Growing up as the son of Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr, it only made sense that Zak Starkey would follow in his footsteps. And he did exactly that when performing in groups like the Semantics, the Lightning Seeds, and the Icicle Works. But since the late 1990s, Starkey held the drumming position in the Who. Having performed with the Who for almost three decades, fans were shocked when reports suggested that the band fired Starkey. The drummer even released a statement. But according to singer Roger Daltrey, social media made it a bigger deal than it needed to be.
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During a recent performance on his Alive and Kicking and Having Fun tour, Daltrey decided to pause the concert to address the rumors circulating the Who and how Starkey was fired due to overplaying. With guitarist Pete Townshend insisting that Starkey was still part of the band, Daltrey added, “The last few weeks in my life, I’ve felt like I’ve been starring in an episode of The Twilight Zone. I’ve been reading about me in the press, doing things I don’t remember ever doing.” He added, “According to an inside source there was a war of words in a dressing room. It wasn’t my f**king dressing room, that’s for sure!”
Not wanting fans to fall for the rumors circulating the internet and social media, Daltrey insisted, “All I want to say is, it’s fake news. I am not guilty. I have not got a press spokesman.” As for social media, he continued, “And f**k social media. I’ve never done it; I’ve never want to do it – it’s taken civilization to the pits.”
What Led To Zak Starkey Being Supposedly Fired
The entire ordeal started back in March when the Who performed a charity gig at the Royal Albert Hall. During the performance, Daltrey complained about the loud drums. “To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry guys.”
Shortly after, reports surfaced announcing that Starkey was fired. The drummer even wrote in a statement, “After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night, but what can you do? I plan to take some much needed time off with my family, and focus on the release of ‘Domino Bones’ by Mantra of the Cosmos with Noel Gallagher in May and finishing my autobiography written solely by me. Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best.”
Now, with Daltrey setting the record straight and Starkey back with the Who, the drummer explained, “Look at the Who’s history. It’s been going on for years, this kind of thing. It was just a miscommunication, basically. It really was. The Who’s a family you know. It was a stupid thing that got blown out of proportion and got too much oxygen and three days later we’re all back to normal again.”
(Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
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