[QUOTE=shamed-angel]I bought Inside Out as well... Has anyone here read that? There's a bit about Syd Barret coming into Abbey Road when they were recording "Wish You Were Here", and he was apparently 5 stone heavier, bald and clinically depressed... Nick Mason writes really well.[/QUOTE]
That story always makes me sad. Poor Syd...

What happened to Syd? What's he doing now? Any ideas?

[QUOTE]What happened to Syd? What's he doing now? Any ideas?[/QUOTE]

He lives at home, never talks to anyone.

He wants to get better one day and be well enough to hold a steady job and commute in and out of the city every day.

Is he married or anything?
What's wrong with him?

[QUOTE=Med the should-be supermod]he hasn't really appeared in public or anything for years (as if in, 30 years or so). He's pretty much a complete enigma.
[/QUOTE]

I have a picture of him walking down the street in Cambridge from '94. Check out the book "A Saucerful of Secrets"

Edit: This is the ending from said book, about Syd.

[QUOTE=A Saucerful of Secrets]In Cambridge, tucked away on a cul-de-sac in his little semidetached suburban home, the man who named the Pink Floyd follows a quiet, solitary existence.

Among his everyday hobbies and pastimes, only the unfinished canvases - painted in a style that is, to say the least, abstract - give any indication that this is an individual of any exceptional sensibility. The rest of Roger Barrett's time is whiled away tending to his beloved garden and his coin collection; watching TV and reading (everything from Shakespeare to the daily newspapers to books on home improvements and mathematics); and endlessly redecorating his cozy Shangri-la. He has not touched a guitar in years, and the only music he listens to is jazz and the classics - never pop or rock 'n' roll.

This portly, balding, middle=aged man is not entirely unaware of that other life he led as "Syd" or of the ongiong fascination with his extinguished alter ego's work and legacy. But any lingering memories are rarely accompanied by any trace of pleasure or satisfaction - with the exception, howerver perverse, of America, which he is tickled pink as an old sailor to have gone so far as to visit. As for the rest, it was a difficult and demanding life that he would never again wish upon anyone, least of all himself.

Yet Syd's Floyd records continue to bring in more than enough to subsidize Roger Barrett's modest pleasures and needs; he rarely buys anything, and money in the bank means nothing to him. Occasionally, moreover, he does think about his old friends Dave, Rick, and Nick - and Rog.

Any Syd freaks so presumptuous as to track him down, howerver, are likely to find their faces on the receiving end of a slammed door; Roger Barret would in any case have absolutely nothing to say to them. While his family and few friends are grateful that he is "getting better" with each passing year, it remains painfully difficult for him to relate to or communicate with other human beings on almost any level. But though he seldom ventures beyond the perimeters of his English garden, the man who was once Syd is settled and reasonably content - and almost determinedly ordinary as he shuffles through his simple daily routines.

Sometimes, he even dreams that he will soon be well enough to hold down a nine-to-five London office job, and commute every day into the big city.[/QUOTE]

I wonder if he read about Pink Floyd's Live 8 reunion in the newspaper and saw one of their names and remembered.

[QUOTE=Med57]Is that book any good though, just out of interest?[/QUOTE]

Quite, actually.

It's very in depth, the writer is a huge Floyd fan and did a lot of research on everything related Floyd.

Do you think Roger, Nick, Rick and Dave have ever attempted to contact him?

I really like the way Roger said "This one's for Syd." at the beginning of WYWH at Live 8.

Would you say that was better than Inside Out?

[QUOTE=shamed-angel]Do you think Roger, Nick, Rick and Dave have ever attempted to contact him?[/QUOTE]
They used to, but now they know it is best to stay away from him and let him move on.

Does he have phsychological problems? or is he just stubborn?

Pink Floyd gets to me emotionaly, different songs remind me of different parts and phases of my life.

I just hope he gives a little interview sometime, so we can actually see what's been going on with him over the last 30 or so years.

[QUOTE]Does he have phsychological problems? or is he just stubborn?[/QUOTE]

Um, psychological problems. You do know what happened to him, right?

[QUOTE]I just hope he gives a little interview sometime, so we can actually see what's been going on with him over the last 30 or so years.[/QUOTE]

It won't happen. Read my excerpt from the book. Everytime someone hunts him down to ask a question, he shuts the door in their face, and has no way to communicate with anyone.

Aaron, you read Saucerful of Secrets? It's a good book. Unfortunately, in reference to the whole "Syd day job" bit, I don't think it's quite likely. That book was published in 1991 (I think), and so far there's no word I know of of Syd being any less of a recluse. I just hope he's happy.

Guess what people!? Prepare to be bewildered because I just made an amazing discovery!

Ok, well I lent my friend a copy of Meddle, and guess what? He likes Seamus

I'm sure Syd's very happy. He has no real conception of his time with Pink Floyd, I read. So he has no regrets about his time in the spotlight.

