Zak Starkey returned to The Who after a brief period of uncertainty earlier this month. Following reports of his firing and subsequent rehiring from his dream job, Starkey has finally broken his silence. In an interview with The Times, he expressed his deep commitment to the band, stating, “I couldn’t bear to watch someone doing it and ruin it. It’s not a job, it’s a calling. It’s a bit like being a nurse or a nun. It’s a calling to protect the music of The Who, that’s how I feel about it.”
Reflecting on a recent incident where Roger Daltrey complained on stage at London's Royal Albert Hall in March about the loudness of Starkey's drums during the performance of "The Song Is Over," Starkey downplayed the situation. He said, “Look at The Who’s history. It’s been going on for years, this kind of thing. It was just a miscommunication, basically. It really was… The Who’s a family you know. It was a stupid thing that got blown out of proportion and got too much oxygen and three days later we’re all back to normal again.”
Starkey, the eldest son of Ringo Starr, received his first drum kit from the late Keith Moon, The Who’s legendary drummer, on his 13th birthday. He began playing with The Who in 1996 after initially supporting Daltrey in his solo band two years prior.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]