Ringo Starr trashes ‘little man' Roger Daltrey for firing son Zak Starkey from The Who
Not letting it be.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Starr's son, Zak Starkey, revealed how his famous father, Ringo Starr, stuck up for him after he was fired from The Who by frontman Roger Daltrey.
'I'm very proud of him standing up for me,' said Starkey, 59.
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8 Zak Starkey and Ringo Starr at The Box in London in 2016.
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When asked how the 84-year-old Beatles legend reacted, Starkey replied: 'He said, 'I've never liked the way that little man runs that band.''
Starr appeared to be referring to Daltrey, who had an alleged altercation with Starkey that led to his exit from the band.
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8 Ringo Starr with his wife Maureen and their baby son Zak in 1965.
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8 Ringo Starr, Zak Starkey in 1992.
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In April, it was announced that Starkey was leaving The Who after performing with the group for almost 30 years. But Starkey was quickly rehired by The Who, only to be let go from the band, again, in May.
'After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change,' guitarist Pete Townshend wrote via Instagram on May 18. 'A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.'
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8 Roger Daltrey, Zak Starkey and Pete Townshend of The Who perform in Las Vegas in 2017.
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In the Rolling Stone interview, Starkey gave more context into his firing, which happened after his bandmates were unhappy with his performance at London's Royal Albert Hall in late March.
't was all a bit vague. It was just like, 'You're getting fired,'' Starkey claimed. 'And Pete had to hang in there with Rog because I think it was…I don't know. I'm not going to name names or who did what. But Pete called me and said, 'Are you strong enough to fight for your job back?' I said, 'I'm not strong enough to have you do it for me. I don't want you doing it.''
8 Zak Starkey and Roger Daltrey of The Who perform in California in 2004.
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Starkey said that Townshend, 80, called him a week later and asked him to rejoin the group.
'I got my job back. And then 10 days later, I got a call saying 'It's never going to work. We want you to put out a statement saying you're moving on to do your own thing,'' Starkey explained. 'And I said, 'But I'm f—in' not.' So I just left it and didn't do it. It would be a lie. I'd never leave the Who. I love the Who.'
8 Ringo Starr, Zak Starkey in 1992.
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8 Roger Daltrey talks to Peter Frampton and Zak Starkey in 1998.
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Despite his double firings and The Who announcing that drummer Scott Devours will replace Starkey on the band's upcoming farewell tour, Starkey said that he's still unsure where he stands with the group.
'I spoke to Roger last week,' Starkey told Rolling Stone. 'He said, 'Don't take your drums out of the warehouse, we might be calling you.' What the f–k? These guys are f–kin' insane!'
8 Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend perform at The Who's residency in Las Vegas in July 2017.
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When asked if he blames Daltrey for the drama, Starkey responded, 'I don't blame anyone. I don't hold any grudges. It's the Who. Weirder sh-t than this has gone down. I've heard them say weirder sh-t than this. It's the Who — the maddest band there's ever been.'
Starkey also confirmed that he'd 'of course' return to the band again.
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