R.I.P. Syd Barrett

[Sonic Youth]

Pink Floyd was a very important part of my formative years, when I thought bands like Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant, King Crimson and the like were mind-blowing. It was like I had discovered this cool sub-culture no one else seemed to know about. (I almost never listen to them now, and I can't stand some of it anymore.) Pink Floyd was my favorite. I bought my first Floyd album when I was eleven. Turned out, it was Wish You Were Here, the Syd Barrett tribute. I think I was fifteen when I bought the two Floyd albums featuring Barrett. I'm particularly fond of the last four songs on side two, which are so Brit-pastoral. My brother and I both loved the blissfully silly "Bike", and we'd sing it in that heavy accent Barrett used that was so uncommonly used in the mid-sixties.

I discovered Barrett's "The Madcap Laughs" album in college. I borrowed a cassette from a sort-of girlfriend, and annoyed her by taking forever to return it. I only heard his second solo album for the first time last year. Both are very uncomfortable, fascinating albums (and very different from each other). Some of it is quite funny, and there's a song about lurking wolves that's genuinely scary. But while he was one-of-a-kind, I'd hardly call him a genius. These are not great albums. But Franz, he WAS a cult figure, and a much larger one than I realized. In England, he had a pretty significant following. Barrett's reclusiveness only enhanced his mysterious aura, just like with J.D. Salinger.

There's not all that much to know about his life post-solo career. He withdrew from society and lived in his mother's basement for some time. He was committed to an asylum for much of the eighties, then returned to the basement. His mother died, he moved upstairs, and remained there for the rest of his life, taking care of the house and garden, and never speaking to anyone other than family members. The other Floyd members were very diligent in seeing to it that Syd received copywright royalties so he could support himself. Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour may hate each other to the marrow of their bones, but they were in full agreement on looking out for Syd's welfare.

If you've seen the movie "Mysterious Skin", then you've heard a Syd Barrett song. The song that plays over the opening credits called "Golden Hair" is his. It's often called his most beautiful, mysterious song, although I must admit the needle on my Pretention Alert Meter shot to 10 when the movie started. I like his music, so this may be unfair of me, but whenever anyone makes a claim for his music, I grow very wary.

I was very saddened to hear about his death.

[Franz Ferdinand]

This is a really sad death, exacerbated by the fact that we didn't know a lot about his life after his departure from Pink Floyd, which saw some really terrific psychedelic songs. He is a tragic lost figure, and would be an even greater more heralded cult figure had he died young (Gram Parsons, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, etc.). Condolences to his family and friends, to the members of Pink Floyd who obviously still care about his well-being, and to his fans. I truly hope he was cared for in his life.

[MovieWes]

Syd Barrett, founder of Pink Floyd, dies

07/11/2006 12:45 PM, AP
Jill Lawless

Syd Barrett, the troubled Pink Floyd co-founder who spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, the band said Tuesday. He was 60.

A spokeswoman for the band said Barrett died several days ago, but she did not disclose the cause of death. Barrett had suffered from diabetes for years.

The surviving members of Pink Floyd — David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright — said they were "very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death."

"Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire," they said in a statement.

Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with Waters, Mason and Wright, and wrote many of the band's early songs. The group's jazz-infused rock and drug-laced, multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene. The 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" — largely written by Barrett, who also played guitar — was a commercial and critical hit.

But Barrett suffered from mental instability, exacerbated by his use of LSD. His behavior grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968 — five years before the release of Pink Floyd's most popular album, "Dark Side of the Moon" — to be replaced by Gilmour.

Barrett released two solo albums — "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett" — but soon withdrew from the music business altogether. An album of previously unreleased material, "Opel," was issued in 1988.

He reverted to his real name, Roger Barrett, and spent much of the rest of his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England. Moving into his mother's suburban house, he passed the time painting and tending the garden. His former bandmates made sure Barrett continued to receive royalties from his work with Pink Floyd.

He was a familiar figure to neighbors, often seen cycling or walking to the corner store, but rarely spoke to the fans and journalists who sought him out over the years.

Despite his brief career, Barrett's fragile, wistful songs influenced many musicians, from David Bowie — who covered the Barrett track "See Emily Play" — to the other members of Pink Floyd, who recorded the album "Wish You Were Here" as a tribute to their troubled bandmate.

It contained the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" — "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun." The band also dwelt on themes of mental illness on the albums "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall."

The band spokeswoman said a small, private funeral would be held.