Latest news with #TheWho
Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Zak Starkey hints at return to ‘f***ing insane' The Who despite being fired twice
The longtime drummer revealed he isn't bitter about the double dismissal and still thinks of his former bandmates as 'family.' Zak Starkey of The Who performs onstage during The Who Hits Back! Tour on May 3, 2022 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Photo by Rick Kern / Getty Images for The Who Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Zak Starkey refuses to be played out. The Who drummer was fired after nearly three decades earlier this year but was rehired days later. The English rock group later had a change of heart and cut ties with the longtime musician once again — for good, it seems. But Starkey revealed he isn't bitter about the double dismissal and still thinks of his former bandmates as 'family.' 'I don't blame anyone,' Starkey told the Telegraph . 'I blame The Who because they're unpredictable, aggressive and f***ing insane.' Starkey, son of Beatles legendary drummer Ringo Starr, detailed his side of the conflict between himself and the other band members, namely Roger Daltrey. In March, the band played two concerts for a U.K. cancer charity at the Royal Albert Hall. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While performing 1971 song 'The Song Is Over,' Daltrey was so unhappy with Starkey's drumming and paused the concert to express to the crowd — and Starkey — his displeasure. 'To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can't,' the lead singer reportedly said. 'All I've got is drums going boom, boom, boom,' he continued. 'I can't sing to that. I'm sorry, guys.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO Starkey told the Telegraph that there was a lack of rehearsal of the song and Daltrey shortened the track on the fly. 'What happened was I got it right, and Roger got it wrong,' Starkey said. Nevertheless, he got a call from the band's manager a week later. 'He says, 'It's my unfortunate duty to inform you that you won't be needed from now on. Roger says you dropped some beats.'' Starkey added that '(guitarist) Pete (Townshend) had to go along with it, because Pete's had 60 years of arguing with Roger.' Starkey said that after he returned following the first firing, he was first forced to admit that he had dropped two beats during the song — as Daltrey accused him of doing. But the peace lasted about two weeks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It was like, 'Roger says he can't work with you no more, and we'd like you to issue another statement saying you're leaving to do your other projects' and I just didn't do it, because I wasn't leaving (of my own volition),' Starkey told the publication. Following Starkey's first sacking, Townshend denied the drummer was 'asked to step down,' and chalked it up to 'communication issues, personal and private on all sides.' After the second ouster, Townshend reportedly told fans that 'the time has come for a change.' Starkey, however, remembers things differently, detailing on Instagram how he refused to make a statement saying he had quit the Who. That said, Starkey teased that the third time could be a charm as he and his former bandmates have already talked about him returning. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More 'I spoke to Roger last week and he said, 'Don't take your drums out of (The Who's) warehouse yet in case we need you,'' Starkey claimed. 'I said, 'Best let me know.'' As of now, however, the drummer does have other projects on the go which he clarified, 'None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them.' The Who will begin their Song Is Over North American Farewell Tour in August — without Starkey, for now. Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances! Toronto Maple Leafs Music Toronto & GTA World Canada
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey: Roger Daltrey made a mistake and blamed me. A week later, I got the sack
