Keith Moon, a Bank Robber & Norman Gunston!

The Who at Charlton FC - Bank Robbers etc

Keith Moon was the last person I thought I would hang out with in London when I was 17, and my new best mate was considered the ‘wild man of rock’ or ‘Moon the Loon’. Growing up, I could only dream that I would meet such superstars, let alone be friends with them. A few months later, Keith told me that his band, The Who, would play a big gig in London. This would be my first chance to photograph and meet the rest of the band.

So, in May 1976, we travelled to the gig at Charlton FootballGround in South East London. Keith Said to me as we arrived, get your cameras ready. I told him I was ready, but why? He just said make sure you are ready. As we drove into the backstage area and the limo stopped, we were met by a TV crew. A microphone was thrust towards Keith. The interviewer looked like a comedian to me, and funnily enough, he was. His name was the brilliant Norman Gunston, and he was from Australia. He had his own shows on TV down under and is a big star. He was grabbing the celebrity and doing a crazy impromptu gate crash interview before almost anyone else thought of it. Many have copied him since then. Norman’s real name is Garry McDonald. Keith jumped out of the car with a woman under each arm and a bottle of Vladivar Vodka in his hand. This first shot was used in the film ‘The Kids are Alright’, produced by my mate, Tony Klinger. It was a kind of life story of The Who. Tony has a book coming out in the next few weeks called ‘Who Knows’, which tells the truth behind his attempts to hurd cats and fight the fighters and get that film made. I was around in 1977/1978 when this film was being made, and I was involved in it a bit. I witnessed many shenanigans and arguments between the various parties. I also photographed it. I will write more about this at another time.

So, here is Keith pouring a bottle of Vladvar Vodka over the brilliant Norman Gunston’s head. I do believe I was the only person there who took photographs.

There were words between Keith and Gunston. I was 17 and in a world with no Google, Internet, Twitter or mobile phones, so I didn’t know or have many ways of finding out, but there was history here! Not between Keith Moon and Norman Gunston, but between The Who and the Australian government.

The Who had a reputation for smashing things up and reckless behaviour. So, they had been warned not to do any of that whilst in Australia. Well, they did! So, in 1968, they were pulled off an aircraft and briefly detained by the police. Then, they were asked to leave the country. The Australian Prime Minister John Gorton told the band, “Never set foot in Australia again”. It caused quite a commotion back in the day. So here we were on the 31st of May 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, shall we say, ‘Moon the Loon’. As he walked away from Gunston, he quickly turned back and swiftly poured a bottle of Vladivar Vodka over the comedian's head. I was busily taking photos with my trusted Nikon F2As. This was, for me, ‘Rock n Roll Gold’. Keith & I then swiftly left Mr Gunston dripping and talking to his camera as we headed into the band's dressing room.

I remember meeting Roger Daltrey for the first time, who just gave me the look of death.

Mt first meeting with Mr Angry. He was very nice to me from then on and still is rather lovely to this day.

So, as usual, I took a photo of him. He was about to have a go and have me thrown out when Keith said this is Danny, and he is with me. It all cooled down, but not for long. Suddenly, in came a small crowd. I immediately recognised the brilliant DJ from BBC Radio 1, Annie Nightingale and her husband, the actor Binky Baker. He played a gangster in the TV show London’s Burning. Standing next to them was a real gangster, George Davis. I had heard of him and seen many public protests around the UK claiming he was Innocent. Railway bridges were painted on, Cricket pitches were dug up, and all sorts of places had the writing, ‘George Davis is Innocent’ all over them. His supporters claimed that he wasn’t a prolific armed bank robber and that the police had set him up. He had been released from a 20-year jail sentence only two weeks before this concert. Here he was with his wife, Rose, in the dressing room with Roger Daltrey and others. I had to take a photo. I saw a dustbin in the corner of the room with a sticker showing its brand name. It said, ‘Judge’. I thought how appropriate and pushed towards Roger, and I gently corralled everyone behind him for a quick group photo.

L-R back row. Annie Nightingale, Heather Daltrey (Thanks to Mike Baess for reminding me) , Binky Baker, Rose Davis. Seated: George Davis, Unknown. Sitting on the floor, Roger Daltrey (with a bin with Judge brand)

A year or so later, George Davis was proven guilty as he was caught red-handed with guns and stolen money outside a bank after robbing it. He appeared guilty as charged this time! It was the last day of May, and the weather on this day was miserable, and it rained heavily. I saw so many people in the crowd with plastic bags on their heads to try to keep dry. Keith said to me, stand behind my kit, and you won't get wet during the gig, which I did. I took one of my favourite photos of The Who from there with my Hasselblad camera, and here it is.

I do love this photograph. As I mentioned, I took this on my wonderful Swedish-made Hasselblad camera. Some concertgoers hold paper and plastic bags over their heads to keep them dry.

Here is a video of the moment Keith was accosted by Norman Gunston backstage.

This was one of those crazy days in the early part of my career that will go down in music history. As well as the gig being the loudest in history.

Yes, the 31st of May 1976 was quite a day!

Best wishes,

Danny

www.dannyclifford.com