The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has accused former drummer Zak Starkey of “character assassination.”

Starkey, who is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, was first fired from The Who in April after some tension arose on stage during the band’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in March.

A few days after announcing that they had parted ways with Starkey, The Who said the drummer had been brought back after dealing with “communication issues.”

A month later, Starkey said he was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying, “I had quit the Who to pursue my other musical endeavors.”

“This would be a lie. I love the Who and would never had [sic] quit,” he said.

In a new interview with the Times, Daltrey tried to set the record straight by explaining his version of the Royal Albert Hall incident and its aftermath.

“It [the sound] 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 said. “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.”

“It was kind of a character assassination and it was incredibly upsetting,” he added about Starkey’s remarks. “Pete and I retain the right to be The Who. Everyone else is a session player,” Daltrey said, referring to The Who guitarist Pete Townshend.

Scott Devours has replaced Starkey as the drummer for The Who’s “The Song is Over” farewell tour, which kicked off in July in Italy. The tour will reach the United States on August 16.

Source: RTT Music News