Can't sleep... What does /mu/ think about Syd Barrett?

Bumping: dreamt I was is this house party and someone was doing a cover of "golden hair", and spent the day with it in my head. Still is now as I try to sleep

>>72670080
Ehh, if some of the tour stories about him are true, the kicking him out was justified.
Other thing is, he's something of a martyr, I love his music but I can't help but think the band was better off without him.

>>72670332
share stories please

>>72670080
I 100% think that Roger Waters pushed him out of the band so he could have full creative control, which at the time belonged to Syd. Syd may have had an addiction at the time.

He wasn't schizophrenic, those are all just stories. Take the famous "Have you got it, yet" story. That's just a guy playing a joke on his mates, but it's construed to fit into the narrative of a man losing his mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX-G7Tpjx5U

very good

>>72670332
I believe the stories about being difficult to work with him. I know it's none of my business and he died a very wealthy man, but I resent them for all the "tributes to Syd" it's like he was making them money not even in the band. And yeah, that "new" vocalist only had to win with demonizing Syd and then overcompensate the guilt.

I also believe that dick did a shit job producing Syd's solos because he knew he was a genius and was jelous and afraid of Syd coming on top of the break with the band

>>72670425
Best song on their debut. I also like Matilda Mother.

>>72670355
Too many, and most of them are over reactions, exagerations and misunderstandings on purpose.

>>72670080
I think it really is a combination of all of it. He did a lot of acid, he did a lot of strange shit, and although Waters and Gilmour won't admit it, I bet with their massive egos they would love Barrett to leave I think Wish You Were Here was an apology to Barrett. They reached maximum fame with a band that was created by Barrett and they basically gave him the boot. Or maybe it was them benefiting off of Barrett. Who knows?

>>72670460
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ychYnb_eikQ
the interstellar overdrive demo is great too

>>72670482
It's pretty clearly Waters wanting to be the leader of the band, but Syd was in the way. Syd had a drug habit so after isolating him from his bandmates it was easy to get them on board with ousting him. Then they assassinated his character to everyone else with the stories of him going insane.

>>72670371
>"Have you got it, yet" story. That's just a guy playing a joke on his mates, but it's construed to fit into the narrative of a man losing his mind.

Good example and my point exactly. Other thing that annoyed me was one of the guys in the band using the lyrics of jugband blues to show how he was "losing it"

>It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here
>And I'm most obliged to you for making it clear
>That I'm not here
>And I never knew the moon could be so big
>And I never knew the moon could be so blue
>And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes

Only sobg of his in the 2ND album, already with the new guy... RIGHT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT WHAT AN INSANE ACID CASUALTY POOR SYD BLESS HIS HEART

...sorry

>>72670541
Yeah I could totally see that. I like Roger's contributions to DSotM, Animals, and The Wall but he always wants everything to be about him. I had a buddy go to The Wall tour that Waters was doing a while back, and somebody asked him to sign a baseball and Waters looked at it confused and then threw it at him.

>>72670619
It's been forever since I've heard that song. Great song.

That song seems to touch on mental illness, but who knows what other songs of his were left off.

There's maybe a shed of truth to the whole thing, but honestly, if I went through all my friends cutting me out of the loop and spreading that I'd gone crazy, I probably wouldn't be in a great place mentally.

>>72670080
genius
one of my all time favorite songwriters and qt
far more intelligent and self aware than even he let on

it's for the best he gave up and retreated to art after two albums and some leftovers though

i've always wanted to see his paintings but miss all the exhibits

>>72670355
The whole first American tour was supposed to have been a pretty shitty experience. Dud was completely uncooperative during interviews, refusing to come out of the dressing room, and so miserable the whole time that Hendrix nicknamed him Smiling Syd as a joke.
Though this probably had just as much to do with him not liking the whole dog and pony show bullshit of pop-stardom as anything.

https://youtu.be/rA3EufmTNMM

>>72670779
Kind of a shame we didn't get more music from him though, don't you think? He was a songwriting force of nature.

>>72670857
not really, two albums and a legacy makes him more memorable overall
i like smaller discographies with tons of leftovers cause they're more interesting and easy to compile, digest and explore
for example, i just found out about "Rhamadan", some sort of free jazz jam epic

>>72670857
Yes. It's not like he would sell out lol! Or would he? Don't care. I wish there was more of him

>>72670355
>and when the band you're in starts playing different tunes..
When they fired him he was completely whacked on stage, supposedly he played one note through a whole song once. He had some great songs but it would have been a different band if he hadn't lost it.

