Syd Barrett

Thank you for sharing this video. I can relate to much of his story. Many of our most talented and innovative artists/musicians have had drug addictions, and experimented with mind altering substances. This made for some very eclectic and ground breaking art. They seemed to have developed a very unique way of experiencing our world.
 
There's a TV series on VICE TV called, "Dark Side of Comedy". And apparently, they are not running out of comedians with drug addictions/ suicides/mental illnesses for more episodes. There's even a category called 'trainwreck child stars'. There's also a similar series about pro-wrestlers. I doubt entertainers face more of life's challenges than the rest of us. It's they are more well known.
 
I don't know if there's any evidence or if a mental health pro would agree, but imo, Syd had some type of mental illness before the drugs. Probably one with disorganized thinking as a symptoms (also depression). I'm basing that on what his mom and other Floyd members have said. And the drastic change in his appearance within just a few years is another clue.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Thank you for sharing this video. I can relate to much of his story. Many of our most talented and innovative artists/musicians have had drug addictions, and experimented with mind altering substances. This made for some very eclectic and ground breaking art. They seemed to have developed a very unique way of experiencing our world.
Click to expand...

I grew up in the Bay Area during the "Hippie" revolution. I was drawn to the music and the life style. I wanted to be a guitar player that could play and invent music like Hendrix. My friends and fellow musicians experimented with LSD many times. We tried mescaline, and magic mushrooms. It was pretty common to take drugs in the valley. Most musical groups used them. For those who take LSD, it can have a profound effect on one's psychology. I had a very bad acid trip that the psychologist's called "ego loss". This is something that is common among those who take LSD. Sometimes this ego loss brings ecstasy, but sometimes it brings hell. For most they got a glimpse of both. Here is article that explains how music ( and culture ) was changed during that time. Includes Pink Floyd....

( excerpt )

"Acid “expands one’s mind to things that they could not imagine being possible before its use,” Rice explains. “Sonically, this results in increased experimentation of sound. This lead to things like lead guitar recorded backwards by numerous artists, The Grateful Dead recording air in different locations (dry air, humid air, etc.) because they thought it would add depth and texture to their music, and The Beach Boys recruiting The Beatles’ Paul McCartney to chew celery in the track ‘Vegetables’ to add percussive sound to that track. Clearly, these examples are a far cry from the simple ‘guitar bass drums vocals’ setup that was comfortable and familiar in earlier rock and roll.”

While The Beatles were tripping in London, The Grateful Dead was performing in Northern California’s “Acid Tests,” festivals that combined dance, art, and (of course) drugs, Philip Auslander, a Professor at the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Institute of Technology, tells me. Their sound engineer was chemist Augustus Owsley Stanley III, also known as Bear, who manufactured LSD and sold it to John Lennon, Pete Townsend, and other musicians. The Grateful Dead’s music was partially funded by the sale of this “Monterey Purple” and “White Lightning” acid."

https://www.audiofemme.com/high-notes-how-lsd-changed-music/
 
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