The Who splits with Zak Starkey, again: Drummer challenges band's justification

For British drummer Zak Starkey, the past fewer months with stone set the Who person been rather the whirlwind.

Starkey, who the set fired successful April and reinstated days aboriginal aft “some connection issues,” announced Sunday the “Baba O’Riley” radical had fired him again. The seasoned drummer, lad of Ringo Starr, shared his broadside of the divided connected Instagram and disputed the band’s abstracted announcement astir his departure.

The Who, successful a associated Instagram station with guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, said Sunday, “after galore years of large enactment connected drums from Zak the clip has travel for a change.”

“Zak has tons of caller projects successful manus and I privation him the best,” the station said, earlier adding that drummer Scott Devours would capable his spot for the band’s remaining farewell shows.

Starkey, 59, added his ain substance atop the band’s connection for his post. In his caption, helium claimed helium “was asked” to stock his ain announcement that helium would permission the Who to prosecute different projects. “This would beryllium a lie,” helium wrote. “I emotion The Who and would ne'er had quit.”

He added: “So I didn’t marque the statement...quitting The Who would besides person fto down the countless astonishing radical who stood up for me...thru the weeks of mayhem.”

Starkey, who has played with Oasis and the Icicle Works, among different acts, began performing with the Who successful the mid-1990s and said helium seldom faced struggle juggling his duties with the set and different endeavors. He besides noted that the radical has, for the astir part, “been sporadic oregon minimalist successful touring.”

“None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was ne'er a occupation for them,” helium continued successful his caption, which offered a timeline of his assorted philharmonic commitments. “The prevarication is oregon would person been that I discontinue The Who — I didn’t. I emotion The Who and everyone successful it.”

A typical for the Who did not instantly respond to The Times’ petition for comment.

In a 2nd Instagram station Sunday, the set noted that it is “heading for retirement” and their now-ex-drummer is younger and indispensable “devote each his vigor into making” caller endeavors a success.

When the Who announced Starkey’s reinstatement, Townshend said successful a blog station to the band’s website the drummer needed “to tighten up his latest evolved drumming benignant to accommodate our non-orchestral enactment up and helium has readily agreed” and shared much details astir the dependable issues that seemingly led up to Starkey’s archetypal firing.

“Maybe we didn’t enactment capable clip into dependable checks, giving america problems connected stage. The dependable successful the centre of the signifier is ever the astir hard to enactment with,” Townshend wrote. “[The Who co-founder] Roger [Daltrey] did thing incorrect but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a fewer mistakes and helium has apologised . Albeit with a rubber duck drummer.”

He added: “We are a family, this blew up precise rapidly and got excessively overmuch oxygen. It’s over. We determination guardant present with optimism and occurrence successful our bellies.”

The Who embarks connected its Song Is Over North America Farewell circuit successful August. The radical volition marque 2 stops astatine the Hollywood Bowl connected Sept. 17 and 19.