Born 6th Jan 1946, on this day, Syd Barrett, guitarist, singer, songwriter with Pink Floyd. Syd Barrett, who was a co-founding member, left Pink Floyd in 1968. He released 2 solo albums before going into self-imposed seclusion for more than 30 years, enjoying life as an artist and a keen gardener. Pink Floyd wrote many tributes to him after he left, the best-known being “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. Syd Barrett died, aged 60, on 7th July 2006 from complications arising from diabetes.
Mick Rock reminisces I was meant to go and shoot Syd Barrett upstairs in his flat, but when I saw this car outside I thought: “Fuck it – I need to take pictures of that, too.” It was an incredible prop to have plonked there. If I recall correctly, it was a Pontiac Parisienne, a push-button convertible, and it was pink. Mickey Finn, who became the bongo-player for T-Rex, had picked it up at an auction, and Syd Barrett had swopped his Mini for it. But he didn’t have a clue how to drive this massive American car, and it basically didn’t work anyway. You can see the back wheel is a bit wonky. Eventually, it got towed away.
It was autumn 1969, and I was over at Earls Court trying to get shots for the cover of Syd’s first solo album, The Madcap Laughs. He had an amazing look: a beautiful burnt-out rock’n’roller. I think he looked better than he ever did in Pink Floyd. He was probably the hippest thing out there, as far as England was concerned. He had basically just rolled out of bed, shaken his head, put a bit of kohl on, and gotten dressed. There were no stylists, no assistants – who had money for that? Iggy the Eskimo just did whatever makeup he needed around the eyes. I think that’s why lots of pictures from the 60s and 70s look so authentic: they weren’t styled by anybody.
Syd was a painter really. He’d been to art school. That’s why his music was so unique, because he thought like a painter – and he carried on painting for the rest of his life. One of the reasons why people love him so much is because they only know the bare facts of his life, since he gave so few interviews. I actually did the last one with him in 1971, after he had retreated back to his mum’s house in Cambridge. People think he went mad, but I never did. He was a total original,
This day in 1968, at the University of Birmingham, fans saw the first of the handful of concerts which were performed by the five-piece Pink Floyd. This picture is one of a handful taken at the sole photo session undertaken when the band had both Syd Barrett, and David Gilmour, in their ranks.
The Fat Angel Sings 