Zak Starkey on Oasis: "the smartest musicians I've ever met"

Zak Starkey, self-proclaimed son of "the greatest drummer in the world" (The Beatles' Ringo Starr, of course), former stand-in for Oasis and occasional The Who sticksman, took time out from the aforementioned schedule to talk 'Uncle' Keith Moon and Brit infamy.

Before quitting Oasis over 'commitment issues', Starkey recorded 2008's Dig Out Your Soul. Our friends over at Rhythm magazine took the opportunity to talk about lead single Shock Of The Lightning's "hurtling Krautrock beat, dusted with eight bar sprinkle fills"…

"I did that as a joke! And no one in the band thought those crazy fills were going to make it on the record. I couldn't fucking believe it when I heard it on the radio! It was a lightning shock!"

The Who vs Oasis

When asked to compare playing with Oasis to playing with The Who to fill those enormous shoes left by Keith Moon, Starkey's second answer might also surprise: "It was just as difficult playing in Oasis as it is with The Who."

"It's irrelevant that there are more fills to play in The Who. I'd get all these wanker drummers saying, 'Oh man, I could do the Oasis gig with one hand tied behind my back'. Well, you may be able to but it will fucking sound shit mate! If my drumming was slightly slow or fast, everybody in that band knew it."

"F*cking massive"

"Liam, Noel, Gem and Andy are some of the smartest musicians I've ever met," he continued. "In fact, they're the most inspiring band I've ever worked with. I played with Oasis for four years and literally spent every day crying with laughter. Those lads are on it and that's why they're fucking massive."

You can read the full interview with Zak Starkey, plus exclusives with Doves' Andy Williams and Gallows' Lee Barratt in the current issue of Rhythm magazine, available now.