Moon: The Life and Death of a Rock Legend

Rating:
Summary: Mad as a hatter
Review: I've just finished this book. Now I'm going to go back to the front and read it again. Amamzing. Anyone who has even slightly wanted to throw a TV out of a hotel window for the hell of it -- or anyone hwo has just wanted to act on instinct will love this book. I don't care if you hate rock and roll music. Keith Moon was, to say the least, a very entertaining person. He makes an excellent subject for a book.

Rating:
Summary: No more mythical Moon the Loon stories, the truth is crazier
Review: If you are interested in reading about how Keith Moon hurdled a Rolls Royce into a Holiday Inn swimming pool, I suggest that you do not buy this book. However, if you want to examine what made the London rock scene of the early sixties so exciting, or the LA scene of the mid-seventies so decadant, this book is for you. Tony Fletcher's book not only examines all of the wonderful and gory details of Moon's crazy life, he also paints a colorful picture of a world that seems ever the more distant from our own. This book is not interested in perptuating myths. Keith Moon did enough of that himself.

Rating:
Summary: If you like to drink ...
Review: If you like to drink--especially if you cannot decide whether you should clean up or just keep on tippling and laughing at everything--you'll love this book. Keith obviously decided to keep getting bombed and we love him for it. Many interviews with his old cronies contributed to this book, and all of these people fall into one of two categories: those who cleaned up, and those who died sometime between 1978 and the date of publication. Oliver Reed died in 1999, at a pub in Malta, the last to go. If you're like me, you will decide, after reading this book, that a life of lunacy is better than a life of sober observation, damn the consequences. The only substitute is reading this book, or something like The Sun Also Rises. Thank you, Keith, for showing us what we can do with our short lives.

Rating:
Summary: Moon the human being
Review: It takes a lot for the drummer of a rock band to become as famous as the lead guitarist, especially when the lead guitarist is Pete Thownshend, and the group is the Who. Both a biography of Keith Moon, and a decent history of the group, this chunky, excellent book details one of the most extreme, surreal lives in rock. From the non-stop constant hotel wrecking (which starts off amusingly enough, but eventually becomes worrying when Keith doesn't stop, ever), to the bizarre tale of his girlfriend calling the actor Larry Hagman to help Keith get through an overdose, it's a portrait of a man whose average weekend packed in more drink, drugs and destruction than most people manage in a year. And all the time Moon remains mostly likeable, although he isn't very nice towards his first wife, or old people. Early on he admits that the only thing he could possibly do was play drums - and as he lost interest in the drums, his life seemed to spiral out of control. His eventual death (announced by Pete Thownshend to Roger Daltrey with the telephone conversation 'He's gone and done it', 'What?', 'Moon') becomes increasingly inevitable, but no less sad for it. Moon's tragedy was that, apart from being a hyperactive child, his generation had no template to follow, and thus pushed themselves further and harder than any rock stars since.

Rating:
Summary: Exhilarating, Hysterical But Overwhelmingly Sad
Review: Keith Moon was a man of many faces and moods. He was an innovative drummer and a practical jokester. He was also a raging alcoholic and physically abusive to his wife Kim. Tony Fletcher examines Keith's life in great detail-from his childhood up to his formative years drumming for the Beachcombers and onward to his wild & reckless years with the Who and ultimately to his tragic death. Fletcher conducted personal interviews and did tons of research to gain valuable insight into the mad world of Moon the Loon. Fletcher is witty and passionate about his subject. Fletcher captures Moon's humor perfectly, you will laugh out loud reading this book. You may also shed a tear as I did. Fletcher does more than recap Moon's personal history. He examines Keith's work with the Who and isn't afraid to criticize work he felt was mediocre. Fletcher uncovers the man that few outside of the Who's intimate circle really knew. Moon's generosity and childlike wonder will surprise you if you only think of him as an alcoholic whirlwind who trashed hotel rooms and drove cars into swimming pools. If you want a glimpse behind the myth, then this book will delight and amaze you.

