27 Jan 2009
THE WHO’S SUBSTITUTE DRUMMER, T. SCOT HALPIN, TO HAVE DAILY MEMORIAL BLOG
THE WHO’S SUBSTITUTE DRUMMER, T. SCOT HALPIN, IS TO HAVE A MEMORIAL BLOG FEATURING A WORK OF HIS ART AND MUSIC, EACH DAY FOR ONE YEAR, COMMENCING FEBRUARY 9, 2009, THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PASSING.
Scot Halpin passed away last year at the young age of 54. He is known by many as the kid who got to come up out of the audience, sit in for an ailing Keith Moon and finish the set with The Who, thereby living the dream of Who fans, Keith Moon lovers, and anyone baptized in the churning, burning waters of rock and roll. Rock fans around the world can mourn the loss of their advocate–the guy who sojourned from their lands into the realm of the gods and returned anointed. Throughout his life, Halpin marveled at the mythological nature of the mantle he inadvertently snatched that night.
Over the years, the story of Scot playing with The Who gained momentum, from the beginning, taking on a life of its own. Television, newspapers, radio and books all picked it up. “I never met a person that was not wowed by the story,” laughs Robin Halpin Young, Halpin’s wife and partner of 30 years. “Across class lines, creative lines, geographic lines, age lines—everyone was equally impressed.”
The whole time The Who story was chugging along, Halpin was busy being a phenomenal visual artist and musician in a world of his own creation. As a columnist in his local paper put it, the “gig with The Who was a footnote in a life well-lived.” Now that he has passed, Halpin’s family and friends are actively engaged in excavating the enormous body of artwork and music he left behind.
“We are only really beginning to take stock of the depth and breath of his work now that he has passed,” explains Halpin Young. “While Scot was alive, his entire focus was on living his creative time to the absolute fullest. This meant there was always precious little time for review and reflection. The idea for the memorial blog came to me almost immediately after he passed. Scot has left us with literally thousands of drawings, paintings, etchings, and sculpture. Add to that, thousands of hours of recorded music. I hope the blog will be a little bit history, a little bit insight into a remarkable life, and ultimately, the beginning of a worldwide sharing of a great creative effort.”
The blog can be accessed starting February 9th, 2009 at http://tscothalpin.blogspot.com
Pete, Roger, this November will be the 40th anniversary of the concert where Scot got onstage at the Cow palace and took over drums.
Was wondering if there are any plans in the works for you to get together on TV with Robin Young (Scot’s widow), Dougal Butler, Gary Rossington (from Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band that opened for you that night), Bob Heil (who created your sound and also helped cart off Keith when he collapsed); and commemorate this unique event. It would be a real thrill to have it on EnterTainment Tonite, or VH1.
BTW, I am working on a book about that night, focusing on the events that took place that caused a very lucky 19yr old to be able to do something others could only dream about.
Great footage! Thanks for posting!
40th anniversary of Scot’s moment of fame today. Long live The Who and long live Scot Halpin!
A little over a year ago I learned about Scot’s story. It was a story that moved me, so I turned to The Who page on Wikipedia and discovered that the story was not mentioned and I thought it necessary to modify it so that Scot is part of the band’s history, to date that has been respected. I think it was a well deserved tribute
wow – I always heard the snippet of Pete asking for a drummer – never heard ” the rest of the story” until now .
pretty awesome – I can only guess what went through his head at the time = boggling .