Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett was born on January 6, 1946, and died on July 7, 2006. He was an English singer, guitarist, and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. From 1965 until 1968, he was Pink Floyd's main singer and primary writer of songs. His music often included playful, imaginative ideas and unusual ways of writing lyrics. As a guitarist, he used creative techniques and special effects like unusual sounds, loud noises, repeated echoes, and feedback.

Barrett was active in music for about ten years. With Pink Floyd, he helped record the first three singles, their first album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), part of their second album A Saucerful of Secrets (1968), and several songs that were released later. He left the band in April 1968 due to questions about his mental health and use of psychedelic drugs. After leaving, he started a short solo career in 1969 with the single "Octopus," followed by two albums, The Madcap Laughs (1970) and Barrett (1970), which were recorded with help from Pink Floyd and the Soft Machine.

In 1974, Barrett left the music industry and stopped working in the public eye. He focused on painting and gardening until his death. Pink Floyd honored him by creating songs like the 1975 piece "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and parts of the 1979 musical work The Wall. In 1988, EMI released an album of unused recordings called Opel, which Barrett approved of. In 1996, Barrett was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd. He died from pancreatic cancer in 2006.

Early life

Roger Keith Barrett was born on January 6, 1946, in Cambridge, England. He was the fourth of five children in a middle-class family that lived at 60 Glisson Road. His father, Arthur Max Barrett, was an important doctor who studied diseases. He was related to Elizabeth Garrett Anderson through his mother’s grandmother, Ellen Garrett. In 1951, Barrett’s family moved to 183 Hills Road in Cambridge.

Barrett sometimes played the piano but mostly enjoyed writing and drawing. At age 10, he bought a ukulele, a banjo at 11, and a Höfner acoustic guitar at 14. He first played the acoustic guitar but later bought an electric Selmer Futurama III. He was a member of the 7th Cambridge Scout troop and later became a patrol leader.

Barrett used the nickname "Syd" starting at age 14. This name came from a Cambridge jazz musician named Sid "the Beat" Barrett. Barrett changed the spelling to make it different from the musician’s name. Another story says Barrett’s classmates called him "Syd" at age 13 after he wore a flat cap instead of his scout beret at a field day. He used both names for a while, but his sister Rosemary said, "He was never Syd at home. He would never have allowed it."

At Morley Memorial Junior School, Barrett had a teacher who was the mother of his future Pink Floyd bandmate, Roger Waters. In 1957, Barrett attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys with Waters. His father died of cancer on December 11, 1961, just weeks before Barrett turned 16. Barrett left a blank entry in his diary on that day. By then, his siblings had left home, and his mother rented rooms in their house to people who stayed there for rent.

To help Barrett deal with his sadness, his mother encouraged the band he formed, Geoff Mott and the Mottoes, to perform in their home. Roger Waters, Barrett’s childhood friend, often attended these shows. At one point, Waters organized a concert for a group called the CND at Friends Meeting House on March 11, 1962. Soon after, Geoff Mott joined another band, and the Mottoes ended.

In September 1962, Barrett joined the art department at Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, where he met future Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Around late 1962 and early 1963, Barrett was influenced by the Beatles and began playing their songs at parties and picnics. In 1963, he became a fan of the Rolling Stones and attended one of their performances in Cambridgeshire. He said Bo Diddley was his greatest musical influence.

At this time, Barrett began writing songs. A friend remembered hearing him perform a song called "Effervescing Elephant," which he later recorded on his solo album Barrett. Around the same time, Barrett and Gilmour sometimes played acoustic music together. Barrett called Gilmour "Fred" in letters to friends and family. In mid-1963, Barrett played bass guitar with a band called Those Without. The next year, he played bass and guitar with another band, the Hollerin’ Blues. In 1964, Barrett and a friend named Gausden saw Bob Dylan perform. After this concert, Barrett wrote a song called "Bob Dylan Blues."

Barrett decided to move to London and apply to Camberwell College of Arts to study painting. He enrolled in the college in mid-1964.

Career

In 1964, the group that later became Pink Floyd changed names several times, including the Abdabs, the Screaming Abdabs, Sigma 6, and the Meggadeaths. In 1965, Syd Barrett joined the band when they were called the Tea Set (sometimes spelled T-Set). When they played with another band of the same name, Barrett suggested the name "the Pink Floyd Sound," which later became "the Pink Floyd Blues Band" and eventually "Pink Floyd."

