The saga between drummer Zak Starkey and The Who has ended (for now) with a second dismissal.
On April 17, the classic English rock band parted ways with Starkey, 59, after there was reported tension between lead singer Roger Daltrey and the drummer after the band played “The Song Is Over” (1971). During that March 30 performance at Royal Albert Hall, Daltrey complained that he couldn’t hear the band over the drums.
Guitarist Pete Townshend noted that Starkey was back in the band on April 19, citing “ communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.”
Ahead of the band’s farewell tour, the band announced that they had said goodbye to Starkey for good in an announcement posted on their Instagram on Sunday.
“After many years of great work on drums from Zak, the time has come for a change,” Townshend wrote. “A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best. Scott Devours, who has worked with Roger’s solo band, will join The Who for our Final shows. Please welcome him.”
As you could imagine, Starkey wasn’t too happy about the news. The drummer then posted his own statement, making it clear to Who fans that this wasn’t his decision to step down for other projects. That is in response to a formal statement The Who posted on their website alluding to Starkley being “20 years younger” and having a great future with his new 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,” he wrote. “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.”
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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com