Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd

[endsleigh03]

One of the founding members of Pink Floyd, also the inspiration for "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". Great song.
He went down with mental illness early in the bands career, and spent a good chunk of his life being reclusive. People would have practically killed to get an interview with this guy thru the years, but he wouldn't have any part of it. His sister helped with a book after his death, and denied he was ever mentally ill (some denial there, surely.) She did say he'd spent some time in a home for "lost souls". Whatever that is.
When I was getting ready to post this I ran across photos of him as a young man. What a hottie. Yikes.
He died in 2006, at age 60, in Cambridge, England.

[SistaSara]

I don't know how true this is...BUT I heard that once an interviewer did find Syd and tried to get an interview. All Syd would say is, "I want to tend to my flowers." Like I said...I don't have any idea how true that is or if it's an urban myth.

[endsleigh03]

I don't know how true this is...BUT I heard that once an interviewer did find Syd and tried to get an interview. All Syd would say is, "I want to tend to my flowers." Like I said...I don't have any idea how true that is or if it's an urban myth.

Probably true.

[knothere]

Ya not bad at all when he was young. Lol I heard he wood hold the toothbrush in front of his teeth n he wood jump up n down.

[Mark]

I think Syd is great. I have one of his solo disc's called The Madcap Laugh's. Probably the greatest solo effort a member of Floyd has done, in my opinion

[joplinfrk]

That line "and if the band you play in sings a different tune, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" makes me sad. Mental illness can't be fun.

[endsleigh03]

That line "and if the band you play in sings a different tune, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" makes me sad. Mental illness can't be fun.

And this....

"You are young and life is long , and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find, ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking,
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but you're older
And shorter of breath, and one day closer to death"

Okkkkaaayyyy....I just remembered why I Have to be in a certain mood to listen to Pink Floyd ***Nods***

[Darrianne]

That line "and if the band you play in sings a different tune, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" makes me sad. Mental illness can't be fun.

That line has always made me a bit sad too but I love that song.

[MaryAnne29]

There's an article in the November 2007 VANITY FAIR about Syd Barrett.

[endsleigh03]

There's an article in the November 2007 VANITY FAIR about Syd Barrett.

Figures I cancelled my Vanity fair subscription last month.

[stephenmiller]

How about a thread on Syd Barrett, the late legendary founder and original member of Pink Floyd in 1967-68? He was a genius in his own time.

[neilmpenny]

I bought a boxed set of Floyd's albums. Within the booklet inside ther interviewed Waters and he mentioned that the band got creeped out when recording Wish You Were Here, Sid walked into the studio whilst they were in the midst of laying down that track. Dissappeared again as soon as he left the studio.

[VeuveClicquotNJ]

(sigh)



There was a very sad (and in-depth) article about Syd and his decline in a recent Rolling Stone. He was a beautiful young man.

P~

[Kugmu]

Lot o' stuff 'bout Syd here at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Barrett

[endsleigh03]

bump....plz merge

[endsleigh03]

Threads need to be merged

[Noelle Page]

Is there a film bio of Syd in the works?

[Xtine]

Is there a film bio of Syd in the works?

i would definetly watch that if that is the case.

[Noelle Page]

Did a little googling....a biopic was discussed, and none other than Johnny Depp expressed interest (that would be cool wouldnt it)....but it said the family will not grant the rights.

[Grungegirl83]

i always thought he was handsome

[TheLazenby]

Syd's sister just spoke in a British paper recently; she claimed that the stories about him being crazy were untrue... I'm not a shrink but I'm gonna disagree. Read the book "A Saucerful Of Secrets" - this guy would smash pills into his hair, then go out on stage and play the same note for an hour straight!

