Corky Laing meets Keith Moon’s Coat of Many Colors
Best Seat In The House
During the UK rock and roll 60”s invasion most of the chart topping groups (The Who, Hendrix, and Cream) would be routed through Canada (Quebec) so that all immigration visa paper work could be finalized before heading into the “big time” USA.
My band at the time was called ENERGY. We were fortunate to have Steve Cooper as our manager who was also the major rock promoter in Montreal. Naturally Steve would add us on all these rock concerts including The Who show at the Forum. This not only got ENERGY amazing exposure but we also got the opportunity to hang out with all the rock celebs.. Ultimately we would invite them to get their Ya Ya’s out and jam with us at our 24/7 rehearsal space.
This was a great outlet for these stars in the making who were always anxious about the upcoming tour. This was all about their future. Rock was young. Rock was refreshing with new sounds and refreshingly new looks. A good part of the English Rock image was visual and nobody exploited that aspect more than The Who.
They were young, they were volatile, unpredictable, and they looked FAB! While breaking big on the Cashbox charts that year, The Who already had the reputation for breaking up hotel rooms, and of course trashing the equipment at the end of the show. And boy did they rip it up that evening at the Forum in Montreal. Not only did Keith Moon devastate the entire drum kit, he seemed to disrobe as the guitars came crashing down on the amps. It was rock’n’roll chaos.
A few hours later, things quieted down back stage and I was packing up behind the scaffolding when I happened to come upon Keith’s famous Union Jack sport coat. This was one of the very best looking pieces of stage gear that you ever set eyes on. The entire coat was a piece of ART. Tailored to fit and completely covered in woven sequins in the pattern of the UK flag. There it was on the floor, lying between the bass drum and an amplifier. Without thinking I quickly grabbed it, shoved it under my coat and headed back to the dressing room. It was at that very moment the commotion started backstage. A very distraught Keith Moon was a screaming and crying, “I’ve got to get back to the stage. I’ve lost my Grandma’s Union Jack coat!”
Security was holding him back because he was bare naked except for a towel wrapped around his waist. Keith was determined to get back to the stage to find his coat. As he passed by me I managed to catch his attention and call him over to my dressing room. He yelled back, “No Autographs, not now please, I’ve got to find my coat.”
I gave up and just raised the coat over the throngs of people now milling about in the hall. I saw his face light up like a super trouper. His immediate reaction was to shove and push everybody out of his way while he grabbed and pulled me into his arms. With a great big hug, he kissed me, gushing with gratitude. After a few moments I quieted him down and admitted that I was planning on stealing the coat.
He smiled and pulled me closer whispering in my ear, “But you didn’t mate!” and planted another one smack on my lips. Like they say in grammar school, that was a propitious moment.
As the rock and road went ever on, Keith and I became good friends. He was very liberal with his kind advice. One such piece of advice was, “ Always keep your cymbals from blocking the view of the girls in the front row. You don’t want to block the view of the cleavages, after all, you have the best seat in the house.”
Corky Laing
