Pete Townshend clarifies: Zak Starkey is still part of ‘The Who’

Pete Townshend

, the band’s co-founder, has clarified the situation just days after drummer

Zak Starkey

declared he was leaving ‘

The Who

.’ After wrapping up performances at the

Royal Albert Hall

, Zak—the son of legendary ‘Beatles’ member Ringo Starr—had previously announced his retirement. In a thorough Instagram post, Townshend addressed the matter and clarified that Zak is still very much a member of ‘The Who.’

Pete Townshend’s Instagram Clarification

Recently, Pete Townshend shared a post featuring a picture of him warmly embracing Zak. In the caption, he wrote that Zak is “not being asked to step down from ‘The Who.” Townshend explained there had been “some communication issues, personal and private, on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.” He further added that both he and lead singer Roger Daltrey want Zak to “tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral lineup and he has readily agreed.”

Difficulties at the Royal Albert Hall

Townshend admitted that there was some confusion, partly because of challenges during the Royal Albert Hall shows. Reports suggested that Roger Daltrey struggled to hear over the drums. Townshend touched on this indirectly, saying the shows “were a little tricky” for him too, especially because he was still recovering from knee replacement surgery and there might have been issues with sound checks.
While Townshend mentioned that Zak “made a few mistakes” during the shows, he also said that Zak apologized for them. He described The Who as a “family” and noted, “It blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen,” but emphasized that the issue was “over” and the band is moving forward with “optimism and fire.”

No Replacement for Zak Starkey

Pete Townshend also cleared up rumors that drummer Scott Devours would be replacing Zak. “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,” Townshend wrote.
Since The Who’s 1996 ‘Quadrophenia’ tour, Zak Starkey has been a part of the group. A blood clot in his leg forced him to postpone a show with his band, ‘Mantra of the Cosmos,’ in London earlier this year. It appears that Zak will continue his long-standing journey with ‘The Who’ despite the brief uncertainty.