In honor of Rolling Stone’s Climate Crisis Issue, we asked artists to contribute messages about what they, their governments, and everyday people can do to stand up to the threat of climate change. From England to Jamaica to the United States, we are hearing from artists and activists around the world about what we can do locally, globally, and everywhere in between. Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr and a world-class drummer himself, who has worked with Oasis and played with the Who for more than 20 years, discusses why he can’t stand people who drive “enormous fucking cars.”
“I want to talk about enormous cars with enormous engines,” says Zak Starkey before launching into his discourse on automobiles.
“You’re faced with all these cars with, like, 5- and 6-liter engines, that are supercharged, and the only place they can do that speed, a speed like that, is in your driveway. What the fuck is the point of that? So, you can get an enormous fucking car, right? That fucking looks amazing. But you don’t have to get an enormous engine. You can get an electric engine now, if you can afford it. Alright, it’s a bit early. I don’t know. If you can afford driving a six-point million fucking AMG fucking BMG double-goo, you can fucking, like, afford an electric engine, can’t you? So why don’t you get an enormous car, just don’t get a fucking enormous engine? It’s so basic. You know you can still impress your mates, but you don’t have to fuck the planet.”
In summation, Starkey implores his rich peers to feel free to go for the big car, but keep the engine small.