what the programme had been like and he replied: "We were about the only group down there, they're filming most of it now. One bloke that was on was that coloured guy who's good with his hands . . . Black and Decker's his name I think."

At this point, a reporter phoned and asked to speak to Keith. Keith decided it was time for a merry jape and put me on the line to answer the questions for him. We wait with baited breath for the resultant feature.

Outrageous

Enter Pete Townshend to try and persuade Keith that a rehearsal is necessary. Keith tells Pete that I've already written the feature while waiting for him and I add that Keith's statements have been outrageous.

"Oh, Christ, what's he been saying," Pete moaned. "I can just see next week: We'll be holding auditions for a new drummer!"

Pete dragged a protesting Keith away before further harm was done, Keith wanting to go back to his fifteen-room flat above a garage.

Make noise

"It's useful being above a garage, you can make as much noise as you like," he pointed out. "I only use two rooms and let some to a little old lady. There's one where a bloke had a party about a year ago and I haven't bothered to take the decorations down yet."

There is also the room where a champagne bottle emerges from a wall. Keith alleges that having got upset with Kim, his wife, once he aimed the bottle at her head from a distance of two feet and missed. It stuck in the wall where it has remained ever since. Much to the amusement of two year-old Mandy who is used to seeing Daddy do funny things.

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