"I don't blame anyone" — Zak Starkey doesn't rule out the possibility of returning to The Who despite beef with band's frontman Roger Daltrey
Shortly after being fired from The Who twice since April 2025, drummer Zak Starkey recently gave an interview to The Telegraph, published on June 13, 2025, wherein he commented on a possible return to the band.
Talking about whether he blames his feud with Roger Daltrey for being removed from the band, Starkey said:
“I don’t blame anyone. I blame The Who because they’re unpredictable, aggressive and f*cking insane.”
For the unversed, the drummer was first fired from The Who in April 2025 after the band's representative dubbed it a "collective decision." However, as per The Guardian's report dated April 17, 2025, during the band's Royal Albert Hall gig in March 2025, Roger Daltrey complained about Starkey's performance onstage.
The frontman paused their final song The Song Is Over to address the audience, stating:
“To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry guys.”
This gave rise to speculations of a sour relationship between Daltrey and the drummer. However, in his recent interview with The Telegraph, Zak Starkey shared that he spoke to Roger Daltrey last week and the band's frontman told him not to take his drums out of The Who's warehouse yet, in case they need him.
Keeping the doors open to his return to the band, Starkey asked Daltery to best let him know when they need him.
"I got it right and Roger got it wrong': Zak Starkey details the issue with The Who's Royal Albert Hall gig that led to his dismissal
Reflecting on the Royal Albert Hall performance that reportedly led to him getting fired from The Who, Zak Starkey told The Telegraph:
"What happened was I got it right and Roger got it wrong.”
The song in question is the band's 1971 track The Song Is Over, and while they don't play it live most of the time, the drummer suggested that the band perform it as a treat for the fans.
Starkey mentioned that the lack of rehearsal and Roger Daltrey taking "a bit out" of the track because it was too long resulted in the frontman coming "in a bar early." He added that there wasn't any disagreement over the performance backstage. However, he got a call from the band's manager, Bill Curbishley, 7 days after the Royal Albert Hall gig.
"‘It’s my unfortunate duty to inform you’ – it’s like Porridge or something – ‘that you won’t be needed from now on. Roger says you dropped some beats.’ I watched the show and I can’t find any dropped beats. Then Pete had to go along with it because Pete’s had 60 years of arguing with Roger,” Starkey said quoting Bill
Zak Starkey then recalled how bandmate and guitarist Pete Townshend called him up shortly after he was fired and asked if he was ready to fight to get back in the band. Despite initially denying, Starkey called back Townshend after a week and said he wanted his gig back.
This marked Townshend's Instagram announcement dated April 19, 2025, marking the drummer's return to the band. Starkey claims he was given his place back in The Who by forcibly admiting that he dropped two beats during the Royal Albert Hall performance.
“Two weeks later it was like, ‘Roger says he can’t work with you no more, and we’d like you to issue another statement saying you’re leaving to do your other projects’ and I just didn’t do it because I wasn’t leaving [of my own volition].” the drummer mentioned
In his statement, Zak Starkey was referring to being re-fired by the band in May 2025. He said he was unaware of why Daltrey couldn't work with him again.
Zak Starkey, son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, expressed his sadness in his recent interview with The Telegraph, stating that he had rejected Oasis' Live '25 tour because he was a part of The Who.
Now, he wouldn't be able to perform in either of the band's tours.
