‘Wasp Man’: The Who song Keith Moon wrote about his outlandish alter ego
Keith Moon brought so much to The Who. Their rhythmic dynamo, who had a rare talent, was one of history’s most crucial rock drummers. Alongside this, of course, it is well documented that he was also one of music’s ultimate hellraisers and left behind an extensive legacy following his tragic and premature death in 1978.
Sometimes, Moon’s comedic propensity, wild side and musical ability converged. Perhaps the best example of this nexus is ‘Wasp Man’, the B-side to the 1972 single, ‘Relay’. In a rare twist, the song was written by Moon, with its roots in one of his most bizarre stunts, eight miles high aboard a flight in the late 1960s.
According to The Who’s frontman, Roger Daltrey, when speaking to Uncut in 2001, the song ‘Wasp Man’ originated on a turbulent flight from Copenhagen, Denmark, to London. Per the vocalist, the weather was so rocky that night that it was like a rollercoaster on the aircraft, which was very close to flipping over.
Daltrey said that after the weather levelled out, in the aftermath, people were puking and sitting in near total silence. He explained: “Now, meantime, Moon’s disappeared. He was sat with this groupie bird who had this tiger-skin coat which he’s taken, and her bra. Needless to say this girl had very large mammaries. So he disappears up the back of the plane to the bog. Everybody’s still puking and the captain’s come out and he’s standing there apologising, saying it’s the worst weather he’d ever been through.”
Following this, Daltrey revealed the outlandish alter-ego The Who’s drummer had taken on despite the bleak atmosphere. “Then from the back suddenly there came this ‘bzzzzzzzzz!’ We looked round and it was Moon stood with the two bits of her bra over his eyes like big fly eyeballs and he’s got her tiger-skin coat tied round his neck like a cape,” The Who singer recalled.
Daltrey continued: “And he shouted, ‘Don’t worry, folks – Waspman’s here to save you!’ And he did this thing up and down the plane buzzing away as Waspman, kissing all the women and just f—ing around in general. By the end of it everybody was just rolling about laughing. He’d taken the edge off that hairy situation and cheered everyone up.”
So, that, Daltrey revealed, is how the track ‘Wasp Man’ came to be. As the band had already done ‘Batman’ a few years prior, they felt compelled to write a theme tune for their very own superhero, Waspman.
Listen to ‘Wasp Man’ by The Who below.