Rating:
Summary: Warts and All...An Honest Biography of a Rock Legend
Review: Let me just start by saying that the Who is probably my favorite band ever, and Keith Moon is a huge part of that love affair. I was particularly pleased with this bio because it presents an unflinching account of a true talent whose death came as no surprise to those who witnessed his self-destructive nature first hand. Many of the stories of Moon's legendary acts of wanton mayhem and mischief are indeed true, and have been well-documented, and it's a credit to Tony Fletcher's exhaustive research that he does not repeat stories which have been done so ad infinitum. Instead, he paints Moon as a gifted musician whose wildly assaultive, innovative drumming was perfect for the Who (and especially Pete Townshend) and not for any other band, whose drumming influence early peers such as Zeppelin's John Bonham (who probably was the only rock drummer who could match Moon's debauchery on and off stage, according to Fletcher), as well as contemporary rock drummers of today. He also details Moon's chaotic personal life, filled with moments both uproariously funny (witness the countless banishments from top-echelon hotels) and cruelly pathetic (witness Moon having to ask contemporaries to loan him some cash, as he has squandered his fortune on drink, drugs and excess).
A recurring theme prevails throughout this bio; Moon was perhaps a borderline psychotic, a narcissist fueled by both deepening insecurity and a thirst for fame and fortune no matter the cost (and how!). Yet, despite his reckless consumption of alcohol and drugs, many of those surrounding Moon all felt that deep down inside Keith Moon was a warm-hearted, funny human being who thrived on being unpredictable, but could also being extremely loyal to those around him. After all, not only was he the dynamic drummer of perhaps the most aggressive, passionate rock band ever, he was also their biggest fan.
Moon's life was truly a cauldron of chaos, side-splitting humor and dark tragedy, much of which he either took part on or invented to further his reputation. Indeed, much has been written of Keith's antics, many of which have been passed as truth but are in fact fiction, and Fletcher, through careful, exhaustive research, debunks many of these myths. For example,
the oft-told story of Moon driving a Lincoln Continental (or any other car, take your pick) into the swimming pool of the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan, and the Who's subsequent permanent ban from all Holiday Inns, is put to rest. According to Fletcher, and to those who have participated in this so-called incident, Moon was never involved in the car-in-pool act, nor was the ban ever forbidden from staying at any worldwide Holiday Inn. These myths, says Fletcher, helped fuel the interest in Moon's antics (many of these myths Moon supported, actually). In the end, however, not even a well-placed smoke bomb in an airplane latrine could disguise the fact that Moon was slowly killing himself.
From first hand accounts from those closest to Moon, including ex-wife Kim and Who lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, Fletcher's bio is a passionate, blood and guts account of a man who, possesed of all the talent in the world, embarks on a journey of fame and wealth but sadly becomes the poster child of rock-n-roll excess.

Rating:
Summary: The absolute third-eye view story of rocks wildest son.
Review: MOON is the best way to understand what the wildest man in rock did, and why. Fletcher's account of Moon's day-to-day life, which includes a history of the WHO, is very entertaining, and is the kind of book, that once you start it, you won't want to put it down...it also makes you want to get all the video and music of WHO to listen and see for yourself what you're reading about!!! Great book!

Rating:
Summary: The tragic life of a rock legend
Review: My enjoyment of the Who's music, curiosity about the legend of Keith Moon, and my interest in drummers and drumming in general led me to check out this rather massive book. By the time I reached the final chapter I was both sad that the story was over and completely emotionally drained, and not exactly sure I was glad to have learned all I had about Moon. Having grown up with an alcoholic/drug-dependant family member, far too much of what Fletcher described of Moon's problems was painfully familiar to me. The way he treated those who cared for him, particularly the women in his life, was quite terrible and sometimes difficult to read about.

Fletcher pulls no punches and presents both Moon's greatnesses and his weaknesses. He illustrates where and how Moon was a genius on the drums yet also where, when and how is performance was sub-par. He does not sugar-coat anything. Still, the end result is not as tawdry and cheap as some celebrity biographies I've read, for the reader gets the impression that Fletcher respects the subject matter instead of simply looking to provide cheap thrills and sensationalism. He also works hard to disprove some of the wilder stories and legends of Moon's behavior and stick with the facts, which may disappoint some who hate to see the legends shattered, but there is still much madness and mayhem that is apparently quite true.

If you are a Who fan and/or interested in the story of one of the most legendary drummers of rock music, you owe it to yourself to check out this book. Just be forewarned that you may find it difficult to look at Keith Moon in the same light ever again.

Rating:
Summary: Moon:The Life and Death of a Rock Legend
Review: Not knowing a lot about the band The Who, I started to read Keith Moons story to find out if all the rumours I had heard about him throughout the years could be true, and boy weren't they. This book is intriging Keith was not only the best drummer in the world but also the best party animal ever. I found this book to be a very honest account of what Keith must have been thinking when getting up to all kinds of mischief, it also looks at the darker sides of Keith (his battle with the booze,the endless supplies of drugs,and the mental/physical abuse endured by his loved ones).It also suggests that Keith had some sort of personality disorder and was in turmoil. Whatever the real truth is for his behaviour this book also shows the loving side of keith and his strong longing to be loved and the centre of attention,however he could get it. I could not put this book down, the attention to detail regarding his music abilities and his role within the band is staggering. A real insight into the life of a rock star and the real Keith Moon.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: Of all of the books and music I own, this is the first time I have been compelled to write a review on Amazon.com. This book was crafted with great care and is founded upon thorough research. It does a great job capturing the feel of Moon's life: it is exciting to read about the early years before the Who and during their rise to superstardom. Quite appropriately, it then becomes more tedious and depressing as the nonstop partying and pranks get old, signaling the beginning of the end. Those looking for a manual on how to be the life of the party will find it here, but just as there was so much more to Keith Moon, there is much more to the story and, thankfully, it has been included here. The only weakness is that Moon's incredible drumming could be analyzed in greater detail. However, it would be fair to point out that the task of successfully describing and analyzing his drumming might be impossible!