>>72670941
If he had kept it together they would have been the greatest rock band of all-time, bar none. A huge discography with Syd would be like Christmas.

richard wright said in an interview that he personally thinks he just took a massive acid overdose. he disappeared for two weeks on some acid binge and rich said when he came back he seemed just completely off and never recovered.

>>72670917
I would agree with you if we were talking about any band, but not of him. Too genius. Too outside the box. I wonder as a person who likes music AND as a human what kind of songs he would create

>>72670918
Do you think so? Given the life he led he doesn't seem like the type. Some would argue Pink Floyd did that without him.

>>72670917
Sure, it's nice having bits and pieces but more albums would have been better.

>>72670941
My guess is that he was already being pushed out by everyone and the "syd is crazy let's fuck with him" narrative was already bringing him down.

>>72670941
I don't know if that particular story is true, but doesn't it also involve him crushing mandies and then dumping brylcreem into his hair? That part's been disputed by a lot of people. I think the narrative of him progressively going crazy is somewhere between overblown and bullshit.

>>72670976
found it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmQfKrvuubk

its around 8:00

>>72671015
Dude, I'm preety sure PF would continue to feed off Syd's life whatever he'd do. Of course, they'd have more to gain by boycotting his every step. Shine on you crazy Diamond pt 2, 3 and 4. Shameful

>>72670995
>>72671015
you both make a good point, but i've basically memorized the lyrics of Piper and Madcap Laughs and would like it to stay that way

i know he'd never sell out, so perhaps you're right
perhaps he'd develop a jandek or robyn hitchcock or even scott walker-esque discog and massive cult following while retaining his reclusiveness

>>72671096
The dude was well crazy, ended up living with his mom completely under her care.

>>72671201
He moved in with his mom because he was flat broke. There's no evidence that he suffered from any kind of schizoaffective symptoms. Rogers set out to ruin his reputation and was successful.

>>72671377
bullshit. gilmour and waters hate each other, so why would gilmour confirm how syd went crazy?

>>72671441
He wasn't about to argue for Syd, he was taking Syd's spot. Plus his standing in the band wasn't good enough at the time to challenge the other members on something like that.

>>72671377
If it was on purpose, it wasn't just rogers

>>72671518
at the time, yea sure, but now? if he wanted to piss waters off he'd start throwing that shit around left and right, and he fucking hates the guy

>>72671526
No, the other band members either bought into it or latched on to get him out. I firmly don't believe Syd suffered from serious mental illness, or that all the stories are true.

>>72671441
Gilmour only gained with syd being out

>>72671542
He might hate the guy, but there's no point in opening that can of worms. It'd make him look bad, it'd make the whole band look bad.

File: syd_barrett___the_punky_stuff_by_svg75.jpg (8KB, 157x200px) Image search: [Google]

8KB, 157x200px

>>72671582

>>72671617
Solid argument, clearly that's where I'm coming from.

>>72671634
>it'd make the whole band look bad.
>my pic as a reply

Sorry if there was a missunderstanding, I meant I don't care how it makes the band nor any of the leftover members look like. In my opinion Syd was framed

>>72671747
Oh, I just assumed it was the previous guy claiming me hating Pink Floyd was clouding my judgment.

Yes, there's a word for what Syd suffered from. Defamation.

>>72670917
He has two albums with floyd, but he made more music after that and it's actually really good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhKGQzpjmo0

It's really muddy who played with him in this albums but they were recorded by pink floyd producer.

>>72671917
First time I've heard this. Tight track.

>>72671808
It's like it was said here already, character assassination. I'm not saying he wasn't a bit odd, and tripping alot on acid doesn't help (read somewhere that syd lived with a couple of guys who kept spiking his morning tea with acid without him knowing)

He got away from all his "friends" who kept spreading he went mad, and made everyone see every little odd, eccentric or different thing he did under that light. It must have been painful.

He showed up fat and shaved in the studio when they were recording "wish you were here", supposedly, just to say "is this what you wanted?" in a very syd way- without bothering to explain to anyone the punchline

>>72672109
I don't really know what to make of his Wish You Were Here appearance. Odd for sure.

I think he appeared socially removed and unhappy during the later shows when he was in the band, but it's because he'd been isolated. Then after it all shook out people either people didn't want to associate with him or he was too disillusioned by the industry to continue. I feel bad for what he probably went through.

