Last Updated:
Guitarist Pete Townshend from the English rock band The Who held himself partially responsible for the “confusion” that drummer Zak Starkey was leaving the band.
Zak Starkey has been associated with The Who since the band’s 1996 Quadrophenia tour. (Photo Credit: Instagram)
Zak Starkey is still very much a part of the rock band The Who. Pete Townshend, the co-founder of the English band, has confirmed it himself. Zak, the son of legendary drummer Sir Ringo Starr from The Beatles, issued a statement earlier this week. The 59-year-old revealed that he would be parting ways with The Who after wrapping up a line-up of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. Now, guitarist Pete Townshend has dismissed Zak’s claim in his lengthy Instagram post, citing that though there have been some “issues,” Zak remains a valued member of The Who.
On April 19, Pete Townshend shared a picture with Zak Starkey on Instagram where he was seen sharing a warm hug with the drummer. His side note read, “He’s 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. Roger (Daltrey) and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral lineup and he has readily agreed.”
Pete Townshend partially held himself responsible for the “confusion”. It all started after reports surfaced that The Who’s harmonica player, Roger Daltrey, struggled to hear over the drums during The Who’s Royal Albert Hall show in March.
Indirectly hinting at the incident, Pete Townshend admitted that the shows at the Royal Albert Hall “were a little tricky” for him. “I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. Wrong! Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage,” he said.
Pete Townshend revealed that while Zak Starkey “made a few mistakes” on the stage, he later apologised for it. Calling The Who a “family”, the veteran musician confessed that the situation “blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen.” He acknowledges that the phase was “over” and now the band was moving forward with “optimism and fire.”
Additionally, Pete Townshend squashed the rumours that “fabulous drummer” Scott Devours was replacing Zak Starkey. “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,” wrote Pete Townshend on a concluding note.
Zak Starkey has been associated with The Who since the band’s 1996 Quadrophenia tour. Earlier this year, the drummer was forced to call off his London gig with indie band Mantra of the Cosmos after he suffered a blood clot in his leg.