Zak Starkey Is Back in the Who: See the Band’s Statement

Zak Starkey may be gunning for one of the shortest firings in rock history. The drummer is now officially back in the Who, less than a week after his apparent dismissal.

“News Flash! Who Backs Zak!” guitarist Pete Townshend wrote in a statement, which you can read in full below. “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.”

Starkey’s reinstatement follows the announcement earlier this week that he’d been relieved of his drumming duties after 29 years with the Who. The drummer and son of Ringo Starr said that his bandmates had brought “formal charges of overplaying” against him after their recent Royal Albert Hall shows. Starkey also revealed that he’d suffered from blood clots in his right calf in January, but he insisted they didn’t affect his drumming.

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“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?” Starkey said in a statement. “Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best.”

Why Did the Who Have Problems With Zak Starkey?

Footage from the Who’s March 30th show at Royal Albert Hall shows singer Roger Daltrey stopping in the middle of “This Song is Over” to complain that he can’t hear the other instruments because of the drumming.

“To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t,” Daltrey said. “All I’ve got is drum sound: boom, boom, boom. And I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry, guys.”

In his statement, Townshend shouldered part of the blame for the band’s recent miscommunication and performance issues, noting that his recent knee surgery hindered his own playing during the Royal Albert Hall shows.

“Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral lineup and he has readily agreed,” he wrote. “I take responsibility for some of the confusion. Our TCT [Teenage Cancer Trust] 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 guitarist continued: “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.”

Townshend added that Daltrey will play his upcoming solo shows with drummer Scott Devours, who was rumored to be Starkey’s replacement in the Who. “I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread,” he said. “He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug.”

Despite the recent public snafu, Townshend wrote, “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.”