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Keith Moon Photo Book - A Review



Well, I received the new Keith Moon photo book compiled by his
longtime chauffeur/guardian Dougal Butler.

I've said before I was leery about getting this book because I was 
somewhat disappoited with The Who Live photo book that came out 
a while back.

So why did I buy this book?  Well, Q Magazine gave it a great review 
& so did respected lister Rich.  Hence my credit card took a $170.00
hit.

Was it worth it?  Thankfully, yes.  I'm very pleased with this book.

Whereas the photos in The Who Live were almost all taken by pro-
fessional photographers, capturing the band in familiar jumps & mot-
ions (non-motions when it comes to OX) we've all seen hundreds, if
not thousands, of times, this Keith Moon book contains refreshingly
unprofessional & candid photos that excitingly make you think you're
sneaking an unallowed peak at someone's personal scrapbook.

For example, there's a fascinatingly confusing picture of Moon calmly
waiting in line for ice-cream at Disney Land in the late-seventies.  Ever
seen *that* side of Moon before?  I hadn't.

Dougal Butler took most of these pictures, except the ones he's in of
course.  There aren't a whole lot of shots of the "in-concert" Moon.  
Most are taken in hotels, at parties, at rehearsals, at home, etc.  Again, 
very refreshing.

Copies of bar tabs & bank notices nicely confirm many of the wild
stories we've heard through the years.  

Not a whole lot of band photos here.  And few shots of TED.  But it's 
a book on Moon, so that's to be expected.  No complaint there.

There's one shot, though, which does contain Townshend & Daltrey
that I found interesting.  It shows Pete, Roger, & Keith leaving the stage
area after an outdoor show in the mid-seventies.  They're surrounded
by a throng of people, Pete & Rog are leading the way & seem to be
caught in mid-arguement about something that must've happened during 
the show.  They're not happy with each other, that's obvious.

Moon is directly behind them, embedded in the throng of people fol-
lowing Pete & Rog.  What's he doing?  Well, he's not goofing.  He's
not joking.  He's not laughing.  He's not camping.  He's not even smiling.

He's intently following the arguement going on in front of him with a 
stern, concerned look on his face.  It's obviously not a time to be loon-
ing.  The people around them seem to have disappered in the minds 
of Pete, Rog, & Keith.  All that is focused on is the arguement at hand.

It might sound like a dumb photo to get excited about, but that picture 
alone perfectly captures the importance & magnitude that the band
held for Keith.  Family arguements can be brutally serious.

Other pictures lead to similar insights.  A picture of Moon playing pin-
ball in his gameroom while young daughter Mandy stands in the door-
way holding a popsickle, apprehensive about enetering the room (she
was sometimes afraid of her oddly behaving father, we're told).

I could go on.....

The book is autographed & numbered, contains a light amount of text
by Dougal, & witty picture captions for most of the shots.

These photos capture all shades of Moon.  Drunk, hungover, ecstatic,
dejected, serious, playful (entertaining some kids in a hotel kiddie pool!).
You name it, this book's got it.  All done with fascinating personal pic-
tures, some off-centered or blurry, which open up thoughts of the *real*
Keith Moon in all his moods & emotions.  Wonderful book.

Grade: A


- SCHRADE in Akron