Inside Story

Pete Townshend is shedding light on the messy departure of longtime drummer Zak Starkey from The Who, calling the situation “a mess” and admitting uncertainty over how it unfolded.

In a candid new interview with The i Paper, the legendary guitarist, 80, revealed that tensions within the band have simmered since the split with Starkey, who had played with The Who for nearly three decades.

“I will miss Zak terribly. But quite what the story is, I don’t f—— know. I really don’t,” Townshend admitted.

The situation took several confusing turns this year. Starkey initially announced his departure in April, only for Townshend to claim days later that Zak wasn’t being asked to leave. By May, however, The Who confirmed Starkey’s exit and welcomed Scott Devours as his replacement.

Starkey fired back, alleging he was pressured to lie about leaving voluntarily — a claim Townshend neither confirmed nor denied, instead pointing to longstanding complications within the band.

Despite the upheaval, Townshend expressed cautious optimism for The Who’s upcoming final U.S. tour this August, quipping, “I don’t know whether I’ve been up for doing anything with The Who since 1973… But I am looking forward to this.”

—
Photo Credit: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com