Zak Starkey insists he was “fired” from The Who as he reveals Roger Daltrey conversation that “truly confused both of us”
Zak Starkey has insisted that he was “fired” from The Who, and revealed that he and Roger Daltrey had a conversation that left them both “truly confused” about the situation.
There has been much debate over the status of The Who as they gear up for their US farewell tour. Last month, it seemed that drummer Starkey – son of Ringo Starr and part of the band’s line-up since 1996 – had publicly confirmed that he had been kicked out of the group. Just days later, however, Pete Townshend denied this, confirming that he was “not being asked to step down” and very much still part of the line-up.
Things got even messier on May 18, though, when Townshend then officially announced Starkey’s departure from the band, stating that “the time has come for a change”. He also cited Starkey’s “new projects” as an added reason for him to leave, concluding: “I wish him the best.”
Daltrey would then confirm the news, but explain that it wasn’t a case of Starkey being “fired” from the group, but rather him “retiring”. This, he said, was so he could focus on his work with supergroup Mantra Of The Cosmos, who have a new song coming out soon that was penned by Noel Gallagher.
Now, according to a new post on Instagram, it seems that the drummer isn’t convinced by the latter’s claims, and is wanting to reiterate to fans that there were no scheduling conflicts between The Who and his other projects.
“This is fukin total bollox. I was fired,” he began. “Roger’s new word for it is ‘retired’ to complete my other musical projects… I called Roger last week and told him in person I had spent nearly two months at my studio in Jamaica completing my studio projects.
“That I had a mantra of the cosmos single out next week and then I was completely available for the foreseeable future… he was a little surprised but understood.”
He continued: “It’s true – I have no plans whatsoever for the fall as I thought I was touring with The Who and my Mantra bandmates are v busy in Oasis [Andy Bell] and Happy Mondays [Shaun Ryder] until the new year. So this is simply a load of bollox.
“Am I fired, retired, deffo not tired as I’m 20 years younger than these guys as they keep saying.”
In another post, titled ‘NOISE&CONFUSION!!!!’, Starkey went on to share how he “had a great phone chat with Roger at the end of last week which truly confused both of us!!!”.
When the news announcing Starkey’s ‘retirement’ was shared, The Who also confirmed that Scott Devours would be taking on the role of drummer for their farewell tour. He has previously worked with Daltrey as part of the singer’s solo band. Following the news of him joining the line-up, he called the weight of being their new sticksman “enormous”, and added that he understood if fans were “gutted” by Starkey’s loss.
The Who’s farewell tour is set to begin in Florida on August 16, and other shows across the month include stops in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York. Visit here for tickets.
The post Zak Starkey insists he was “fired” from The Who as he reveals Roger Daltrey conversation that “truly confused both of us” appeared first on NME.
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