Dude, Where's My Drummer?

""There always have been issues with drummers. Whenever you talk to musicians and the subject of drummers comes up, everybody always shakes their head. They feel like they're very, very lucky when they have a good one," he tells me. "Good ones are always in demand. They can move around at will and could also disappear at will. Drummers work harder than anybody. It's not an easy job.""

""DeCurtis's prophecy was spectacularly fulfilled this spring and summer with a drummer upheaval, which began in earnest back in April when Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr and the Who's drummer for nearly 30 years, was fired, rehired, and fired again for reasons both sides would dispute a bit differently. (We never want to hear about incriminating sound levels and in-ear monitors ever again.)""

Skilled rock drummers are scarce and often pose reliability and availability challenges, with bands feeling fortunate when they retain a strong drummer. A concentrated spring–summer upheaval produced multiple high-profile departures and reassignments among legacy bands. Zak Starkey, the Who's drummer for nearly thirty years, experienced firing, rehiring, and a second firing amid disputed reasons. Foo Fighters parted ways with Josh Freese as they pursued a new creative direction after Taylor Hawkins's death; Freese said he had never been let go in forty years and that the music did not resonate. Subsequent moves included Matt Cameron's exit, Freese joining Nine Inch Nails, Ilan Rubin moving to Foo Fighters, The Who hiring a Daltrey-band alumnus, and Guns N' Roses firing their drummer.

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