Zak Starkey was fired from The Who last Wednesday, April 16th.
According to The Mirror Ringo Starr 's son was a touring member of the band for 29 years and was fired following reports of disagreements with singer Roger Daltrey , which became public during the band's recent performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London on March 30.
Footage from the show shows Roger Daltrey complaining that he can't hear the other instruments because of the drums. "To sing this song, I need to hear the key, and I can't. I can only hear the sound of the drums: boom, boom, boom. And I can't sing with that. Sorry, guys," Daltrey declares around 3:10 – see the video below.
Zak Starkey makes his first official statement.
In response to the speculation, Zak decided to speak out in an interview with Rolling Stone . The drummer is "surprised and saddened," and admitted to having suffered a serious medical emergency in January, but insisted that he is fully recovered and that it has not affected his performance.
“I’m very proud of my almost thirty years with The Who. Replacing my godfather, Uncle Keith [ Moon ], was a great honor and I remain their biggest fan. They are like family to me. In January, I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in the right calf of my bass drum. Now, I am completely healed and it doesn’t affect my drumming or my running,” Zak reported.
“After playing these songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened that anyone had a problem with my performance that night, but what can you do? I intend to take some much-needed time with my family and focus on the release of Domino Bones, by Mantra of the Cosmos, with Noel Gallagher , in May, and on finishing my autobiography, written entirely by myself. Twenty-nine years in any job is a good journey and I wish them all the best.”
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