A clown, a father, a maniac, a musician, a charlatan, a drunk, a beloved son, and a loyal but infuriating friend walk into a bar…

It might be pretty crowded in there, if they weren’t all the same person. Keith Moon was all of these things and more, and for an all too brief period in time, he bared every facet of his rich and often problematic persona to the world. If he were only known for his drumming, he would still be one of the most important figures of the colossal rock ‘n’ roll era that spanned the late ‘60s and ‘70s. But it is impossible to separate the man—that singular personality—from his skill on the kit, because he attacked the drums the same way he attacked life: with destructive joy, violent aggression, and a total disregard for convention that has never been matched.

There weren’t many things that could hold Moonie’s focus for long—neither family (though he loved his wife and daughter, domesticity could not contain his rampant imagination, much less his personal excesses), nor wealth (the trappings of fame were accumulated and subsequently destroyed or forgotten with the regularity that most men brush their teeth). The one constant, the one thing he lived for, was the Who.

It makes sense, then, that the Keith Moon that spoke to Joe Collins just before New Year’s 1974, was a very different character than he was popularly believed to be. Moon is warm and charming while recounting the story of the Who and eager to talk about his forays into acting. One might wonder if this interview itself is actually some kind of put-on (especially when considering how thoughtful and serious Moon is on the subject of his universally derided solo album), but it becomes clear that if there is one subject the man can discuss earnestly, it is music.

Though he wasn’t long of this world, Keith Moon forever changed the expectations of what a rock ‘n’ roll personality could or should (or maybe shouldn’t) be. Enjoy this opportunity to hear the man, for once, in his own words.

Like this article? DIGG it and sign up for our RSS feed!