At Esquire, Miles Raymer has a top-ten list of the Craziest Drummers Ever. I'm not normally a fan of listicles, but this is more than mere linkbait. And the illustrations by Jeremy Wheeler are fantastic! Above, his Keith Moon.
There's no evidence that Keith Moon of The Who provided the inspiration for the Muppet drummer Animal's notable incivility, but it makes enough sense that the rumor's been going around for decades and doesn't show any sign of going away. His drumming talents were immense, and his capabilities for wreaking havoc were even greater. He one-upped Pete Townshend's guitar-smashing by periodically rigging his kit with explosives and detonating them at unexpected moments. He was the first person in recorded history to throw a television out of a hotel-room window. He once accidentally drove over and killed his chauffeur, which is sad and terrible, and yet also about the most perfect embodiment of the collision of vast wealth and an unchecked id that Moon embodied, and which generations of rock stars have tried to achieve.
The rest of the list is here.
