The absolute destruction of at least one hotel room has become a sort of rite of passage for rock stars. Nothing cements you into rock history like utter recklessness, and Keith Moon was, undoubtedly, no exception. The legendary drummer of The Who seemed to rain a path of destruction wherever he went, from flushing cherry bombs down toilets to plummeting into pools from hotel room windows. His long list of pranks and shenanigans, however, would pale in comparison to his almost mythical 1967 stay at a Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan.
In August of that year, The Who had been touring as the opening act for Herman’s Hermits. The Who had already become infamous for their destructive behavior, both on and offstage. Pete Townshend destroyed guitars faster than they could be replaced, and the band had literally exploded on live television. The destruction, however, would reach its pinnacle at the 21st birthday party of their drummer on August 24th.
The minute the bands stepped off the tour bus, the party began - at least, it did for the birthday boy. Immediately, Keith began pounding back the drinks, unconcerned about the show they would have to play in just a few hours. A quick photo was snapped of Keith standing in front of the Holiday Inn sign, complete with lettering that read “Happy Birthday Keith,” signaling the beginning of an unforgettable (and, simultaneously, unable to be remembered) night.
The band did their set at Atwood Stadium, Keith already drunk as he pounded away on his drums, and then returned to the hotel. While they'd been away, giant tiered cakes decorated to look like drums had arrived as a gift for Keith. He smiled and promptly approached the cake, sticking his finger into the icing in flicking it at Karl Green, the bassist for Herman’s Hermits. This small act set off a chain reaction and within seconds the room had been coated in a layer of marzipan as guests hurled fistfuls of cake at one another.
The chaos was only just beginning, however, for it was Keith’s next move that would become a legend, one still shrouded in mystery. Guests had parked their vehicles around the swimming pool outside, the perfect setup for a diabolical prank. Quick on his feet, Keith made the mad dash towards the first car he saw - a brand new Lincoln Continental, resting on a slight hill. He opened the door and slipped inside, laughing as he took off the handbrake and the car began to roll. The Lincoln rammed straight through the wire fence and plunged into the pool, sinking straight to the bottom with the drummer still inside. Water began to seep in through every crack and crevice, slowly filling the vehicle. In an illustrious moment of logical thinking, Keith waited until the car filled almost entirely with water before he took a final breath and opened the door, swimming up to the surface. Soaked but enitrely unphased, Keith simply rejoined the party.
Dripping wet and in full party mode, Keith approached a fellow party-goer and silently stuck his fingers into the pocket of their pants and pulled, ripping them clean down to the knee. In return, the guest whirled around and did the same to Keith, pulling so hard that every stitch in Keith’s pants was destroyed, leaving him completely exposed save for bits of unsalvageable fabric around his feet. A police officer had been standing guard nearby, hired to protect the bands from crazed fans. This, however, had been the last straw for the officer, who immediately pointed his revolver at Keith and began to arrest him for breaking Michigan’s law on public nudity.
Frightened, exposed, and completely inebriated, the birthday boy attempted to make a run for it. He spun on his heel and immediately slipped on a piece of cake, slamming his front teeth right into the ground. Keith was rushed to a dentist, but his level of intoxication meant the dentist would be forced to remove and replace to tooth without using any anesthetic.
Although the party may have ended for the guest of honor, plenty of guests were still partying hard back at the hotel. Every fire extinguisher had been emptied (used to clean the cake off, of course), both people and objects had been thrown into the pool, and a piano had been destroyed, now resembling kindling far more than any instrument. The madness was only brought to an end when more police officers arrived with their guns drawn.
Holiday Inn Management was furious and handed the groups a $24,000 bill for their stay, as well as banning The Who from all Holiday Inns - at least until they stayed in one in Rochester a week later.
To this day, the Lincoln Continental in the pool remains something of a mystery. Whether the incident happened at all continues to be a topic of debate. Some claimed to have seen the car sitting at the bottom of the pool, others that it simply could not have happened, but Keith told the story as fact many a time. It should be recognized, however, that most witnesses could not have even walked in a straight line, let alone accurately recall the events of the evening. Even members of The Who remember it quite differently:
“I saw it. We paid the bill [for the damages]. It was $50,000. It’s vague now, but I just remember the car in the pool. But then I read in the biography that never happened, so maybe I’ve been living someone else’s life, I don’t know.” - Roger Daltrey
“He never drove a car into the swimming pool. He couldn’t even drive.” - John Entwistle
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