Full Moon: The Amazing Rock and Roll Life of the Late Keith Moon [Paperback]

Dougal Butler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1981

Text in nice condition, browning to edges of pages, cover has shelfwear.

Product Details

• Paperback: 269 pages
• Publisher: Morrow Quill Paperbacks (September 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688007570
• ISBN-13: 978-0688007577
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time For a Reprint!, August 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Full Moon: The Amazing Rock and Roll Life of the Late Keith Moon (Hardcover)

It's too bad this book is out of print, because these are the adventures (many very funny but in the end very sad) of one the greatest (if not THE greatest) drummers of all time. And besides that, it's written by a guy who knew Moonie and witnessed his antics 1st hand. I wish the guy who's trying to make a screenplay the best of luck. The next step after consulting Butler is to get permission from the Who to use their songs. To close this review, I'd like to paraphrase the last sentence in the book, "Keith Moon ups and [very] well dies."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest book I've ever read, April 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Full Moon: The Amazing Rock and Roll Life of the Late Keith Moon (Hardcover)

Nobody lived his life like Keith Moon. Those who knew him were astounded at his all consuming passion to get everything possible out of life. Dougal Butler has written, in a unique and incredibly humorous way, the best book I've yet read about the life and incredible times of Keith Moon. Don't miss this one. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life and Times of Moon the Loon, March 13, 2005

By 

tgfabthunderbird (York, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Full Moon: The Amazing Rock and Roll Life of the Late Keith Moon (Paperback)

I found this book in the late 1980's, when I was really discovering the Who and figuring out what they all meant to rock n' roll and its history.

My real awakening was the film "The Kids Are Alright," and after that finding this book, written by Peter "Dougal" Butler, Moon's longtime "man," or personal assistant.

Butler's rollicking tale of ten-plus years with the madman of rock is a sometimes nasty one, following his string of practical jokes, endless escapades and occasionally spotlighting his musical prowess.

But it really mostly is the relationship Butler established with Moon, and some of the insights that later came out about Moon's personality, and what may have been wrong with him.

Butler notes that Moon sometimes would get into a state where he just could not discern the real world from the false. Case in point his work on the film "That'll Be The Day," where he plays a drummer. The star of the film is David Essex ("Rock On"), and Moon is unable to handle it. His dive into a mental pool of despair and thinking the whole affair is real is pathetic...and as Butler notes sometimes you just don't have a straight jacket available when you really need one.

Butler notes the problems in Moon's relationships with his wife Kim as well as Annette Walter-Lax, whom Moon had said he intended to marry toward the end of his life. Moon's friends, if ever he had close ones include Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson, as well as Vivian Stanshall of the Bonzos.

One problem I have is finding that Butler seems to have placed himself at events that he was not present for. He also I think in retrospect put too much emphasis on the zaniness without really getting deeper into the causes, etc.

But perhaps he just didn't know; Butler was no psychiatrist.

He also skips over certain pivotal moments in Moon's life; the accidental death of his close friend and driver Neil Boland (though in fairness, Butler was not present for that) and his longtime fling with groupie extraordinaire Pamela Des Barres (who has her own insights on Keith).

Either way, some interesting and funny photos, some intriguing stories and a sad, but truthful ending that pretty much says the only thing that really happened was that Moon up and died.