>>72671917
Not him, but maybe the two albums he meant was madcap laughs and barrett. Though, yeah, he has more tracks than those, too

>>72672109
reading about his history, he was treated like utter shit.

It wouldn't surprise me if someone like Waters ran with the Syd myth to give Pink Floyd some sort of romantic history.

>>72670176
saw slowdive do a cover of golden hair last week. Only good part of the concert

He seemed legitimately unhinged.

>>72670976

>massive acid overdose

i dont believe this

Did he do any interviews post Floyd?

>>72670619
>>72670743
I love jugband blues. The last lines really show that he knew what was going on as well as everybody else did if not more.

>and the sea isn't green
>and I love the queen
>and what exactly is a dream?
>and what exactly is a joke?


Those bastards...

>>72672600
I heard a bit of it this morning, a live version, didn't know they had covered it. Didn't hear the whole thing because had just woken up from the dream and really wanted to hear Syd's version. But I'll definitely check it out later, always cool to hear covers of his songs, even though some suck

I don't really know anything about Pink Floyd but he was a legit good looking guy when he was young. Seeing those pictures of him later in life is such a crazy illustration of what kind of damage time and mental illness can do

>>72672724
Yeah there are some online from around 71 and stuff. Then you have the occasional predator interview at his doorstep like those guys from "actuel" or whatever their name is did in the 80's. I used to hate those interviews, but now I'm kinda glad we have that bit of his history. You just have to be careful reading those, because the interviewer almost always tries to push the "this is a recluse schizophrenic" bulshit

Surely the "Shine on You" story is bullshit. It just seems too dramatically "satisfying" or "written in the stars" to be true.

>>72672779
... or when society pushes an undesirable way and takes away everything he has.

>>72672779
Or just what losing your hair and gaining weight can do.

>>72672724
I remember reading one that was after Madcap laughs. Nothing to revealing, he was jut like yeah it was fun to make, not sure if I'll do another album afterward but we'll see. I've been painting a lot.

>>72672871
Not what you're asking for, but here's one from 67.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otyfo2KuaNQ

And to think, just 7 months afterward, he was too schizophrenic and unstable to even be in the band...

Was it entirely bullshit, the mental illness?

>>72673284
Yes

>>72673284
I believe what happened to him can be explained without the " acid schizophrenic" simplification. But it's more complicated to understand, explain, and makes some people look bad.

But again, yes he was eccentric and diferent. Sometimes people accept people like that, sometimes apparently not so much

>>72670080
I'm pretty sure he was half-retarded, or at least some sort of savant

>>72673437
Could have been on the spectrum. But others have said that in Pink Floyd's early days he was the best at pulling in chicks, so I have no idea.

>>72673380
It can be explained as a power grab by Waters.

The band would have gone nowhere with Barrett after 1967, you don't want to discuss anything, you're obsessed with the idea that poor Syd was pushed away by his evil bandmates. Hey if it makes you feel better he probably didn't even realize he was kicked out and he thought his mates were about to pick him up until the day he died

>>72670857
>He was a songwriting force of nature.
LEL

>>72673511
Right, because he was crazy, of course...

Pink Floyd wouldn't be the massive brand it is today if Syd stayed the creative force. Kids wouldn't be walking around in their t-shirts. They would have made excellent music, as Piper was. Also I'm not saying Waters is untalented, that's not the case.

>>72673511
Yeah, right, because he was crazy and had no idea what was going on, so we can do whatever we want to, and about him.

Yep. Thanks

>>72673538
he was

>>72673538
He's right you know

>>72673284
No, he went mad later though. Not when they kicked him out, there are interviews after that in which he sounds pretty coherent, and on the bootlegs from his solo album sessions he sounds pretty normal. He was gone by the mid 70's

>>72673477
Looking like he did in the early days and playing in semi famous band you don't need any brains or intelligence to get laid

>>72672957
Seriously though, how did "society" push him away? He's had a strong fan base since the 80's and people would have loved to hear anything he released.

>>72673605
Well, you can't be on the spectrum and pull chicks from a bar. Also he's given interviews and he's fine and sociable, I don't think he was autistic in any way.

>post-barrett Floyd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UXircX3VdM
>if barrett stayed as the leader
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smVYvnnqewA

>>72673612
His own band pushed him away, and his reputation made him a pariah.