But Syd definitely did play an influence on a lot of Floyd's work afterwards... "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "Wish You Were Here", "Poles Apart" (David admitted that Syd is the 'golden boy' in the first verse), the "High Hopes" video, much of Pink's behavior in 'The Wall'; those are the biggest examples that spring to mind. If I recall though, "Brain Damage" was not about Syd; I haven't seen it in a while, but I'm fairly certain that in the deleted scenes on the 'Making of Dark Side Of The Moon' DVD, Roger explains that song in detail.

[eclecticbohemian]

Yes Syd was gorgeous when he was younger. Here is what I have been told; Syd was predisposed to schizophrenia, one too many trips back in the day compounded it. After he left the "spot-light" he began to get somewhat better but never returning to fully functioning. When Syd appeared in the studio for the recording of "Wish You Were Here" the guys did not recognize him at first. He had gained weight (from various medications he needed to be on) & had shaved all his hair-including his eye-brows. Geldoff's character in The Wall is loosely based on Syd.

His schizophrenia never got better; although he was able to live somewhat of a decent life by managing it. Basically he knew the "voices" & "visions" weren't real, he understood his disease, but it still did not stop the hallucinations. He lived comfortably but simple on his royalties. His garden was his pride & joy. He died from complications brought on by the medications he had to take to manage his schizophrenia.

Several times Roger wanted to go see him but was told it would be too upsetting for Syd & possibly cause an "episode." Roger was torn because he wanted to go see his old friend but didn't want to remind him of the past & what "could have been." Very sad for both I think.

I have reliable sources, don't ask me how or who...cuz I'll then have to kill you. Ha! No, seriously though-my sources are reliable.

[smokincat]

Piper at the Gates of Dawn still has a fairly regular rotation on my playlist. The guy was beyond everyone else. Apparently, they were recording this album at Abbey Road at the same time that Sergeant Pepper was being recorded. There was prolly quite a bit of trade off between them.

[MagnusDippytack]

From what I have read Syd did not start to lose his mind until he had his first and only acid trip, which remarkably was filmed and can be bought on DVD.
IIRC one of Hendrix's Band of Gypsy members suffered lifelong extreme mental distress from his only acid trip. The tragedy was it was not intentional as someone slipped it into his drink unbeknownst to him.

On the SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS album there is a track called REMEMBER A DAY. The basic track is Syd jamming incoherently on his guitar in his own little world. Richard Wright wrote and sang a song around those riffs and it remains one of the most haunting rock tracks I have ever heard.

[Seagorath]

I've read every book about Syd Barrett, and some of these statements (in this thread) are true...and some are just unfounded or false. He was not only a FOUNDING MEMBER, but he actually NAMED THE BAND...Pink Floyd. He was also the PRIMARY lead singer, lead guitarist, and songwriter on their LEGENDARY debut "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn". SYD was their original star, but it only shined brightly for about 2 years...but he WAS a legend in his own time.

The Syd Barrett Appreciation Society (which I am a member) even erected a large monument in his memory in the town of Cambridge, England. Members of Pink Floyd and many other bands held a "tribute concert" after his death that was quite powerful and touching. His last couple of decades were spent in "peaceful seclusion" where he enjoyed painting, gardening, and visiting art galleries in London. When I visited London in 1998 I swear I saw him at the Tate Gallery... I didn't bother him though.

Here's Syd's Pink Floyd in FULL FLIGHT...This is also one of the only interviews of him before he started cracking up...He was indeed handsome, and every girl in London wanted him in 1967...Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ts-2lg5fpQ4

Here's an interesting "Syd Interview" during the "peak" of his madness in the early 70's...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=COeMSQIsdcE

[Mach2]

Yes Syd was gorgeous when he was younger. Here is what I have been told; Syd was predisposed to schizophrenia, one too many trips back in the day compounded it.

LSD seems to be a commonality among many 60s rock stars that acquired schizophrenia: Peter Green, Brian Wilson, Syd etc. I' was a child of the 70s not the 60s so I would not know this for sure but I have read many times that the acid hippies took was much much stronger than what came in later years. I think Timothy Leary messed up a lot of peoples lives by promoting acid. I think alot of people were hurt and killed by it.