He's probably got a batch of magic mushrooms in his garden. ;)

If I could choose anyone in the world to have a conversation with, I'd choose Syd (well, first I'd ask Bob Dylan). It's a shame none of us will ever get the chance to meet him.

You know he did try to grow mushrooms in his basement one time. Just maybe he still is....

[QUOTE=insertusernamehere]Pink Floyd gets to me emotionaly, different songs remind me of different parts and phases of my life.[/QUOTE]


Same here. The first record I ever owned was Relics a long time ago. They had a huge impact on my musical taste yet today.

After seeing the movie for The Wall, whenever I listen to that album I always start to feel bad. I guess that seeing the movie just really proved to me how dark the album was.

I still enjoy the album though, but it's just different to listen to it after seeing the movie.

[QUOTE=HeavyRiva]I'm sure Syd's very happy. He has no real conception of his time with Pink Floyd, I read. So he has no regrets about his time in the spotlight.[/QUOTE]
That's good.

To fwqhgads: I agree. I have difficulty listening to The Wall now.

[QUOTE=thickasabrick]He's probably got a batch of magic mushrooms in his garden. ;)

If I could choose anyone in the world to have a conversation with, I'd choose Syd (well, first I'd ask Bob Dylan). It's a shame none of us will ever get the chance to meet him.[/QUOTE]

That would be really interesting. Although I'd rather meet Dave Gilmour because he's by far my favorite guitarist.

[QUOTE=HeavyRiva]I'm sure Syd's very happy. He has no real conception of his time with Pink Floyd, I read. So he has no regrets about his time in the spotlight.[/QUOTE]
But he must have some idea why these royalties cheques keep popping through his boorbox?

[QUOTE=shamed-angel]But he must have some idea why these royalties cheques keep popping through his boorbox?[/QUOTE]

I think he knows that he was once with Pink Floyd, I just don't think he remembers much of it. For example, I highly doubt if somebody hummed the tune of Astonomy Domine with him, he'd never recognize it, even though he wrote it.

I get you. I still think Bike is the song that absolutely defines Syd Barrett. E.g: Fu[COLOR="Black"]c[/COLOR]king Madman.

[QUOTE=Med57]Apparently not...I read somewhere that he got given a copy of [i]Echoes[/i], and didn't really react to it at all. Obviously he's an engima, but I honestly don't think that he knows why the checks are coming, or indeed even cares.

At the risk of sounding callous, I'd rather meet Gilmour as he'd be capable of carrying on a conversation. :-\ Don't get me wrong, meeting Syd would be cool, but if his mind is as messed up as it seems to be, then it would be quite a depressing experience.[/QUOTE]
But surely he can't just think he's on a really good wage from the dole? Do you think he's even aware that he founded, named and sung for one of the biggest, most influential bands to ever exist? does he own the rights to the Floyd name? Cause that would make him very, very wealthy.
I don't think you'd be able to talk to him about Pink Floyd, because as far as he'd concerned, it'd be like talking to someone who'd never heard of a band, and trying to conduct a conversation on it.
I'm sorry about this Med, you just seem to be the fountain of all Floyd knowledge.

[QUOTE=Med57]Heh, I think HeavyRiva wins that title. I don't honestly know how much he knows about Pink Floyd as a band. I don't think that he knows that he was a founder member of them, and I'm pretty sure that he doesn't realise how big they are, or how influential he's been. As to who owns the name, I think it's been established that no one member of the band owns it, as shown by Waters's failure to stop them existing after he quit. And yeah, I basically don't think you'd be able to talk to him about much of anything, as he is a seriously mentally ill guy...he may be improving, but you've got to keep that in mind.[/QUOTE]
Yes but you must remember that at that time. Syd wasn't a member at that time. Have you read in Inside Out about his last few gigs with the band? He'd just stand there, not play or anything, just stand there. He was always quite enigmatic at the time when eh was in the band, as he often just played and left the stage. With no real conversation, or mingling after the show, with the audience.

[QUOTE=fwqhgads]After seeing the movie for The Wall, whenever I listen to that album I always start to feel bad. I guess that seeing the movie just really proved to me how dark the album was.

I still enjoy the album though, but it's just different to listen to it after seeing the movie.[/QUOTE]

I got the movie first and loved it, though I never really caught on to the plot until much later. I think it seemed less depressing this way because I never really understood what Pink was going through. It's hard to really appreciate the music if your focusing on the tv screen though, so I reccomend getting the cd first.

They said that money doesn't mean much to him, since he's living such a basic life. I'm sure all he really buys is food, clothing, and painting supplies. :P

Whoever will get his money after he dies is going to be sooo rich though.

Moreso with Dave and Roger's children... most certainly.

[QUOTE=guitarded_chuck]They said that money doesn't mean much to him, since he's living such a basic life. I'm sure all he really buys is food, clothing, and painting supplies. :P

Whoever will get his money after he dies is going to be sooo rich though.[/QUOTE]

His sister will inherit it all, I imagine.