Zak Starkey picks up a life-sized golden skull from a side table in a central London hotel and strikes a Shakespearean pose. 'Alas, poor Roger! I knew him well,' he says with a dramatic flourish. The snippet tells us plenty about the 59-year-old drummer. Firstly, that he has a scabrous, knockabout sense of humour, with a big dollop of his father Ringo Starr's trademark drollness. Secondly, that the drama around Starkey's recent sackings as the long-term drummer of The Who – that's 'sackings' plural, he was ditched twice in a month – remains at the forefront of his mind. He has plenty to say about Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend regarding the saga, which apparently might not be over yet. But more on that later. We've met to talk about something altogether more other-worldly. Starkey is the brains behind Mantra of the Cosmos, an indie rock supergroup comprising himself, Andy Bell from Oasis and Ride, and Shaun Ryder and Bez from the Happy Mondays. Mantra's new single, Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous), is a Dadaist slice of punky psychedelia featuring Oasis's Noel Gallagher singing the chorus and Ryder freestyling verses about 'dropping some potion' and things going 'up the junction' like Edward Lear by way of Timothy Leary. Produced by Starkey, it's a clattering monster of a track. 'Dylan, Dali, Ginsberg and a bit of cosmic jibber-jabber,' is how Gallagher describes Domino Bones. 'It's Free Bird for Mods,' Starkey says proudly, describing how he took a chorus that Noel sent him – 'yacht rock' – and chopped and warped it, adding in Ryder's lyrics. Ryder was meant to be joining us in London but is stuck in Manchester with Covid while Bell and Gallagher are away on Oasis rehearsal duties ahead of next month's reunion tour. But speaking over Zoom from a bedroom at home, a semi-crocked Ryder – who says he keeps falling asleep like 'Dylan the f-----g rabbit in The Magic Roundabout' – describes Mantra's sound as a 'mish-mash of nuttiness'. 'I like doing Mantra with Zak because it's different than the Mondays and different than [his other group] Black Grape. Zak's a f-----g brilliant producer,' says Ryder, who, despite feeling rough, still managed to get 'completely f-----g mashed up' at an 'amazing' Morrissey gig in Manchester last weekend. Starkey met Ryder after an anniversary recording of TFI Friday in 2015 in which Starkey, Liam Gallagher, Daltrey and others played The Who's My Generation (as well as being in The Who, Starkey was the Oasis drummer between 2004 and 2008). Years later, Starkey was asked by a record industry bigwig to form a 'Britpop supergroup' with luminaries like former Smith Johnny Marr or New Order's Bernard Sumner. But he bridled at the term 'supergroup'. 'No way. What, all that Cream s---? Everyone having a solo, one after the other?' says Starkey. 'Zak didn't want to play that game so he got me and Bez,' Ryder roars, joking that the only more unlikely recruits to the band would have been Donald Trump and 'that baby t--- who wears eyeliner'. Elon Musk? 'No. The other one, with the beard.' J. D. Vance? 'That's it!' Mantra have an album's worth of songs. A future single, Rip Off, will feature fellow Fab Four offspring Sean Lennon and James McCartney. It's like The Beatles, I say. 'No it's not,' Starkey says, snippily. 'It's like Mantra of the Cosmos with them in it. It's Sean of the Cosmos and James of the Cosmos, it's still my band.' You just need [George Harrison's son] Dhani on it, I add. 'No I don't. Why do I?' Well, because… never mind. Talking of The Beatles, Starr 'loves' Mantra, Starkey says. 'He wants me to remix all his early singles like Mantra,' he explains. His plan for his dad's 1973 song Photograph is to slow it down and add a 'gospel kind of vibe'. Noel Gallagher has agreed to appear on a couple of tracks. Despite being the son of a Beatle, Starkey insists he's not wealthy. As well as his drumming projects he has built a recording studio in Jamaica and co-launched the reggae label Trojan Jamaica, neither of which come cheaply. 'And now I haven't got a job,' he says wryly. The other Beatles progeny might have 'loads of money because their dads are dead. James's mum [Linda] is dead. Left him a lot of money. [But] my mum [Maureen Starkey, Starr's first wife] died skint [in 1994] with a whole desk-full of brown envelopes that she never opened because she spent all her money on her friends.' Aah, yes. The job. The Who saga runs something like this. In mid-April, two weeks after The Who played two Teenage Cancer Trust concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, the band said they'd made a 'collective decision to part ways with Zak' after 30 years due to apparent issues with his drumming at those shows. Starkey said he was 'surprised and saddened' by the decision. But days later, he was back in the fold after the resolution of what Townshend, 80, called 'some communication issues'. 'Zak made a few mistakes [at the Albert Hall] and he has apologised,' the band said. Yet on May 19, he was fired again, for the second time in a month. He remains perplexed and saddened by it, not least because he says he turned down the megawatt Oasis tour because he was in The Who. Which he now isn't. So were he not in The Who, he would have played with Oasis? 