I used to date a girl 4 1/2 years older than me who took acid in the 60s. She had bi-polar that I'm certain came from that drug.

[endsleigh03]

LSD seems to be a commonality among many 60s rock stars that acquired schizophrenia: Peter Green, Brian Wilson, Syd etc. I' was a child of the 70s not the 60s so I would not know this for sure but I have read many times that the acid hippies took was much much stronger than what came in later years. I think Timothy Leary messed up a lot of peoples lives by promoting acid. I think alot of people were hurt and killed by it.

I used to date a girl 4 1/2 years older than me who took acid in the 60s. She had bi-polar that I'm certain came from that drug.

I don't know one way or another, but I can tell you that I have OFTEN pondered the long term effects of those particular drugs, my own use of them and friends use also.

In retrospect, my own personal thought is that it was ALL a bad idea.
Altho it wasn't in the 60's, I started at the age of 13 and continued into my 20's. If I could go back and change it, I would.

Seriously.

[Aries65]

Yeah, I took acid a few times, but after the last time I did (about 25 years ago), I promised God I wouldn't take it again if he'd get me back down. Whew, that was a scary BAD trip I took!

[endsleigh03]

Yeah, I took acid a few times, but after the last time I did (about 25 years ago), I promised God I wouldn't take it again if he'd get me back down. Whew, that was a scary BAD trip I took!

I hear you. I spent some time of my own praying for the same thing.

[Seagorath]

I never had a "bummer" on L.S.D. (back in college), but I did witness some people who did...usually due to over-consumption, or "bad" emotional situation in life. A person needs to be very emotionally balanced & stable to have a "truly fun" experience on any hallucinogenic substance. I certainly wouldn't recommend L.S.D. to ANYBODY...it's too artificial and synthetic...and the results can sometimes be...unpredictable. Stick to Cheer Wine folks!

Here's a "natural" hallucinogen for you to enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzSRVgF501M

[endsleigh03]

I saw plenty of 'balanced' people go bad on those drugs.

Emotional state does play a part, but it's like russian roulette, you don't always know what you will get, or which way it will go.

[Seagorath]

...thus the "unpredictable" aspect of it. Excessive doses of hallucinogenic drugs would drive anybody into an awful state. Things that you could normally "cope with" become things that you couldn't cope with.

The human brain is only able to handle so much "stimuli" at a time...and many hallucinogens flood the brain with external & internal stimuli...thus becoming overwhelming to the person involved.

I saw plenty of 'balanced' people go bad on those drugs.

Emotional state does play a part, but it's like russian roulette, you don't always know what you will get, or which way it will go.

[Aries65]

I saw plenty of 'balanced' people go bad on those drugs.

Emotional state does play a part, but it's like russian roulette, you don't always know what you will get, or which way it will go.

I ended up having a sugar cube with 4 drops on it. It turned out to have too much speed in it - so I was tripping and tweaking at the same time - not a fun time, since I was a bit too "aware" of my heart the whole time!

[Seagorath]

That's too much! I saw a guy once at a KISS concert who had taken 5 hits of Sunshine Acid...He was REALLY having a difficult time...his mind was being FLOODED with stimuli...poor chap should've known better.

Did you folks know that some scientists are doing extensive research on Psychedelic Mushrooms for possible medical benefits. Mushrooms are far more natural, and I find the experience to be relaxing and comforting. They are perfectly legal in Holland and many parts of Europe...The cops in Florida usually look the other way...

Here's the article in Newsweek...

A Really Long Strange Trip

How some dedicated scientists and former flower children managed to bring hallucinogenic drug research back to mainstream labs after more than 30 years.

