But little did he know that one day, long after Uncle Keith’s demise, he would fill his idol’s seat as the beat-keeper of his favorite band. He’s been drumming with The Who since 1996, most recently on their “Quadrophenia” tour of 2012/13. Who guitarist Pete Townshend considers him the karmic Keith Moon. “I am not a rock ’n’ roll star,” Zak told Ken Micallef of Modern Drummer magazine in 2006. “I’m not famous, I suppose. But I am a very successful musician.” Zak’s younger brother Jason, also a drummer, hasn’t been nearly as fortunate. Through the years he’s been in and out of court on theft and drug charges. He once said, “Being Ringo Starr’s son is the biggest drag of my life. It’s a total pain.”
Here’s Zak, channeling Keith Moon (the two are pictured above). Let’s hope he didn’t pick up his idol’s talent for blowing up hotel toilets.
© Dana Spiardi, Sept 13, 2013
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