Keith Moon brings THE REAL ME to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Name of Edinburgh show: KEITH MOON: THE REAL ME
Venue: GILDED BALLOON TEVIOT
Performance time: 5:15 PM
Show length: 1 hour
Ticket price: £12 (£11)

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your performing background?
I am a drummer and an actor for a living, with 10 years stand-up comedy experience. I’ve done three other one man shows. This one is my first non-autobiographical. My favourite band is The Who. I’m originally from New Orleans. My drumming reflects the rhythmic heart and soul of New Orleans. Music is not only what drives the world; the solar system in which I reside pulsates in rhythmic orbits of the planets around the sun. They know how to keep a beat. I aspire to achieve the same precision. I steer clear of drugs and alcohol. Always have. Vegetarian for 43 years. Hardly drink. A show like this demands one hundred percent health. I have no room to fool around.

Tell me about your new show, what it is all about?
Keith Moon stands as the wildest man in rock and roll. His drumming reflects the audacious and impulsive nature of his existence. His reputation as rock’s wildest wild man preceded him. Through trying to live up to his debauched lifestyle/reputation, he did himself in. The show centers around his internal conflict of having to live up to his lethal reputation.

How long have you been working on this show and what is it that makes it relevant to audiences in 2019.
I’ve been working on it over 10 years. The theme is a never ending human struggle to be true to ourselves, while facing the burden placed upon us by the expectation of others. It’s a timeless theme: Selling our soul for glory and fame, at peril of our own life.

Do you have any top tips for surviving the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – both for performers and visitors to the event?
I’ve never done Edinburgh before, so I do not speak from experience. The best advice I can think of is what I must follow myself: Come to the festival prepared to work and show your wares. This is not a vacation, it’s an opportunity to lay it on the line on the stage. As far as audiences go…My show alone will make you glad you came.

What has been the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
Having a child jump onto the stage to upstage me in the middle of a scene. The audience loved the kid, but his mother was not happy. Neither was I.

Who are your biggest inspirations in the industry and why?
Pete Townshend and The Who. They gave the music everything they possibly could. It was so severe that their reason for living practically depended upon it. Also, Theodore Leschetizky. His teacher’s teacher was Beethoven. My great aunt studied piano with him. He once performed a piano piece, with notes made on the music sheet from Beethoven himself. A critic questioned the interpretation. Leschetizky was highly amused that this critic had no idea who penned the interpretation. When you’re that connected, you don’t care what anyone thinks; you know you’re right.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Remembering that each show is special. Each show is unique. Allowing the performance to be its own experience each night for myself and the audience. I also warm up my hands on a drum pad. This show hits the ground running. I gotta be warmed up.

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at Edinburgh Fringe?
I’m definitely checking out the other acts my producers are bringing to it. And anything else that surfaces as vibrant theatre.

Why do you think people should come and see your show over the thousands of others on at the fringe?
My show is the only show like this. Guaranteed. As Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead advices: “You don’t want to be the best at what you do; you want to be the only one at what you do.” I emulate James Brown. And now that he’s gone, I want it said of me: The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.

Thanks for having Tea With Wilma

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