When you think of rock musician’s misbehaviour, especially in the 1970s, who do you think of? Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Page, David Bowie? Yeah, those artists did have a big party lifestyle but there is one certain drummer who left them in the dust.
The drummer was the first to trash a hotel room and launch TVs out of windows. The drummer who drove a Rolls Royce into swimming pools. A drummer who had a member of the Muppets based on him. This week the Beat Marches On to the 4th January 1970 when Keith Moon visits a neighbour’s son’s new pub.
It was supposed to be a celebration at the Red Lion in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, but it ended in tragedy. Moon who attended the opening as a favour to his neighbour was the drummer in one of the world’s biggest rock bands, The Who. The band had played the big festivals across the world throughout the late 1960s including the Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and the Isle of Wight.
So, when one of the world’s most famous musicians drops into your new pub opening, you would think it would be a good thing? You get some publicity, maybe a photo in the newspaper and it could end up as a new regular drinking hole for the celebrity. None of this happened. The pub was in a working-class area at the time and when Moon and his entourage arrived in his chauffeur-driven Bentley the patrons, who were mostly Skinheads, weren’t impressed. They weren’t impressed by his lavish clothing style nor his expensive taste in top-shelf Brandy either.
The tensions rose as the night wore on. Moon and his entourage weren’t exactly quiet when the drinks were flowing which seemed to anger the regulars. By the time the pub was closing the Skinheads had enough, it was time to teach the rock star a lesson.
Moon and his entourage went in the back of the Bentley. Just as everyone had sat down, the skinheads started to pelt the car with stones and coins. Everyone inside the car started fearing for their lives. The troublemakers then started to rock the car back and forth.
The driver, Neil Borland, got out to try and stop the skinheads from doing any more damage. Moon trying to save his friends, jumped into the front seat to try and get them to safety. The commotion outside forced Borland to get caught underneath the car. The Bentley set off with Borland being dragged down the street until they realized what had happened. The driver was taken to hospital, but it was too late.
Police charged Moon with the death of Borland as well as driving without a license or insurance. A few weeks later a judge ruled the death a tragic accident, and Moon pled guilty to the driving offences which resulted in fines.
The relationship between Moon and Borland was more than just a chauffeur and rock star. The driver was his personal bodyguard, they were also close friends. Although a judge ruled the drummer not guilty, the guilt carried with him for the rest of his life.
It is believed that the incident started what would become a tumultuous time for Moon. There was a divorce from his wife Kim and maybe, in trying to hide the guilt, an increasing alcohol and drug consumption which led to his death in 1978 at the young age of 32.
Pamela Des Barres a groupie who spent time with Moon claimed in the Sun newspaper that the drummer suffered from nightmares due to the incident and would wake up screaming, and one night even crying and claiming to be a murderer.
Many years later Neil Borland’s daughter decided to do her own research into her father’s death. The information she found was different to what was reported. The main difference was who was driving the Bentley at the time. One of the skinheads emailed her claiming that it was Moon’s wife Kim who was driving. However, the drummer’s biographer, Tony Fletcher, spoke to one member of the entourage in the car who said it was definitely him who went behind the wheel.
Whoever it was behind the wheel of the car, it felt like the beginning of the end for the Moon. A freak accident in which an innocent man died trying to defuse a tense situation. Again, it is a tragic story, but these stories need to be told to hope that such accidents don’t happen again.
The Beat Marches On is a music blog written by Jimmy Whitehead. Jimmy has been blogging for six years specialising in Sports (especially American Football). If you want to follow Jimmy on Twitter: @Jimmy_W1987
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The websites used for research were:
The Tragic Truth Of Keith Moon’s Car Accident (grunge.com)
Keith Moon once accidentally ran over and killed his driver (faroutmagazine.co.uk)
The Day Keith Moon Accidentally Ran Over and Killed His Chauffeur (ultimateclassicrock.com)
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