Who the Fuck Is Joey Waronker?

Hello you. Make a cup of tea. Put a record on.

Pick one that feels like rain. Maybe Beck’s Sea Change. Doesn’t matter. You won’t hear him, not really. But he’s there. Always has been.

July 4th, 2025. Cardiff. 62,000 people watching Noel and Liam share a stage again. The noise was the headline. But buried in it was something else. Steady. Precise. No drama. Joey Waronker.

Where Joey Waronker Came Into It

You don’t chant his name. He doesn’t want you to. Doesn’t posture. Doesn’t peacock. He plays like it’s work. Because it is.

Son of Lenny Waronker and Donna Loren. Raised in the business. Never acted like it. Started with Walt Mink. Off-centre, awkward, loud. Then Beck. From Odelay to Sea Change, Joey kept it all in time. No flourishes. Just discipline. Just feel.

What Joey Waronker Actually Did

In ’98, R.E.M. needed a drummer. Bill Berry gone. The band hanging on. Joey stepped in. Up and Reveal didn’t fall apart. That’s the job.

Then Elliott Smith. XO. Figure 8. Records that bleed. Joey didn’t crowd them. He gave them space to bruise.

And it kept going. Norah Jones. Nelly Furtado. Paul McCartney. David Byrne. Thom Yorke. Roger Waters. Different shapes. Same work. Joey turned up. Did what was needed. Left the songs stronger.

Atoms for Peace. Ultraísta. Not side projects. Not experiments. Real records. Built steady. Built to last.

What’s Left of Joey Waronker?

In 2025, Oasis brought him in.

No auditions. No press circus. Starkey out. Joey in. Quietly. Cleanly. Like someone changing a fuse.

It matters. Not because it’s dramatic. Because it isn’t. He plays like time costs money. And Oasis, for once, spent both properly.

And That’s Who the Fuck Joey Waronker Is

He’s not invisible. You just weren’t looking. He’s played on more records than most bands ever hear. He’s in Oasis now. That should tell you enough.

See you on down the road.