Former Oasis drummer Zak Starkey has warned new sticksman Joey Waronker, “Don’t fcuk it up”.
Starkey had some stern advice for his replacement on the upcoming Oasis Live ’25 Tour, noting that Oasis are “smart” and know when something is off.
Asked for his advice for the newcomer ahead of the biggest reunion tour of all time, which kicks off on July 4 in Cardiff, he told NME: “He’s not a mod is he? Don’t fuck it up. Make sure you get your tempos right, them boys know. They’re smart. They’re some of the smartest musicians I’ve ever met. Whether it’s fast, it’s slow, they’re bang on it.”
Zak also spilled that The Cosmos’ recent track, Domino Bones, was originally intended to be a Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds song.
The recently ousted Who drummer – who is joined by Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder and Bez and Oasis bassist Andy Bell in the supergroup – said: “Noel sent me it about a year ago and said, ‘This might be better for your band than mine [High Flying Birds]’. It didn’t work for his band because of the hip-hop element because of Shaun.
“I took the music off and started from the ground up. At first, my version was hip-hop. We were gonna do Later… With Jools Holland and Noel went, ‘There’s only drums on this, what the fuck am I supposed to play?’ I wrote the music and it worked. It’s heavy, it’s mad, it’s crazy. Noel’s part is beautiful when it drops.”
Zak is still reeling that he isn’t going to be behind the kit for Oasis’ first tour in 16 years.
He said: “We had this tune before that. Noel called me on my birthday to tell me I wasn’t in [Oasis]. He didn’t know it was my birthday though! I would like to be in it, because they’re my favourite group of my generation. The thing about groups that you love – like The Who or Oasis – is that it’s not a job. It’s about protecting music so that no-one does it wrong, because for so many people it’s a job and they don’t really care.
“When it’s your favourite band, you pick up the phone and you’re like, ‘Fucking hell!’ It’s completely different to everything else. I fucking love Oasis. I always did. I always had this thing with Liam [Gallagher] for years from the mid-90s where I’d go, ‘Alright Daffers? Still the greatest rock’n’roll singer in the world?’ and he’d go, ‘Alright Zakky Wakky, still the greatest rock’n’roll drummer in the world?’ This went on for years until I was in [the band]. I couldn’t believe it.”
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