By Jeneen Interlandi | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jul 2, 2008 | Updated: 4:47 p.m. ET Jul 2, 2008

It's been more than a year since John Hayes, a professor of pastoral counseling at Loyola College, ingested psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. He claims that the series of three eight-hour highs, administeredâ??in a laboratory-turned-living room at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimoreâ??have made him a calmer, less fearful person. "It gave me this sense that space and time are human constructions that can collapse," says Hayes, 59. "The ultimate reality is something beyond those constructions, and more importantly, everything in the world is connected."

These are familiar sentiments to Roland Griffiths, the scientist who led a study of 36 volunteers, most of whom detailed similar experiences after taking the hallucinogenic compound. In a report published on July 1st in the Journal of Pharmacology, more than 60 percent of those intrepid volunteers reported substantial increases in life satisfaction a year after the experiment. "We have people saying these eight hours in the lab are among the most meaningful in their lives," says Griffiths. "Some rank it alongside births and deaths of loved ones." (Eleven volunteers experienced side effects such as fear or anxiety, only eight of them for a significant portion of the session.) Despite the long-held promise that such substances might reveal the secrets of the conscious mind, the study of hallucinogenic compounds has always been controversial. Once a thriving area of research, projects like these ground to a halt in the late 1960s when a media frenzy over rampant recreational use led the federal government to criminalize both psilocybin and LSD. There were reports of college students diving out of windows, staring at the sun until they went blind or developing schizophrenia after taking the drugs. While Griffiths insists many of these reports were pure myth, they scared scientists and administrators away.

For a time, it seemed that convincing America's premier research institutions to fund or sponsor research like this was nigh on impossible. In fact, the Journal of Pharmacology study represents one of the first yields of a 30-year effort to rebuild legitimate psychedelic research programs from the ashes of 1960s.

So how did Griffiths and his colleagues get the funding and approval to bring magic mushrooms and their pharmacological siblings back into mainstream labs? It's been a long strange trip. In fact, the story of how a small group of scientists worked for decades to revive scientific interest in psychedelic drugs and attract private donors to fill the funding gap left by a skeptical establishment is almost as fascinating as the research itself. Griffiths and Purdue pharmacologist Dave Nichols were just beginning their careers when the excesses of their forbears effectively shut down the field of psychedelic research in the early 1970s. "There's just a handful of us driving this, and we're sort of all in the time frame where we just caught the tail-end of the whole Haight-Ashbury period," says Nichols. "But we saw some amazing effects, and the interest never went away, even if the research did." Some of the most striking of those effects had been seen in the terminally ill, who often lost their fear of death and found comfort and peace from drugs such as psilocybin. "The hospice movement had yet to begin," says Griffith. "At the time we were just leaving terminal patients in a sterile corner of the hospital."

But with federal agencies reluctant to fund research into illegal substances and major universities unwilling to chance a 1960s-style meltdown (should the chemicals make their way from labs to dorm rooms), those early threads could not be pursued. So Nichols focused on the biochemistry of psychedelics, relying exclusively on animal models. And Griffiths went on to study the influence of other substances on behavior. Still, the questions that first sparked their curiosityâ??namely how a particular molecule could so profoundly influence one's perception of the worldâ??lingered on. Until, that is, Nichols and his colleagues rose to a level of prominence that they could leverage to probe their still-controversial interest in these substances.

"I had been saying for decades that you could still do the research if you had private funding," says Nichols. "Finally I realized if I waited any longer, I'd be retired and I'd really regret not having done anything with it."

I ended up having a sugar cube with 4 drops on it. It turned out to have too much speed in it - so I was tripping and tweaking at the same time - not a fun time, since I was a bit too "aware" of my heart the whole time!

[Adiposeur]

Thanks for the great info! Pink Floyd has always been a favorite of mine.

I find it ironic that Timothy Leary lived to be so old while so many profilic acid trippers (and general druggies) went way too early. Sigh.

[endsleigh03]

I ended up having a sugar cube with 4 drops on it. It turned out to have too much speed in it - so I was tripping and tweaking at the same time - not a fun time, since I was a bit too "aware" of my heart the whole time!

