“He had 18 lives”: How the death of Keith Moon impacted Roger Daltrey
Keith Moon was a drummer like no other. In every aspect of his chaotic and fun-loving existence, The Who’s anarchic ball of energy embodied the rock and roll lifestyle. Alongside smashing up hotel rooms, playing pranks on his fellow musicians, and crashing multiple cars, Moon also laid down a plethora of rock and roll’s most iconic drumbeats. However, there comes a point for everybody where the show must end and, in 1978, Keith Moon passed away at the age of 32 from an accidental overdose of prescription medication.
The Who always represented the wilder side of the rock and roll spectrum. With early singles like ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘My Generation’, Pete Townshend’s songwriting proved an innate ability to reflect the voice of Britain’s post-war youth. At the same time, the energy and defiance of those early tracks mirrored the mod subculture, dominated by amphetamine-fueled all-night dancing and zooming through the streets of London on Italian scooters.
Although he rarely contributed to the band’s songwriting efforts, the life of Keith Moon reflected the energy and rebellion of The Who more so than any other member. As a result of this, Moon became an invaluable aspect of The Who’s existence, particularly during their legendary live performances.
Hopped up on amphetamines and regularly sporting a kick drum full of explosives, Keith Moon made Animal from The Muppets look like a laid-back lounge drummer. On one occasion, when the band were performing on the live television show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour back in 1967, Moon’s exploding drumkit caused a temporary break in the broadcast and left Pete Townshend with permanent ear damage.
Speaking of Moon’s unpredictable personality, that tale of setting off an explosion of live television isn’t even the most anarchic anecdote from his life. Whether he was pretending to be Alice Cooper’s maid or lending his prized Ferrari Dino to drunk bikers at the pub, Moon lived to the beat of his own drum. Inevitably, this wild lifestyle eventually caught up to the drummer, and his life was cut short in 1978, which forever changed the attitude and existence of The Who.
The band chose to continue after the death of Moon, with Townshend once noting, “None of us wanted Keith’s death to be pointless.” However, losing their comrade forever changed the outlook of the band members. In 1979, Roger Daltrey opened up to the BBC, sharing, “I miss him all the time. It’s taken a lot of getting over that one. I still can’t articulate very well how I feel.”
Seemingly, one of the main lessons Daltrey took from the death of Keith Moon was to loosen up a little, living the endearingly unserious life Moon embodied. “I don’t give a toss about so many things either now. I really don’t. I used to be a bit overserious before,” the singer recalled. “I’ve got a much more optimistic view of what’s going on, and I don’t worry so much about so many things…because he didn’t. He was the man who literally didn’t worry about a damn thing, and I think he showed us all how to live.”
“He had 18 lives in that short life he had,” the frontman concluded. Keith Moon certainly packed a lot into his relatively short time on Earth, leaving a lasting mark on virtually everybody he ever encountered. His reputation and musical quality certainly did not die with him, however. Even today, decades later, The Who drummer is still remembered fondly by friends, artists, and fans alike. What’s more, his incredible body of work with The Who still exists as strong evidence for the wild drummer being one of the greatest rock and roll figures of all time.
