Syd Barrett interview audio

Rare Syd Barrett interview August 1967 London

• Category

  Music

[KingKook]

As a former art school student, I understand EXACTLY what he is saying, that schools are motivated to produce "commercial" artists who will bring recognition back to the school. This is the cycle of mediocrity that pervades so much "art" today. Syd was interested in genuine, profound originality and a connection with more timeless, sublime forces. I get it, I relate to it. I live it. He just isn't speaking in "common" language to make it intelligible to people who are only interested in Floyd.

[dmorse523]

This is the dead on truth of what happened indeed. He was able to find his creative freedom in painting after all.

As a matter of fact, he was so scarred by the demand for repetition of the same in pop music, he burned all of his paintings after he finished them, thus protecting them completely from scrutiny and popular demand. Truly amazing and also so sad the paranoia and psychological trauma he had to endure because of his early musical success and the never ending pressure to keep feeding "

[CHANCHOFACE]

Sounds like he's saying, "I used to just paint and do art because of my own natural drive to do art, then I went to art school and learned how to analyze and expand my horizons on what I can do with art. Now that I'm taking a break from music, its going to allow me to use what I learned in school to make paintings."

Also we never hear the question or even know what Syd was saying before this so its obviously going to sound fragmented.

[SpukiTheLoveKitten75]

I realize that Syd wasn't a musician....he was a painter who used sound as a medium. He was a painter who, for a time, created beautiful paintings via the medium of rock music. Floyd to him was simply "performance art" rather than being a rock musician in a rock band. His band mates & the music producers never realized this. When Syd asked the riddle "Have you got it yet?" this is what he wanted them to "get".

[jimhendirx]

ill give you everything anything if you want things

[tjalve93]

Is there more interviews like these with syd?

[Panoce Lepo]

The top comment surely does twist what Sid is conveying. And it's a shame to see so many people supporting this.

[Scoob505]

I am the same. Never went to art school or studied art. Just had an exhibition a few weeks ago and you will meet the odd person here and there that gets very offended that you are not doing it the way they are taught. I really understand what Syd is saying here as well.

[SpukiTheLoveKitten75]

Agree 100%.

[TheOneartist]

Syd was ahead of his time, but fortunately the Aquarian Age is now under way and spirits like Syd will flourish creatively. God is inside us all - we can all tap in if we choose. :)

[SpukiTheLoveKitten75]

...figure. He is literally like a quasi-mythical faery/demigod to me. The beautiful being known as SYD. It's hard to explain. It's a sort of weird "creation of mythology/Joseph Campbell/egregore" kind of thing. You take a guy at a certain point in his life & you create this almost mythic entity of him. I love that boy...that beautiful boy! That Psychedelic Faery Lord of Aquarian Age Higher Cosmic Magick!