Ringo Starr Shades “Little Man” Roger Daltrey After Son Zak Starkey’s Firing from The Who

Ringo Starr is standing by his son, Zak Starkey, following his firing from The Who.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Starkey gave the full rundown on The Who firing, re-hiring, and subsequently re-firing him this year. He revealed that he turned to his father, Ringo Starr, for advice, describing him as a strong source of support throughout the ordeal. “I’m very proud of him standing up for me,” Starkey said of his father. When asked what the former Beatle thought about the situation, Starkey responded plainly: “He said, ‘I’ve never liked the way that little man runs that band’,” apparently referring to Roger Daltrey.

While Starkey didn’t reveal any other details about his father’s thoughts on the band or his firing, he did clarify that he’s not holding any grudges against Daltrey and Pete Townshend — despite referring to them as “fucking insane” and claiming that they “have an addiction to friction.” “I don’t blame anyone,” he said. “I don’t hold any grudges. It’s The Who. Weirder shit than this has gone down. I’ve heard them say weirder shit than this. It’s The Who — the maddest band there’s ever been.”

Elsewhere in his interview with Rolling Stone, Starkey discussed the new album from his supergroup, Mantra of the Cosmos, which features Shaun Ryder and Mark “Bez” Berry of the Happy Mondays and Andy Bell of Ride and Oasis.

Speaking of Oasis, Starkey also discussed the rumors of him potentially joining the band on their 2025 reunion tour: “I did tell them both on text, ‘Why the fuck aren’t I in your band, man, helping make it the greatest rock band in the world again?,'” Starkey said. “They said, ‘You’re in The Who.’ And Liam is happy working with Joey [Waronker] since they’ve been working with him for a while now.” Read the full interview with Zak Starkey here.

Starkey may have missed out on Oasis’ tour and has been “retired” from The Who, but that won’t stop him from reliving his dad’s glory days; On the new Mantra of the Cosmos album, Starkey recruited Sean Ono Lennon and James McCartney — the sons of The Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney — for a collaborative track called “Rip Off.” The Who, on the other hand, are kicking off their North American farewell tour in August; get tickets to see The Who here.