Keith Moon was the last person I thought I’d hang out with in London in the summer of 1975.
I was 17 and my new best friend was considered the “wild man of rock” or “Moon the Loon.” Growing up, I could only dream of meeting such superstars, let alone being friends with them.
A few months later, Keith told me that his band, The Who, would be playing a big gig in London. This would be my first chance to photograph and even meet the rest of the band.
So we traveled to the Charlton Football Ground in South East London in May 1976. Keith said to me when we arrived, have your cameras ready. I told him I was ready, but why. He just said make sure you’re ready.
When we pulled into the backstage area and the limo pulled up, we were met by a TV crew. A microphone was pushed towards Keith. The interviewer looked like a comedian to me, and funnily enough he was. His name was Norman Gunston and he was from Australia.
Keith Moon, legendary drummer for The Who, was caught (left) soaking Australian comedian Norman Gunston after being taunted by the Australian during a 1976 London gig
Just before the infamous shot was taken, Keith jumped out of the car with a woman under each arm and a bottle of Vladivar Vodka in his hand (left) before charging at the Australian and looking him up (right).
The Who had a reputation for breaking things and being reckless, writes Danny Clifford. Pictured is the band performing in London on May 31, 1976 for fans
Keith jumped out of the car with a woman under each arm and a bottle of Vladivar Vodka in his hand. There were words between Keith and Gunston. I was 17 and living in a world without Google, the internet, Twitter or cell phones, so I didn’t know and didn’t have many ways to find out, but there was history here! Not between Keith Moon and Gunston, but between The Who and the Australian government.
The Who had a reputation for breaking things and being reckless. They were warned not to do that while in Australia. Well, they did! Therefore, in 1968 they were taken from a plane and briefly detained by the police.
They were then asked to leave the country. Australian Prime Minister John Gorton told the band: ‘Never set foot in Australia again’. It caused quite a stir at the time.
So here we were on May 31, 1976, and an Australian comedian (whose real name is Garry McDonald) in London was taunting Keith. It was an excellent opportunity for Keith to be, well, say, Moon the Loon.
As he walked away from Gunston, he turned quickly and quickly poured a bottle of Vladivar Vodka over the comedian’s head. I was busy taking pictures with my trusty Nikon F2As. This was rock and roll gold to me.
Keith and I quickly left Mr. Gunston dripping and talking to his camera as we entered the band’s dressing room. I remember when I first met Roger Daltrey, who just gave me the look of death. So as usual I took a picture of him.
Roger Daltrey (pictured), lead singer of The Who, gave Danny a ‘death look’ as he posed for a photo
Keith is pictured talking to Gunston just before throwing a bottle of vodka over the Australian comedian’s head
He was about to have me kicked out when Keith said, “This is Danny, and he’s with me.” It all cooled down, but not for long.
Suddenly a small crowd entered. I immediately recognized the brilliant Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale and her husband, actor Binky Baker. He played a gangster on the TV show London’s Burning.
Next to them was a real gangster, George Davis. I had heard of him and seen many public protests in Britain claiming his innocence. Railway bridges were painted, cricket pitches were dug out and the words ‘George Davis is Innocent’ were written all over the place.
His supporters claimed that he was not a prolific armed bank robber and that the police set him up. Just two weeks before this concert, he had been released from a 20-year prison sentence. Here he was with his wife Rose, in the dressing room with Roger Daltrey and others. I had to take a picture.
I noticed a trash can in the corner of the room with a sticker that said the brand name. It said, “Judge.” I thought it appropriate and pushed towards Roger, carefully calling everyone behind him for a quick group shot. About a year later, George Davis was found guilty when he was caught in the act with guns outside after robbing a bank. It seemed guilty as charged this time!
Danny was an aspiring young photographer, taking pictures of The Who performing in 1976. The photo shows Roger Daltrey with Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale, her husband, actor Binky Baker, notorious gangster George Davis and his wife Rose in the dressing room from Daltrey.
Danny captured this image of The Who on a wet evening in May, which he says is one of his favorite shots of the band ever, as they perform in front of a huge crowd of fans
It was the last day of May and the weather was terrible; it rained heavily. I saw so many people in the crowd with plastic bags on their heads to keep dry. Keith said to me, get behind my gear so you don’t get wet during the performance, which I did. I captured one of my favorite shots of The Who there with my Hasselblad camera.
This was one of those crazy days at the beginning of my career that will go down in music history. And the performance is also the loudest in history. Yes, May 31, 1976 was a whole day!