Legendary '90s Rocker Gets Candid About Departure From Band
After a whirlwind month of band drama—Zak Starkey, longtime drummer and son of Beatles legend Ringo Starr—is finally setting the record straight about where he stands with The Who.
In a candid new interview with The Telegraph, Starkey, 59, says things took a turn following a rare live performance of "The Song Is Over" at the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit at London's Royal Albert Hall earlier this year.
"What happened was I got it right and Roger got it wrong," Starkey said of the musical misstep, claiming that frontman Roger Daltrey came in a bar ahead of schedule during the song.
Just a week later, Starkey says he got a call from The Who's longtime manager, Bill Curbishley, ousting him from the group. The alleged reason?
"Roger says you dropped some beats," Starkey, who has drummed for both The Who and Oasis, recalls being told.
But according to the musician, he's reviewed the tape and didn't hear those missing beats.
"Then Pete [Townshend] had to go along with it because Pete's had 60 years of arguing with Roger," he added of the alleged incident.
The drama with the band didn't stop there, however, with Starkey revealing that he briefly rejoined the group, but only after being pressured to accept blame for the onstage snafu—and spoiler alert, the reunion didn't last long.
"It became clear Roger couldn't work with me," he shared. "I don't blame anyone. I blame The Who, because they're unpredictable, aggressive and f--king insane."
Even still, Starkey isn't ruling out a return to the group, especially after he says Daltrey, 81, told him to keep his drums on standby.
"Don't take your drums out of [The Who's] warehouse yet in case we need you," Starkey says Daltrey told him, with him urging the frontman to let him know should The Who have a change of heart.
For now, drummer Scott Devours has taken over, as The Who gears up for their The Song Is Over farewell U.S. tour, kicking off August 16 in Sunrise, Florida. The tour will run through September 28, capping off in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Legendary '90s Rocker Gets Candid About Departure From Band first appeared on Parade on Jun 16, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
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