Syd Barrett

fada · March 2006

How do poeple regard this Former Pink Floyd man? A flawed genius or an acid head drop out. My first introduction introduction to Pink Floyd was "See Emily Play". I really liked the trippy feel. I have never heard Piper at the gates but I have a six song EP of the first few Floyd singles.
Did Barrett's constant intake of Acid fry him emotionally and his intellect?
Has anyone see the video of his first ever trip?
I know that he felt the band in the late 60's and has become a hermit ever since. What state is he in now?

fada · March 2006

I was reading a Mojo article on him and How Gilmour was told by Syd's sister not to go to see him.

culot4 · March 2006

wasn't Syd spotted at Live 8 just last summer while Floyd was on stage.

trappedinmyradio · March 2006

culot4 wrote:

wasn't Syd spotted at Live 8 just last summer while Floyd was on stage.

that was a rumor that has neither been proven or disproven to my knowledge.

FinsburyParkCarrots · March 2006

culot4 wrote:

wasn't Syd spotted at Live 8 just last summer while Floyd was on stage.

I'm disproving the rumour. No, he wasn't.

FinsburyParkCarrots · March 2006

fada wrote:

How do poeple regard this Former Pink Floyd man? A flawed genius or an acid head drop out. My first introduction introduction to Pink Floyd was "See Emily Play". I really liked the trippy feel. I have never heard Piper at the gates but I have a six song EP of the first few Floyd singles.
Did Barrett's constant intake of Acid fry him emotionally and his intellect?
Has anyone see the video of his first ever trip?
I know that he felt the band in the late 60's and has become a hermit ever since. What state is he in now?

Better than he's been for years but fond of his own privacy.

Eraserhead · March 2006

fada wrote:

or an acid head drop out.

Yep, that'll be the one.

capybaralet · March 2006

Easily the most talented member of Floyd as far as writing. Extremely original and creative, I think Piper basically kicks the crap out of any other Pink Floyd album. I don't know about him personally other than I feel sorry for him, since he seems to have had quite a breakdown of sorts, to the point where he couldn't perform.

I heard he is living with his mom and is actually playing music, just has no intentions on releasing it. None of this is substantiated, but, it's interesting to think about.

El_Kabong · March 2006

i don't like his floyd stuff as much as his solo albums,i love his stuff, tho

El_Kabong · March 2006

i think his breakdown was caused be a few factors. for one, look at the song roger wrote on piper...absolute shite! all the pressure was on syd to 'make' the band and come up w/ good singles. i read he lived w/ ppl who spiked drinks w/ lsd without telling the person, so it's possible he injested a little too much of it unintentionally. ppl had been calling him a genius for a good part of his life and i think all that pressure of having to live up to that and keep making good singles coupled w/ the drugs just became too much for him and he couldnt cope. iforgot what booki read it in but basically they brought in syd's childhood friend dave gilmour to play 2nd guitar and help take some of the pressure off syd but even that didn't help and eventually they just stopped picking him for gigs as he'd either refuse to get off the bus/van or he'd just mumble and/or play the same chord over and over and over.

i also read roger was a complete dick to him as things got rougher on him and pretty much everyone looked down on him instead of trying to help him.

it's a shame b/c w/ what roger later became they could've easily eclipsed lennon/mccartney or been up there in the same league.

from what i read, it seemed like the band treated his drug abuse w/ getting mad, not trying to help him

i saw some pics of him a few years ago from the 90's...he was a bit overweight and balding...ireally like that when dave gilmour plays w/ floyd or solo he throws in at least 1 syd song to help keep $ coming to him.

it really seems odd that they would treat him badly like that considering the wonderful things both roger and dave have done socially (like buying lots of houses for poor ppl, selling off dave's 2nd home and giving ALL the money to homeless charities....)

Mad Mohab · March 2006

theres always a lot of ignorance about his life., Anyone calling him an acid dropout had better look at their own creative efforts in life and their contribution to soceity. He made a lot of money, started a hugely successful band, made a pretty damn fine set of solo works which still has a cult following, and retired early to a life of painting out of the public eye. Not in a mental institution, but in a sheltered existnece not unlike millions of others, who go out in the world for awhile then go back to where they were more comfortable to live quietly esp. when you made a small fortune in the nerve wracking pop world. Syd as a lunatic was a marketing tool. He just didn;t want to keep playing the pop star game and chose a new life, one less travelled I guess you could say. Just cause he didn't like anyone with much to do with the floyd anymore, he got a'legendary' image when he obviously just wanted to live a normal life. at least thats my take. I'm far from insane and I can relate to anything in his music, he may have had problems like us all but thats the extent.

Definately check out BArrett and MAdcap LAughs, they are way better than floyd w syd and as good as saucerful, relics, and the real early PF. Wolfpack may be my favourite song. take care

LimeDisease · March 2006

Barrett's 3 Albums > Pink Floyd (Except for Ummagumma and Meddle)

thats right

FinsburyParkCarrots · March 2006

I see him around, most days. He keeps himself to himself, going to the local shops. I don't think he gets the crazy stalkers he used to get, thank goodness.

fada · March 2006

What was the difference with Barrett's fall out and that of Peter Green?

FinsburyParkCarrots · March 2006

That's really impossible to answer unless one is qualified to compare the two. What I know is, Barrett may well have Asperger's Syndrome, which might mean he's simply not interested in making a comeback or interfering with his day to day routine.

Greeny had his acid odyssey too, but he came back in the 1990s with the Splinter Group.

nuzpaper · March 2006

Piper is one strange album and I love it but I don't think Pink Floyd would have reached the top like they did if they continued with Syd.

nuzpaper · March 2006

FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:

I see him around, most days. He keeps himself to himself, going to the local shops. I don't think he gets the crazy stalkers he used to get, thank goodness.

You see him around? You should ask him to sign a piper record. I'm sure he wouldn't mind...ya right....you would probably end up in his cellar;)

Heineken Helen · March 2006

‘it really seems odd that they would treat him badly like that considering the wonderful things both roger and dave have done socially (like buying lots of houses for poor ppl, selling off dave's 2nd home and giving ALL the money to homeless charities....)’

Did you read the Mojo article? Dave talks about it and how he feels bad about how they treated him. That’s why they helped him out on his solo stuff. Dave even said about how, even though sales of Pink Floyd went up about 1800% after Live 8, he’s tracking how much extra they’re taking in and still giving it all to charity. Syds stuff with PF wasn’t really my kinda thing and I haven’t heard any of his solo stuff so I dunno.

‘I see him around, most days. He keeps himself to himself, going to the local shops. I don't think he gets the crazy stalkers he used to get, thank goodness.’

Really Fins?

FinsburyParkCarrots · March 2006

Heineken Helen wrote:

Really Fins?

Yep. Really.

HYLA · March 2006

I always thought Syd was dead. Huh.

FinsburyParkCarrots · March 2006

HYLA wrote:

I hear Gilmour has tried to get Syd rejoin the group, but Syd never gets back to him.

Well, Dave has spoken with Syd's sister a few times to see how he is. That's all, really.

Syd Barrett

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