Following recent announcements that The Who has re-hired drummer Zak Starkey (son of The Beatles’ Ringo Starr), it looks like the band has yet again given Starkey the pink slip. Starkey will not join The Who for their highly-anticipated upcoming North American tour this year.
Videos by American Songwriter
It’s quite sad, considering that Starkey has been touring with the band for the better part of three decades. Just one month ago, Starkey took to social media to announce that he had been kicked out of the band for “overplaying.” That’s not exactly shocking, considering he picked up his talents from The Who’s former famous wildcard drummer, Keith Moon. The backlash from fans was surprisingly intense.
Just a few days after that announcement, Pete Townshend took to social media to calm the waters and say that the band members and Starkey had come to an understanding, and that the generational drummer would continue to drum for the band.
The Complicated Relationship Between Zak Starkey and The Who
The band has been back and forth about including Starkey in the lineup for quite some time, it seems. According to Townshend, his announcement about Starkey remaining in the band has been marked null. In a recent Instagram post, Townshend was vague about why Starkey had been given the boot yet again.
“After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change” said Townshend in the post. “A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.”
Townshend also noted that Scott Devours, who has worked with The Who’s Roger Daltrey previously, would join the group for their final tour.
However, the drama has continued on despite Townshend’s amicable post. Starkey responded to the announcement by saying that he was fired just two weeks after being reinstated.
“I love The Who and would never had quit,” said Starkey.
It seems like right now isn’t the best time for rock and roll drummers. Foo Fighters recently announced that they let go their drummer of two years, Josh Freese. Hopefully Starkey and Freese can find bands that are a bit more dependable in terms of job security.
Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.