THE WHO‘s brief and controversial dismissal of longtime drummer Zak Starkey, reportedly over health and volume issues impacting Roger Daltrey, drew immediate fan ire despite Starkey‘s professional response. Though Pete Townshend quickly reversed the decision, taking responsibility for the “confusion,” the backlash persisted, with Daltrey recently airing his frustrations during his solo tour.
“I could have done with this song last week,” Daltrey remarked before launching into “Waiting For a Friend.”
“The last few weeks in my life, I’ve felt like I’ve been starring in an episode of The Twilight Zone,” he continued. “I’ve been reading about me in the press, doing things I don’t remember ever doing. According to an inside source, there was a war of words in a dressing room. It wasn’t my f**king dressing room, that’s for sure!”
Daltrey firmly denied all the rumors, citing an inside source, and stated: “It makes you wonder, ‘How far inside?’ All I want to say is, it’s fake news. I am not guilty. I haven’t got a press spokesman. I speak for myself. And f**k social media. I’ve never done it. I’ve never wanted to do it. It’s taken civilization to the pits.”
THE WHO guitarist Pete Townshend made a statement earlier this month that the band’s drummer of almost three decades, was not fired, despite the band’s recent announcement of their separation.
“News flash! Who back Zak!,” Townshend wrote in an Instagram post. “Zak is not being asked to step down from The Who. There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.”
Rest of the announcement posted of band’s website, reads as follows: “Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed. I take responsibility for some of the confusion. Our TCT shows at the Royal Albert Hall were a little tricky for me. I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. (Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?) Wrong!
“Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage. The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with. Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised. Albeit with a rubber duck drummer.
“We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It’s over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies.
“As for Roger, fans can enjoy his forthcoming solo shows with his fabulous drummer, Scott Devours, who it was rumoured might replace Zak in THE WHO and has always been supportive of the band.
“I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread. He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug.”
During one of the Albert Hall performances, Daltrey is said to have addressed the crowd to complain about Starkey‘s excessive drumming.
“To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t,” Daltrey told the crowd. “All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry, guys.”
Source: metaladdicts.com
