The Importance of Zak Starkey

Zak Starkey is an English drummer who has played with Johnny Marr and the Healers, The Waterboys and Oasis. Currently, he is employed as the (fourth) drummer for the legendary rock band The Who.

So why is Starkey so significant to me? First and foremost, The Who is my favorite band ever. I have been a fan since my school days in the early seventies. No group even comes close. Oh, and did I mention that he has also performed with Ringo Starr and his All Star Band?

This is noteworthy because it speaks to his lineage. You see Zak Starkey, born September 13, 1965, is the first-born child of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (whose real name is Richard Starkey) and his first wife, Maureen Cox. He is Ringo’s kid!

That would make Zak 43 years old, not quite ready for AARP. But at present time he plays with the two remaining members from The Who’s original lineup, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. Daltrey, born in 1944, is 65 later this year. Townshend was born a year later and turns 64 this year.

A while back I stumbled across a wonderful HD channel called Palladia. This channel showcases all types of music, both old and new. Yesterday while waiting for the Super Bowl to begin, I switched over to Palladia and lo and behold, what did I find? “On Tour: The Who Virtual Ticket”.

This thirty-minute show documented the band during a recent tour. Daltrey and Townshend discussed the storied history of the group that I had grown to love over the past 35 plus years. I absorbed and enjoyed every minute of this mini-documentary. But when it was over I realized something, something that I wasn’t ready to accept.

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are OLD! The Who is OLD! This is the same Pete Townshend who, in 1965, penned “My Generation.” This is the same Roger Daltrey who belts out, “I hope I die before I get old!” during that same song.

Maybe Townshend wrote those words. And maybe Daltrey sang those words that Townshend wrote 44 years ago. But they have never heeded them. Unfortunately other members of The Who did.

Manic drummer Keith Moon listened, tragically passing away at age 32, many years before he was old. Following suit was bassist extraordinaire John Entwistle, who left us at age 57, before “officially” getting old.

I remember being both saddened and shocked when I heard Moon had passed. Before he got old. Fourteen years later, Entwistle regrettably left this earth. Also before he got old. But I still had Townshend and Daltrey. And they weren’t old. Not yet. Right?

Well, sad to say, on February 1, 2009 I have come to the heart-rending realization that Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are indeed old. I still enjoy the music that they make and take every opportunity I get to hear them perform. But the fact remains; they did not die before they got old.

So because Moon and Entwistle died before they got old, The Who is made up of an old Pete Townshend and an old Roger Daltrey, with Pino Palladino playing bass, taking John Entwistle’s place. Oh, and I almost forgot, playing drums, Ringo’s kid Zak Starkey.

Until next time…From The Booth.