The Who’s new drummer talks about joining the band

The Who fired their longtime drummer Zak Starkey for the second time this month but now it’s official and his replacement is Scott Devours, American musician who has been playing with Roger Daltrey‘s solo band for years.

Devours posted a special message on his social media talking about his excitement about joining the group.

The Who’s new drummer talks about joining the band

“Yesterday, with a short, simple Instagram post, Pete and Roger, once again, changed my life forever. It’s hard to express the tsunami of emotions that I’m processing since that incredible news, but there are a couple of things I feel compelled to say. The first is that I need to thank all the family, friends & fans for the countless messages, texts and emails congratulating me and sharing their excitement. Please accept this group: “thank you”. The amount of positivity thrown my way has been overwhelming, I truly thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Also, please don’t ask me for tickets, lol.”

“The second is that I understand and accept the reality that there are many lifelong Who fans who are absolutely gutted by the news that Zak is no longer on the throne behind The Who. As a huge fan myself, there is a part of me that’s processing this loss with a heavy heart too. It really is a strange contradiction of emotions to have the greatest moment of my professional career also be one framed with some sadness and shadowed by someone else’s loss. It’s tough to put into words actually, but I know it’s there and it’s real.”

“I guess the reality of it is this: I’m sure there are many fans who will not accept me or anyone on that throne except for Zak. I know that this will be the case for some and I acknowledge that. For others, perhaps the jury is still out. Maybe I’ll need to let the music do the talking? In my world, there are no bigger shoes to fill than those behind Pete and Roger. The weight of this responsibility is enormous and I am feeling every ounce of it.”

He continued:

“What I want to say to all of the fans is that I will do everything I can to honor the legacy of The Who, Zak, Kenney Jones, Simon Phillips and the memory of the great Keith Moon. For my name to even be mentioned in a sentence like that literally sends shivers down my spine and I know I need to earn this honor. Since this is the last time Pete and Roger will be touring the US, playing the greatest songs ever written, I will be giving them every second of my time, every beat of my heart, and every drop of my sweat and blood.”

“This is my ultimate goal. But this tour isn’t about me or anyone other than The Who, which IS Pete and Roger. I will give them everything I have and the rest is soon to be history. Thank you for reading this. Now I’m going to go throw up, lol,” Scott Devours said.

Zak Starkey, who is Ringo Starr’s son, had been The Who’s drummer for the past 29 years. A few weeks ago, news broke that he had been fired from the band after a performance that Roger Daltrey was not pleased with. A few days later, Pete Townshend announced that it was a misunderstanding and welcomed him back. However, the band’s main songwriter and guitarist has now officially confirmed that Starkey is indeed leaving the band.

Devours is one year younger than Starkey and is American. He was previously part of bands like Oleander and IMA Robot. He is a good friend of the band and works with Daltrey for more than a decade already.