NEED TO KNOW
Roger Daltrey speaks out following the dizzying saga of Zak Starkey’s hiring and firing with The Who
The rock star said that issues began with a miscommunication at the band’s Royal Albert Hall concert in March
As for what Starkey said happened between him and the band, Daltrey called it “a character assassination” and that it was “incredibly upsetting”
Roger Daltrey has some thoughts on the dizzying saga involving Zak Starkey.
Speaking with The Times in an interview published on Friday, Aug. 1, The Who singer spoke about of Starkey’s firing, rehiring and refiring with the classic rock band.
Daltrey, 81, reflected on the Royal Albert Hall concert from March, where the issues with Starkey, 59, began.
“An audience can see what’s happening on stage and have a complete misunderstanding of what’s actually going on,” he said, referring to reports that he had been struggling to hear Starkey’s drums.
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Roger Daltrey in London in July 2023
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According to Daltrey, there had been a miscommunication involving the sound guy controlling the in-ear monitors during shows.
“We had so much sub-bass on the sound of the drums that I couldn’t pitch. I was pointing to the bass drum and screaming at [the sound guy] because it was like flying a plane without seeing the horizon. So when Zak thought I was having a go at him, I wasn’t,” Daltrey said. “That’s all that happened.”
As for what Starkey said happened between him and the band, Daltrey called it “a character assassination” and that it was “incredibly upsetting.”
“Pete [Townshend] and I retain the right to be the Who. Everyone else is a session player. You can’t replace Keith Moon. We wanted to branch out and that’s all I want to say about it,” Daltrey concluded. “But [Starkey’s reaction] was crippling to me.”
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In April, Starkey announced that he and The Who were parting ways after he had been with the band for almost 30 years.
“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?” he told PEOPLE in a statement at the time, alluding to the March performance in London.
Meanwhile, a rep for The Who told The Independent: “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.”
Days after Starkey’s announcement, Townshend, 80, addressed the incident on Instagram, claiming that Starkey wasn’t leaving.
“There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily,” he wrote at the time.
Weeks later in May, The Who and Townshend announced that Starkey was leaving — again. “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hang and I wish him the best,” the statement on Instagram read.
Starkey spoke out on Instagram the same day, claiming he was fired. “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical [endeavors],” Starkey wrote. “This would be a lie.”
“I love the who and would never had quit. So I didn’t make the statement,” Starkey added.
“Quitting the who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox.”
Dave Benett/Getty
Zak Starkey in London in June 2023
In late May, the drummer then clarified that he had been “retired” rather than “fired” in another Instagram statement, calling the miscommunication “NOISE&CONFUSION!!!!” “”Rog said I hadn’t been ‘fired’…I had been ‘retired’ to work n my own projects,” he wrote.
“I explained to Rog that I have just spent nearly 8 weeks at my studio in Jamaica completing these projects, that my group Mantra of the Cosmos was releasing one single at the beginning of June and after that had run its course ( usually 5/6 weeks ),” Starkey continued.
“I was completely available for the foreseeable future….Rog said ‘Oh!’ and we kind of left it there- On good terms and great friends as we have always been,” he concluded. “Gotta love these guys. As my mum used to say ‘The mind boggles!!!’ XXX.”
Read the original article on People
