Shine On

Posted by: rob

Shine On - 11/07/2006 12:24

Sad to hear that Syd Barrett died a couple of days ago.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5169344.stm

Time to put on PIper at the Gates of Dawn methinks.

Rob
Posted by: tonyc

Re: Shine On - 11/07/2006 12:53

Sad news, though, arguably, he really stopped living in the late 60s.
Posted by: rob

Re: Shine On - 11/07/2006 16:47

I'm not sure that's fair - he dropped a bit too much acid but by all accounts he's been enjoying a pretty normal life here in Cambridge for the last twenty years. Withdrawing from the music industry does not necessarily equate to no longer living!

Rob
Posted by: tonyc

Re: Shine On - 11/07/2006 17:11

Quote:
I'm not sure that's fair - he dropped a bit too much acid but by all accounts he's been enjoying a pretty normal life here in Cambridge for the last twenty years. Withdrawing from the music industry does not necessarily equate to no longer living!

Like many things, I'd imagine the truth is somewhere in between. Every time Syd's name comes up in interviews with his former bandmates, words like "breakdown" and "tragic" are used. While there's nothing wrong with choosing to leave the spotlight and wanting to return to a "normal" life, it sure seemed more like a steep, drug-induced descent than a conscious exit from the limelight.
Posted by: boxer

Re: Shine On - 11/07/2006 18:58

I used to drink with him in the Prince Of Wales, Holland Park, it just seemed like he changed overnight, the same as happened with Pete Green, you could only put it down to the acid, I'd seen the group, in the time of "See Emily Play", at the Roundhouse in the late 60's, and then he just turned up one night with someone I knew and was one of our drinking circle for a while, a quiet and modest sort of guy. I probably didn't think of him much in all these years, 'till this post.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Shine On - 11/07/2006 19:10

Do most Englishmen live with their mothers from ages 35 to 60?
Posted by: andym

Re: Shine On - 11/07/2006 19:14

Quote:
Do most Englishmen live with their mothers from ages 35 to 60?


If they work in the IT industry then yes, I know of at least 3!

You don't need to have a breakdown to be socially retarded.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Shine On - 11/07/2006 19:21

Good point.
Posted by: rob

Re: Shine On - 11/07/2006 19:29

I'm not saying he didn't have a breakdown, I'm saying that perceiving that as effectively the end of his life is a bit unfair. It could have been worse - look at Ozzy Osbourne!

Treat your LSD with respect, folks.

Rob
Posted by: Mach

Re: Shine On - 12/07/2006 01:29

Prince of Wales, Holland Park?

From the small world category, the Prince of Wales is close enough to be considered my "local" (if I understand the concept of a local correctly).
Posted by: andy

Re: Shine On - 12/07/2006 04:42

Quote:

From the small world category, the Prince of Wales is close enough to be considered my "local" (if I understand the concept of a local correctly).


...and Eryl goes there regularly as well, its just round the corner from her office.
Posted by: boxer

Re: Shine On - 12/07/2006 05:20

I probably haven't been in there since about '72, for the 5 years before that, I was probably in most Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, having for some long forgotten reason moved our trade from "The Porcupine" in Charing Cross road, I wonder if that's still there?

If you were, for some reason, to get hold of a vinyl copy of the Rod Stewart album "Smiler", the centre spread is a 12" X 24" photo of the courtyard of the POW, with all the band and crew, I'm not sure what you get with the CD.
(And yes, he used to drink with us in both those pubs!)

Remind me at the meet, should you be interested, to tell you the anecdote of the Irish builder in the POW who had lost his wallet.

Incidentally, a young Richard Branson used to also frequent it, not that I can recall speaking to him - had I done so, I would probably have been checking the site from Necker Island.
Posted by: Redrum

Re: Shine On - 12/07/2006 22:05

Quote:
I used to drink with him in the Prince Of Wales, Holland Park, it just seemed like he changed overnight, the same as happened with Pete Green, you could only put it down to the acid, I'd seen the group, in the time of "See Emily Play", at the Roundhouse in the late 60's, and then he just turned up one night with someone I knew and was one of our drinking circle for a while, a quiet and modest sort of guy. I probably didn't think of him much in all these years, 'till this post.


Must be nice to live in a small country where everyone knows each other

In my younger days I thought about tripping but stories of people like Syd scared me away.

I wonder what Pink Floyd would have been like if Syd had not “gone away.” I’ve always been a big fan.
Posted by: msaeger

Re: Shine On - 12/07/2006 22:21

I'm guessing they would have broken up anyway. They music syd wrote is totally different than what waters came up with.
Posted by: boxer

Re: Shine On - 13/07/2006 05:20

Quote:

In my younger days I thought about tripping but stories of people like Syd scared me away.

At that time, we drank with a perfectly nice guy - decent public school education, good job - one day he turned up in a silver leather jacket and trousers with a psychedelic shirt - packed in the job, the parents, the girlfriend and we never saw him again: That's how bad it could be.
Posted by: tahir

Re: Shine On - 13/07/2006 07:37

Nice to hear about him being a normal bloke Boxer, everybody just seems to want to make him out as some kind of freak.

A real genius, shame he stopped making music so early on.

I'm not on IT and I didn't leave home till I was 31