My curiosity was piqued this weekend when I saw a tiny thumbnail photo of Keith Moon apparently knee paddling on a longboard. The photo, barely big enough to make out any details, appears in the liner notes for the DVD “The Kids Are Alright.” The photo accompanies a section that talks about The Who performing “Barbara Ann,” the song made famous by the Beach Boys.
After reading more, it makes sense that Moon sang the song. Not because he was a good singer. (He wasn’t.) But because he was obsessed with surf music.
In fact, an early band of his, the Beachcombers, covered songs like “Surf City” and “Surfin’ USA.” While still in that band, he hooked up with the Who, where his frantic surf drumming style would somehow fit in with the blistering bass line and distorted guitar leads.
Once the band made it big, Moon bought a place in Malibu, which I figure would be a perfect place for Moon to realize his California dream. So I looked around to see if I could find any evidence of him surfing, and I found this old story from “Rolling Stone.”
According to the piece, written in 1972, Moon talks about surfing in Hawaii.
“We were in Hawaii, and I said I must surf. Jesus, I been buying surfing records for years, you know, I’ve got to try it,” he told the magazine.
Then he goes on to describe a nasty wipeout. You can read it yourself and decide how much is actually true. But it’s sort of funny.
Moon overdosed not long before “The Kids Are Alright” was released in 1978. In a bizarre set of rock and roll connections, Moon had been Paul McCartney’s guest for a screening of “The Buddy Holly Story” when he returned to the flat owned by Harry Nilsson. That’s where he died – in the same place Cass Eliot had died nearly four years earlier.
Posted on November 23rd, 2009 by Pat
Filed under: Music, Surf stuff
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