Farwell to an Icon

by **irishwhiskeychaser** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:06 pm

Syd Barrett died today.

A genius in his own right and an Icon of his generation.

May he rest in Piece.

by **Virginia Gentleman** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:06 am

I raise my glass to him.

by **Mr Fjeld** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:15 am

Will raise my glass too - on Friday and play "Piper at the Gates at Dawn"

Christian

by **Aidan** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 7:50 am

RIP

I'm sure he suffered for a long time too. I wonder how Pink Floyd would be remembered if he had stayed in the band. Personally, I'm thankful for Dave Gilmore's influence.

by **irishwhiskeychaser** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 9:20 am

Aidan wrote:RIP

Personally, I'm thankful for Dave Gilmore's influence.

Me too I think poor ol' David still gets the blow-in tag whic is totally unfair as he has contributed massively to that band, and by and far more than Barret at this stage.

Just a thank you to Barrett for kicking the whole thing off...

Shine on you crazy diamond .........

by **Choochoo** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 4:43 pm

He was in my thoughts a lot yesterday (and today). His solo album (Madcap Laughs) made a real strong connection with me, & his influence still casts a huge shadow. Even though it seems he's been lost for more than 30 years, it is still quite sad to hear of his passing. I often wondered if in his latter days he ever realized how much he meant to music fans.

RIP

by **Paul A Jellis** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:30 pm

I was saddened to hear of Syds death, I thought Floyds early work was amazing and truly wonderful. I went off them in a big way after Syd left.

I believe he spent the last few years living as a recluse around Cambridge (England).

Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Cheers, Paul

by **irishwhiskeychaser** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:31 am

Paul A Jellis wrote:I was saddened to hear of Syds death, I thought Floyds early work was amazing and truly wonderful. I went off them in a big way after Syd left.

I believe he spent the last few years living as a recluse around Cambridge (England).

Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Cheers, Paul

Basically since he was dropped from Floyd he's been a recluse really. Even his solo career was a quite & nervous affair.

by **Aidan** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:54 am

Yeah, personally I would prefer the Gilmore stuff, but ... He did inspire a lot of the subsequent work of the band, especially Dark Side of the Moon.

by **irishwhiskeychaser** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:36 pm

Barrett was the inspiration for a genre

Gilmore was for me(as for you Aidan) the back bone of Pink Floyd.

He was a far more accomplished guitarist also but as he always admitted himself lyrics were always his problem.

Barret had enough skill to put all his madness down in music & Lyrics but unfortunately the early years of substance abuse with LSD took it's toll on his mental state. This basically ended his capacity to live a normal life and become a better musician.

Sad though his brief but bright light was cast on a generation....

by **Choochoo** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:42 pm

He had an angular guitar style that I thought was great and quite original for the time. His music and lyrics were playful while being dark and unpredictable – nervous, in a sense, is a good word for it. He had a strikingly original nature, very few rounded edges, and full of distinct character.

I often talk about single malts with my musician friends, and how I admire some distilleries that do not compromise their bold & individual character for the sake of mass acceptance. In relating this to music, Syd was certainly distinctive, and possessing many intriguing subtleties, but not necessarily accessible to all. It’s as if he were a long lost silent still, know for being strongly original in character (while being influential on others to come), and has just ran out of the last remaining stock, never to be bottled again.