“Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up” Pete Townshend says that Zak Starkey is back in The Who days after announcing his firing
Longtime The Who drummer Zak Starkey is back with the band just days after a supposed “collective decision to part ways”, Pete Townshend confirms.
Earlier this week, the group announced that Starkey — who’s been a member since 1996 — had been let go due to disagreements over his performance at the recent Teenage Cancer Trust charity gigs. The drummer also appeared to confirm the news, telling Rolling Stone that he’s “very proud of my near thirty years with The Who” and that he plans to take some “much needed time off” with his family.
But now, in a new statement posted on the band’s website, guitarist Pete Townshend says that Starkey is in fact “not being asked to step down from The Who”.
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“There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily,” the musician explains.
“Roger [Daltrey] 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.”
Addressing what went wrong at the Royal Albert Hall shows, Townshend says, “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,” he adds. “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.”
In the statement, Townshend also notes his regret at the rumours suggesting that Daltrey’s touring drummer Scott Devours might be joining as Starkey’s replacement.
“I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread,” he says. “He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug.”
Starkey himself has responded to the recent announcement on his Instagram account, stating: “Very grateful to be a part of the Who family. Thanks Roger and Pete.”
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