Former Who drummer Zak Starkey has explained what really led to his firings from The Who and addressed his current relationship with Roger Daltrey.
Zak Starkey reveals what led to his exit
During an interview with NY Post, Starkey talked about the band’s internal dynamics and his refusal to compromise his integrity despite the consequences.
“We’re still friends. We still talk all the time. But The Who has an addiction to friction, and tempers flare,” Starkey said.
“I’m not the guy with a temper, really. I’m just a guy who won’t be walked all over, and I don’t think that I should be treated unfairly and not be able to speak up.”
The drummer has detailed the circumstances around his dismissals from the legendary rock band.
“I got fired. I was asked to make a public statement apologizing for dropping beats, which I did, and I was rehired. So I said nothing,” he continued.
“Then they made a statement saying I’d moved on, inferring I’d quit. So I went back and said, ‘Look, I didn’t f–king quit, you fired me. That’s a lie, and I’m not going to f–king lie.’”
Starkey also revealed how a newspaper interview ultimately led to his second firing.
“A little bit more time went by, and I spoke to Roger a few times, and then he basically said don’t take your drums from our storage facility because we probably want you back,” he said. “Then a couple of days later, an article came out in the Telegraph, which I had done a few weeks before, and I got fired, again, the next day.”
