Latest news with #MantraOfTheCosmos
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Classic Rock Drummer Claims He Wasn't Fired Twice But ‘Retired'
The saga of The Who firing, rehiring, and then re-firing Zak Starkey has taken another turn. Starkey, the 59-year-old son of Ringo Starr, had played drums with the classic rock icons for three decades, up until his dismissal in April. Starkey said he was "surprised and saddened" after getting fired, but Pete Townshend later posted on social media that Zak was back in the band and his departure was due to "communication issues." Except, fans got fooled again. Townshend posted on May 18 that the "time had come for a change," and that Zak was out. Scott Devours, drummer for vocalist Roger Daltrey's solo band, would handle drumming on The Who's forthcoming final North American tour. Now, Starkey says he wasn't fired. The band "retired" him. On May 26, the drummer posted a message to Instagram. "I had a great phone chat with Roger at the end of last week, which truly confused both of us!!! Rog said I hadn't been 'fired'…I had been 'retired' to work on my own projects." "I explained to Rog that I have just spent nearly 8 weeks at my studio in Jamaica completing these projects," wrote Starkey, "that my group Mantra Of The Cosmos was releasing one single at the beginning of June and after that had run its course (usually 5/6 weeks)." "I was completely available for the foreseeable future," the drummer added. "Rog said 'Oh!' and we kind of left it there- On good terms and great friends as we have always been. Gotta love these guys. As my mum used to say, 'The mind boggles!!!'" After the second firing on May 18, Starkey said he was "asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endeavors. This would be a lie. I love The Who and would never have quit. So I didn't make the statement." Quitting the who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going 'in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox," he added. Related: Legendary Rock Band's New Drummer Speaks Out After Replacing Son Of Music Icon Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zak Starkey Now Says That He Was 'Retired' by The Who
The post Zak Starkey Now Says That He Was 'Retired' by The Who appeared first on Consequence. Usually, it's the employee that does the retiring, but in the case of Zak Starkey and The Who, it appears that the band 'retired' the drummer. Starkey has offered new insight into his recent firing, re-hiring, and re-firing from the legendary rock act, saying that singer Roger Daltrey insisted that Starkey wasn't 'fired,' but 'retired.' Get The Who Tickets Here In a new Instagram post on Monday (May 26th), Starkey noted that he had a confusing conversation with Daltrey at the end of last week. The drummer explained that it was not his decision to part ways with The Who ahead of the band's upcoming North American farewell tour, despite the singer's insistence on using the word 'retired.' His full post reads as follows: 'NOISE&CONFUSION!!!! I had a great phone chat with Roger at the end of last week which truly confused both of us!!! Rog said I hadn't been 'fired'…I had been 'retired' to work n my own projects. I explained to Rog that I have just spent nearly 8 weeks at my studio in Jamaica completing these projects, that my group Mantra Of The Cosmos was releasing one single at the beginning of June and after that had run its course ( usually 5/6 weeks ) I was completely available for the foreseeable future….Rog said 'Oh!' and we kind of left it there- On good terms and great friends as we have always been. Gotta love these guys. As my mum used to say 'The mind boggles!!!' XXX' As previously reported, Starkey was initially fired from The Who in April after the band experienced a few hiccups during its performance at the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He was then quickly reinstated, with guitarist Pete Townshend blaming 'communication issues' behind the firing. However, Starkey was then re-fired earlier this month, and replaced by Daltrey's solo drummer Scott Devours. The Who are set to embark on their absolute final North American tour from mid August through late September, with tickets available here. Among the support acts are Billy Idol, Feist, The Joe Perry Project, Billy Bob Thornton, and more. Popular Posts Billy Joel Diagnosed with Brain Disorder, Cancels All Upcoming Tour Dates The 30 Best Action Movie Stars of All Time, Ranked Freddie Mercury's Alleged Child Revealed in New Biography Is The Who's Farewell Tour in Turmoil? Zach Braff to Return for Scrubs Reboot Bruce Springsteen Cover Band's Jersey Shore Gig Canceled Because "Bruce Can't Keep His Mouth Shut" Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
Perth Now
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Roger Daltrey informed Zak Starkey he was 'retired, not fired' by The Who
Zak Starkey says The Who's frontman Roger Daltrey told him he had been "retired, not fired" as the band's drummer. There has been much confusion about the sticksman's status in the band; having been fired and reinstated a couple of times over the past weeks. Zak recently jumped on the phone with Roger, who informed him that the rock legends - also including guitarist Pete Townshend - had decided to free him of his duties to work on other projects, including his band Mantra Of The Cosmos, but insisted he was not being "fired". Detailing their debrief, Zak posted to Instagram: "NOISE and CONFUSION!!!! I had a great phone chat with Roger [Daltrey] at the end of last week which truly confused both of us!!! "Rog said I hadn't been 'fired'…I had been 'retired' to work on my own projects. I explained to Rog that I have just spent nearly 8 weeks at my studio in Jamaica completing these projects, that my group Mantra Of The Cosmos was releasing one single at the beginning of June and after that had run its course ( usually 5/6 weeks )." It turns out, Zak - the son of Beatle Sir Ringo Starr - was "completely available", but he's "left it there" and insisted there are no hard feelings. He added: "I was completely available for the foreseeable future….Rog said 'Oh!' and we kind of left it there- On good terms and great friends as we have always been. "Gotta love these guys. As my mum used to say 'The mind boggles!!!' XXX. (sic)" Zak's caption was accompanied by a picture with the text: "Drummers: From Keith Moon to Zak Starkey and Beyonce." The drummer was believed to have been fired from the group after almost 30 years in the wake of a disagreement over his performance at a show at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity in March. However, he was reinstated in a matter of days with Pete saying in a statement: "There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily." On May 18, Pete confirmed that Zak will not be joining the pair for their final tour of North America. Zak then claimed he was fired two weeks after being "reinstated", and allegedly told to make up that he was leaving the legendary band due to his other work commitments. Scott Devours, who played in Roger's solo band, is Zak's replacement on the tour.
