Introduction usician, psychedelic explorer, eccentric, cult icon – Roger “Syd” Barrett was many things to many people. Created in conjunction with the Barrett family and The Estate of Roger Barrett, who have provided unprece- dented access to family photographs, artworks, and mem- Mories, Barrett offers an intimate portrait of the Syd known only to his family and closest friends. Previously unseen photographs taken on seaside holidays and other family occasions show us a happy and loving young man, smiling energetically in images that map his early life, from childhood through his teenage years. Along with newly available photos from the album cover shoots for The Madcap Laughs and Barrett (taken by Storm Thorgerson and Mick Rock) they reveal the positive energy of a grinning Syd as he fools about in front of the camera. We are offered a rare glimpse of one who was immensely popular among friends and contemporaries. Also contained within these pages are recently unearthed images of Pink Floyd in which we see Syd practising handstands, making muscle-man poses, and having fun. The other members of Floyd lark about too – a fledgling young band enjoying itself with a sense of real camaraderie. The images transport one back in time to 166–67: the London Free School gigs, the launch of International Times at the Roundhouse, the UFO club, the band’s first European dates. There are photos of Syd and Floyd at numerous locations and events, giving a real sense of what it must have been like to be there as the infant light shows, experimentation, and collective spirit of the time emerged, grew, and flourished in the psychedelic hothouse that was the late 160s. Where possible, we have restored the images to show them in their best light. The technical quality of some of the images is not great, but I hope you will agree that they bear inclusion. The illustrated letters that Syd wrote to girlfriends Libby Gausden and Jenny Spires, reproduced in this book, are of key interest, as they detail, among other Spring 1964, 183 Hills Road, Cambridge Syd and Rosemary, family holiday, Hunstanton, Norfolk, c.1949–50 Barrett Introduction things, his early days with Pink Floyd, and reveal his eccentric wit in full flow. on Syd. Several, though not all, have left fans feeling rather short-changed, recy- They also contain sketches of ideas that would later come to fruition in his artwork. cling as they do the same old sensationalist stories. Very little authoritative work These letters are just one example of the volume and range of art-related content, has been produced on Syd the creator. That, after all, is at the heart of the pub- spanning from 161 until his death, discovered in the course of researching this lic’s interest in him. The need for a well-researched, intelligent, and well-thought- book. through account of Syd’s life and work was fulfilled with the publication of Rob My co-author Will Shutes has carried out some extraordinary research over the Chapman’s excellent An Irregular Head, in 2010. last few years on Syd’s art. Will’s engagement with Syd’s work not only allows for An Irregular Head is the definitive textual work on Syd. What you now hold is an appreciation of the breadth and sheer eclecticism of the art, but also of Syd’s the definitive visual work on Syd’s artistic life. The two books complement one dedication. Examining his myriad approaches and artistic methods one cannot another. They seek to debunk as much of the myth surrounding Syd as possible, but be impressed by the continuing, exploratory artistic attitude he maintained leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions on the basis of what lies before throughout his life, almost always with interesting and idiosyncratic results. them. Both show Syd as the creative force he undoubtedly was. It is worth mentioning here that I generally refer to him as “Syd” while Will The research for this book has been arduous and sometimes maddening. refers to him as “Barrett”. This is in keeping with Syd’s life. To the musical world Fading whispers, half-recalled suggestions, numerous red herrings, and mistaken he was known as “Syd” while to his family he was known as “Roger”. He signed recollections have added intrigue to the quest for materials – occasionally to the all of his art as “Roger Barrett” or using variants upon this. point of near despair. Some of the images that people have said they own, but Our search for Syd’s paintings and related information took us around the UK, Rosemary and Syd, 183 Hills Road, cannot remember where, would fill books in their own right. One old friend of and to parts of the USA, Scandinavia, Spain, Holland, and Italy. The most inter- Cambridge, c.1961 Syd’s said he had a reel of images of them punting down the