“Pete had to go along with it because he’s had 60 years of arguing with Roger”: Zak Starkey reveals why he was fired from The Who
Last month, Zak Starkey was still The Who’s drummer. Now he’s not – again. The veteran sticksman, son of Beatles legend Ringo Starr, has been ousted from the legendary rock band not once but twice in just over a month, and he’s finally shedding light on the confusion, frustration and clashing egos behind the scenes.
In April, The Who performed two charity gigs at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust. A fortnight later, the band announced a “collective decision to part ways with Zak” after more than 30 years, citing issues with his drumming. Starkey, blindsided, said he was “surprised and saddened”, only to be reinstated a few days later following what Pete Townshend described as “some communication issues.” The band explained at the time that Starkey had “made a few mistakes [at the Albert Hall] and he has apologised.”
But the reconciliation didn’t last, for on 18 May, Starkey was fired again.
READ MORE: “Most musicians are not like me… I don’t like being on a stage”: The Who’s Pete Townshend explains why he doesn’t like performing
“What happened was I got it right and Roger got it wrong,” the drummer now claims [via The Telegraph], pointing to a disagreement over their performance of The Song is Over at the second Albert Hall show.
The rarely played 1971 track was suggested by Starkey as a “treat” for Who fans. But he says a lack of rehearsal and Roger Daltrey shortening the song led to the frontman “[coming] in a bar early” – and blaming him for the hiccup.
While there were no dramatic confrontations backstage then, a week later he got a call from longtime manager Bill Curbishley: “‘It’s my unfortunate duty to inform you… that you won’t be needed from now on. Roger says you dropped some beats.’”
On his part, Starkey says he reviewed the footage and couldn’t find any mistakes. “Then Pete had to go along with it because Pete’s had 60 years of arguing with Roger,” he adds.
The Who guitarist later called Starkey to ask if he’d fight to stay. The musician declined at first but he soon changed his mind: “I said, ‘I want my gig back.’”
Starkey rejoined after conceding he might have dropped two beats. But just two weeks later, the axe fell again. “‘Roger says he can’t work with you no more,’” Starkey was told, with the band requesting that he issue a statement claiming he was leaving for “other projects”. He refused, “because I wasn’t leaving [of my own volition].”
Asked why Daltrey felt he couldn’t work with him, Starkey replies, “They didn’t specify.” He says Daltrey later told him that “you’re not fired, you’re retired because you’ve got so many other projects”, one of which is his band Mantra.
But there’s a sting: Starkey had reportedly turned down the chance to drum for Oasis on their reunion tour – a gig he would’ve “of course” taken, had he known what was coming.
That said, Zak admits he holds no grudge towards the band. He calls The Who his “family” and doesn’t fault Daltrey or Townshend personally.
“I blame The Who because they’re unpredictable, aggressive and fucking insane,” he says. “And that’s why I love them.”
Meanwhile, Scott Devours has been appointed as The Who’s new touring drummer. Sharing his mixed feelings on landing the job, Devours said, “It really is a strange contradiction of emotions to have the greatest moment of my professional career also be one framed with some sadness and shadowed by someone else’s loss.”
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