Zak Starkey Opens Up About Departure from The Who and Turning Down Oasis Tour

Published: June 16, 2025

Zak Starkey, the drummer for The Who, has spoken out about his departure from the band and revealed that he was asked to tour with Oasis before leaving The Who.

In a new interview with The Telegraph, the 59-year-old drummer reflected on the ordeal that led to his departure from The Who, stating "What happened was I got it right and Roger [Daltrey] got it wrong."

Starkey claimed that he was asked to tour with Oasis before leaving The Who, but turned down the offer. He also revealed that he would have rejoined The Who if the past few months had gone differently.

The drummer announced his departure from The Who in April after 29 years of drumming with the band. However, later that week, Pete Townshend announced that Starkey would remain in the group following "some communication issues."

The following month, The Who once again announced the departure of the drummer, with Starkey later claiming that he was not only fired but asked to lie about his exit.

Starkey told The Telegraph that the band members "hate rehearsing" and rarely perform "The Song Is Over," a 6-minute-plus-long track lead singer and guitarist Daltrey "took a bit out" of for the show.

According to Starkey, "Roger [came] in a bar early." He recalled getting a call from the band's manager, Bill Curbishley, saying, "He says, 'It's my unfortunate duty to inform you' — it's like Porridge or something — 'that you won't be needed from now on. Roger says you dropped some beats.'"

Starkey added, "I watched the show and I can't find any dropped beats. Then Pete had to go along with it because Pete's had 60 years of arguing with Roger."

Despite leaving The Who, Starkey still considers the band his "family" and doesn't hold a grudge. "I don't blame anyone. I blame The Who because they're unpredictable, aggressive and f------ insane," he said, with the outlet noting those are reasons he "loves" the band.

Starkey ultimately admitted he'd rejoin the group. "I spoke to Roger last week and he said, 'Don't take your drums out of [The Who's] warehouse yet in case we need you,'" he revealed. "I said, 'Best let me know.'"

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