'Of course. Of course.' What happened, precisely? 'What happened was I got it right and Roger got it wrong,' Starkey claims. He's talking about The Who's performance of 1971 track The Song is Over at the second Albert Hall show. The band don't usually play it live and Starkey suggested they performed it as a 'treat' for fans. But, he says, a combination of under-rehearsal ('they hate rehearsing') and the fact that Daltrey, 81, 'took a bit out' of the song because it was too long meant that, on the second night, 'Roger [came] in a bar early'. The Who's performance of 'The Song Is Over' in March that Starkey says led to his sackingThere were no backstage fireworks. Such is the way with live music. The Who are an incendiary live act; Starkey says something 'disintegrates' every third gig and the band just start again. But, seven days later, 'I got a call from Bill [Curbishley], the manager, [and] he says, 'It's my unfortunate duty to inform you' – it's like Porridge or something – 'that you won't be needed from now on. Roger says you dropped some beats.'' It was clear that Daltrey thought that Starkey was in the wrong. 'I watched the show and I can't find any dropped beats. Then Pete had to go along with it because Pete's had 60 years of arguing with Roger,' says the drummer. Following the sacking, Townshend phoned Starkey to ask if he was prepared to fight to get his place back. Starkey said no. But a week later when Townshend called again, he had changed his mind. 'I said, 'I want my gig back.'' He returned, having been forced to admit – he says – that he dropped two beats. But the reunion was short-lived. 'Two weeks later it was like, 'Roger says he can't work with you no more, and we'd like you to issue another statement saying you're leaving to do your other projects' and I just didn't do it because I wasn't leaving [of my own volition].' Why did Daltrey feel he couldn't work with you again? 'They didn't specify.' He says Daltrey later told him that 'you're not fired, you're retired because you've got so many other projects', one of which is Mantra. Despite the situation, Starkey regrets the way that some fans sided with him and piled into Daltrey and Townshend. He calls The Who his 'family', which is entirely understandable given he's been with them since 1996. And he says he harbours no ill-will towards anyone. 'I don't blame anyone. I blame The Who because they're unpredictable, aggressive and f-----g insane,' he says. And that's why he loves them. He'd go back in a heartbeat. So what happens now? Starkey has the Mantra album to finish although that band can't tour because Oasis, the Happy Mondays and Black Grape are all touring this year. You get the impression that, Mantra aside, he's rather twiddling his thumbs. Sad, when he could be touring with either The Who or Oasis, two of the world's mightiest bands. It's as though he's been barged into the still epicentre of a swirling musical hurricane. It's a waste. At one point, Starkey even claims he's fallen out of love with drumming and prefers the guitar these days. He was taught, aged seven, by Marc Bolan. 'Have you seen what a guitar looks like? It's like a woman. A drum looks like a pot of biscuits. You can't play the drums and watch telly,' he says. But I don't believe him. Because later he says he's written to Bob Dylan to see if he needs a drummer 'because he's the only person that's anywhere near Pete lyrically'. Has he heard back? 'Course not, it's Bob Dylan innit?' Tantalisingly, things with The Who may not be over yet. 'I spoke to Roger last week and he said, 'Don't take your drums out of [The Who's] warehouse yet in case we need you.'' Starkey leans forward. 'I said, 'Best let me know.'' Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous) is out now on Mantra of the Cosmos records Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rock legend who lives in Sussex given knighthood