In 1965, Barrett had his first experience with LSD in the garden of his friend Dave Gale, along with Ian Moore and Storm Thorgerson, who later became a Pink Floyd cover artist. During one trip, Barrett and a friend named Paul Charrier ended up naked in a bath, reciting: "No rules, no rules." Because of continued drug use, the band became interested in Sant Mat, a Sikh sect. Thorgerson and Barrett went to a London hotel to meet the sect’s leader. Thorgerson joined the sect, but Barrett was too young to be accepted. Thorgerson believed this rejection was a significant event in Barrett’s life. While living near friends, Barrett wrote songs, including "Bike."

Pink Floyd began by playing American R&B covers but by 1966 developed their own style of rock and roll, influenced by jazz. After guitarist Bob Klose left the band, their direction changed. However, the change was not immediate, as the band continued to improvise on guitars and keyboards. Drummer Nick Mason said most of the band’s ideas came from Barrett.

Around this time, Barrett wrote most of the songs for Pink Floyd’s first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), and songs that later appeared on his solo albums. He was said to read books such as Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and The I-Ching. In 1966, Pink Floyd became popular in London’s underground psychedelic music scene. By the end of the year, they had a management team, Andrew King and Peter Jenner. In October, they recorded demos at Thompson Private Recording Studio in Hemel Hempstead. King said the demos showed Barrett had become a songwriter almost overnight.

Barrett wrote the group’s first single, "Arnold Layne," about a man stealing clothes from washing lines. Shortly after, Pink Floyd signed a record deal with EMI. They recorded The Piper at the Gates of Dawn between February and July 1967 at Abbey Road Studios (then called EMI Recording Studios), produced by Norman Smith, a former Beatles engineer. Of the eleven songs, Barrett wrote eight and co-wrote two. The album reached number six on the British charts.

By late 1967 and early 1968, Barrett became increasingly unpredictable, partly due to heavy use of drugs like LSD, amphetamine, and Mandrax. He developed a blank stare and often did not recognize friends or know where he was. While recording "See Emily Play," guitarist David Gilmour visited Barrett but said Barrett "looked straight through me." Record producer Joe Boyd described Barrett at the UFO Club in mid-1967 as having "vacant" eyes, as if "someone had turned off a switch." During concerts, Barrett sometimes played only one chord or did not play at all.

On a tour in Los Angeles, Barrett reportedly said, "Gee, it sure is nice to be in Las Vegas!" Many reports described him on stage strumming one chord for the entire concert or not playing. During a TV appearance on American Bandstand, Barrett gave short answers and did not move his lips. During a performance on The Perry Como Show, band member Rick Wright had to mime the vocals for "Matilda Mother" because Barrett could not sing. Barrett sometimes forgot to bring his guitar, damaged equipment, or struggled to hold a pick.

Barrett made his last recordings with Pink Floyd in October for the single "Apples and Oranges," which he said was "about a girl I just saw walking around Richmond." By this time, he had trouble writing hit songs for the band. In late 1967, Barrett reportedly crushed Mandrax tablets and Brylcreem into his hair, which melted under stage lights, making him look like "a guttered candle." Drummer Nick Mason said Barrett would not waste Mandrax. During a UK tour with Jimi Hendrix, guitarist David O’List of the Nice band substituted for Barrett when he could not perform.

Around Christmas 1967, Pink Floyd asked David Gilmour to join as a second guitarist to cover for Barrett. For some shows, Gilmour played and sang while Barrett wandered on stage. The band grew tired of Barrett’s behavior. In January 1968, the band decided not to pick up Barrett for a show at Southampton University. They planned to keep him as a non-touring member, like the Beach Boys did with Brian Wilson, but this did not work.

At their last practice session, Barrett brought a new song called "Have You Got It Yet?" The song seemed simple at first but became impossible to learn as Barrett changed the arrangement. Gilmour said Barrett’s sense of humor was still intact, calling the situation "mad genius." Only one of Barrett’s songs after The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, "Jugband Blues," appeared on Pink Floyd’s second album, A Saucerful of Secrets (1968). Other songs, like "Apples and Oranges," "Scream Thy Last Scream," and "Vegetable Man," were not released until 2016. Barrett played guitar on tracks like "Remember a Day" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun."

After leaving Pink Floyd, Barrett stayed out of the public eye for a year. In 1969, EMI and Harvest Records encouraged him to start a solo career. He released two albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett (both 1970), and a single, "Octopus." Some songs, like "Terrapin," "Maisie," and "Bob Dylan Blues," reflected Barrett’s early musical interests.

Death and tributes

Barrett passed away at his home in Cambridge on July 7, 2006, at the age of 60, due to pancreatic cancer. His death was announced five days after his passing. He was cremated during a funeral at Cambridge Crematorium on July 18, 2006, and no members of Pink Floyd attended. In a statement, Wright said: "The band is very sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death. Syd was an important part of the early band and left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire." Gilmour said: "Please take time to listen to some of Syd's songs and remember him as a creative and unique person who made us all smile with his imaginative songs about bikes, gnomes, and scarecrows. His career was short, but he touched many people."

