Drummer Zak Starkey said he is “surprised and saddened” in his first comments since he was kicked out of the Hall of Fame rock band The Who.
“I’m very proud of my near thirty years with The Who. Filling the shoes of my Godfather, ‘uncle Keith’ has been the biggest honor and I remain their biggest fan,” Starkey wrote, referring to the band’s original drummer, Keith Moon, who died in 1978, the Mirror reported.
“They’ve been like family to me. In January, I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf. This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running. 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?”
The 59-year-old drummer, son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, said he plans to take some “much needed time off” to spend with his family.
Starkey also said he plans to focus on releasing a new album with his other band, Mantra Of The Cosmos, featuring Oasis’s Noel Gallagher, and to finish writing his autobiography.
“Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best,” the rocker wrote.
The Who’s frontman, Roger Daltrey, 81, and guitarist Pete Townshend, 79, ended things with Starkey following two shows in March at Royal Albert Hall in the UK.
A source aware of the situation also told the Mirror that the drummer was blindsided and upset over being kicked out of the group.
“It’s a little acrimonious to say the least,” the source told the outlet.
Daltrey raised some “issues” with Starkey’s playing during the band’s March 27 and 30 shows to raise money for the singer’s charity, Teenage Cancer Trust.
“[A] few issues with the drumming….and the standard wasn’t as high as everyone wanted,” the source said.
Daltrey was reportedly peeved that the drummer was “overplaying” during the band’s gigs, according to Metro.
“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,” Daltrey said to the crowd at the March 30 show, according to Metro.
Starkey had been The Who’s full-time drummer since 1996 when he was introduced to fans during their Quadrophenia Tour.
He performed with the band at some of their most note-worthy shows in recent years, including the London 2012 Olympics and the 2010 Super Bowl.
The son of The Beatles’ drummer also joined another iconic British band, Oasis, in 2004 after their drummer Alan White left the group and performed with them until they split in 2009.
However, it is rumored that Starkey will be reuniting with Oasis during the upcoming reunion tour, which kicks off in July in the UK, according to the Mirror.
Liam and Noel Gallagher will start the North American leg of their “Live ’25 Tour” with stadium shows in the US, Canada, and Mexico on Aug. 24.
That includes a massive concert at East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 31, and features special guest Cage The Elephant.
