Syd Barrett: what prevented him from building a career after Pink Floyd

One of the founding members of British psychedelic and progressive pioneers, Sid Barrett is one of the undisputed great rock and pop musicians of the 1960s! He remains an icon of his time and genre, and it was he who shaped an extraordinary style Pink Floyd. The band probably wouldn't exist without him. But even with him, she was on the verge of ....

Barrett was extraordinarily talented - almost every song on his debut album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn." was written by him. With him, the band made its first appearance on the Top of the PopsThe show that opened the way to the future for British rockers. It remains to be wondered how much more Syd could have contributed to the development of Pink Floyd, if not for his oddities, which began soon after the first success... Many years have passed, but the question among music lovers is still relevant: why did the other members of the band fire their mate?

He had stage fright

In 2022, the bassist Roger Waters gave an interview in which he mentioned Sid. Talking about his late comrade, Roger recalled one remarkable moment - the moment when Barrett refused to go on stage.

"We were supposed to do Top of the Pops - it was just another gig for us! But all of a sudden it became clear that Sid was insanely excited and terrified by the fact that he needed to go on stage... I said to him, 'Come on! Let's just go out there and do it already!". However, all to no avail... That was the starting point, the moment when Sid went into a different stratosphere. From that day on, he never went on stage relaxed again. He couldn't control himself before a concert. He became more and more detached until he became completely crazy. Suddenly he lost all sense of purpose..."

Sid and David Gilmorewho eventually became his replacement, were well acquainted. One day Gilmour walked into the studio where they were recording "See Emily Play"and Barrett's reaction scared him.

"We knew each other, but when I walked into the studio and said hello to him - Sid looked at me like he didn't realise who I was. It was like he didn't recognise me. I remembered that look forever... And I can tell you for sure that was the moment he started to turn into a different person..."

He was experiencing nervous exhaustion

The sudden inability of the band's primary songwriter to write new songs became a serious problem, and attempts to get Syd Barrett's family involved, as well as to give him psychological counsellingBarrett was known to be suffering from "nervous exhaustion" by the time he became a "liability" to the rest of Floyd. It is known that by the time he became a "liability" to the rest of Floyd, Barrett was suffering from "nervous exhaustion".

His behaviour was out of control: he caused the band to miss a scheduled performance at the National Jazz and Blues Festival, and a US tour ended prematurely after Barrett simply stood on stage tuning his guitar at a show in San Francisco during the concert... Then there was an appearance on a TV show "American Pop."during which he stared at the programme presenters in a daze.

Participants recalled how often Barrett generally refused getting off the tour bus or leaving the stage before the show even started.

He feared aliens

In January 1970, Syd released his solo album "The Madcap Laughs." and did an interview with Melody Maker magazine. But it was not without incident... Photographer Barry Wentzell reminisced:

"His manager came over and apologetically said," Sid has locked himself in a room and won't come out. Can you talk through the keyhole and try to get him out?"

Eventually Barrett let the interviewer and photographer into the room, but the quickly locked up door behind them and explained that his managers were "actually aliens who were chasing him and he was trying to get away from them..." Also, according to Wentzell, Sid looked like "a somewhat confused young man, full of creative inspiration but totally unaware of what was going on around him."

He arranged a spontaneous meeting with ex-colleagues

"Barrett." was Sid's second and final solo album, featuring his ex-Pink Floyd bandmates. David Gilmore produced the record and played bass, and Richard Wright played keyboards. However, this was not the last time they met. In the mid-'70s, while recording "Wish You Were Here"Sid arrived unexpectedly at the recording studio. At first, his former comrades didn't even recognise him: he had put on weight, shaved his head and eyebrows, acted aloof... And then Roger Waters cried when he recognised Barrett....

Syd Barrett retired from the music industry and returned to his hometown of Cambridge, where he devoted himself to painting. He died of pancreatic cancer 7 July 2006..