>>72673637
>pull chicks from a bar.
They were literally throwing themselves at him, do you think he needed to pay for drinks or something?

the madcap laughs is great in a amateurish, rough kinda way, I really like the album
first pink floyd album is kinda nuts

>>72673612
It has been said here already, he was overly stigmatized as an insane person. He was singled out and cast aside by other kids who had something to gain from it, and as usual others just for malice

>>72673669
You need to be able to make eye contact, hold some conversation, things an autist can't do. Watch his interviews, he's really not autistic.

>>72673284
No, but it was made worse by the fact that he lived with crazy hippie fucks who would constantly feed him acid everyday without his consent

>>72673653
What "reputation"? Nobody gave a fuck back then, nobody gave interviews about Barrett in the late 60's. He was gone and he made solo albums and he retired by choice, Gilmour, Wright and Waters even played on his albums. And Pink Floyd was basically a 2nd rate band until DSOTM, they never even hit it big while he was still active. Shit, maybe he was glad they let him go if he listened to the shit that his ex-band was putting out then

>>72673740
It's true, for awhile their only singles were from Syd.

He only did one solo album. Other PF members helped produced it, and honestly did a terrible job.

He was known for having gone crazy in the 80's for sure.

>>72673740
As far as I know the band was already big in the Londoner underground while he was still in the band. Because of him. And maybe the band wanted a change, maybe he was to big. Maybe they rather have Gilmour. All I'm saying is that things are not as simple as saying he went crazy + lots of acid and walked back to his mom where he lived as a recluse.

>>72673822
>and honestly did a terrible job.
I think Madcap was probably the best they could get out of him. But the two fucking drummers that play on it really sucked

>>72670080
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG7vIWZVrUk

>>72673861
Yeah, and I'm pretty sure Gilmour wanted in.
This is not some epic Greek tragedy or conspiracy. It's just kids in a band and friends taking lots drugs a having sex and going to bars. And fucking with each other and pissing each other off sometimes. And talking shit and gossiping. "Went crazy and went home" is the best excuse you can give?

>>72673861
I know Waters is an egomaniacal asshole, but then again, if Barrett was the leader of the band and the reason they were getting big, why would he kick him out and choose a literally unknown guitar player to replace him? And wasn't the idea to keep him as a sort of Brian Wilson? Writing songs but not touring

>>72673881
That's the narrative, but Madcap was better than what Pink Floyd was doing at the time IMO. Also I don't mean the instrument playing was bad, the production by Waters and Gilmour was poor.

>>72673740
>>72673921

>>72673930
>That's the narrative
Do you think Waters or Gilmour give a FUCK about the "narrative"?

>>72673922
I think Waters thought he was capable of being the creative force, which turns out was correct. And Pink Floyd was hot shit at the time so they were able to recruit the best talent in Gilmour.

>>72673969
Yes.

"Syd was very difficult, we got that very frustrated feeling: Look, its your fucking career, mate. Why don't you get your finger out and do something? The guy was in trouble, and was a close friend for many years before then, so it really was the least one could do."

Does that make any sense in the context of Madcap laughs being better than Ummagumma, which Pink Floyd was working on at the time. How come nobody else who was working on the album with Syd was saying stuff like that? Waters is definitely pushing the Syd's crazy narrative.

>>72673970
>which turns out was correct.
Well then why are we arguing? And it was a good thing, songs about gnomes and love you honey with nursery rhyme-like melodies gets old pretty fast

>>72674012
I'm just arguing about what really happened vs. what supposedly happened. And I personally like Syd led Pink Floyd better, I think they were making some pretty cutting edge music for the mid-late 60's. Wish I could've heard more of the guy.

>>72674000
You should have copy-pasted also the part where Gilmour said he did a shit job producing Syd's solo albums "to teach him a lesson.

Utter dicks man.

>>72674051
Can you do it? I'm honestly not familiar. Kinda proves my point though.

>>72673158
Thanks this is the first time I've seen him speak, he's really attractive and thoughtful. I think he was reasonably but not completely sane, and time and events just made it worse. He reminds me of a borderline person I know.

>>72674072
But that's just a matter of months from when he was kicked out of the band for being "insane". Mental disorders take longer than that to onset.

