Who firsts, Husker Du, and Moonie films

[Daswer@aol.com]

I believe NiCoLe said Moon was the first to play with 2 bass drums.  Exactly,
there weren't enough drums in the world for him to play at one time!  The man
was a maniac.  Also I believe the boys were the first band to stack their
amps; a minor point but one which truly kicked off the race for greater stage
amplification (which The Who won hands down to our delight and to Pete's ears'
dismay).  I think along with "firsts" The Who had several important "only"
points as well.  They were the only major British rock band to play all three
of the most important rock festivals in history:  Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and
Live Aid.

Since I was discovering and obsessing about the classic British rock bands
during the early to mid-80s, I devoted time listening to The Who, etc. that
might have been spend listening to Husker Du or any number of alternative
bands, most of which paled in comparison to the classic stuff I was starting
to dive deep into.  That said, my New Wave buddies would continue to assault
my ears with new music, some of which I liked a lot, although I couldn't make
time for them in my busy Who, Beatles, Stones etc. schedule.  One of the bands
that I remember making a mental note about was Husker Du.  I only heard one
song but it was damn good.  I wished I'd opened up a window of opportunity for
them on my turntable years ago.  Thanks for reminding me about these guys.
Now I know why they clicked for me.  Any fan of Pete Townshend is a friend of
mine.  I'll dutifully check them out now that my rock and roll research has
abated from its old fever pitch to a current raised eyebrow of mild interest.

Hey, Bobby DeNiro knows his way around films, unless he wants to direct (BRONX
TALE was a good film but the acting was real patchy).  Roger knows Moon's
music better than anyone on the planet (alongside Pete and John).  But
whatever happens, we will be blessed with any film about Keith Moon's life.
You can bet if DeNiro's involved it will be thorough; he won't simply rely on
Dougal's book.  Let's face it, Bobby gains and drops 40 pounds for a movie the
way most of us would drop off shirts at the cleaners.  I don't think this is a
guy who lacks commitment to projects he undertakes.  I pray a happy medium can
be reached.  I wouldn't mind seeing a MY FAVORITE YEAR version of Moonie's
life with Dougal.  If you remember, that film was probably Peter O'Toole's
last great flick and, although primarily a romp around town with a crazy
actor, it also created a fairly well rounded, sympathetic character.  That's
all I ask.  Show the Full Moon, the zaniness, the madness, the laughs, the
life threatening incidents, but also show his raw talent, his vicious drum
assaults, his razor wit, and his muddled, tragic-comic personality.  Give us
the full picture, don't spare the lunacy for the music and vice versa, don't
make him tragic without first showing his comic heights.  I'm a film fanatic
and I was truly pissed off when the film CHAPLIN came out because it succeeded
in turning the story of the world's most famous comedian into nothing but a
tragedy.  I understand Chaplin was a sad person, but he was also a comic
genius, a person capable of great hilarity.  This is the only fear I have
regarding a Moonie bio-pic, that someone turns it into a sad clown tale where
the humor of his life takes a backseat to the sadness.  Let's face it,
Moonie's antics were surely driven by loneliness and a need to belong, but the
heart of the story should still be 'the madcap antics of Keith Moon'.  He
lived his life the way he wanted to, driven by demons maybe, but he enjoyed
the hell out of his life.  I pray this film (if ever) won't be a straight
morality tale:  "Keith Moon, Rock's Sad Clown".  Boo friggin Hoo!!  Let me
tell you, Moonie will rise out of his grave to drive a Rolls Royce through the
film screen at the premiere it such a travesty happens.  
-Leo

"The truth is - you wanna hear it?...I cahn't do that.   You couldn't afford
me."  - Keith