Dear boy keith moon biography full movie
Dear Boy: the Life of Keith Moon
September 16, 2017
I went into Moon by Tony Fletcher with basically no knowledge of Keith Moon or The Who, aside from the common understanding that they were a big classic rock band. As a drummer, I had not paid much attention to Keith Moon in my learning, but had also gleaned enough to know that he was influential in the growth of rock as a music genre. So reading through Moon was a joy, as was getting to know the incredibly complex character of Keith Moon and the band that was so important to modern music.
Keith Moon certainly lived up to his nickname. While many of his shenanigans border on the mythological, Fletcher packs an ABSURD number of completely accurate stories and tales about Moon. The man does not really need the exaggeration: he was completely stinkin' insane! While I cannot at all fathom an understanding of Keith Moon's inner psyche, I did greatly enjoy the many recountings of Keith's hotel room destruction, his class-clown antics on tour, his epic partying, his theatrics and shock-value, and his fondness for cherry bombs and other explosive devices, all wrapped in the shell of the consummate, warm and inviting extrovert. Keith Moon was one of a kind.
And yet, Fletcher also dives honestly and directly into the dark underbelly of Keith's existence. His apparent multiple personalities and perhaps demonic oppression. His boiling rage paired with searing depression, loneliness, anxiety and inadequacy. His abusive tendencies towards those closest to him, both verbal and physical. His astonishingly destructive, persistent, and all-consuming use of every drink, pill, drug, and woman he could get his hands on. I think one of the strongest traits of Fletcher's work is how he is brutally honest about who Keith Moon was. He never veers too far into either ditch, by trying to paint too likable or too detestable. He presents the man as he was, as an incredibly complicated and conflicted person, prone to acts of incredible charity and kindness as well as those of great harm, abuse and destruction.
The fact that Keith Moon lived as long as he did is miraculous to me, even though many would say he was gone too soon. Fletcher makes a compelling case for Keith Moon being perhaps the most hedonistic and destructive rock star of all time. His life, in all honesty, speaks to me as a testimony to the tenacity of the human body. Keith Moon should have been dead long before he actually was. He abused his body in incalculable ways. Pills upon pills. Bottles upon bottles. Lines upon lines. Women by the truckload. Not too mention the multitude of acts in which Keith was faced with direct bodily harm, from explosions or car wrecks. I'm not sure if Keith Moon was genetically gifted in some way to endure such abuse, but it certainly seems possible.
And yet Keith Moon did eventually succumb to his devices, as many rock stars have. His story does end in tragedy. Not tragedy that was unforeseen or surprising, yet tragedy it was. It's tragic that Keith Moon, for all that the world loved him and saw his talent and worth, could not see it in himself. Tragic that he likely was mentally ill but never diagnosed or treated appropriately. Tragic that he was capable of achieving such fame and success and yet never had a chance to learn how to mange them well. Tragic that his life ended just as the briefest sparks of a hopeful turnaround were beginning to appear. Tragic that so much of his life wasted away in addiction and materialism. Tragic that he often resisted those who loved him most deeply.
And so, because of Keith's demise, we are left with his stories, his legacy, and his works of art. Fletcher does a great job of also capturing much of the history of The Who in his book, reflecting often on the other members of the band, and providing helpful insight into the music they gave to the world. I greatly enjoyed this aspect of the book as well. There is much here about The Who as a rock band, and about Keith Moon as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. It has spawned in me a much deeper appreciation of The Who. Indeed, as I read through this book, I also began to the explore the breadth of The Who's musical catalog. If you are not familiar with The Who, and decide to read this tome, then I would greatly encourage you to take time to listen to the Who albums along with Fletcher's examination of them. Fletcher also does capture some fun notes about many other figures in rock history, as Keith and The Who interacted with just about all of them.
As a final note, be warned: this book is INDEED a tome. It is exceptionally long, even for a biography. And that is why I removed a star in my rating. While the book is excellent, and I am incredibly thankful that I read it, it did feel a bit long in the teeth at some points. I think some of the stories Fletcher included could have been skipped over without diminishing the power of the work. At some point, Keith Moon's antics do become somewhat repetitive. While I'm very glad I stuck around for the long haul, I think the work could have been shortened a bit.
