The Who Blew Up On ‘Smothers Brothers’
When The Who showed up to play “My Generation” on The Smothers Brothers Show in 1967, the hosts were prepared for a loud performance and the smashing of instruments — that was The Who’s shtick. During the run-through, Moon was reportedly underwhelmed by the dull thud. Details are faint, but Moon either decided to pack his kick drum with extra flash powder himself or a stagehand took care of it because of his complaints. According to stage manager Bob LeHendro, the explosives that went off were about three times the planned amount. Pete Townshend has blamed his hearing loss on this incident, although that may just be his way of sweetening the story.