River Cam with esting and revealing of the discoveries, however, came from perhaps the most some girlfriends, plus another reel of the two of them larking around London’s obvious loation: his home town of Cambridge. Just as we were completing the West End in the early 160s. The films, he believed, were in a suitcase in his loft. photography of the family’s collection of his paintings, a couple of photo albums After I’d waited a few weeks, he let me know that he had finally brought the case were discovered by Syd’s sister Rosemary. These contained photos Syd had taken Syd and Rosemary with Alan Barrett (left) and down – but there was nothing in it. Frustrating for me, even sadder for him. of artworks that he would later destroy, for reasons known only to himself. Don Barrett (right) in the background, family When hunting buried treasure, one has to remember that, while we fans wish There were also photos that he had taken of outdoor scenes and sketches he holiday, Heacham, Norfolk, c.1950–51 to see these pictures of our hero, so too do old friends and family, for whom Syd had made from those photographs. In some instances, the finished paintings wasn’t the so-called rock star lost, but an uncle, friend, boyfriend, colleague, and resulting from this careful preparation feature in these photographs, too. Then brother. In the course of making this book we interviewed many of those friends, there are the photos he took of his working area, his tools and brushes, and other girlfriends, and family members, and one of the questions asked of them was how artistic paraphernalia. Wonderfully, we see in these newly discovered images how much family influence there had been on Syd’s artistic development. Another Syd worked, where he worked, and what he worked on. They reveal a dedicated question enquired after the impact of Cambridge on his creative output. The practising artist employing thorough artistic methods right up until the end of his answers provide fascinating insights. life. They also prompt a pertinent question: why take a photograph of something you didn’t wish to be reminded of? It suggests that the destruction of his paintings wasn’t born of some rage or wild artistic temperament. It was perhaps more a case of once it was done, for the artist it was time to move on to something new. That is how it always had been with Syd, as Rosemary recalls: “All of his life, acquiring things was quite fun but the moment was gone as soon as he’d got them.” Researching and working on this book has helped me appreciate Syd’s art and music anew. At the age of fourteen I was drawn to Syd’s music by the sonically arresting and menacing opening chord progression of “Interstellar Overdrive”. Having been lucky enough to be given the complete Pink Floyd catalogue on vinyl by a friend, who had replaced his vinyl collection with compact discs, I had heard Libby and Syd at Butlins, Skegness, June 1962 and enjoyed The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here before I discov- ered the Barrett-peppered compilation, Relics. That was a profound moment. It threw up all manner of questions in my adolescent mind: who was this Syd Barrett credited with writing such strange songs? Were there two Pink Floyds? How did a bike become a Lear jet?! The other Barrett-era Floyd albums and the odd article here and there filled in a few of the gaps for me, but in those pre-internet days the Syd and Rosemary in fancy dress at the Morley pickings were slim. Only with Mike Watkinson and Pete Anderson’s 11 book fête, Cambridge, c.1955 Crazy Diamond would I finally discover more about the mercurial Syd. Since then, there have of course been many books, articles, and opinion pieces Syd, Libby, Rosemary, and Win Barrett at Butlins, Skegness, June 1962 10 Barrett Introduction 11 from about 1 months”, and that by the time he was 5 years old he was attending weekend art classes at nearby Homerton College where “everybody made a big fuss about him, which he loved. He absolutely loved it because at the age of about 5 he was given a lot of attention and acclaim and that was great by him”. As well as an aptitude for music, Max Barrett also displayed artistic abilities. Rosemary recalls that, “Because he was a pathologist he was very good at detail. Some of his illustrations were amazing in the detail”. Alan concurs: “Our father was indeed a skilled watercolourist . Roger could well have inherited some of those artistic skills.” What of the environment: how did Syd’s life in Cambridge and his friends at the time influence his artistic viewpoint? When asked if Cambridge had an impact on her brother’s creativity, Rosemary suggests that the town was just home to Syd, and that its importance simply lay in the fact that his family lived there.