Mickey Thomas Is Happy to Be the Voice of Starship. (And Nothing’s Gonna Stop Him Now)
Mickey Thomas is continuing to tour as the frontman of Starship, performing the group’s 1980s hits alongside songs from Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. The story traces the band’s changing identities and competing touring line-ups, and explains how Thomas has carried its later-era repertoire despite changing critical opinion.
Thomas, 76, sings on Starship’s major hits, including “We Built This City”, which topped the charts 41 years ago and was named the worst song of all time by Blender in 2004. He says the song became a target amid resistance to the digital sound of the 1980s. A separate Jefferson Starship line-up also performs many of the same songs; Thomas says he is irritated when it uses his vocal recordings in radio adverts, though he has not pursued legal action.
In short
- Mickey Thomas continues touring as Starship’s frontman.
- His set spans hits from three versions of the band.
- He objects to another group using his recordings in adverts.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Thomas’s continued touring can be seen as a legitimate way to keep performing songs closely associated with his voice and to sustain a musical legacy audiences still value. He can also reasonably object to another line-up using his recordings in adverts without his consent, while choosing not to pursue legal action may reflect a wish to avoid costly disputes.
The case against
The songs and band name belong to a history shaped by several line-ups, so another group’s performance of that shared repertoire may also be a valid continuation of the Jefferson Starship legacy. From this perspective, audiences can benefit from different musicians keeping the catalogue alive, and criticism of the polished 1980s sound need not erase the songs’ popularity or Thomas’s contribution.
Explained simply
Starship’s history is tied to two earlier bands, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, whose names and line-ups changed over time. Several musicians from those groups helped shape the music, but different versions have toured under related names.
Mickey Thomas joined Jefferson Starship in the late 1970s and sang lead on songs that later became Starship hits. He now tours with a Starship line-up, while another group called Jefferson Starship performs some of the same songs.
The overlap reflects a long-running dispute about how the bands’ shared history is represented. Their songs remain familiar to audiences, even as views of the 1980s sound and its biggest hits have shifted.
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