Cliff Notes – Zak Starkey hits back after being fired for second time
- Zak Starkey has been dismissed from The Who for a second time, shortly before the band’s farewell tour, after a series of chaotic performances and tensions with lead singer Roger Daltrey.
- Starkey claims he was asked to falsely state he had quit the band, asserting his commitment to The Who after nearly three decades of service.
- Fans have expressed disappointment over Starkey’s departure, highlighting his integral role in the band’s recent success and questioning the manner of his exit.
The Who drummer Zak Starkey hits back after being fired for second time
Legendary drummer Zak Starkey says he has been fired by The Who for a second time, shortly before their farewell tour gets underway.
The musician, 59, had played with the iconic British rock band for 29 years before being sacked in April, in the wake of a series of chaotic gigs at the Royal Albert Hall, where he clashed with lead singer Roger Daltrey, 81.
Posting to his social media, Starkey suggested that he was about to be fired for ‘overplaying’ at the Teenage Cancer Trust shows.
Sure enough, a spokesperson for The Who subsequently revealed that Zak and the band had ‘made a collective decision’ to part ways after the tour.
However, less than a week later, co-founder Pete Townshend, 79, issued a statement via his Instagram, claiming that the drummer was not, in fact, stepping down from the band.
With the group’s North American goodbye tour set to roll out in August, Starkey has issued another update – claiming that he’s been fired for a second time… this time, for good.
News that Zak would be stepping down (again) was originally broken by Townshend via his Instagram account, in a wall of text overlaid over a picture.
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‘After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best,’ Townshend wrote.
This announcement also included the news that Scott Devours would be taking over from Starkey on drums in the band’s forthcoming farewell tour.
However, Starkey soon hit back with a post of his own, imposing his version of events over the top of Townshend’s.
‘I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie. I love the who and would never had quit,’ he wrote.
‘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) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox x [sic]’.
News of Starkey’s re-sacking didn’t go down well with fans, who leapt to his defence in the comments of Townshend’s post.
‘Love you guys but honestly, I wish I knew that before buying tickets. He’s more a part of The Who than Moon at this point,’ wrote jeffgamble4 on Instagram.
‘Uncool. Poor way to go out. Zak a massive part of late career power of the band. Played the Concert for New York. Sorry Pete, this is pointlessly mean-spirited,’ wrote guitarwatson.
‘What on earth is happening with y’all? The fans deserve Zak, he has been an integral part of the group for 3 decades and this is not the way to go out,’ agreed Captain_trips91.
The band’s recent performances are said to have been fraught with tension (Picture: Getty Images)
Starkey joined the band in 1996 and remained a part of the furniture until their disharmony became public at their Royal Albert Hall performances this year.
Metro was in attendance at one such charity performance, witnessing Daltrey complain of not being able to hear over the drums, even halting the show multiple times as a result.
‘To sing that song, I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry, guys,’ he complained as he called an end to the band’s final track, The Song Is Over.
As news of his firing broke for the first time, Starkey issued a statement via Rolling Stone, saying: ‘I’m very proud of my near thirty years with The Who.
‘Filling the shoes of my Godfather, “uncle Keith” has been the biggest honour and I remain their biggest fan.’
Starkey continued: ‘They’ve been like family to me. In January, I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf. This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running.
‘After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night, but what can you do?’
He added: ‘I plan to take some much needed time off with my family, and focus on the release of [single] Domino Bones by Mantra Of The Cosmos with Noel Gallagher in May and finishing my autobiography written solely by me.
‘Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best.’
Starkey joined the band in 1996
In August, the band will bid farewell to the USA and Canada with their goodbye tour, named The Song Is Over after their 1971 hit of the same name.
The tour, which kicks off in Sunrise, Florida, will consist of a total of 16 performances.
Roger said: ‘Every musician’s dream in the early 60s was to make it big in the US charts. For The Who, that dream came true in 1967, and our lives were changed forever.
‘Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion. To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me; this was the land of the possible.
‘It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us, and look forward to seeing you one last time.’