i'm a writer. i listen to music. i write music blah blah blah. but when i listen to syd, i wish i could have been him. but then i think of all the things that the poor guy went through. all the things he did. etc. i pretty much love his music. and i wish i could be as creative as the diamond. crazy or not.

its sad, kinda. you know. the man was a GENIUS. and things happened. i dont think the acid was the only thing that contributed to his "breakdown" or whatever its called. i think it was the industry. the pressure.

still.. i wish i could ve as creative as syd.

Syd fan, I hear you....so well. We can try & try & we'll never be like Syd. But Syd isn't us either soooo.... I always wanted to go where Syd Barrett went with his mind..... I just wanted to come back as well. Although sometimes........

Would you also be like Syd if that meant you would get a few years as a pop star, have a mental breakdown and live the next 30 years in isolation?

Rest in peace, play some great gigs in the sky

The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long

(02-10-2010 02:02 PM)Androkles Wrote:  Would you also be like Syd if that meant you would get a few years as a pop star, have a mental breakdown and live the next 30 years in isolation?

There's other, more precise ways of putting it mate. sydfan puts it very well imo.

(05-19-2010 05:36 PM)Echo Of The Distant Sun Wrote:  

(02-10-2010 02:02 PM)Androkles Wrote:  Would you also be like Syd if that meant you would get a few years as a pop star, have a mental breakdown and live the next 30 years in isolation?

There's other, more precise ways of putting it mate. sydfan puts it very well imo.

He may have, but at the end of the day Androkles is right. Syd was a tortured genius for sure, and wrote some pretty amazing lyrics, but he also did too many drugs, had a mental/nervous breakdown and totally removed himself from society for the remainder of his life. So it's a fair question, I believe. Would you trade in a couple years of fame for living the rest of your life like a virtual recluse?

(05-20-2010 07:51 AM)Electrophile Wrote:  

(05-19-2010 05:36 PM)Echo Of The Distant Sun Wrote:  

(02-10-2010 02:02 PM)Androkles Wrote:  Would you also be like Syd if that meant you would get a few years as a pop star, have a mental breakdown and live the next 30 years in isolation?

There's other, more precise ways of putting it mate. sydfan puts it very well imo.

He may have, but at the end of the day Androkles is right. Syd was a tortured genius for sure, and wrote some pretty amazing lyrics, but he also did too many drugs, had a mental/nervous breakdown and totally removed himself from society for the remainder of his life. So it's a fair question, I believe. Would you trade in a couple years of fame for living the rest of your life like a virtual recluse?

I probably would yes if it meant having a talent like that and to be able to share it with people. I think the question though is being asked in the assumption that it's a big decision because of the misconception that Syd was a true nut case. I don't think that was the case at all.

We'll never know if Syd truly suffered from any mental illnesses or if his breakdown was caused purely by too many hallucinogenics but a lot of the symptoms/behaviors he exhibited, both when he was in the band and after he had left, are similar to those found in people diagnosed with schizophrenia. That's not saying he 100% was a schizophrenic, just that the idea that he might have been one, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed, is a valid one.

its still hard to known for sure if someone is mentally ill today think how hard it would have been in the 1960's without all the computers and brain tests we have today.

Well yeah, science and the psychiatry profession have evolved by leaps and bounds since then. I mean, homosexuality and alcoholism used to be considered mental illnesses as recently as 40 years ago.