RIP: Syd Barrett
July 13, 2006
On a distant shore, miles from land
stands the ebony totem in ebony sand
a dream in a mist of gray…
on a far distant shore…The pebble that stood alone
and driftwood lies half buried
warm shallow waters sweep shells
so the cockles shine…A bare winding carcass, stark
shimmers as flies scoop up meat, an empty way…
dry tears…
crisp flax squeaks tall reeds
make a circle of gray in a summer way, around man
stood on ground…–Syd Barrett (from “Opel”)
My stepfather followed Pink Floyd around for a while in the early 70s before being forced to make a choice between Vietnam and jail, thus beginning the long path that would bring him into (and out of) my life. So I spent my most formative years listening to classic Pink Floyd. Later, when I started writing, the story of Syd Barrett became a kind of touchstone in my mental landscape. Barrett was a romantic ruin, possessed of incredible talent but tormented by demons to match. It’s still hard for me to understand how someone like that could drop completely out for so long. So many lifetimes.
Oddly, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn isn’t my absolute favorite Pink Floyd album (I prefer Wish You Were Here, inspired by Barrett). But I adore both Barrett and The Madcap Laughs, which I am playing right now in Barrett’s honor. His talent burned briefly, but brightly.
Tags:
Music, obit, pink floyd, syd barrett
All me-stream all the time.
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July 14th, 2006 at 6:48 am
Happened by your blog after doing a Google search on The Book of Disquiet, which I’m “dipping” into again (I always had a hunch that reading it straight through was not the ideal way). Anyhow, I’ve enjoyed your site (what I was able to scroll through), and invite you to my recently started site, The Meditative Mind at
http://jeffmartin.typepad.com
July 14th, 2006 at 7:22 pm
remember listening to pink floyd on the 8-track when growing up …. bye sid.
p.s. enjoying your site. cheers.
July 15th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
thanks for remembering Syd… and printing the words to Opel;;; Leo tolstoy said,”:Art is not a handicraft-It is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced”
Syd had the abilty to do exactly this- Not just make you UNDERSTAND what he was feeling… but the ability to make you FEEL it….to TRANSMIT it to you… when i first heard Opel… i felt in it’s stark beauty-its timeless landscapes.. the slowly descending depth of despair in a young man’s spirit… when he sees it happening— and still is able to comment on it….watching it happening… and trying to tell you he’s TELLING YOU.. Brilliant…although i enede up intears and felt myself sinking along with him… i felt that i had been part of a lving masterpiece as it happened … Crazy Diamond indeed…. do yourself a favor .. before you leave this life… give yourself the gift of Syd Barrett’s solo music…. Rest in Peace — Sweet Piper at the Gates of Heaven. Dear Syd.
July 17th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
The death of Syd struck a chord with me and my mid-month podcast at The Best Radio You Have Never Heard (http://www.bestradiopodcast.com) is a tribute to the great rock visionary.
“Here To Do My Parts” is a tribute to Syd Barrett. Even though of course there is some Pink Floyd music in the show, it is more of a tribute to Syd’s vision. I like to think of it as traveling music for Syd’s iPod as he makes the trek to the Gates of Dawn, or perhaps some gardening music for the great beyond as, in his recent past, gardening was one of Syd’s few hobbies.
Have a listen and let me know what you think.
Perry/Chicago
http://www.bestradiopodcast.com