Guitar Archeology

The Rolling Stones played Hullabaloo with the Kingsmen and were impressed by the Sunn units. They spread the word to the Who and others.

The Rolling Stones with Sunn Amps

I became attached first to Keith Moon, because of his love of practical jokes and my fascination with his completely unique playing style. Pete Townshend nurtured my friendship with Keith because he needed help with the wild man. These guys were all on passports and high jinks that wouldn’t slow down an American act coul…d get a British band thrown out of the country. As Moon’s best friend, John Entwistle was glad to have Sunn’s credit cards to pick up the bar bill and whatever damages may accrue. Most of the recreation on those early tours took place in the hotel bar where there was always some drunk “straight” businessman who was incensed to see longhaired freaky foreigners in sissy clothes flirting with the barmaids. Many was the night, we stood up together for Queen and country. Moon seemed to enjoy pushing the situation to the limit to see if I could get us out of there without a fight. Moonie was a daily challenge to my finely honed peacekeeping skills. In Kansas City, the Who were opening for the Buckinghams (“Kind of a Drag”) who were on their fifth hit single on Columbia from producer Jim Guercio. The sound check was short and friendly and the Buckinghams agreed to let the Who use their PA to keep the set change to a minimum. The mostly teenaged audience filed into the hall looking white, upper middle class and bored. When the Who walked out on the stage in their Carnaby clothes the first few rows of standing students pressed forward to get a better look. The venue for the Who/Buckingham confrontation was a new high school gym. The bands performed on a stage made from beautiful inlaid wood. The Who launched into their set and got a good reaction to “Boris The Spider”, which I had learned that afternoon, Entwistle wrote. The rest of their set was received politely, but attentively. For the finale, Pete announced a song that would be released in the US within weeks “I Can See For Miles”. A few chords in, the audience came alive, and I found my new favorite Who song. As the finale built Bobby switched on the tiny smoke machine and the shit hit the fan. Pete started swinging his guitar like a pickaxe, Moonie kicking over his drums, Roger swinging the microphone in large arcs and bouncing it off the floor. I noticed several school officials spring into action. Nobody had warned them about this madness.

The Who with The Buckinghams

Buck Munger was scoring points with Keith Moon and John Entwistle with my terror filled tales of the Marine Air Wing and Phoenix Police Department. They offered their experiences traveling Europe and humorous impressions of America. We definitely shared an appreciation for the practical joke. Moon’s squint-eyed impression of actor… Robert Newton’s Long John Silver was classic. Entwistle exhibited the dry English wit. They prepared me for meeting their band-mates with some essential background information. Pete’s an old codger and Roger is a pretentious rock star. Why right now, that disgusting Roger is down in his room with a bunch of teeny-bopper groupies. Where the actual idea came from, I can’t remember, but the next thing I know I’m on the phone calling Daltrey’s room in my best Phoenix Police Department Desk Sergeant voice “ Hello, Mister Dawntree, this is Sgt Mullen of the Kansas City Police Department, we have a report that you are entertaining under-aged minor females in your room, sir, is that true? Daltrey, stuttered “No, that’s not true, who told you that?” “Well Mr. Dawntree, we have dispatched a radio car to answer that complaint, that should be there any minute, and you can make your statement to the investigating officer.” Hanging up the phone I could see Entwistle and Moon bursting with appreciation for my performance. We could hear feet scuffling outside in the hallway and after a moment there was a knock on the door. Daltrey came in, nodded to Keith and John and stepped into the bathroom. In a few minutes he came out and announced he was going to find Pete, and left. Keith and John, who had been quiet since he came in the room, let out howls of laughter. They pummeled me with compliments. We had a relationship. I had never met or dealt with the Who’s managers. With the Jimi Hendrix Experience most of the communication away from the site flowed through either Chas Chandler or Gerry Stickles. The only time I got to talk to Jimi was at the sound check and after the show backstage, which was always a circus. With the Who I had an off duty relationship with everybody but Roger. I noticed even Townshend liked to join Keith and John in the Roger chop-sessions. The band dynamic was interesting. In public, Daltrey shined and accepted the presumption that, as the singer, he must be the leader of the band. In private, Roger shrunk to the bottom of the pecking order behind John, who was below Keith who was always challenging Pete.