Pete Townshend confirms Zak Starkey is still a member of The Who: “Zak is not being asked to step down”
The Who guitarist Pete Townshend has announced that drummer Zak Starkey is still a member of the iconic band after it was reported earlier this week that he was fired after 29 years.
Taking to Instagram on April 19th, Townshend shared a selfie of himself smiling along with the caption: “News Flash! Who Zak Back! 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.”
Townshend then issued a larger statement on The Who’s official Instagram account. The guitarist wrote: “Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed. I take responsibility for some of the confusion. Our TCT shows at the Royal Albert Hall were a little tricky for me. I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. (Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?) Wrong!”
The Who founder then explained the band didn’t rehearse heavily, noting, “Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage. The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with. Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised. Albeit with a rubber duck drummer.”
Looking ahead to the future, he added, “We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It’s over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies.”
Townshend also apologised to the “fabulous” Scott Devours, who drums for Daltrey on his solo tours, continuing, “I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread. He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug.”
A matter of days ago, it was reported that a decision had been made on Starkey’s future following the band’s Teenage Cancer Trust performance at the Royal Albert Hall in March, during which frontman Roger Daltrey became frustrated with Starkey’s playing.
His exit was seemingly confirmed when a spokesperson for The Who said of his departure, “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.”
Starkey, who joined the band in 1996, then issued a statement to Rolling Stone, stating, “After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night. But what can you do?”
In his message, he also touched on his relationship with The Who’s original drummer, Keith Moon, who gave him his first drum kit as a child, adding, “I’m very proud of my nearly thirty years with The Who. Filling the shoes of my Godfather, ‘uncle Keith’ has been the biggest honor and I remain their biggest fan. They’ve been like family to me.”
Furthermore, he also addressed his performance at the Royal Albert Hall, explaining, “In January, I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf. This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running.”
Now, it seems Starkey, who is the son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, is set to continue his story with The Who for a while longer yet. Their next scheduled performance is set to take place in Italy this summer, and seemingly, judging by Townshend’s words, Starkey will be back behind the drum kit.
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