

After a series of confusing and conflicting statements, The Who has officially announced that they are no longer performing with their drummer of nearly thirty years, Zak Starkey. The confusion began about a month ago when Starkey announced on social media that he had been fired from The Who for “overplaying.” However, The Who guitarist and second lead vocalist, Pete Townshend quickly shut this down by stating that the band had worked it out so Starkey was staying.
This statement did not last long since yesterday Townshend took to Instagram to share that Starkey had left the band. In the post, Townshend stated, “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best. Scott Devours who has worked with Roger [Daltrey]’s solo band will join The Who for our Final shows. Please welcome him.” According to Stereogum, Devours has filled in for Starkey on drums for The Who several times before and has also played at shows for Oleander and IMA Robot.
Despite this seemingly final statement, the discourse continued when Starkey posted his own Instagram response claiming, “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endeavors this would be a lie. I love The Who and would never had quit.” He continued, “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.” He also claimed that the other projects Townshend mentioned were all projects he has been a part of throughout the years and have never interfered with his work for The Who.
Since this response, The Who has doubled down on their claim of Starkey quitting in their latest official response. The band wrote, “The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20 years younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects. He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success. We both wish him all the luck in the world.” The response was signed by The Who members, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. It also restated the fact that Scott Devours will be replacing Starkey in The Who’s North American farewell tour.