While it’s hard to imagine the infamously chaotic and wildly talented drummer Keith Moon playing with anyone but the Who, frontman Roger Daltrey says the only reason he stuck with the British rock group was because a different iconic band never asked him to join them instead.
If they had, Daltrey argued, Moon the Loon would’ve left in a heartbeat.
Keith Moon Was A Diehard Fan Of This Iconic Band
From their geographical origins to the genres they played, the Beach Boys and the Who were vastly different in more ways than one. Their connecting link, however, came in the form of the destructive, dedicated, and innovative drummer Keith Moon, who first joined the Who in 1964. Indeed, Moon’s powerful drumming might’ve been perfect for the Who’s hard rock sound, but he was an American surf-pop fan through and through.
Prior to joining the Who, Moon played drums for a London cover band called the Beachcombers. Still in the pre-Beatles era of late 1950s and early 1960s rock and roll, the Beachcombers covered popular music in between working day jobs. Eager to ditch his day job and pursue music full-time, Moon began looking for opportunities elsewhere, all the while keeping up with his favorite American surf band, the Beach Boys.
“He was an absolute fanatic,” vocalist Roger Daltrey recalled to Uncut in 2015. “That first night he joined us, his hair was bright ginger ‘cos he’d gone out and bought a bottle of peroxide to become a Californian bleach blonde. But with his jet black hair and the peroxide, he’d gone like a bloody carrot.” According to the Who’s recollection, Moon was also wearing head-to-toe orange clothing, leading to Pete Townshend’s description of Moon as a “ginger vision” (via Far Out Magazine).
Keith Moon’s Unlikely Admission Into The British Rock Group
The dissonance between Keith Moon’s musical interests and the music he performed only added to his convoluted lore, which started in April 1964. According to Moon, he was watching the Who perform with a session drummer (following the then-recent departure of Doug Sandom) when he approached the musicians and told them he could do a better job than their current stand-in.
“They said, ‘Go ahead,’” Moon recalled. “I got behind this other guy’s drums and did one song, “Road Runner.” I’d several drinks to get me courage up, and when I got on stage, I went ‘arrgggGhhh’ on the drums, broke the bass drum pedal and two skins, and got off. I figured that was it” (via Far Out Magazine). Moon said guitarist Pete Townshend approached the “ginger vision” at the bar following his memorable pseudo-audition and invited him to a gig the following Monday.
The historic musical collaborations that followed Moon’s entry into the band produced some of the most iconic tracks in rock and roll history, including “My Generation” and “Baba O’Riley.” Moon’s tragically premature death cut his time with the Who short after he overdosed on a sedative meant to alleviate alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
But if you were to ask Daltrey, Moon’s time with the Who could’ve been even shorter had the Beach Boys asked him to play for them. “He would have left the Who at the drop of a hat to join the Beach Boys,” Daltry told The Courier-Mail (via MusicRadar). “Even at our height when the Beach Boys were on their way down and the Who were at the top of the world, if the Beach Boys had asked him to drum for them, he would have gone.”
Photo by David Thorpe/Shutterstock
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