The most sought-after drummer in town suddenly finds himself with plenty of free time. Zak Starkey’s tenure with The Who appears to be over, following a tumultuous and sometimes absurd final period. Yet, he has various opportunities ahead of him. As the son of a Beatle, he spent ten years with Oasis, played alongside Johnny Marr for nearly as long, and has jammed, recorded, and celebrated with more music legends than one can count.
Currently, he's concentrating on Mantras Of The Cosmos, a rather unconventional supergroup that includes Ride (and now, it seems, Oasis) guitarist Andy Bell, as well as Happy Mondays’ Bez and Shaun Ryder, among others.
In the lobby of a central London hotel, Zak seems a bit sleepy. He found inspiration during the night and didn’t stop recording until just before seven. After a brief nap to recharge, he arrived just ten minutes before our interview, clutching the strongest black coffee he could find. Shaun Ryder was also supposed to join us, but true to his unpredictable nature, he’s instead recording a rescheduled segment for Gogglebox.
“He’s a national treasure,” Zak chuckles. “It’s incredible, isn’t it? Thirty-five years ago, he would have been stealing your wife’s handbag under the table. Not anymore! Now he’s doing Big Brother and has been to the jungle twice. It’s remarkable. He and Bez just have no agenda. They are who they are. They wouldn’t say anything other than what they truly mean.”
“I didn’t know Shaun until we started this. I reached out to him cold! I told him I had an idea for a 21st-century version of Hawkwind, and I had some songs. He immediately said: yeah! Let’s do it!”
The chemistry between them was immediate, and elements of Shaun’s carefree spirit influence the band’s countercultural approach. “I thought I was getting someone unmanageable, but I wasn’t…”
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At this point, Zak shifts to a different tone. Alan McGee “tried to sabotage my band because it was a threat to the Mondays. He had all the cameras turned off at Glastonbury. Our set wasn’t filmed – that’s quite the coincidence, isn’t it?”
“Shaun was ready to shut down the Mondays to pursue this… but then Oasis took off, leading to many opportunities for them. So, as long as the Beatles don’t reunite, I’ll hopefully complete the album eventually!”
Zak switches topics with ease—he’s candid and utterly charming, having been a silent observer at countless parties and meeting virtually everyone one could think of. Noticing my 60s-inspired knitwear, he begins reminiscing about late 80s sessions with Steve Marriott. The legendary Small Faces (and Humble Pie) musician was at that time playing in pubs for cash, and they would spend time together. One night, they ended up in an all-night rehearsal space, with Steve playing Motown classics on an acoustic guitar just for the fun of it.
He also created a reggae label, Trojan Jamaica. “I won a Grammy for that, by the way! I hope people remember it. Even though it’s just a meaningless piece of metal, chosen by people who have to decide if your record qualifies as 51% reggae or not.”
During that time, he released an all-star concept album, themed around “the idea of red, gold, green, and blue… the music of the American spirit and the Jamaican experience, created by their ancestors.”
He also formed a connection with his long-time idol, Peter Tosh. “I mean, Bob Marley is great. I love Bob. But Peter has a tougher edge. Plus, he has a sense of humor that you don’t get from Bob.”
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Projects like these finally sparked Zak Starkey's interest in production. Having been a drummer-for-hire, he moved behind the scenes, learning by observing those around him. Participating in a special collaboration for the Teenage Cancer Trust—supported by The Who’s Roger Daltrey—he spent time with producers like Youth and especially Ian Broudie.
Of Broudie, Zak simply states, “he’s my guru, really. If I need to discuss anything, he’s the one I turn to.”
“Look,” he notes, “I have 14 songs that aren’t finished. Some of them are completely bonkers. Most are about Putin and how much of a jerk he is!” He laughs. “Even Bez thinks they’re crazy. He told me, that song you sent me at six in the morning? It’s too weird!”
One upcoming single features Sean Ono Lennon and James McCartney—a trio of Beatles offspring united on a single record.
“They’ve become good friends of mine over the past three or four years. I didn’t really know them before. Everyone assumes the Beatles have a tea party every Sunday where we all gather and it
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The most well-connected drummer in the area now finds himself with plenty of free time. Zak Starkey’s tenure with The Who appears to be over, after a