Keith Moon - Destructive Behaviour

Destructive Behaviour

Moon led a very destructive lifestyle. He laid waste to hotel rooms, the homes of friends and even his own home, throwing furniture out of high windows and setting fire to buildings. It has been estimated that his destruction of hotel toilets and plumbing ran as high as UK£300,000 (US$500,000). These destructive acts, often fuelled by drugs and alcohol, were Moon's way of expressing his eccentricity; he enjoyed shocking the public with them. In Moon's biography, Full Moon, longtime friend and personal assistant Dougal Butler, observed: "He (Moon) would do anything if he knew that there were enough people around who didn't want him to do it."

According to Townshend, Moon cultivated his reputation for erratic behaviour. Once, while riding in a limo on the way to an airport, Moon insisted they return to their hotel, saying, "I forgot something. We've got to go back!". When the limo reached the hotel, Moon ran back to his room, grabbed the television, and threw it out the window into the swimming pool below. Moon then left the hotel and jumped back into the limo, sighing "I nearly forgot".

Moon's destructiveness led to The Who being banned from hotel chains around the world, including Holiday Inn, Sheraton, and Hilton Hotels, as well as the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Moon's history forced The Who to stay outside of New York City when the band performed there; none of the New York hotels would accept them as guests.

In one case, The Who were due to perform at The Valley, (the London home of Charlton Athletic F.C.). The band members were waiting in the dressing room for Moon to arrive. A witness described the drummer's sudden entry to the building:

"Suddenly, there was a great crash and Keith Moon dropped through the ceiling, having smashed his way through the corrugated iron roof."

Moon even crashed a milk float vehicle that he had purchased on his own property.