Zak Starkey is out as the Who‘s drummer — and no, this isn’t a month-old story arising in your feed. The longtime drummer for the band has been let go for a second time, and presumably for good, prematurely of the group going out on a farewell tour — information that was made public on social media first by guitarist Pete Townshend, then confirmed by a displeased Starkey.
Starkey mentioned that he had been requested to assert he was quitting this time of his personal accord, however “this would be a lie. I love the Who and would never had quit,” he wrote.
Wrote Townshend in textual content posted on his Instagram account: “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.”
Townshend additionally used the put up to announce the drummer who will apparently reply the query “who’s last?” for the farewell outing. “Scott Devours who has worked with Roger’s solo band will join the Who for our Final shows. Please welcome him.”
In response, Starkey wrote, “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie. I love the who and would never had 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 x.”
It’s been one month for the reason that drummer was introduced as having been dismissed from the band after which was shortly rehired. So Starkey saying now that he was let go once more two weeks after being redrafted for the group would recommend that this second sacking occurred about two weeks in the past however is simply now coming to mild.
Starkey had beforehand been let go after the band performed Teenage Cancer Trust charity live shows in March at London’s Royal Albert Hall, throughout which singer Roger Daltrey was visibly sad at how parts of the present proceeded.
The information of Starkey’s first firing got here on April 16, when a Who rep launched a assertion saying: “The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future.”
That preliminary severance led Starkey to get snarky, however he additionally was upfront about his unhappiness in dropping the part-time job he’d held since 1996. He mentioned then that he was “surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night, but what can you do?”
Yet, in line with the Easter season, Starkey was resurrected by the band three days later, as Townshend took to his social media then to declare: “News Flash! Who back Zak! … Zak is not being asked to step down from the Who. There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.”
But now the 30-year relationship between Starkey and Who mainstays Townshend and Daltrey is ending unhappily-ever-after in any case.
This marks the second sacking of a very high-profile fill-in drummer in brief order, following Josh Freese having simply been fired as Foo Fighters’ drummer, though Freese’s tenure with that group was measured in months and never the many years that Starkey spent filling Keith Moon’s sneakers.
