What happened between Roger Daltrey and Zak Starkey? Drama explained as The Who's singer explains firing 

Roger Daltrey explained that Zak Starkey’s firing from The Who was due to a miscommunication between him and the sound engineer. The issue happened during their March show at the Royal Albert Hall, where there were sound problems. Shortly after, Zak was let go from the band.

However, on April 19, the band put out a statement on Instagram that Starkey has been reinstated. The saga wasn't over, though, as on May 18, another statement from the band and Starkey confirmed that they are parting ways.

Roger Daltrey, co-founder of The Who, explained the drama in an interview with The Times, published on August 1. He addressed the rumor that he was struggling to hear Starkey's drums during one of their performances at the Royal Albert Hall in March. Roger Daltrey said:

"An audience can see what’s happening on stage and have a complete misunderstanding of what’s actually going on. We had so much sub-bass on the sound of the drums that I couldn’t pitch. I was pointing to the bass drum and screaming at [the sound guy] because it was like flying a plane without seeing the horizon. So when Zak thought I was having a go at him, I wasn’t. That’s all that happened."

Roger Daltrey also spoke about Zak Starkey's statement after his firing, calling it a "character assassination". He said:

"Pete [Townshend] and I retain the right to be the Who. Everyone else is a session player. You can’t replace Keith Moon. We wanted to branch out and that’s all I want to say about it. But [Starkey’s reaction] was crippling to me."

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Zak Starkey's statement after his firing from The Who following miscommunication with Roger Daltrey

(L-R) Roger Daltrey, Zak Starkey, and Pete Townshend at Concert The Who with Orchestra - "Hits Back!" - Source: Getty

On May 18, Zak Starkey put out a statement on his Instagram account, revealing that he has been released from The Who. He alleged that he was asked to make a statement that he was quitting due to other musical projects. However, he wrote that he refused to do so.

Starkey wrote:

"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. 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," he added.

Notably, Starkey did admit that he has some individual projects on the side, but added that he has always had them. He also listed multiple incidents of him releasing music or working on other projects while also managing The Who's tours over the years. He pointed out that the tours had become even more sporadic in recent years.

On May 27, Zak Starkey put out another Instagram post where he shared that he had a phone call with Roger Daltrey. He explained that there was a lot of confusion between the two, and they have cleared it up now. He added that he leaves the band on great terms.

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