The Who Legend Pete Townshend Says Zak Starkey's Exit From Band Has 'Been a Mess'
Pete Townshend admitted he's unsure exactly why Zak Starkey was fired from The Who. More than two months after the drummer parted ways with the legendary British band, Townshend told iPaper, 'It's been a mess.'
The trouble with Starkey, the son of Beatles legend Ringo Starr who joined The Who's live lineup 1996, came after a show at London's Royal Albert Hall in March after lead singer Roger Daltrey reportedly had issues with his playing.
But Townshend told the outlet that he personally didn't see 'anything wrong.'
'I think Roger just got lost,' he added. 'I have to be careful what I say about Roger because he gets angry if I say anything about him at all. He'll be sacking me next. But that's not to say that he sacked Zak. It's a decision Roger and I tried to make together, but it kind of got out of hand.'
Daltrey initially claimed Starkey, 59, 'retired' from The Who to work on a project with his band Mantra Of The Cosmos, Billboard reported. He was rehired for a few days, then another exit was announced.
In May, Starkey set the record straight on what went down with the Who via a fiery Instagram post. "I was fired,' he wrote. 'Roger's new word for it is 'retired' to complete my other musical projects… So this is simply a load of bollox … Am I fired, retired, deffo not tired as I'm 20 years younger than these guys as they keep saying.'
In June, Starkey told Rolling Stone he continues to receive mixed messages from The Who. The drummer noted he heard from Daltrey ahead of the band's tour dates in Italy next month. 'I spoke to Roger last week,' Starkey revealed in the interview. 'He said, 'Don't take your drums out of the warehouse, we might be calling you.' What the f---? These guys are f---in' insane! I've been fired more times than Keith Moon in ten days.'The Who Legend Pete Townshend Says Zak Starkey's Exit From Band Has 'Been a Mess' first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 23, 2025
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