A rock legend who lives in Sussex has been given a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours. The Who frontman Sir Roger Daltrey said he is 'very humbled' to be made a knight bachelor in recognition of his services to charity and music. Sir Roger, who launched and curated the Teenage Cancer Trust's Royal Albert Hall concerts from 2000 to 2025, told the PA news agency he would be celebrating with 'a bottle of plonk'. The 81-year-old, who lives at Holmshurst Manor near Burwash in East Sussex, said: 'It's strange, it's an experience that I've never had before, I'm very humbled by it. 'But equally, pride isn't something you wear on the outside, you can't say you're proud of that, I'm not proud, it's something that you wear in your heart, and this sits very well in my heart, because it's for the charity, it is for the music and the music I've had the joy of giving it out there – how lucky was I?' Sir Roger said he was particularly pleased to be honoured for his charity work, which will see him remain an honorary patron of Teenage Cancer Trust, while The Cure frontman Robert Smith takes over the curation of his London concert series next year. He added: 'It's kind of weird, but I am deeply honoured to get this, especially for the charity for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and I accept it on their behalf really, because this honour is really for all unsung heroes.' Sir Roger continued: 'It's a dream come true for me, but it's especially a dream because the charity means so much.' The first Teenage Cancer Trust show by The Who And Friends at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000 raised more than £12 million in ticket sales and revenue from a concert film and CD, and as a result Sir Roger was given a humanitarian award in 2003 from Time magazine. Read more: t Sir Roger and The Who have also thrown their support behind a number of other cancer charities, and the frontman was one of the original supporters of music therapy charity Nordoff And Robbins. Sir Roger has lived in Sussex sine the 70s (Image: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire) The singer first rose to fame with the 1960s mod rock band when their early Shel Talmy-produced singles I Can't Explain, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, and My Generation stormed into the UK charts, with the latter reaching number two. With The Who, Sir Roger became known for his energetic performances, which saw him lasso his microphone around his head with its cable, while bandmates Pete Townshend, Keith Moon and John Entwistle smashed their equipment at the end of shows in a proto punk display of destruction. Asked whether he could have foreseen his knighthood during the band's early days, Sir Roger said: 'No, no, I mean, you've got to remember, we came from post-war England, I was born in an air raid. The band are widely acknowledged as the first mod band and went on to further success with their fourth album Tommy (1968), a rock opera about a 'deaf, dumb and blind' boy who becomes an expert pinball player, before becoming a god-like figure. Tommy spawned a number of theatrical adaptions, and in 1975, a film directed by Ken Russell starred Sir Roger in the lead role. This marked the start of an acting career which went on to see him play composer Franz Liszt in Lisztomania (1975), as well as appear in The Legacy (1978) and TV's The Bill. Having become known as one of the heaviest groups of the 1960s, and one of the first mainstream groups to utilise guitar feedback, The Who became one of the first British hard rock bands with the release of Who's Next (1971), which also saw them among the first such acts to use synthesisers. Who's Next included some of the band's best known tracks such as Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again. In 1973, the band released a second rock opera in Quadrophenia, which was also adapted into a film in 1979, which starred Phil Daniels as main character Jimmy Cooper in an all-star cast that also included Sting as Ace Face, Ray Winstone as Kevin Herriot and Toyah Willcox as Monkey. Phil Daniels and Cllr Lizzie Deane at the Quadrophenia Alley plaque unveiling (Image: Brighton Pictures) The film is based in Brighton and charts the clashes between the mods and the rockers in the city. The Who's original drummer Keith Moon died in 1978, while bass player John Entwistle died in 2002. While The Who were still active and during their time apart, Sir Roger has released a series of solo albums, beginning with Daltrey (1973), which peaked at number six in the UK albums chart. In 2018, Sir Roger published his autobiography Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite. Kate Collins, chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust, said: 'We're all delighted that Roger Daltrey has been awarded a much-deserved knighthood. Sir Roger is a tireless and passionate supporter of, and advocate for, young people with cancer in the UK and internationally. 'Sir Roger has made a unique and exceptional contribution to both music and charity, and we all wholeheartedly congratulate him on this honour. It is so deserved.'
