The first time Ronnie Wood met Keith Moon
Ronnie Wood has made plenty of famous friends over the years. The Rolling Stones guitarist was a major force in British rock music even before he officially joined Mick Jagger and the band in 1975. His killer guitar skills, easygoing attitude, and proclivity for a good time endeared Wood to just about everyone who crossed his path, no matter how insane the meetings could be.
Even during his early days as an upstart blues rocker, Wood was making famous friends. It was while performing with his first band, The Birds (not to be confused with fellow London blues rock outfit The Byrds), that Wood crossed paths with The Who drummer Keith Moon. The pair would become close friends, even though Moon almost killed Wood during one of their first interactions.
“Moony used to come up and jam with us when we were in The Birds,” Wood told Classic Rock in 2022. “I always used to say to him: ‘Keith, you’re only supposed to take one Valium, not the whole jumbo bottle.’ He used to do that with uppers and downers, take the whole lot. He gave me my first Mandrax when they first came out – when they were really powerful. He said: ‘Take two of these.’ We were in the Speakeasy.”
“I had my Jaguar XK150 outside and I was with my first wife, Chrissie, and my manager, Billy Gaff. We’d already had a few whiskies, so although he gave me two I only took one,” Wood recalled. “It kicked in before I got to the bottom of the stairs, so by the time I got to my car I was well gone. I ended up driving straight over Marble Arch and straight over Hyde Park without going round. I ended up in a mews with just enough room to get the car in and no one could get out.”
By the time Wood came to, he was stuck in an alley without any room to manoeuvre or open his doors. It was a pretty mild aftershock considering what could happen hanging out with Moon, but Wood would soon learn better. As it turned out, he was able to pass off Moon’s madness as charm when bringing the drummer around to his family.
“We had to get out of the roof. After that I don’t remember anything. I was sick. I don’t know how I got home, so not a great recommendation from Moony,” Wood added. “He used to lead me astray, but my mum used to think he was a gentleman. He used to put a smoking jacket and cravat on and serve her brandy and she would say: “What a polite gentleman that Keith Moon is.”
Watch Moon and Wood present an award at the 1977 American Music Awards down below.
