The Who Once Again Part Ways With Drummer Zak Starkey

Weeks after he was fired and subsequently rehired by The Who, Zak Starkey has announced he is once again no longer drumming for the band.

Starkey’s membership saga began in April when a spokesman for the group claimed that “the band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall,” referring to a pair of gigs the month prior. A report from those shows claimed that vocalist Roger Daltrey had stopped several songs mid-performance, citing difficulty hearing the band over the drums.

Starkey later issued a statement noting he was “surprised and saddened” by the news, though guitarist Pete Townshend later claimed Starkey was back in the band following the resolution of “communication issues.”

While fans were eager to reference “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” in regard to Starkey’s reinstatement, the entire saga appears to have started all over again, with the band announcing a new drummer ahead of their forthcoming farewell tour.

“After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change,” Townshend shared on social media on Sunday (May 18). “A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best. Scott Devours who has worked with Roger’s solo band will join The Who for our Final shows. Please welcome him.”

Starkey himself responded to the announcement via social media hours later, making it clear it was not his decision to leave the band.

“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie,” he wrote. “I love the who and would never had quit. 

“So I didn’t make the statement ….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 x.”

Both Townshend and Daltrey also issued a more formal statement regarding Starkey’s ousting via The Who’s website, reiterating Devours’ nascent role in the band and referring to Starkey’s myriad other projects as the reason behind the lineup change.

“The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20 years younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects,” they wrote. “He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success. We both wish him all the luck in the world.”

Notably, despite The Who’s reference to Starkey being “20 years younger” and a need to focus on his other projects, Devours is himself 15 months younger than Starkey, with a similarly-busy schedule. 

Starkey is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Maureen Starkey, and has also enjoyed a fruitful career outside of The Who, playing with Oasis, Johnny Marr, Paul Weller and Graham Coxon. He currently performs in the recently-formed supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos, also featuring Shaun Ryder and Bez of the Happy Mondays and Black Grape, and Andy Bell of Oasis and Ride.

“None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them,” Starkey added in his social media post. “The lie is or would have been that I quit the who- i didn’t. I love the who and everyone in it.”