>>72672692
It's not possible to overdose on acid but it is a seriously mind altering drug. It can change the way you think forever. If he really did binge and dose like people say he did his mental state could have spiraled downward to unimaginable depths. I felt like I was losing it for months after a bad trip on two tabs. It was exhausting and painful and I wasn't myself. I feel lucky that I made it back to where I am now and I'm still on the fence about psychedelics.

>>72674067
Hold on, I was agreeing with you btw

>how to play guitar like David Gilmour
Learn all the blues scales, listen to the old blues masters, develop a great sense of melody, practice for months your finger vibrato, learn harmony, less is more, serve the song
>how to play guitar like Syd Barrett
Just slide a Zippo lighter all over the fretboard lmao, and maybe stand on stage and not play it at all and melt some cream on your head or something, dude it's art

>>72674051
But he never said that, I love Syd but let's not make shit up

>>72674176
Well either way, the work Gilmour and Waters put in on the album was low quality, Syd wasn't the issue.

>>72674156
Nobody's shitting on Gilmour's ability. Syd was a songwriting genius though and that brylcreem story is disputed by everyone.

>>72674211
Would you say that Gilmour betrayed his old friend by joining Floyd?

>>72674176
>>72674067

Upon release [madcap laughs], Gilmour said: "Perhaps we were trying to show what Syd was really like. But perhaps we were trying to punish him ..."

>trying to show what syd was """""really"""" like

>>72674211
No? Were they even close friends before Pink Floyd? They asked him to join the band so he could play Syd's parts.

>qt girl from work
>huge syd barrett/floyd fan
>drops acid pretty regularly
>I play guitar
>I'm skinny and have curly hair like syd
I almost had her, but my autism fucked everything up. Also what's the best Syd song and why is it Wined and Dined?

>>72674317
Wrong, it's Pow R. Toc H.

>>72674304
This is from "the rough guide to pink floyd" via wikipedia

>>72674094
True, and I agree that Waters wanted him out. I think he was more of a free spirit following the muse and this didn't fit with this whole career/ sucess thing, but I can also see where Waters was coming from, being an egomeniacal asshole and all.

>>72670482
>I think Wish You Were Here was an apology to Barrett
I watched a documentary relatively recently that basically had the band mates say just that iirc.
They had felt really guilty after having so quickly moving on to continue their careers after Barrett's departure.

>>72674305
They knew each other and learned guitar together at school, shit, do you even know anything about Pink Floyd?

>>72674376
Yeah he's definitely an asshole. At the same time though, Waters was in a tough spot. He thought he was talented enough to lead a band, but he was already in a successful one that he could never lead with Syd around. It was too easy to push Syd out of the way and take what was already there than leave and start something from scratch. For a sociopath that's an easy choice.

>>72674394
I knew they went to school together, I didn't know Syd and Gilmour were that close though. I thought Gilmour just had a reputation for being a good musician and knew the other members.

>>72674096
Acid and shrooms have generally helped me but I don't go there very often, the people I've known who do multiple hits didn't seem like they were really being helped by it.

>>72670080
>bulshit eulogies while he was still alive!
Are you saying a record like Wish You Were Here is a "bullshit eulogy"?

>>72674467
It's not a bullshit album, it's a great album. But it is a bullshit eulogy.

>>72674467
People been talking as if he was dead since he left London probably, as past, as gone. And that album comes in that context. Yeah eulogy for a living person

>>72674484
It canonized Barrett, made him the cult rockstar he is. Without it, the whole myth wouldn't even exist

>>72674404
This reminds me of Nirvana kicking out their first drummer because he wasn't that good and Kurt could see their potential. We should have a ruthless band decisions thread.

>>72674537
I don't think you canonize people in life (bullshit eulogy).

Anyway, he would still be known. His solo songs were there, his work with pink floyd was there. It just brought syd to the masses who don't get him, and perpetuated the "poor crazy black whole in the sky eyes guy who is gone" idea.

>>72674576
chad channing was alright, at least as good as the overrated hack dave grohl.
that said, the true best nirvana drummer was dale crover.

>>72674647
>overrated
Lots of people are
>hack
I don't think so
>the perfect drummer to push them over the top and become millionairs
Absolutely.

>>72674701
>Lots of people are
not an argument
>I don't think so
you have shit taste.
>the perfect drummer to push them over the top and become millionairs
if you think the only reason nirvana became so big was dave grohl joining the band, you are delusional.

>>72675486
No, I said that his drumming was one of the things they needed to perfect the mass appeal of thier music, not the only reason.