Roger Daltrey Slams Axed Drummer Zak Starkey's Exit Comments: 'Incredibly Upsetting'

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has addressed the "incredibly upsetting" comments that axed drummer Zak Starkey made after exiting the band. 

Earlier this year, Starkey, the son of Beatles icon Ringo Starr, was fired from the rock band twice in rapid succession. Accounts of what led to his departure differ, with Daltrey and Pete Townshend pointing to a mistake by Starkey during their April concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, while Starkey argues that the blunder was Daltrey's.

The band later stated the drummer stepped away voluntarily to focus on other commitments. Starkey, however, said he was pressured to go along with that account and maintained that he never wanted to quit the group.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Starkey said the onstage error was the result of poor planning and under-rehearsal, which led to Daltrey jumping in too early during a performance of "The Song Is Over." 

"What happened was I got it right and Roger got it wrong," Starkey said.

Commenting on his remarks, Daltrey told The Times of London that it "was kind of a character assassination and it was incredibly upsetting."

The dispute arose over the band's use of electronic drums, which Daltry hears through in-ear monitors.

"It is controlled by a guy on the side, and we had so much sub-bass on the sound of the drums that I couldn't pitch," he explained. "I was pointing to the bass drum and screaming at [Starkey] because it was like flying a plane without seeing the horizon. So when Zak thought I was having a go at him, I wasn't. That's all that happened."

Commenting on the band's debate after reinstating Starkey before axing him again, Daltrey said: "Pete and I retain the right to be the Who. Everyone else is a session player."

"You can't replace Keith Moon. We wanted to branch out, and that's all I want to say about it. But [Starkey's reaction] was crippling to me," he said.