Drummer Zak Starkey is clarifying his recent Instagram post in which he suggested he was "retired" from The Who, making it clear he was indeed fired by Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
"This is f**** total bollox," he writes in a new Instagram post. "I was fired. Roger’s new word for it is 'retired' to complete my other musical projects."
Starkey, son of Beatle Ringo Starr, says he told Roger he had completed his projects, explaining he had a single coming out but after that, "I was completely available for the foreseeable future," adding Roger "was a little surprised but understood."
"It’s true - I have no plan’s whatsoever for the fall as I thought I was touring with The Who," he shares. "So this is simply a load of bollox … Am I fired , retired, deffo not tired as I’m 20 years younger than these guys as they keep saying."
Starkey’s original firing happened in April after issues arose during The Who’s March shows in London. Daltrey seemed to be upset with Starkey’s performance, but in his new post, Starkey argues the issue was "not a firing offence," noting of The Who, "if it was perfect it would be so f****** boring."
After his April firing, Starkey was rehired by the band, only for The Who to announce on May 18 he was once again let go. The Who then revealed Scott Devours, drummer of Daltrey's solo band, would be taking over behind the drum kit for their upcoming The Song Is Over North American Farewell Tour, which kicks off Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at TheWho.com.