The Who drummer kicked out of band for a second time

Yahoo

21-05-2025

Zak Starkey, the drummer for The Who, has been kicked out of the rock band for a second time in one month.
Starkey, who has been a band member since 1996, claimed his departure from the band had not been a mutual decision and alleged he had experienced 'weeks of mayhem' and 'would never have quit' The Who willingly.
In a lengthy statement on his Instagram account, the drummer said: 'I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endeavours. This would be a lie.
'I love The Who and would never had [sic] quit…quitting The Who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me…thru [sic] weeks of mayhem.'
It comes after reports surfaced last month that the band had taken the 'collective decision' to fire Starkey following a row over their charity show at the Royal Albert Hall in March.
One review of the band's Teenage Cancer Trust performance, which has been an annual gig for The Who since 2000, reported that Roger Daltrey, the frontman, had been 'frustrated' with Starkey's drumming during some songs.
The Metro's gig review suggested that Daltrey had complained onstage about his bandmate's performance, reportedly pausing during their final song to tell the audience: '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.'
Responding to the news, Starkey said he was 'surprised and saddened' to learn he was being let go.
However, the band swiftly responded to the rumours of the 59-year-old drummer's sacking, clarifying that he was 'not being asked to step down' three days later.
Pete Townshend, The Who's guitarist, blamed 'personal and private' communication issues at the time.
On the band's official social media, he wrote: 'Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line-up and he has readily agreed.'
He added that Starkey, who is the son of Ringo Starr, had 'made a few mistakes and he has apologised'. Starkey then thanked the pair for supporting him.
But on Sunday, in an apparent U-turn, Townshend wrote on Instagram that 'after many years of great work on drums from Zak, the time has come for a change'.
In a statement that appeared to take their long-time drummer by surprise, he added: 'A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.'
Starkey insisted that while he did have other projects on the go, 'none of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them'.
'The lie is or would have been that I quit The Who – I didn't. I love The Who and everyone in it,' he added.
The announcement comes just weeks before The Who are scheduled to start their farewell tour.
The rock band are embarking on a 'final' farewell tour of the US and Canada with 16 dates beginning in August in Florida.
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