A review of the KM Biography

["B.W. Radley" <bwradley@earthlink.net>]

Having now finished reading the new Keith Moon biography (Dear Boy/Moon:
the life and death of a rock legend) I wanted to weigh in with a few
impressions of the book.

While it is likely that it will be considered the definitive biography on
Moon, I felt that the book was flawed in several respects.

First, the author fell into the trap of many modern biographers of having to
turn their effort into a psychological profile of their subject.  Granted,
it does not take any formal training to surmise that Keith Moon suffered
from some serious mental problems, on top of the fact he was an alcoholic
and
a drug addict for the better part of the decade prior to his death.
However, Tony Fletcher is not a mental health professional.  He is, by
trade, a music writer.

Nevertheless, at several junctures in the book, Fletcher goes into
discussions regarding various mental illnesses, without any independent
analysis from a competent practitioner that Moon, in fact, suffered from
these ailments.  Additionally, nothing in the bibliography or the
acknowledgments that suggests that Fletcher discussed his theories with a
doctor, before committing them to print.  For example, at page 17, Fletcher
sets forth the theory (I admit readily, not without merit) that Moon
suffered from that oh so current, oh so popular mental illness, Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  (I am not being sarcastic--I was told
recently that upwards of a third of the children in my son's school, a
typical suburban elementary school, have been "diagnosed" as having ADD,
and was on medication to control themselves.)  However, there is nothing to
support this theory.

The only point in the book where we hear from someone who is even in the
area of a mental health professional is in Chapters 33-34, when Moon is sent
to Dr. Meg Patterson, who's stock and trade is detoxification.  After
initially interviewing Moon, she states, "(y)ou don't need my treatment.
What you need is Jesus Christ."  Dr. Patterson then brings in her husband,
who is purportedly an expert in parapsychology (i.e. the occult).  He
concludes that Moon was possessed, and tries (unsuccessfully) to get Moon to
find God.

This leads me to my principal complaint with this book.  In reading it, I am
left with the question why didn't anyone seriously attempt to get Moon
(either voluntarily or not) committed to a mental hospital for more than a
few days to get him off the booze and the drugs and get him some treatment
for his obvious mental illness.  What bothers me is that Fletcher fails to
ask the principals he interviewed this question.  It is clear that by the
early 1970's that Moon's behavior degenerated from being eccentric to a full
blown (pardon the pun) lunatic.

Fletcher fails to more fully blame those closest to Moon for ignoring or
shrugging off Moon's reaction to his running over Neil Boland.  It was
evident that Moon blamed himself completely for Boland's death, but no one
appears to have suggested to Moon that he attempt to get some help to come
to grips with his guilt, which the book clearly states he never did.

The book left me with the cold realization that Moon was, in many ways, the
British Elvis.  Like Elvis, Moon was allowed to spend every penny he earned
(and then some--it is not coincidental that both Moon and Elvis were much
better off financially dead than alive), without any serious controls from
their business management.  Both Moon and Elvis were surrounded by too many
bootlickers and lackeys who were too afraid of their bosses and their temper
(Elvis:  "Well Keith, I see your champagne bottle in the wall, and raise you
one TV set that I blew into the Promised Land") to stand up to them.  No one
attempted to more than half heartily tried to get them off their chemicals,
and attempt to get them to maintain their health.  Compare the scenes of
Keith from 1978 in TKAA with Elvis in the Elvis in Concert video, which was
taped about 6 weeks prior to his death. (I don't know if it is still
available in video.  If not, appropriate exerpts also appear in This Is
Elvis, a 1981 documentary.)

While even at their worst, The Who's management could never hold a candle to
the criminal behavior of Col. Parker, they along with the surviving Who
members must share a large part of the guilt for allowing this to occur.
One might be somewhat forgiving of those who's own problems were not
insignificant (e.g Kit Lambert, PT), but there were certainly individuals in
this group who still had some hold on reality who should have done more to
prevent Keith's death.  Why they didn't is the great unanswered question of
this book.  Perhaps instead of stating "They don't give a shit Keith Moon is
dead," Pete should have said "We didn't give enough of a shit when Keith
Moon was alive."

Finally, Fletcher presumes that the reader comes to the book familiar with
the history involved, and interjects on several occasions comments that in a
typical biography one would not find.  The one example that sticks with me
is on page 174.  In discussing Moon's relationship in 1966 with the Small
Faces, Fletcher concludes "I wonder if it is mere coincidence that Keith
Moon's most prized possessions in his life (note:  The Who and his wife,
Kim)
were eventually to be taken over by members of his most like-minded group."
This is like writing in a biography of Lincoln, "I wonder what would have
happened that day in late 1864, if Lincoln decided not to renew his season
tickets to the theater."

All of this being said, Fletcher should be congratulated for a work of some
scholarship, which does much to dispel many of the myths that have abounded
concerning Keith Moon.  I would recommend to those of you who have not
purchased a copy to do so.

B.W. Radley
bwradley@earthlink.net
http://room.earthlink.net/~bwradley