NME published a special edition honoring Barrett one week later, featuring a photo of him on the cover. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Barrett's sister, Rosemary Breen, said that he had written a book about the history of art that was not published. According to local newspapers, Barrett left about £1.7 million to his four siblings, mostly from money earned through royalties from Pink Floyd compilations and live recordings that included Barrett's songs. A tribute concert, "Madcap's Last Laugh," was held at the Barbican Centre in London on May 10, 2007, with Barrett's bandmates and other musicians, including Robyn Hitchcock, Captain Sensible, Damon Albarn, Chrissie Hynde, and Kevin Ayers. Gilmour, Wright, and Mason performed Barrett's songs "Bike" and "Arnold Layne," and Waters performed a solo version of his song "Flickering Flame."

In 2006, Barrett's home in St. Margaret's Square, Cambridge, was listed for sale and received a lot of attention. After more than 100 viewings, many by fans, it was sold to a French couple who were not familiar with Barrett. On November 28, 2006, Barrett's other belongings were sold at an auction in Cambridge, raising £120,000 for charity. Items sold included paintings, scrapbooks, and everyday items Barrett had decorated.

A series of events named The City Wakes was held in Cambridge in October 2008 to celebrate Barrett's life, art, and music. Breen helped organize this, which was the first official series of events to honor her brother. After the festival's success, an arts charity called Escape Artists announced plans to create a center in Cambridge, using art to help people with mental health challenges. A memorial bench was placed in the Botanic Gardens in Cambridge, and more significant tributes were planned in the city.

Legacy

In 1988, EMI Records released an album called Opel, which included studio recordings and unreleased songs by Syd Barrett from 1968 to 1970. The album was originally planned to include two unreleased songs, "Scream Thy Last Scream" and "Vegetable Man," which had been remixed by Malcolm Jones. However, the band decided to remove these songs before the album was completed.

In 1993, EMI released Crazy Diamond, a boxed set containing Barrett’s three albums and additional out-takes from his solo recordings. These out-takes showed how Barrett often changed the way he played songs, making it hard to repeat them exactly. In 2001, EMI released The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn’t You Miss Me? in the UK and the US. This album included "Bob Dylan Blues," a song from a demo tape that David Gilmour had kept. The tape also contained another unreleased song, "Living Alone." In 2010, Harvest/EMI and Capitol Records released An Introduction to Syd Barrett, a collection of Barrett’s Pink Floyd work and remastered solo recordings. This collection included a downloadable bonus track called "Rhamadan," a 20-minute recording from one of Barrett’s earliest solo sessions in 1968. In 2011, a vinyl double album version of this collection was planned for Record Store Day.

Bootleg recordings of Barrett’s live and solo performances have existed for many years. For example, early BBC recordings of Barrett’s Pink Floyd were shared widely until an engineer returned a tape to the BBC. The BBC later played the tape during a tribute to John Peel, which included the first full broadcast of the 1967 Top Gear radio program. This program featured live versions of "Flaming," "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," and a short part of the instrumental "Reaction in G." In 2012, engineer Andy Jackson found tapes in Nick Mason’s possession that contained early versions of R&B songs that Pink Floyd played.

Barrett wrote most of Pink Floyd’s early songs. Norman Smith, the band’s producer, compared Barrett to John Lennon in his memoir, saying, "Syd Barrett could write like John. He wasn’t quite as good, but he had the potential to improve over time." Jimmy Page, known for his work with Led Zeppelin, said Barrett’s music with early Pink Floyd was "inspirational" and "tragic" because Barrett’s mental health declined. Critic Steven Hyden noted that Barrett’s influence remained in Pink Floyd’s later work, even after he left the band.

Barrett was known for his creative use of the guitar. He experimented with techniques like dissonance, distortion, feedback, and echo effects. His ideas were partly inspired by Keith Rowe, a guitarist from the group AMM. Barrett played several different guitars, including a white Fender Stratocaster and a silver Fender Esquire with mirrored discs. The Esquire was his favorite, and he traded it for a black Telecaster Custom in 1968. The Telecaster’s current location is unknown.

Barrett’s voice was delivered in a southern English accent, which was described by writer Nick Kent as "quintessentially English." David Bowie said Barrett was the first person he heard sing rock or pop music with a British accent.

Barrett’s guitar playing introduced new ways to create music. He used various guitars, including a Harmony hollowbody electric and a Fender Telecaster. His style influenced many artists, including Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, Blur, David Bowie, and others. Bowie covered Barrett’s song "See Emily Play" on his 1973 album Pin Ups.

