...And Then there Were Some: RIP Syd Barrett

Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett died today at the age of 60. Here's an edited version of an essay I wrote at college about him some time ago. Syd Heil...

As the psychedelic swirl of the band’s music takes the crowd to unexplored areas of trance-like consciousness, the energy on stage reaches a grim height. The stage lights and smoke only add to the already stifling heat of the club, and gradually, it appears as if the face of the guitar player is melting in grotesque measures. The crowd looks on in horror at this bizarreness, but the band simply plays the changes, unmoved by the display. If they are worried, they do not show it. They know that it is only a matter of vast quantities of pudding melting from the guitarists head; another day brings another theatrical stage act. This is not a scene from some Rocky Horror- style flick, but a day in the life of one of England’s most successful bands, Pink Floyd, and their ailing front man, Roger ‘Syd’ Barrett. These were the earliest signs of Barrett’s failing battle against schizophrenia and LSD use that led to the tragic end of his blossoming musical career. His life and early work had a profound effect on the hugely successful band he founded, which grew to mammoth proportions in later years.

Syd Barrett was the guitarist and songwriter when Pink Floyd began their career in 1964. His distinctive voice and musical sensibilities successfully melded the pop song-craft of his time with the swirling soundscapes of psychedelia. This seminal work can be heard on their earliest singles releases and the album Piper at the Gates of Dawn. But Barrett had a frail, soft-spoken personality, and the touring and recording demands from his managers, who he was reluctant to refuse, soon took their toll. Through the next few years, he grew more and more erratic. At times, he did not turn up at concerts, and when he did, would often stand mute and immobile throughout the show. The band decided to recruit guitarist David Gilmour as a back-up guitarist and vocalist to help Syd during the concerts, but soon, it became evident that Barrett’s sanity was slowly slipping away from him. In 1968, he was eased out of the band, leaving bassist Roger Waters to assume the role of band leader.

Over the years, there has been some conjecture about the reasons for Barrett’s mental ill-health. The most convincing reason is that he suffered from catatonia, also known as catatonic schizophrenia. Like Barrett, most catatonics suffer from bouts of five distinctive symptoms: reduced responsiveness to their surroundings, lack of resistance to instructions, rigid posturing that often cannot be altered for long periods, excited motor activity, and bizarre postures. While Barrett did show these symptoms, there has also been debate as to whether he suffered from Asperger’s syndrome, which is a type of pervasive developmental disease similar to autism.

There has also been much speculation about Syd Barrett’s LSD use. He is often portrayed as a man who ‘fried his brains’ with his constant LSD use. According to some reports, he was actually slipped the drug without his knowledge, and his episodes with the drug only served to further aggravate his delicate mental state.

In the years since he left Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett has been in and out of mental institutions, and is said to be improving. He released two solo albums to critical acclaim. But Barrett’s greatest influence has been on the band he created. Many of their most brilliant musical statements, like the albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, are centered on ideas of madness and depression. Their art-rock classic Wish You Were Here and the epic song ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’ were dedicated to him, and reflect their own struggles in dealing with Barrett’s catatonia and mental breakdown. Despite their huge successes in the decades following Barrett’s exit, Pink Floyd still acknowledge his undying influence on their life and work.

In many ways, rock stars are parodies of themselves. Every story of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is a cliché that grows in stature over time into legends beyond themselves. Some people like John Lennon, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, though brilliant in their own right, have had their personas blown to such epic proportions that it’s hard to sift the truth from the fables. There are no clichés in Syd Barrett’s story. The legend has diminished over time, much like his mental stability, into a sad story of a truly extraordinary person, who has been broken by catatonia and drug use.