Pete Townshend Gives Public Response To The Who Parting Ways With Zak Starkey

In a new interview with i Paper, Pete Townshend addressed The Who‘s tumultuous split with their longtime drummer, Zak Starkey. The rock legend described the situation as “a mess,” while expressing uncertainty about the specifics of the ordeal. “I will miss Zak terribly. But quite what the story is, I don’t f—king know. I really don’t know,” Townsend admitted. The firing stems from an onstage incident during the band’s charity performances for the Teenage Cancer Trust at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March, with Starkey’s drumming apparently drowning out Roger Daltrey’s vocals. “What you see is a band who haven’t played together for a long time. But I think it was probably to do with the sound,” Townsend adds. “Roger’s finding it difficult. I have to be careful what I say about Roger because he gets angry if I say anything about him at all. He’ll be sacking me next. But that’s not to say that he sacked Zak. It’s a decision Roger and I tried to make together, but it kind of got out of hand.” (Billboard)