1 month ago
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The Who famously sang about not getting fooled again, but apparently it’s okay to get fired again. A month after firing and rehiring Zak Starkey, the legendary rock band has parted ways with the drummer once more.
On Instagram, guitarist and chief Who songwriter Pete Townshend wrote, “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 added that Scott Devours of singer Roger Daltrey’s solo band will take over behind the kit for The Who’s upcoming farewell tour dates.
However, Starkey, who is the son of Beatles icon Ringo Starr, painted a not-so-amicable parting, alleging that the band had asked him to release a statement saying he had quit the band.
“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endeavors this would be a lie,” wrote Starkey on Instagram. “I love The Who and would never had 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) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin’ squeezebox x.”
Last month, The Who had announced they’d let go of Starkey following their Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. A few days later, they reinstated Starkey, saying there had been “communication issues.”
Starkey had been The Who’s longest-serving drummer, having joined the band in 1996. After his first firing, he had stated, “I’m very proud of my near thirty years with The Who. Filling the shoes of my Godfather, ‘uncle Keith [Moon]’ has been the biggest honor and I remain their biggest fan.”
The latest parting with Starkey comes roughly 10 days after The Who announced their absolute farewell North American tour, set to run from mid August until late September (pick up tickets here).
English (US) · 