Fact #155738
When:
Short story:
The Who, The Small Faces and Paul Jones play at The Town Hall, Wellington, New Zealand, Oceania. Their reputation for violence at live shows has resulted in a formidable police presence, despite which mayhem erupts at the band's hotel.
Full article:
Paul Rodgers (reviewer, New Zealand Truth) : They took nearly 8,000 teenagers for $2.60 to $3.60 each. All the kids got for their money was an ear-splitting cacophony of electronic sounds that was neither musical nor funny … the two Wellington performances turned out to be the most hopeless flops ever staged there. Without the aid of recording technicians, this bunch of long-haired boors were worthless.
Steve Marriott (Small Faces) : In Wellington it was my 21st birthday, and they gave me the only suite in the hotel, which was really nice of them. Me and Keith Moon and Wiggy (The Who's road manager, John Walford) destroyed the place.
Ian 'Mac' MacLagan (Small Faces) : The Who had four policemen and we had four policemen, so there were eight total there. So Steve invited them to come in for drinks, they relaxed, and took their helmets off, they were lovely blokes. And then Keith Moon comes in, says "...Happy Birthday Steve!," and immediately threw his stereo out the window. And the police were sort of sitting there with their drinks and off he went. And then the next day he went and did it again!
Steve Marriott (Small Faces) : And Wiggy went down and got it and I threw it over again, and before you knew it, there were chairs, tvs, settees, everything was over the balcony and through the windows - mirrors, everything, the whole fucking deal. There was quite an audience watching it all come down. It was ridiculous, I was hurting with laughter, it was so funny at the time - pissed as newts. We'd be lying on the floor gasping for breath, and someone would see something that wasn't broken, and then break it and sling it over the balcony and it would start again.
Anyway, we were sort of lying there wondering what to do. When we came to, we could see what we had done - all the French doors were gone, every window, there's nothing in the room 'cos it's all on the pavement. I think Ronnie and Pete were there to begin with, and Pete said to Ronnie, "This ends in the nick," and they split and left the three of us to do it - me Moony and Wiggy.
We were the culprits, I'm afraid. So I had a great idea - "Let's say someone's broken into our room and complain about it." So that's what we did, and the police were there interviewing us and all that. So Keith Moon rings up the reception and says, "Look, what kind of security do you have? Our room's been broken into and vandalized, and we paid good money for these..." The police came and like, Wiggy was seen carrying an armchair and throwing it over. He's got a bald head, and there's this wig hanging by the bed, and they're talking to him, "Do you know a bald man?" and he'd say, "No". It was simple as that, and we got out of it. I thought, "Great,"
Ian 'Mac' MacLagan : Anyway, it happened again the next night. I thought, oh, it couldn't happen again. The record company supplied a new record deck, more records, the hotel repaired the window, and it happened again. And I said, that's it for me!
Steve Marriott : They spent all day refurnishing this place, putting in new French windows and everything. Come the evening, Keith comes up and says, "They done a great job," and immediately put an ashtray through the French windows. And off it goes again, fumiture over the balcony again, see. We didn't get away with it again, not a chance. The second time it was like, "Oh, God, we can't get away with it," so instead, Keith put on his bravado, which was always funny to watch. We were drinking champagne, still celebrating twenty-one, and the manager came up in his dressing gown. It was late, about three in the morning, and he said, "I know it was you this time. Who has done this?" And Keith put the manager's tie in his drink and said, "I did it." Like, whatcha gonna do about it? "Moon's the name." So I think he took most of the rap for that, which he should have done really.
The party got the army round. They sent the police in first day, and we got them drunk in the room listening to Booker T. We were wearing their helmets and still smashing the place up. So they brought the Army in, and we had a man outside each door with a rifle! And if we opened the door, it was like "Get back in your room." And that was the story!
(Source : not known)
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Steve Marriott (Small Faces) : In Wellington it was my 21st birthday, and they gave me the only suite in the hotel, which was really nice of them. Me and Keith Moon and Wiggy (The Who's road manager, John Walford) destroyed the place.
Ian 'Mac' MacLagan (Small Faces) : The Who had four policemen and we had four policemen, so there were eight total there. So Steve invited them to come in for drinks, they relaxed, and took their helmets off, they were lovely blokes. And then Keith Moon comes in, says "...Happy Birthday Steve!," and immediately threw his stereo out the window. And the police were sort of sitting there with their drinks and off he went. And then the next day he went and did it again!
Steve Marriott (Small Faces) : And Wiggy went down and got it and I threw it over again, and before you knew it, there were chairs, tvs, settees, everything was over the balcony and through the windows - mirrors, everything, the whole fucking deal. There was quite an audience watching it all come down. It was ridiculous, I was hurting with laughter, it was so funny at the time - pissed as newts. We'd be lying on the floor gasping for breath, and someone would see something that wasn't broken, and then break it and sling it over the balcony and it would start again.
Anyway, we were sort of lying there wondering what to do. When we came to, we could see what we had done - all the French doors were gone, every window, there's nothing in the room 'cos it's all on the pavement. I think Ronnie and Pete were there to begin with, and Pete said to Ronnie, "This ends in the nick," and they split and left the three of us to do it - me Moony and Wiggy.
We were the culprits, I'm afraid. So I had a great idea - "Let's say someone's broken into our room and complain about it." So that's what we did, and the police were there interviewing us and all that. So Keith Moon rings up the reception and says, "Look, what kind of security do you have? Our room's been broken into and vandalized, and we paid good money for these..." The police came and like, Wiggy was seen carrying an armchair and throwing it over. He's got a bald head, and there's this wig hanging by the bed, and they're talking to him, "Do you know a bald man?" and he'd say, "No". It was simple as that, and we got out of it. I thought, "Great,"
Ian 'Mac' MacLagan : Anyway, it happened again the next night. I thought, oh, it couldn't happen again. The record company supplied a new record deck, more records, the hotel repaired the window, and it happened again. And I said, that's it for me!
Steve Marriott : They spent all day refurnishing this place, putting in new French windows and everything. Come the evening, Keith comes up and says, "They done a great job," and immediately put an ashtray through the French windows. And off it goes again, fumiture over the balcony again, see. We didn't get away with it again, not a chance. The second time it was like, "Oh, God, we can't get away with it," so instead, Keith put on his bravado, which was always funny to watch. We were drinking champagne, still celebrating twenty-one, and the manager came up in his dressing gown. It was late, about three in the morning, and he said, "I know it was you this time. Who has done this?" And Keith put the manager's tie in his drink and said, "I did it." Like, whatcha gonna do about it? "Moon's the name." So I think he took most of the rap for that, which he should have done really.
The party got the army round. They sent the police in first day, and we got them drunk in the room listening to Booker T. We were wearing their helmets and still smashing the place up. So they brought the Army in, and we had a man outside each door with a rifle! And if we opened the door, it was like "Get back in your room." And that was the story!
(Source : not known)