The Irish Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I'm A Celeb legend Shaun Ryder shares rare snap of daughter as she celebrates 16th birthday
I'M A Celebrity star Shaun Ryder shared a rare snap of his daughter Lulu as she celebrated her 16th birthday. The Happy Mondays singer, 62, posted a sweet tribute on Instagram for the teenager's milestone birthday. 4 Shaun Ryder shared a sweet tribute post to daughter Lulu on her 16th birthday Credit: Instagram 4 The Happy Mondays star said he was bursting with pride in the sweet message Credit: Rex Features The Celebrity Gogglebox star proudly shared a photo of Lulu and captioned it: "Happy 16th Birthday to my fab super duper youngest daughter Lulu!! I am so proud of her. Love from dad." Shaun often keeps his family life private and fills his social media with music projects. It comes after The Sun revealed that READ MORE ON HAPPY MONDAYS In an exclusive chat in February, has revealed frontman , already has a slew of tunes ready to go. And he said the group were persuaded to get back in the studio by their manager, Oasis supremo Alan McGee. 'There's talk of a new album to come, which I'm really f***ing looking forward to,' Bez told The Sun. 'It's going to be visionary. Most read in Celebrity 'It's going to be massive. I'm A Celebrity - Toff divides fans by banishing campmate as Janice Dickinson hailed for 'iconic' return "It's an idea and Alan normally gets what he wants. 'With all my heart and soul, I want it more than anyone. 'I want to hear the most magic st you've ever heard. "And I'm sure we can deliver it.' The group, who had Top Ten hits with Step On and Kinky Afro, have five studio albums in all, but haven't put out an original body of work since 2007. And Bez – real name Mark Berry – believes the party animals have finally got their act together because they're now in their sixties. He explained: 'We actually know what we're doing now. "We were f***ing green when we started. 'We didn't even know what 'one, two, three, four,' was. 'That's how naive we've always been. We're still maturing and the best is yet to come. 'Shaun never stops being creative, it's in his f***ing blood. "It always amazes me the st he comes out with. It's f***ing genius.' Alongside the Happy Mondays, Shaun has been hard at work on the debut record for super group Mantra Of The Cosmos, which features Bez, Andy Bell and 4 Happy Mondays are working on a new album – 18 years after their last record Credit: Getty 4 Shaun has been hard at work on the debut record for super group Mantra Of The Cosmos Credit: Getty
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Drummer Zak Starkey speaks out after leaving The Who
Drummer Zak Starkey has said he is "surprised and saddened" after parting ways with The Who following recent charity shows at the Royal Albert Hall. The musician, who is the son of drummer and his first wife, Maureen Starkey, had been with the band since 1996, when he joined for their Quadrophenia tour. He was introduced to drumming as a child by "Uncle Keith" - drummer and family friend Keith Moon, who died in 1978. Earlier this week, the band issued a statement saying a "collective decision" had been made about his departure. It came after their Teenage Cancer Trust shows in March. A , published in the Metro, suggested frontman Roger Daltrey - who launched the annual gig series for the charity in 2000 - was "frustrated" with the drumming during some tracks. Now, Starkey has , saying he is "very proud" of his near 30 years with The Who. "Filling the shoes of my Godfather, 'Uncle Keith' has been the biggest honour and I remain their biggest fan," he said. "They've been like family to me." In January, Starkey suffered a blood clot in his right leg and a performance with his other band Mantra Of The Cosmos - which also features Shaun Ryder and Bez from Happy Mondays, and Andy Bell of Ride and Oasis - was cancelled. Referencing this in his statement to Rolling Stone, Starkey said: "I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf. This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running." He continued: "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?" Starkey said he planned to "take some much needed time off with my family" and focus on the release of Mantra Of The Cosmos single Domino Bones, which features Noel Gallagher, as well as his autobiography. "Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best," he added. Starkey has also previously played with Oasis, Lightning Seeds and Johnny Marr. While Daltrey starts a solo tour at the weekend, The Who have two shows planned for Italy in July but no full tour. Details of a replacement for Starkey have not been announced.