Not fun.

I remember being at an outdoor party in the woods, and I didn't know anyone there except the person I was with. Everything went south.

OMG!

Turned into a paranoid party-in-the-woods for me. I am glad those times are way behind me, even thinking about it is depressing.

[Aries65]

Not fun.

I remember being at an outdoor party in the woods, and I didn't know anyone there except the person I was with. Everything went south.

OMG!

Turned into a paranoid party-in-the-woods for me. I am glad those times are way behind me, even thinking about it is depressing.

Even thinking about that bad trip today, almost made me feel like a flashback was going to happen!

The worst part about it all, was having to tell my mom what was going on, since I was getting scared and didn't know what to do. She told me to call my ex-hippie aunt who helped me calm down a bit and told me to go watch TV to help get my mind off of it - which it did, altho I ended up watching a Godfather marathon with my folks, while rubbing all the hair off of my arms!

I didn't come down until almost 4 the next morning and even then I had to have the lights on, since my bedroom wall turned into a movie screen with them off! Some old gangster flick started flickering on my bedroom wall, until I turned the lights back on!

[Seagorath]

Even thinking about that bad trip today, almost made me feel like a flashback was going to happen!

The worst part about it all, was having to tell my mom what was going on, since I was getting scared and didn't know what to do. She told me to call my ex-hippie aunt who helped me calm down a bit and told me to go watch TV to help get my mind off of it - which it did, altho I ended up watching a Godfather marathon with my folks, while rubbing all the hair off of my arms!

I didn't come down until almost 4 the next morning and even then I had to have the lights on, since my bedroom wall turned into a movie screen with them off! Some old gangster flick started flickering on my bedroom wall, until I turned the lights back on!

[endsleigh03]

Even thinking about that bad trip today, almost made me feel like a flashback was going to happen!

The worst part about it all, was having to tell my mom what was going on, since I was getting scared and didn't know what to do. She told me to call my ex-hippie aunt who helped me calm down a bit and told me to go watch TV to help get my mind off of it - which it did, altho I ended up watching a Godfather marathon with my folks, while rubbing all the hair off of my arms!

I didn't come down until almost 4 the next morning and even then I had to have the lights on, since my bedroom wall turned into a movie screen with them off! Some old gangster flick started flickering on my bedroom wall, until I turned the lights back on!

I don't mean to laugh, I know it's not funny but.......
That part about being with your parents and watching a Godfather marathon and rubbing the hair off your arms while in that condition is just too much.

[Aries65]

I don't mean to laugh, I know it's not funny but.......
That part about being with your parents and watching a Godfather marathon and rubbing the hair off your arms while in that condition is just too much.

Yeah, it's funny now, but that wasn't a good day. It probably would have been better if my friends who had come by to give me the acid would have stuck around, instead of leave me home to face the music with my folks!

That was the last time I ever took acid tho!

[Seagorath]

Jugband Blues...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTtXVrANEhU

[jeca]

I love Syd. He was sexy as hell, and a great musician. It's really too bad what happened to him.

[Pammijo]

Wow that was one good looking dude! Jesus what a waste! Every girl in England wanted him, eh? I can't say I blame them. Poor chap. Bless him. RIP Syd

[Seagorath]

Syd Barrett Appreciation Society...

http://www.sydbarrett.org/news.htm

[jeca]

Awesome page, Sea. I'd never seen that before.

[Seagorath]

Isn't that memorial statue AWESOME!! They're going to put that in Cambridge...Syd's hometown.

Awesome page, Sea. I'd never seen that before.

[jeca]

That is really cool. It would awesome to go see it someday.

[Seagorath]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiDN90JWxRc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LJu5Q_WTE4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcBpm...eature=related

[jeca]

He was so gorgeous and talented. Great links and pics.

[letty1970]

He was so gorgeous and talented. Great links and pics.

I agree.