Zak Starkey’s three decades with the Who came to a fiery end in 2025. But he says he remains on good terms with both Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. More importantly, he’s moving forward, while also looking back at his early days with the group.
The drummer will debut Zak Starkey…Who?, his new one-man show at the Gramercy Theatre in New York on Feb. 20, an endeavor he says that Daltrey and particularly, Townshend, have been supportive of. The group posted about the event on their official social media in December and the guitarist has been offering Starkey assistance along the way as he gets ready for his inaugural performance.
How is Zak’s Current Relationship With Roger and Pete?
They remain in contact on a fairly regular basis, as he shares. “I texted him and Pete the night before last and spoke to Roger last week,” Starkey tells UCR, noting that even though they are no longer playing together, there’s still a tight bond. “We’ve been a band a long time, you know. Pete’s happy about the show. He’s wishing me luck and he said he wishes he could be there, but he’s not in the country.”
“He knows that I’ll do his music proud, because I love the Who, you know,” he adds. “I’m doing something different with it, that’s for sure. But he knows I’m gonna do it right.”
The drummer was dismissed from the Who a total of three times, he now says, starting in April of last year. But he keeps a level head about everything that’s gone down in the past year. “It’s the Who. It wasn’t [really] phasing me madly, because it’s the Who [and] they’re nuts,” he explains.
READ MORE: Zak Starkey is Still Confused Over Dismissal From the Who
“And if they weren’t nuts, you wouldn’t have this amazing music, any of it, if they weren’t like that,” he continues. “And that’s why they’re great, isn’t it? I mean, I remember watching a two-hour bootleg on a bus with Noel Gallagher and at the end, he just went, ‘That is the maddest band I’ve ever seen.'”
It Was ‘F–king Terrifying’ the First Time He Played With the Who
Starkey grew up around the band in the late ’60s and through the ’70s, including a moment when he had legendary Who drummer Keith Moon as his babysitter. As he began to play music himself, he would drum along as albums by the Who, Sex Pistols and the Stooges played on his stereo.
READ MORE: How Keith Moon Helped the Who Break in America
Keith Moon and Zak Starkey
It was a whole different experience, of course, when he played with the real Who for the first time, compared to the recordings. “It was f–king terrifying,” he confirms. “You know, they were there. Peter’s right in my face. It was real,”
What Surprised Him About the Who
“I was playing along to them on the record. But then you get in the room with the Who, and it’s like, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize that this whole thing is going to be a jam,'” he recalls. “I had no idea that we’re going to just jam every song. We’re never going to know what’s going to happen. But John [Entwistle] and Roger were easy with that. Back then, they knew it’s going to be like that. I had no idea until we got out there.”
John Entwistle and Zak Starkey
What Fans Can Expect From Zak’s Upcoming Show
Starkey’s upcoming appearance at the Gramercy will begin with a short film overview featuring rare footage from throughout his entire career. He was working on putting the video sequence together on the day he spoke with UCR.
“I’m going to come out after the film and do a short, very recognizable drum solo,” he shares. Then, we’ll get straight into the Q&A while it’s fresh.”
After that, more footage will follow, featuring the bands that he’s performed with over the years — but with a twist. Using AI, he’s taken out the drums, so he’ll be playing live with each group there on stage in front of the NYC audience. “I’ll be playing the drums with [archival video footage of] Liam [Gallagher], Noel and Pete, Roger, Johnny Marr and everyone [that I’ve played with]. There’s a few things that are going to be a surprise.”
“I’d rather sit in the f–king audience and watch this,” he admits. “It’s going to be really cool.”
Fans can purchase tickets to Zak Starkey…Who? from Live Nation or the venue’s official website.
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Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening
