You’re not going to believe this, but The Who drummer Zak Starkey has been fired – again
The Who’s farewell tour is moving ahead – but without their longtime drummer Zak Starkey, who now says he was let go again, despite earlier reports of a resolution.
Just weeks after guitarist Pete Townshend publicly welcomed Starkey back into the fold, a new statement confirms that the drummer – son of Ringo Starr and a fixture of the band since 1996 – will not be joining them on their North American farewell tour announced earlier this month.
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
“After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change,” Townshend writes on Instagram Sunday. “A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.”
The post also reveals that Scott Devours, who’s worked with Roger Daltrey’s solo band, will be taking Starkey’s place for the upcoming run of dates.
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The announcement came as a surprise to fans – again – given that Starkey had already been dismissed once before, back in April, following a disagreement over his performance at their Royal Albert Hall gig. During the show, Roger Daltrey reportedly stopped mid-song to complain he “couldn’t hear the key” over the drums, saying: “All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that.”
Shortly after, Starkey confirmed his firing in a now-deleted Instagram post, joking that he was being hit with “formal charges of overplaying.” But just days later, Townshend reinstated him, blaming “communication issues” and saying the matter had been “aired happily”.
In a new statement, however, Starkey reveals that the second exit wasn’t his decision to make: “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endeavours. This would be a lie,” the musician begins.
“I love The Who and would never have quit. So I didn’t make the statement… quitting The Who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) through the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in and out and in and out and in and out like a bleedin’ squeezebox x.”
Starkey also clarifies that while he’s always been a part of “other projects” throughout the years, none of it has “ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them”.
“The lie is or would have been that I quit The Who – I didn’t. I love The Who and everyone in it,” he concludes.
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Townshend and Daltrey have since released a follow-up statement, stating: “The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20 years younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects. He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success. We both wish him all the luck in the world.”
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Starkey’s departure brings an abrupt end to nearly three decades of service with the band, during which he filled the enormous shoes of the late Keith Moon. For now, Scott Devours is set to carry the torch through the band’s final run of shows, which will take place across August and September this year.
Check out the full list of dates and get your tickets at The Who.
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