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Arise Sir David! Football legend Beckham knighted
Beckham's knighthood culmination of years of tireless efforts to transcend football LONDON: Former England football captain and global fashion icon David Beckham was knighted on Friday for his services to sport and charity, with The Who singer Roger Daltrey and actor Gary Oldman also receiving the honor. Beckham, who played 115 times for England as well as for some of the world's most high-profile clubs including Manchester United and Real Madrid, will now be known as 'sir' and his wife Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls pop group, will be known as Lady Beckham. The 50-year-old, who has long been in the running for a knighthood, was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 - a lesser award in Britain's honors system. Victoria later received the same award for services to the fashion industry. 'Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honor,' Beckham said in a statement issued to the Press Association. 'I'm so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I'm grateful to be recognized for work that gives me so much fulfillment,' he added. Daltrey, who co-founded The Who in 1964, will also take the title of sir having been recognized for his services to charity and music in King Charles III's Birthday Honors list. The 81-year-old singer has been a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust since 2000, holding fundraising concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall for more than two decades. Daltrey 'dream' 'It's kind of weird, but I am deeply honored to get this, especially for the charity for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and I accept it on their behalf really, because this honor is really for all unsung heroes,' the 'My Generation' singer told the Press Association. 'It's a dream come true for me, but it's especially a dream because the charity means so much,' he added. Oldman, who won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in 2017's 'Darkest Hour', also received a knighthood for his services to drama. The 67-year-old's films have earned over $11 billion, and his credits include the 'Harry Potter' series, The 'Dark Knight' Trilogy and 'Air Force One', along with cameo appearances in sitcom 'Friends' and music videos for David Bowie and Guns N' Roses. Stage star Elaine Page, who played Eva Peron in the first production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Evita', and novelist Pat Barker have both been made dames. Barker is known for her World War I 'Regeneration Trilogy', the first book of which was turned into a Hollywood film starring Jonathan Pryce. Brand Beckham Beckham's knighthood is the culmination of years of tireless efforts to transcend football and turn himself into a global icon at the intersection of sport, fashion and business. The honor, one of the highest bestowed by the UK state, 'is a powerful symbolic marker', Marie Agnes Parmentier, professor of marketing at the University of Montreal and author of several papers on 'Posh and Becks', explained to AFP. Even at the height of his football career, Beckham was building his global brand with thought to his retirement. His appearance in a sarong, revelations that he used make-up and his eccentric hairstyles were all feverishly gobbled up by the UK's tabloid press. He also had to overcome the tag as England's 'most-hated man' after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup in a knockout game against Argentina. Beckham is understood to have been on the verge of receiving a knighthood after helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. But UK authorities placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. He was subsequently cleared. — AFP
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Beckham, Oldman knighted
Beckham has long been in the list to receive knighthood. Oldman's films have earned over USD 11 billion. PHOTO: File Former England football captain and global fashion icon David Beckham was knighted on Friday for his services to sport and charity, with The Who singer Roger Daltrey and actor Gary Oldman also receiving the honour, as reported by AFP. Beckham, who played 115 times for England as well as for some of the world's most high-profile clubs including Manchester United and Real Madrid, will now be known as 'sir' and his wife Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls pop group, will be known as Lady Beckham. The 50-year-old, who has long been in the running for a knighthood, was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 – a lesser award in Britain's honours system. Victoria later received the same award for services to the fashion industry. "Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour," Beckham said in a statement issued to the Press Association. "I'm so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I'm grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment," he added. Daltrey, who co-founded The Who in 1964, will also take the title of sir having been recognised for his services to charity and music in King Charles III's Birthday Honours list. The 81-year-old singer has been a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust since 2000, holding fundraising concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall for more than two decades. Daltrey 'dream' "It's kind of weird, but I am deeply honoured to get this, especially for the charity for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and I accept it on their behalf really, because this honour is really for all unsung heroes," the My Generation singer told the Press Association. "It's a dream come true for me, but it's especially a dream because the charity means so much," he added. Oldman, who won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in 2017's Darkest Hour, also received a knighthood for his services to drama. The 67-year-old's films have earned over $11 billion, and his credits include the Harry Potter series, The Dark Knight Trilogy and Air Force One, along with cameo appearances in sitcom Friends and music videos for David Bowie and Guns N' Roses. Stage star Elaine Page, who played Eva Peron in the first production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, and novelist Pat Barker have both been made dames. Barker is known for her World War I Regeneration Trilogy, the first book of which was turned into a Hollywood film starring Jonathan Pryce. Brand Beckham Beckham's knighthood is the culmination of years of tireless efforts to transcend football and turn himself into a global icon at the intersection of sport, fashion and business. The honour, one of the highest bestowed by the UK state, "is a powerful symbolic marker", Marie Agnes Parmentier, professor of marketing at the University of Montreal and author of several papers on Posh and Becks, explained to AFP. Even at the height of his football career, Beckham was building his global brand with thought to his retirement. His appearance in a sarong, revelations that he used make-up and his eccentric hairstyles were all feverishly gobbled up by the UK's tabloid press. He also had to overcome the tag as England's 'most-hated man' after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup in a knockout game against Argentina. Beckham is understood to have been on the verge of receiving a knighthood after helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. But UK authorities placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. He was subsequently cleared.
