Zak Starkey hasn't shied away from how he felt when The Who fired him, re-hired him, then "retired" him, and in a new interview with The i Paper, Pete Townshend shared his own confusion with the decision that was supposedly made after a recent performance at Albert Hall.

“I couldn’t see anything wrong,” he admitted about Starkey's personal performance. “What you see is a band who haven’t played together for a long time. But I think it was probably to do with the sound. I’ve lost my sound man as a result.”

“I think Roger just got lost. Roger’s finding it difficult," he continued. "I have to be careful what I say about Roger because he gets angry if I say anything about him at all. He’ll be sacking me next. But that’s not to say that he sacked Zak. It’s a decision Roger and I tried to make together, but it kind of got out of hand.”

Townshend went on to explain that Daltrey is the one who initially hired Starkey, and compared him to The Who's original drummer Keith Moon. “I didn’t invite him in, right? Roger invited him,” he noted. “And at that time, I don’t know quite why he chose Zak, but Zak is another Keith Moon. He comes with real, real bonuses and real, real difficulties.”

Starkey's dad, Ringo Starr, was not happy with the decision and according to the drummer said he's "never liked the way that little man runs that band."

Daltrey has yet to explain his side of the story.

The Who are gearing up for a farewell North American tour this summer and will be accompanied by drummer Scott Devours.

Chumley