Barrett’s influence extended to alternative and punk music. His struggles with mental health affected Pink Floyd’s later work, including the albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), and The Wall (1979). The song "Wish You Were Here" references Barrett’s lyrics, and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a tribute to him.

In 1987, an album called Beyond the Wildwood was released, featuring cover songs by Barrett. Artists included The Shamen, Opal, and The Soup Dragons. Other artists, like Kevin Ayers and Robyn Hitchcock, created tributes to Barrett. Johnny Depp was interested in making a film about Barrett’s life, and Barrett is briefly shown in the play Rock 'n' Roll (2006).

In 2016, an Italian group called The Theatre of the Absurd released a short film called Eclipse to honor Barrett. The film was shown at an event celebrating Barrett’s life.

Health

Members of Barrett’s family said he did not have mental illness and had not received treatment for it since they began speaking regularly in the 1980s. Breen mentioned Barrett spent time at a private facility called Greenwoods in Essex, but there was no official treatment program there. Later, Barrett agreed to meet with a psychiatrist at Fulbourn Hospital in Cambridge, but Breen stated that doctors did not think medicine or therapy was needed.

Breen also said Barrett was not a recluse and did not avoid talking about his past. He explained that people who called Barrett a recluse were likely expressing their own feelings of disappointment. Barrett understood what others wanted, but he refused to give them what they expected. In 1996, Wright shared that Barrett’s mother asked members of Pink Floyd not to contact him, as remembering the band made him feel sad for weeks.

In the 1960s, Barrett used psychedelic drugs, including LSD. Some believe he had schizophrenia. Wright claimed Barrett’s issues came from a large amount of LSD, as his behavior changed quickly. However, Waters said Barrett definitely had schizophrenia. Gilmour stated that Barrett’s mental breakdown was likely due to deep personal issues, but he thought the use of psychedelic drugs might have made the problem worse. Gilmour also said Barrett struggled with the success and responsibilities that came with fame. In a 1974 interview, Gilmour mentioned that other Pink Floyd members asked psychiatrist R. D. Laing to help with Barrett’s situation. After listening to a recording of Barrett speaking, Laing said Barrett could not be cured.

In his book Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey, Nicholas Schaffner spoke with people who knew Barrett before and during his time in Pink Floyd. These included friends Peter and Susan Wynne-Wilson, artist Duggie Fields (who lived with Barrett in the late 1960s), June Bolan, and Pink Floyd album artist Storm Thorgerson. Bolan became worried when Barrett kept his girlfriend locked in a room for three days, sometimes leaving her food through a door.

Writer and critic Jonathan Meades said some fans treated Barrett cruelly, including putting him in a cupboard during a bad drug experience. Thorgerson denied this, saying the story sounded like a fantasy. Thorgerson’s colleague Aubrey Powell suggested the fans may have told Meades this to tease him.

Other friends said Barrett’s flatmates, who also used LSD, saw him as a genius or a god. They sometimes added LSD to his coffee, keeping him in a constant drug-induced state. Barrett was helped out of that situation by friends, but his unusual behavior continued. Thorgerson said he once had to pull Barrett away from his girlfriend Lindsay, as Barrett was hitting her with a mandolin. Powell confirmed this event, but Corner denied it happened. On another occasion, Barrett threw a woman across a room because she refused to visit Gilmour’s home.

Personal life

According to his sister, Rosemary, Barrett began photography and sometimes visited the seaside with her. She also mentioned that he was very interested in art and horticulture and continued to paint throughout his life.

Barrett had relationships with several women, including Evelyn "Iggy" Rose (also known as "Iggy the Eskimo"), who appeared on the back cover of The Madcap Laughs. He never married or had children.

Discography

• The Madcap Laughs (1970)
• Barrett (1970)

• The Peel Session (1987)
• The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? (2001)
• An Introduction to Syd Barrett (2010)

• "Octopus" / "Golden Hair" (1969)
• "Baby Lemonade" / "Gigolo Aunt" (1970) (only available for promotion)
• "Effervescing Elephant" / "Baby Lemonade" (1971) (only available in Japan)

• "Arnold Layne" / "Candy and a Currant Bun" (1967)
• "See Emily Play" / "Scarecrow" (1967)
• "Apples and Oranges" / "Paintbox" (1967)

• "Scream Thy Last Scream" / "Vegetable Man" (1967) (planned as the third single but was not released)

Albums with Pink Floyd
• The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
• A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
• 1965: Their First Recordings (2015)
• The Early Years 1965–1972 (2016)

Filmography

• Syd Barrett's First Trip (1966) directed by Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon
• London '66–'67 (1967)
• Tonite Let's All Make Love in London (1967)
• The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story (2003)
• Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd (2023)