If you're a fan of rock music, a Who fan, a musician, or even just someone who grew up during the British invasion, I highly recommend you give this book a read.
Keith Moon certainly lived up to his nickname. While many of his shenanigans border on the mythological, Fletcher packs an ABSURD number of completely accurate stories and tales about Moon. The man does not really need the exaggeration: he was completely stinkin' insane! While I cannot at all fathom an understanding of Keith Moon's inner psyche, I did greatly enjoy the many recountings of Keith's hotel room destruction, his class-clown antics on tour, his epic partying, his theatrics and shock-value, and his fondness for cherry bombs and other explosive devices, all wrapped in the shell of the consummate, warm and inviting extrovert. Keith Moon was one of a kind.
And yet, Fletcher also dives honestly and directly into the dark underbelly of Keith's existence. His apparent multiple personalities and perhaps demonic oppression. His boiling rage paired with searing depression, loneliness, anxiety and inadequacy. His abusive tendencies towards those closest to him, both verbal and physical. His astonishingly destructive, persistent, and all-consuming use of every drink, pill, drug, and woman he could get his hands on. I think one of the strongest traits of Fletcher's work is how he is brutally honest about who Keith Moon was. He never veers too far into either ditch, by trying to paint too likable or too detestable. He presents the man as he was, as an incredibly complicated and conflicted person, prone to acts of incredible charity and kindness as well as those of great harm, abuse and destruction.
The fact that Keith Moon lived as long as he did is miraculous to me, even though many would say he was gone too soon. Fletcher makes a compelling case for Keith Moon being perhaps the most hedonistic and destructive rock star of all time. His life, in all honesty, speaks to me as a testimony to the tenacity of the human body. Keith Moon should have been dead long before he actually was. He abused his body in incalculable ways. Pills upon pills. Bottles upon bottles. Lines upon lines. Women by the truckload. Not too mention the multitude of acts in which Keith was faced with direct bodily harm, from explosions or car wrecks. I'm not sure if Keith Moon was genetically gifted in some way to endure such abuse, but it certainly seems possible.
And yet Keith Moon did eventually succumb to his devices, as many rock stars have. His story does end in tragedy. Not tragedy that was unforeseen or surprising, yet tragedy it was. It's tragic that Keith Moon, for all that the world loved him and saw his talent and worth, could not see it in himself. Tragic that he likely was mentally ill but never diagnosed or treated appropriately. Tragic that he was capable of achieving such fame and success and yet never had a chance to learn how to mange them well. Tragic that his life ended just as the briefest sparks of a hopeful turnaround were beginning to appear. Tragic that so much of his life wasted away in addiction and materialism. Tragic that he often resisted those who loved him most deeply.
And so, because of Keith's demise, we are left with his stories, his legacy, and his works of art. Fletcher does a great job of also capturing much of the history of The Who in his book, reflecting often on the other members of the band, and providing helpful insight into the music they gave to the world. I greatly enjoyed this aspect of the book as well. There is much here about The Who as a rock band, and about Keith Moon as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. It has spawned in me a much deeper appreciation of The Who. Indeed, as I read through this book, I also began to the explore the breadth of The Who's musical catalog. If you are not familiar with The Who, and decide to read this tome, then I would greatly encourage you to take time to listen to the Who albums along with Fletcher's examination of them. Fletcher also does capture some fun notes about many other figures in rock history, as Keith and The Who interacted with just about all of them.
As a final note, be warned: this book is INDEED a tome. It is exceptionally long, even for a biography. And that is why I removed a star in my rating. While the book is excellent, and I am incredibly thankful that I read it, it did feel a bit long in the teeth at some points. I think some of the stories Fletcher included could have been skipped over without diminishing the power of the work. At some point, Keith Moon's antics do become somewhat repetitive. While I'm very glad I stuck around for the long haul, I think the work could have been shortened a bit.
If you're a fan of rock music, a Who fan, a musician, or even just someone who grew up during the British invasion, I highly recommend you give this book a read.