Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #444146 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 587 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
When the young Keith Moon was beating the tar out of his drum-kit in Shepherd's Bush in 1964 it would have been unthinkable that this sparky little mod kid would have been the subject of a door- stopping 500-page biography. But young Keith soon mutated into Moon the Loon and joined the pantheon of legendary rock and roll wild men who lived fast and died young and 500 pages now seems the minimum space needed to cover his many excesses.

Tony Fletcher has drawn heavily on interviews with Moon's wife, his sister and his girlfriend for the last eight years of his life. Oliver Reed, Alice Cooper, and Larry Hagman also have their say and the picture that emerges is of a man whose outrageous antics sprung from an absurdly over- generous personality. The drink, the drugs and the trashed hotel rooms are all splendidly chronicled as is the music. His drug-fuelled demise is not a pretty sight but Moon had always walked the walk and so the fact that, unlike the other members of The Who, he actually did die before he got old, ultimately comes as no surprise. --Nick Wroe.

Synopsis
A biography of Keith Moon, the drummer with the Who, who died in 1978. Information was gathered from friends and family, and associates in the music industry such as Alice Cooper, Jeff Beck, and Kenny Jones, and the author suggests that Moon's substance abuse brought on schizophrenic tendencies.

From the Author
Brief description of book
Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon is the result of a lifetime both as a Who fan and as a music journalist, the product of my own surprise that no one else had attempted a biography on the man, and in the short term, the outcome of three years spent retracing the steps of his short life steps and tracking down many of his contemporaries. It is written with love and admiration and, after a while, frustration, too. And while it celebrates his contribution as unique musician and inimitable character, it is also, reluctantly, something of a tragedy.

Customer Reviews

You Couldn't Make It Up ...
"Dear Boy" is many kinds of a book. Whilst it is of course a rock biography, it is also by turns a comedy, a romance, psychoanalysis and probably most of all, a tragedy.

Since first hearing the Who as a Mod in the 1980s during the death of the youth cult's revival that began in 1979, I have been fascinated with the life of the band that have been important for so many followers of music, mod and rocker alike. "Dear Boy" is the greatest insight into Keith - and in fact The Who - since Barnes' "Before I Get Old".

In "Dear Boy", Fletcher begins with Keith's childhood, where even then it was wondered if he suffered with some form of hyperactivity. Insights range from his life at home with his mild-mannered parents, divided from them by a curtain spanning the living-room behind which he played his drums; to his practical jokes on the streets which were the forerunner of some of his later, more famous antics.

The book follows his musical career from the Beachcombers (apparently the happiest time of his life) to The Who. It reveals the complex relationships he shared with the other band members. His practical joking he shared with John Entwistle (they bought a car together containing hidden speakers so they could alarm the public with their announcements), his destructiveness he shared with Pete Townshend (jointly responsible for the hotel smashing escapades but always happy to leave Keith with all the credit), and his see-saw relationship with Roger Daltrey, who was once almost thrown out of the band for beating Keith up whilst on tour.

But the true tragedy of his life is revealed through his friends and family. Keith, desperate to be wanted and loved, tried to be liked by everyone. As his fame grew so did his bizarre behaviour - fuelled by an increasing alcohol and drug habit - in an attempt to become even more popular. All the time however there was a frustrated and depressed man underneath it. Plagued by the death of his one-time minder for which he held himself personally responsible, the break up of his first marriage and his addiction to mind-altering substances, Keith often tried many things to rid himself of his demons - from medication to drying-out clinics and even to an unusual form of exorcism.

Fletcher writes with a genuine love and sympathy for Keith, but also with boldness and honesty, refusing to shy away from the darker side of his nature, usually manifesting itself at home. No stone is left unturned (and no hotel, it seems, is left unsmashed) as he tries hard to get inside the mind of the world's most famous drummer and to the root of his problems - in fact in my opinion trying harder than many of the quacks Keith asked help from during his life.

Fletcher adds an extra dimensions to the things commonly known. For example, I knew Keith had trashed hotels; but I had no idea of the scale of it, the sheer level of destruction that was caused. I've seen photos of Keith often dressed up as Hitler or a Jester - but I had no idea he would actually take on this persona, driving his family crazy by remaining in costume and in character for days on end.

It's a huge book; however due to its well-written and easy style, it didn't take me long to get through it. Very much recommended.

An amazing book that explodes some Keith Moon myths
I have always been a massive 'Who' fan and especially in awe of Keith Moon. This book totally justifies why Keith was the best drummer this planet has ever had. However, it is not just a one sided account and explores Keith's tempramental side as well. It isn't until you finish this book that you realise, had Keith been alive today it would probably have been recognised that he had some very serious mental problems that he masked so efficiently by being 'Moon the Loon'. If you want to read a really good unbiased account of Keith's life, buy this book.

A fantastic recollection of the life of this legend.........
...I was only 9 years old when Keith Moon passed away, but was caught up in the mod revolution in the 80's. The Who quickly became very much a part of my life.

I've been meaning to read this book for sometime, and when I finally got around to reading it I was not dissapointed.

Tony Fletcher has captured perfectly the ups and downs of Keith's life, some which are are hilarious and others deeply moving. As per other messages left here, the last few weeks of Keith's life detailed in the book were very emotional. Once I had completed page 519, I had to close the book and reflect.....

An essential read for all Who fans around the world, which was always a better place with Keith Moon in it. May he rest in peace.