The Ballad of Keith Moon

Keith Moon was the original drummer for the Who.  He was a talented musician but in just a few short years succumbed to alcoholism and drug abuse. He also liked to blow up toilets while on tour and was a notorious character.  

Harry Nilsson, rather a famous hell-raiser himself, and kindred spirit, owned a nice flat in London that he wasn't using so he allowed first Mama Cass (Cass Elliot of the Mamas

and the Papas) to use it.  She died from cardiomyopathy while there and never finished her ham sandwich.  She was 32. 

Years later Nilsson allowed Keith Moon to use the same London flat, but as before bad things happened.   Moon had been prescribed a drug to help him with his urges to drink, clomethiazole. 

Unfortunately he did not take them as directed.  While the doctor said that at most you could take three in any 24 hour period, Keith took 32 of them.   This was enough to kill him and three of his friends.  One has to wonder what Moon was thinking.  Suicide seems one plausible way to explain this unhealthy behavior.     It seems likely (in my opinion at least and from the distance of many years) that Keith was a bipolar manic depressive.   Self-medication is kind of what often happens with these people, and consequences are often afterthoughts.  He was 32.  

In any case his short and explosive life is the subject of what I'm calling "The Ballad of Keith Moon" set to the music of "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV show of the 1960s.  

The Ballad of Keith Moon

Come and listen to a story about a man named Keith
A talented drummer, and smart ass Wembley kid,
And then one day he joined the band The Who
And so he played for the band and blew up things too...

Toilets mostly, Hilton crockery,  Holiday Inn.  .

Well the first thing you know ol Keith’s a millionaire,
Innkeepers said "We don’t really want you there"
Said "Howard Johnson’s is the place you ought to be"
So they loaded up the truck and moved to a new hotel

Hojo’s, that is. Swimmin pools, destroyed guitars.

Well next thing you know old Keith is taking drugs
And Alcohol nearly replaced but all his blood
He got bored with Cherry bombs and wanted something stronger
And Innkeepers said you can stay with us no longer...

Dynamite, high explosives,  TNT

Now Keith’s in a bind cause no one wants to rent him rooms
Crockery costs money and disturbs the other guests
So Nilsson said “Hey Keith why don’t you stay with me
While I’m off in Californy you can use my place for free

Just don’t blow up my toilets, okay?

So Keith by this time is trying to clean up his act
But 32 clomethiazole was just bad for his digestive tract
Just six is enough to kind of do you in
But 26 more and they’re calling next of kin

Dead,  Rigor Mortis, dirt nap.